A late equaliser from Bury captain Steve Schumacher denied resurgent Chesterfield a third win in four league games in a 1-1 draw at Gigg Lane.

Former Bury loanee Nicky Ajose gave Chesterfield a 42nd-minute lead with his first goal on loan from Peterborough. With just two minutes left, Schumacher headed home to give Bury a deserved draw, although the point was enough to edge Chesterfield above Rochdale at the bottom of npower League One. The visitors began to frustrate Bury and created an opening for Ajose, whose close-range shot was blocked by defender Efe Sodje, but Ajose broke the deadlock as half-time approached, escaping the attentions of Sodje to turn in Alex Mendy's low cross from six yards. And Chesterfield might have doubled their lead before the break as Mark Hughes headed a Jack Lester shot off the goalline before goalkeeper Cameron Belford parried Mendy's shot. Chesterfield goalkeeper Tommy Lee then denied Andy Bishop with a fine reflex save, but with time running out, Joe Skarz hooked the ball into the danger zone for Schumacher to claim the equaliser.