BURY manager Andy Preece faces a tough fight to keep his freshly bolstered squad from falling apart.

It has been an exciting week or so at Gigg Lane, with victories over Rushden and Rochdale, Pawel Abbott and Terry Dunfield extending their Shakers contracts and popular midfielder Lenny Johnrose returning to the club.

But the success may come at a cost, with Bury chairmen John Smith and Fred Mason closely monitoring the club's cash flow to prevent another disastrous drop into the red.

The painstaking wage bill balancing act has been pulled off so far but recent acquisitions may well have tipped the scales too far.

That could spell the end for assistant manager and Shakers defender Steve Redmond, whose contract expires at the end of next week.

And midfielder Liam George, at the end of his three-month deal, could also be allowed to leave despite showing plenty of promise in his first start at Spotland on Tuesday night.

But Preece, never afraid to confront his employers over squad issues, has vowed to fight to the bitter end to keep his resurgent team together as they launch their assault on the play-off places and all three cup competitions.

"Redders (Redmond) came into the team at Rochdale as cover for Matty Barrass and did really well. That showed the importance of having a strong squad. The problem now is keeping hold of everybody," he said.

"The directors might look at the way our young lads played on Tuesday and say that we don't need one or two of our senior players but that could easily have been a one-off. The kids need to be brought through gradually.

"It's important that we do keep all these players but it's down to finance. It might depend on the crowds we get in the next few home games. If the fans want to keep players like Colin Woodthorpe and Lenny Johnrose, they will have to come down and support us."

One of those impressive youngsters, Paul O'Shaughnessy, says he is delighted to finally have a full 90 minutes of first team action under his belt.

The midfielder has been frustratingly left warming the bench since making his debut as a substitute against Chesterfield last season.

But the LDV Vans Trophy clash with neighbours Rochdale provided the perfect stage for the lifelong Bury fan, who looked strong and confident in the centre.

"It was just brilliant to be wearing the Bury jersey - and especially to win in a derby match while doing it," he said.

"I felt I definitely had something to prove and, although my fitness wasn't quite right, the crowd really helped me through.

"With Lenny and Dunners (Terry Dunfield) signing new contracts, it's going to be very hard to break through. It's frustrating but all I can do is keep plugging away."