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Season is over

17/ 4/2008

BURY stalwart Dave Challinor is out for the rest of the season as he struggles to recover from a knee injury.

The big centre half, who has been out since early March, was set to make his comeback against Macclesfield at Gigg Lane on Saturday, but manager Alan Knill has all but ruled him out for the rest of the campaign.

The Shakers have secured their place in League Two for next season and the players have three games to impress the gaffer enough to secure their places in the squad for the start of the new term.

Challinor will now be playing ‘catch up’ in pre-season.

Knill has set his squad a target of winning all three remaining games and will be hoping for a better display than Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at Barnet.

He said: "I can’t see Challinor playing any further part in the season, he’s not recovered as we thought he would. It’s a blow, but the players we’ve had in while he’s been out have performed excellently and they deserve credit for earning safety with four games to play.

"We didn’t show up in the second half at Barnet and I think a bit of complacency crept in.

"We’ve secured safety and the players maybe thought they just needed to turn up.

"We’ve had a few words and all have responded well and will be keen to put it right against Macclesfield.

"They are playing for their places next season, but that’s been the case from the minute I arrived at this club."

Saturday’s fixture comes with added spice as Macclesfield are managed by former Bury director of football Keith Alexander, who was sacked, along with ex-manager Chris Casper, to make way for Knill’s appointment.

Bury will be without Andy Parish, who came off with an ankle injury on Saturday.

Paul Morgan and Simon Yeo are still unavailable, but the Shakers will welcome back defender Steve Haslam after he recovered from an illness which kept him out of the Barnet defeat.