FRANKIE Bunn was unable to fault Oldham’s first-half performance against local rivals Bury as they raced into a three-goal lead.

The Latics took the lead inside 10 minutes and never looked back as Chris O’Grady scored a hat-trick and Sam Surridge added another.

Bury may have been higher in the table going into the game but there was only one side in it for 45 minutes as Bunn’s side made sure of the points before the break.

A Bury fightback after the break did materialise, but they had given themselves too much of an uphill battle to really threaten Oldham.

Bunn said: "The first half was fantastic, near-perfect, and I’m a hard taskmaster who wouldn’t say that easily.

“We had a game plan and we executed it with the way we pressed Bury and got on top of them.

“For the first time in a while we put our chances away, which always stands you in good stead.

“The way we went about it was absolutely terrific and the players did everything we asked of them.

“Bury are a really good team, but we put them to the sword for 30-odd minutes.

“Towards the end of the first half I could just sense we were taking our foot off the gas, so at half-time we had a go at the players and told them they couldn’t take the result for granted.

“Lo and behold we went back out and conceded in the first minute, then my heart sank a bit when Bury got their second.

“The weather conditions were really tough and there was some frantic defending, but luckily Chris O’Grady got one over the line to make it 4-2.”

Oldham struck the opening blow in the eighth minute, with the first chance either side had created.

A sweeping move down the Bury left culminated with Surridge crossing in superbly for the on-rushing O'Grady, and he volleyed home clinically past Joe Murphy from 10 yards.

The goal clearly sparked Bunn's men into life, and two minutes later they doubled their advantage.

The home fans were in dreamland when Sam Surridge's looping header, from Gevaro Nepomuceno's cross, drifted over Murphy and into the far corner as the Bournemouth loanee notched his 10th of the season.

The Shakers were stunned by the double salvo, but they almost halved the deficit soon after when Oldham keeper Daniel Iversen dived full length to beat away Jay O'Shea's curling 25-yard free-kick.

Back came Oldham, and they were denied when Mohamed Maouche's goal-bound strike from 18 yards was blocked close to the line by Shakers' skipper Neil Danns.

It was 3-0 just past the hour mark, and again some questionable defending let Bury down.

Nepomuceno slid O'Grady easily in behind the Bury back-line, and the big striker coolly slotted home past Murphy again, this time from the edge of the box.

Bury were back in contention with still a full half to go, and Byron Moore almost made it 3-2 when his effort was well gathered by Iversen.

When Caolan Lavery headed home Adams' cross in the 56th minute, it was 3-2, and now it was the Shakers' fans' turn to crank up the volume.

But it was 4-2 after 62 minutes when O'Grady, who looked to have at least got in the way of Murphy, bundled home following another Nepomuceno cross.

That was the end of the scoring, however, and Oldham had ran out worthy victors.

Bunn added: “I’m absolutely delighted Chris got a hat-trick because he is a proper gentleman and a total professional who looks after himself like you wouldn’t believe.

“He’s a credit to the club and, although he gets a bit of stick now again, every one of the players appreciates what he does for the team.”