Full-time: Bury 4, Cheltenham Town 1
Cheltenham Town fell to their heaviest defeat of the season at Bury on an afternoon to forget when nothing went right for Mark Yates' side.
Gigg Lane has in recent times become a happy hunting ground for Cheltenham with the last three meetings here ending in victory but they had it all to do after a disastrous opening 28 minutes.
Yates' side had gone in front as early as the third minute but found themselves 3-1 down less than quarter of an hour later and went on to lose Craig Braham-Barrett and Steve Elliott through injury.
Cheltenham were purposeful after the interval and crafted several chances to get back into this one but Jessy Reindorf's header 15 minutes from time ended any hopes of snatching an unlikely result.
The Robins have clocked over 800 miles on the road this week but return to the Abbey Business Stadium next weekend to host Portsmouth in search of their second league win of the campaign.
The manager kept faith with the squad that played so well at Upton Park four days ago, again deploying a 4-5-1 formation from the start.
Ryan Inniss made his Football League debut alongside Elliott in central defence having efficiently deputised for the injured Troy Brown in the Capital One Cup match during the week.
Bury fought back well to push their Premier League hosts, Norwich City, all the way that night before eventually losing 6-3 in a thrilling cup tie at Carrow Road and made just the one change here, swapping Rob Lainton for Trevor Carson in goal.
Former Robins loanee Shaun Harrad returned to his parent club this summer but sat this one out, not included in Bury's matchday squad of 18.
Kevin Blackwell, the Bury manager, has assembled an impressive new squad since last season's relegation, bringing in 22 players during the summer but they were behind inside three minutes as a result of some sloppy defending.
Jermaine McGlashan turned defence into attack from an early Bury corner, streaking down the right flank before rolling a ball inside to Terry Gornell who had timed his run to perfection but pulled his shot wide from a promising position.
Fortunately for the striker, Andy Procter made a real mess of his defensive clearance and bundled the ball into his own net.
However the defender went on to atone for his error only nine minutes later, meeting Craig Jones' corner from the right with powerful header to score his side's second goal.
By that point Bury had already levelled the match through Danny Mayor who rifled home a fantastic effort from 20 yards with nine minutes played.Â
The Cheltenham defence had seemed distracted by an injury to Craig Braham-Barrett during the build up which forced the left back out of the game.
Things went from bad to worse with 17 minutes on the clock when Nathan Cameron converted another Jones' delivery from the right to make it three.
There was a moment of controversy on the 20-minute mark when Gornell appeared to clatter Carson on the edge of the box but the referee ruled that the goalkeeper had infringed the striker. Matt Richards' subsequent free-kick came back off the wall.
Brown then saved from Marlon Jackson, another ex-Robins loanee, before Cheltenham were rocked again - this time by a head injury to Elliott.Â
Paramedics rushed to help the veteran defender, who was eventually replaced by Byron Harrison as Yates was forced to juggle his defence for a second time.
Jason Taylor dropped back into the centre of defence for the remainder of the game, while Harrison joined Gornell in attack.
Bury found success attacking from the wide areas through Procter and Jones while Mayor and Anton Forrester came close to adding a fourth before the break.
Russ Penn hit the outside of the left upright within five minutes of the restart, and Lowe and Gornell went close moments later as Cheltenham positively attacked the task of reducing arrears.
Jones and Procter combined to fashion the home side's first real chance of the second period with an hour played, but Procter fired well over.
Next Gornell dragged a 20 harder a foot wide of the left post, and Taylor was a whisker away from testing Carson from 12 yards. Then Harrison headed wide from Richards' corner.
But the match was put of sight 15 minutes from time when substitute Reindorf, who scored a 40 yarder against Norwich City in the week, rose to head home Mayor's cross from the left.
BURY (4-4-2): Carson; Beeley, Cameron, Edjenguele, Roberts (c ); Jones, Procter, Miller, Mayor (Obadeyi 84); Jackson (Reindorf 68), Miller. Subs not used: Hinds, Grimes, Holden, Sinnot, Charles-Cook.
CHELTENHAM TOWN (4-5-1): Brown; Lowe, Elliott (Harrison 6), Inniss, Braham-Barett (Jombati 10); McGlashan, Richards, Penn (c ), Taylor, Deering; Gornell (Gillespie 84). Subs not used: Jones, Roberts (Gk), Vincent.
REFEREE: Mr. S Duncan
ATTENDANCE: 2,910