By PHIL THORP

BURY FC won't allow themselves to be left behind in the race to join up with top clubs at youth development level.

That's the message coming out loud and clear from Gigg Lane in the wake of Premiership club Leeds United's unprecedented link-up with Second Division Oldham Athletic.

However, the deal prompted concern from the Football League, whose rules state that clubs cannot hold or deal in shares of another club without prior consent.

Shakers' chairman Terry Robinson this week admitted that two teams, believed to be from the Midlands and the south, have approached the Shakers asking if they would be interested.

And the answer was a tentative yes, but - obviously - only if the rules, as they stand, were totally re-written.

A subsidiary of Leeds Sporting plc, who own the Yorkshire giants, last week bought a 9.9 per cent stake in the Boundary Park side for an undisclosed sum. As part of the deal, it is proposed that Leeds would jointly pump £1,000,000 into the Latics' youth academy for an initial five-year period, allowing them to entice promising schoolboy footballers from under the noses of the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool.

This was something they would have been unable to do because of a rule barring clubs from recruiting under-16s who live more than 90 minutes travelling time away from the club.

"Over the past twelve months two clubs have approached us at a minor level to see if we'd be interested in getting involved with them if the regulations allowed it," said Mr Robinson. "To clubs in the south, who think there are good quality young players to be picked up in this area, clubs like ourselves, Rochdale, Stockport etc are bound to be targetted.

"They will see it as an opportunity to tap into a profitable reservoir of talent that they were previously unable to trawl.

"As far as we at Bury are concerned, we have to be aware of what is happening and, if the rules change, we must be in a position to decide.

"If other teams are interested in us now it can only be good for us because we could select our partner.

"We cannot afford to be in a situation where we are left behind. If we become isolated and the other north west clubs are tied up with major clubs, we would be immediately disadvantaged.

"We wouldn't have the resources to compete, facility-wise, nor would we have the drawing power of being associated with a big-name club.

"Approaches that have been made to us are at a minor level -- and that's how it will stay until it's legal and worthwhile to do it."

Manchester United have had unofficial tie-ups with clubs all over the world, while Liverpool have had an arrangement with Crewe Alexandra for years.

Indeed, it can be argued that the Crewe-Liverpool arrangement could have cost the Shakers their First Division status last year after the Merseysiders loaned back Dario Gradi's men former Gresty Road youngster Danny Murphy for a lengthy spell.

His form proved to be crucial as the Railwaymen pulled clear from a seemingly hopeless relegation position.