STEVE Butterworth felt it was a game of two halves as Great Wakering Rovers were consigned to a 2-1 Isthmian North defeat by Bury Town.

Hussain Jaffa gave Wakering the lead as the hosts dominated the first half at Burroughs Park.

But goals from Ollie Hughes and Jake Chambers-Shaw after the break allowed Bury to triumph and leave Butterworth frustrated.

Wakering’s interim player-manager said: “We were superb in the first half and thoroughly deserved to be ahead.

“We have been in really good form lately and it was as though the players came out for the second half thinking the job was done.

“Credit to Bury because we couldn’t get out of our half for half an hour.

“We stopped working hard and it was probably our worst second half performance since I took over.”

Wakering took a 19th minute lead as Jaffa, who was restored to the starting line-up in place of the suspended Marc Gorbell, broke the deadlock.

But Hughes got Bury back on level terms with 12 minutes still to play.

And Bury went ahead five minutes later as Chambers-Shaw finished off a fine counter-attack.

Wakering were unable to find a late equaliser.