Full-time: Scunthorpe United 1 Bury 2

Brian Laws' unbeaten league run as Scunthorpe United manager came to an end as battling Bury nicked a 2-1 success at Glanford Park.

The Shakers were easily the better side during the opening 45 minutes of a game of two contrasting halves and Steven Schumacher's 12th minute free-kick powered them in front.

In the second half, the Iron improved markedly.

But after Leon Clarke's 11th goal of the season had made it 1-1, United were caught out on the break and Troy Hewitt's close range finish restored Bury's lead just a minute after they had been pegged back.

The Iron would have been a goal down inside 60 seconds had Steve Mildenhall not been alert and brave enough to race off his line and block Tom Hopper's effort from the edge of the box with his chest after being sold horribly short by Niall Canavan's backpass.

It was a moment which set the tone for much of the opening half.

David Worrall's pace created an opening wide on the right and then the Shakers winger cleverly pulled the ball back, again for Hopper, who this time skied a wasteful effort over the bar.

Two minutes later the visitors were in front and though deserved, their was a hint of fortune about Schumacher's pile driver from the outskirts of the D, which looked to fizz off a body in the United wall before wrong-footing Mildenhall.

Scunthorpe looked a shadow of the side that had taken seven points out of the previous nine.

Going forward there was no fluency to their play and all too often passes went astray – particularly in the middle of the park.

At the back, where Mark McChrystal made his debut just hours after signing on loan from Tramere Rovers, they looked nervous.

It took the hosts until the 21st minute to muster anything of note, Leon Clarke lashing a snapshot goalwards, one that Bury goalkeeper Trevor Carson instinctively got a glove on to divert it wide.

Ten minutes before the break, Karl Hawley worked himself an opening from at the near post, but his cross-shot bounced along the goal line and away.

Scunthorpe had a great chance to restore parity early on in the second half.

But after finding himself in behind the Bury defence, something he hadn't manage to do during the opening 45 minutes, Clarke was uncharacteristically careless with the ball, dwelling too long to take his shot, allowing the visitors to recover.

Fortunately, seven minutes after the restart, he displayed the sort of trademark finish the Iron have become accustomed too during his stint on loan, coolly rolling a low effort into the far corner after being played in by Hawley's header.

Crucially, the lead lasted less than a minute.

With the Doncaster Road End still celebrating the equaliser, Bury broke down the left flank and with the United defence scrambling back, Hewitt converted an inch-perfect cross from almost on the goal line.

Tests of character have not always been welcomed during this struggling season.

Though Scunthorpe responded to this one with spirit, they lacked the sort of spark going forward that had served them so well in their previous three outings.

Clarke was, unsurprisingly, their major threat, stooping to head a corner from the right hand side wide moments after going close with a half volley that had been difficult to bring under control.

Josh Walker, recalled after suspension, also narrowly failed to net on the back of a clever free-kick routine which ended in his effort being beaten away by Carson's equally accurate dive.

As the clock ticked down, Scunthorpe began to get more and more stretched.

They used all three substitutes - bringing on Nathan Ellington, Callum Kennedy and later Jimmy Ryan -  and enjoyed a flurry of corners in a frantic final few moments.

But, crucially, they could not breach a stoic Shakers rearguard for a second time and fell to a sixth home defeat in 10 games.

SCUNTHORPE: Mildenhall, Ribeiro, McChrystal, Canavan, Newey, Duffy, Walker, Mozika (Ryan 78), Barcham (Kennedy 67), Hawley (Ellington 67), Clarke. Subs not used: Slocombe, Grella, Gibbons, Howe.

BURY: Carson, Doherty, Hughes, Ebanks-Landell, Skarz, Worrall, Thompson, Schumacher, Hewitt (Sodje 90), Soares, Hopper (John-Lewis 83). Subs not used: Belford, Sweeney, Jones, Carrington, Jones.

ATTENDANCE: 3,027 (242 away).