SHREWSBURY manager Micky Mellon could easily have been in the same dugout as David Flitcroft tonight if the Bury boss had his way.

Flitcroft admits he considered making an approach for his former assistant at Barnsley when he took over at the JD Stadium.

But Mellon chose instead to stay on as caretaker boss of the Tykes, and while it did not work out for him at Oakwell, the 42-year-old Scot is now making his mark at League Two’s seventh-placed side.

“Micky is someone who, potentially, when I got the job, we talked about bringing him here, but it wasn’t right,” said Flitcroft, who instead tempted Chris Brass to join him as his number two.

“But he is a manager now in his own right. He assisted me incredibly at Barnsley. He’s a very loyal person and he’s a top guy.

“I know exactly what that team will represent – it will represent Micky Mellon – and I am just looking forward to locking horns with him.”

Shrewsbury have bounced back from relegation last season to move into the play-off places, largely on the back of the division’s only unbeaten home record.

Only Bury have won more matches on home turf, but after losing their last two on the road, Flitcroft knows they face a difficult task to stop that trend at New Meadow tonight.

“I watched them (Shrewsbury) against Leicester (in the Capital One Cup) and they were fantastic,” said Flitcroft.

“They will be a representation of Micky Mellon. He is a thinker - a top, top, top coach, one of the best in the country.”

Flitcroft has vowed not to abandon his attacking approach, which has seen Bury win six out of seven matches at the JD Stadium but drop 10 points out of a possible 18 on their travels.

The Shakers manager has stuck by his back three – Nathan Cameron, Pablo Mills and Jim McNulty – despite conceding five goals in their last two away matches.

But he has been quick to wield the axe on his goalkeeper, dropping former Wanderers stopper Rob Lainton after his mistakes cost Bury dear at Exeter before reinstating him on Saturday at the expense of Shwan Jalal, who paid the price for a 3-2 defeat at Wimbledon.

“I felt Rob was ready for his shot to get back in the team, and he has done well again,” said Flitcroft, after Lainton helped keep a clean sheet in the 3-0 win against Portsmouth at the weekend.

“It’s keeping people competitive and keeping people on their toes.

“I think, as a team, we could have defended the three goals at Wimbledon better and that was part of the thinking process.”

Bury go into tonight’s match with no new injury worries, with only fringe defender Keil O’Brien unavailable for selection.