FORGET the chance to go top of League Two, Bury boss David Flitcroft is most excited about the opportunity to see the continued emergence of his “home-grown” talent when leaders Burton Albion visit the JD Stadium tomorrow.

Back-to-back victories against Carlisle and Stevenage have moved the Shakers into second place in the table, within two points of Gary Rowett’s Brewers.

But after only eight games of the season, Flitcroft believes it is too early to be concerned with their league position.

“I knew we would be challenging the top seven – that’s where we want to be this season – but it’s so early in the season to be talking about top-two challenges,” he said.

“We are very professional, as Burton are, and we want to be competitive on Saturday and I’m looking forward to the game.”

Bury go into the Burton clash on 17 points – a mark they took until November 26 to reach last season.

Flitcroft took over the reins last December and has turned the club from relegation candidates to promotion favourites.

There is no doubt clever recruitment – bringing in the likes of Pablo Mills, Jim McNulty, Kelvin Etuhu, Nicky Adams and Ryan Lowe – has helped him make a big impact at the JD Stadium, yet it is the improvement of players like Rob Lainton, Nathan Cameron, Craig Jones, Danny Mayor and Tom Soares, who were already at the club when Flitcroft arrived, that most excites the manager.

“Fifty per cent of the team that was out there (against Stevenage) was here when I arrived,” he said.

“We have worked with them, we’ve got a development programme for them all and they are pulling up trees.

“These are players that haven’t been brought in, they have been developed over a six-month period and that excites me because that’s where the club is going.

“I want it to be a school of football and we are certainly making massive strides in that.”

Flitcroft will have a virtually full-strength squad to choose from for the visit of Burton as Bury bid to make it eight games unbeaten.

But injured defender Keil O’Brien will definitely miss the game, while Mayor and Lowe are both doubts after picking up knocks on Tuesday night.

Whoever makes it into the starting line-up, Flitcroft has warned to expect a tough battle against Rowett’s title challengers, despite their 3-0 defeat against Wimbledon in midweek.

“Gary Rowett is someone I really admire as a coach and manager – he’s put a structure in place and you can tell that from the way they set up,” said the Bury boss.

“Structurally, they are a very, very good team. They don’t concede a lot of goals.

“Gary is rightly getting courted for jobs and I understand why.

“He is a young, up-and-coming manager who is very good at his job.”