SIMON Whaley, Dwayne Mattis and Dave Buchanan have finally put pen to paper and signed new two-year deals with the Shakers, taking the number of contracted players up to ten.

Two more - skipper Dave Challinor and fellow defender John Fitzgerald - have also agreed terms and are set to sign over the next two weeks.

Challinor could well complete his deal on Monday, while Fitzgerald is expected to finalise formalities as soon as his contract with Blackburn Rovers expires on July 1.

When Bury boss Graham Barrow returns to Gigg Lane on Monday he will renew his quest to add the signatures of strikers Chris Porter and Colin Kazim-Richards to his list.

Both have been offered new deals but have yet to commit themselves, which leaves Barrow's team building plans up in the air, as the August signing deadline looms.

At present Barrow only has one striker, Jon Newby, signed up and would dearly like to add both Porter's and Kazim-Richards' names to his list of strikers, then he would be able to focus on bringing in a fourth hitman along with an experienced goalkeeper and a left-sided player.

One man who will not be figuring in his plans is Ricky Shakes, who has agreed a move from Bolton to Swindon.

Shakes, who can also play as a striker, will arrive at the County Ground when his contract with Sam Allardyce's side expires at the end of the month.

He made one appearance for Bolton last season and enjoyed a brief loan spell at Bristol Rovers before finishing the campaign at Gigg Lane where he made a big impression.

However, the 20-year-old wanted to be closer to his southern home rather than accept a permanent switch to the League Two club.