Thompson: Bury can still avoid relegation
DEFENDER Adam Thompson remains confident BURY can avoid relegation ahead of today’s derby against OLDHAM.
Thompson is set to return to the Shakers’ line-up as on-loan Peter Clarke is ineligible to play against parent club Oldham, and the 25-yearold says a win at Gigg Lane today can motivate the players.
“We’re confident of staying up. Our fixtures to the end of the season aren’t too bad. We know what we’ve got to do, we know it’s going to be tough, but we’re up for the task,” he said.
“If we keep performing like we have been doing under the gaffer then, hopefully, we can stay up. No one is talking negatively, we’re all focused, and taking it one game at a time.
“After Oldham we could be six points off safety, then this time next week it could be just three points.”
Meanwhile, Oldham first-team coach Paul Terry says his side are a match for anybody in the division ahead of the derby clash.
Latics head to Gigg Lane in good form, having won three of their last four matches to move two points clear of the League One relegation zone, and Terry believes his side can compete with anyone in the league.
“We know that if we play the right way then we can be a real match for any team in this league which we have proven throughout the season,” he said.
“It’s a local derby and they are another team that are down there and have been on a good run since Ryan Lowe took over. We are expecting a team that are fighting for their lives, but we think we have enough in our dressing room to counteract that and get the points we need.”
ROCHDALE boss Keith Hill hopes his side can build on their impressive midweek win over Walsall when they head to Rotherham.
Hill’s side won 3-0 at the Bescot Stadium, and he’d like to see his team win on their travels again today.
“The three-point feeling is good. It’s a flow and we need more of that. I’ve been encouraged with the performance levels for quite a while and that’s got to continue,” he said. “We’ve got to make sure that we’re up for it against Rotherham who are promotion contenders.
“They’re an excellent team, an excellent football club and they’re in a rich vein of form.”
Elsewhere, WIGAN ATHLETIC could move up to second place when they host Scunthorpe United, while in the Championship, BOLTON can move further clear of the relegation zone when they head to Hillsborough to face Sheffield Wednesday.