SHAKERS' joint leading scorer Chris Porter is set to be out for a third consecutive game with a virus problem.
The 19-year-old striker, who has five goals to his name so far this season - the same as player-boss Andy Preece and Lee Connell - was sent home from training this week and is almost certainly unavailable for the trip to Darlington on Saturday.
Also struggling to be fit is skipper Lee Duxbury (neck) while Glen Whelan has a deadleg although both will hopefully be fit for a first ever trip to the Quakers' new Reynolds Arena stadium. Mick Tait's side are having something of a bad time of it lately and have lost their last four matches.
On Tuesday night they went down to a stoppage time winner at Cheltenham Town and were hammered 4-0 by Bristol Rovers in their last match in front of their own fans.
But Shakers' boss Andy Preece isn't giving any thought at all to Darlington's bad run and is more concerned with his own team's lack of consistency.
"I don't want to talk at all about their losing run," he said.
"We all know what we are like against teams who are struggling like that. It's just up to us to sort ourselves out and put in good back to back performances.
"That's been our problem, we don't seem able to a run of two or three decent displays together."
"We need to pick points up against team like Darlington who are down with us in the lower-mid table positions.
"There are a few matches against teams like that coming up for us so we could do with a good start on Saturday."
Tait has one or two injury worries of his own with striker Danny Mellanby a major doubt after suffering a recurrence of a back injury at Whaddon Road.
Also struggling to be fit is midfielder Neil Maddison with a thigh strain.
The Quakers currently have Blackburn reserve Alan Morgan on loan and the Edinburgh-born winger scored his first goal in first team football in the midweek 2-1 defeat.
The Shakers reserves enjoyed a rare Pontins League victory over their Oldham Athletic counterparts on Wednesday afternoon.
On target in the 3-1 triumph were Preece himself, who scored two, and substitute Daniel Douglas-Pringle.
"Daniel looked lively when he came on," said Preece.
"He has a better strike rate in the reserves than he does in youth team football, some players are like that.
"It was an enjoyable win, we don't beat Oldham too often at reserve level and it was a good all round display.
"I hadn't started a game since the Doncaster match so it was good for me to get a run-out and score a couple of goals."
There will be reduced prices for the LDV Vans Trophy match against Oldham Athletic on Monday.
Adults will pay £7 and junior/OAPs/concessions £2.
Further details in Tuesday's Bury Times.
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