Lucketti may have to wait - Bury Times - Friday, 29 December 1995:
BURY boss Stan Ternent looks set to stick to his tried and trusted principles for tomorrow's derby clash at Rochdale and that will mean disappointment for Chris Lucketti and Shaun Reid. Lucketti, who was born in Littleborough and played a single league game for the Spotland side, has completed a three match suspension but may miss out on an automatic recall having not played a competitive match since November 25. The Shakers haven't conceded a goal in the central defender's absence and he realises he will have to be patient. "Mike Jackson and Trevor Matthewson have barely put a foot wrong so it makes it very hard for the manager to drop either of them. In any case i'm not fully match fit after five weeks so I'll just have to be patient," admitted Lucketti. "The suspension couldn't have come at a worse time for me because the team was playing well. It was also a bit unfortunate that we've had no midweek games. Sometimes when you have a three-match suspension it can be over in a week. This one seems to have dragged on for ages." Patience may also have to be part of Reid's armoury this weekend. The combative mid-fielder is desperate to play against his old club having moved from Spotland to Gigg Lane in the summer. Reid played 240 games in two spells for Rochdale and was an automatic choice in Bury's engine room until he was struck by a calf injury at Bamet on December 9. Boss Tement confirmed that both Reid and Lucketti would be available for the short trip but declined to confirm whether they'd be in the starting line up or on the bench. "Everyone will just have to wait and see," he declared. "Our injury situation has cleared up nicely in the last couple of weeks to the extent that we only have John Paskin and the suspended Nicky Reid unavailable for tomorrow's game. "The promotion race is tight at present and I expect it to stay that way until the end of the season. We made a patchy start but we're right in the thick of it now and the place is buzzing. All our players can expect to contribute before the end of what is a long season."