BURY skipper Nick Daws has linked up with his old team-mate Chris Swailes at Rotherham United.

The Shakers' skipper and longest serving player gave up the chance of a big pay day in a year's time when he would have qualified for a testimonial after serving 10 years at Gigg Lane.

The club's joint highest-paid player was a free agent, though he did have the option to stay at Bury for another year and chairman Terry Robinson was believed to be ready to improve Daws' terms to keep him.

But the present uncertainty surrounding the club due to the delay over a decision on the bid for former major shareholder Hugh Eaves shares in the club can not have helped matters and may well have been a factor in both Swailes' and Daws' deciding to join the Millers.

Daws' rems are believed to be similar to Swailes, who accepted a three-year deal when he joined the Millers.

Daws' terms are believed to be similar, rekindling memories of Gigg Lane as it was Swailes who was reckoned to be the other Bury player, along with Daws, reputed to be on somewhere between £80-100,000-a-year.

The fact that those two large sums are off the wage bill will be little consolation to the fans, who will recognise that they have lost two of the mainstays of the team.

Both played in the First Division with the Shakers, one of the reasons Rotherham boss Ronnie Moore and his assitant, John Brackin pursued them both with such vigour.

They've got their men, and it will be interesting to see how they get on at Millmoor next season.

One particularly intriguing fixture, for Daws at least, will be the clashes with Burnley, whose manager, Stan Ternent, was reckoned to be hot on his trail too.

Former Bury boss Ternent did try to take Daws on loan on deadline day in the 1999-2000 season, but was rebuffed by Bury chairman Terry Robinson.

Two days later Daws' found the net at Turf Moor with a superb free-kick that earned the Shakers' a point in a 2-2 draw.

Robinson said: "We didn't want to lose Nicky, but he's a free agent and there was little we could do.

"Looking on the positive side it will give our youngsters like Jason Jarrett, Martyn Forrest, Paul O'Shaugnessy and Steve Gundby a better chance to come through."