BURY scored three goals for the second straight match and still continue to search for their first win of the League One season after a six-goal thriller at Gresty Road.

Flitcroft had promised fans after a 4-3 defeat to Fleetwood in midweek that his side would thrash out their defensive problems on the training pitch.

But their back-line again looked fragile as Crewe twice took the lead in the opening half through goals from Adam King and Ryan Colclough.

Bury remain potent in attack though and they bounced back with goals from Danny Mayor and Tom Soares before the break and then took the lead through Danny Rose on 58 minutes.

They were unable to see the game out though as Bradden Inman fired Crewe back level with 10 minutes to play, leaving both sides still in search of their first three points of the campaign.

King’s opening goal in the fourth minute was a comedy of errors as the midfielder came off the right wing to thread the ball through the onrushing Bury defenders and goalkeeper after Crewe striker Marcus Haber and Chris Hussey had taken air shots at a low cross from the left.

Danny Rose and Peter Clarke went close with early chances before Tom Pope and then Rose made a complete hash of an opportunity when both strikers had time and space to slot home with only the keeper to beat.

The slapdash passage of play started when Pope seized on a mistake in the Crewe back four but seemed caught in two minds in a central position about 30 yards out and succeeded in just mis-kicking the ball at Crewe stopper Ben Garratt as he rushed out of his box, then Rose did the same as he followed up.

It took a determined run and finish from Danny Mayor on 23 minutes to finally put the Shakers level. The midfielder stormed into the box after robbing the ball from Crewe right-back Oliver Turton and then lifted ta chipped effort over Garratt and into the net.

Rose had a header disallowed for offside three minutes later as the Shakers took the upper hand, but they were once again let down by flaky defending as Crewe went back in front on 38 minutes.

Ryan Colclough was awarded the goal inside the ground after he followed up George Ray’s header back across the box from a deep Billy Bingham free kick. But judging by his reaction Bury full-back Joe Riley could well have got the final touch.

Pope wasted another one-on-one chance just a few minutes later but Bury went into the break on level terms after Soares fired a low drive into the bottom corner, seizing on a Rose knockdown in the first minute of injury time.

The defending from both sides continued in a similar vein after the restart as Rose forced Garratt into a diving save before Colclough crashed a shot against the post from a tight angle at the other end.

But as Mayor started to get more time on the ball, the midfielder began to pull the strings for Bury and he was instrumental in putting Hussey through to set up Rose for their third goal.

Rose showed great awareness to check his run into the box and Hussey picked him out with a pull-back before the striker sidefooted the ball into the roof of the net on 58 minutes.

After scoring his second in as many games, the former Barnsley frontman tired and was replaced by experienced central midfielder Chris Sedgwick on 66 minutes as the Shakers boss attempted to close the game down.

But Bury continued to pour forward and Hussey was unlucky not to see his 76th-minute shot rippling the back of the net after Garratt pulled off a spectacular close-range save.

With three points within their grasp, the Shakers started to look nervous again at the back and they were left at sixes and sevens by a jinking run into the box from Inman before the Crewe midfielder blasted the equaliser into the bottom corner.

CREWE: Garratt; Turton, Ray (Baillie 43), Nugent, Guthrie; King (Cooper 71), Fox, Colclough, Bingham, Inman; Haber.

Not used: Richards, Atkinson, Dalla Valle, Saunders, Wintle.

BURY: Walton 5; Riley 5, Cameron 5, P Clarke 6, Hussey 7; Soares 7 (Mellis 88), Pugh 6 (Hope 85), Tutte 7, Mayor 9; Rose 8 (Sedgwick 6 66), Pope 6.

Not used: Mellis, Lainton, Burgess, Foulds, Brown.

Referee: Oliver Langford.

Attendance: 4,125 (782 visiting).