By Gregg Davies @ Gigg Lane
Hereford United's away woes continued at high-flying Bury, with an early goal enough to keep the Shakers' promotion-push on course.
Mike Jones - who scored direct from a free-kick in the reverse fixture at Edgar Street in August - repeated the trick following an innocuous-looking challenge on the edge of the penalty-area.
John Trewick made two changes to the side that lined up against Crewe Alexandra, with Sam Gwynne and Craig King returning in place of Mathieu Manset and the injured Richard Rose.
The hosts were ahead inside two minutes, with Jones curling the ball beyond Adam Bartlett from 20-yards after Ryan Lowe had tumbled to the ground.
Despite the early setback, the visitors proceeded to enjoy sustained spells of pressure inside the Shakers' half.
However, while working the ball into promising positions out wide on several occasions, the Bulls failed to test former United custodian Wayne Brown on a single occasion.
Bury, content to hit Hereford on the counter-attack having taken the lead, sporadically threatened to double their advantage before the break.
Wing-wizard David Worrall fired comfortably wide following a swift break-away, and headed over the crossbar after meeting Stephen Dawson's scooped centre.
Shakers' skipper Dawson then drove the ball across the face of goal having latched onto Lowe's through-ball
And after former Chester and Shrewsbury striker Lowe had forced Bartlett into a flying save with a rasping half-volley, former Nigerian international defender Efe Sodje met Jones' corner-kick unmarked, but fired straight at the Hereford keeper.
United started the second half with a spring in their step as they sought a swift leveller.
But it was Alan Knill's side who came closest to netting first, with Jones beating Gwynne down the left flank and forcing Bartlett to spill his vicious effort.
Gwynne was at the centre of attention again seconds later, clearing the ball off the line after Lowe's goal-bound drive had squirmed through Bartlett's legs.
Left-back David Buchanan then embarked on a mazy run forward but could only fire straight at Hereford's shot-stopper after weaving his way to the edge of the penalty-area.
Having dealt with all of Bury's forays forward since the interval, the Bulls poured up-field in search of parity.
King saw appeals for a penalty waved away after being bundled over inside the danger-zone, while Leon Constantine shot wide of the near post from 15-yards.
It was Hereford's top-scorer who was presented with the visitors' two best opportunities of the contest late on.
First, the former Port Vale goal-getter could only fire against Brown's legs from just six-yards out.
And United's 2007/08 Player of the Season Brown thwarted his former employers again soon after, acrobatically tipping Constantine's header over following Mathieu Manset's flick.
Bury (4-4-2): Brown, Scott, Futcher, Sodje, Buchanan, Worrall, Dawson ©, Barry-Murphy, M. Jones, R. Lowe, Morrell (Baker 72).
Subs Not Used: Belford (GK), Newey, Allen, Cresswell.
Hereford United (4-4-2): Bartlett ©, Gwynne, D. Jones, K. Lowe, Valentine, Pugh, Lunt, Tolley, Done (McCallum 72), Constantine, King (Manset 64).
Subs Not Used: Adamson (GK), Weir, McQuilkin, Sonko, C. Jones.
Attendance: 2,797 - 113 away
