JOHN Hendrie could be on his way to Bury in the next few days.

The major stumbling block appears to be whether the 34-year-old Barnsley striker is willing to step down a division.

Tykes boss Danny Wilson's move for Jan Aage Fjortoft this week would push Hendrie further down the pecking order at Oakwell where he has already been unable to force his way into the first 11 this season.

And Barnsley are understood to be ready to cut their asking price, leaving the way open for Bury to finance the deal for a man who has scored goals at the top level throughout his long career.

He still has 15 months of his contract remaining at Oakwell and has made it clear he does not want to spend is sat on the sidelines.

The former Coventry, Leeds, Newcastle, and Middlesbrough star admitted: "I just want to carry on playing and it is very flattering to be wanted by Bury.

"I know the manager Stan Ternent from my days at Bradford City although I would not be happy leaving Barnsley and the Premiership."

Ternent's initial move for the powerful little Scot ended when Barnsley quoted a £200,000 asking price the Shakers cannot afford.

But the Bury boss remains interested, admitting: "We need someone to put all the chances we are creating into the back of the net and John Hendrie would fit the bill nicely.

"He is one of six or eight players I have enquired about."

Barnsley are understood to be ready to slash their asking price, particularly in the wake of their move for Fjortoft who Wilson watched at Gigg Lane on Tuesday night along with his long term target Chris Lucketti.

A gap has been created in the Bury squad with Ronnie Jepson joining Oldham Athletic for £40,000 while Rob Matthews stepped up his bid for a first team return early next month when he completed his first competitive 45 minutes in since injurying a knee 10 months ago in a midweek 'A' team game.

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