BURY fans were finally given a chance to run the rule over new signing Hallam Hope on Saturday, almost a month after his arrival at the club on a two-month loan.

The Everton striker played a cameo role in Bury’s defeat at home to Tranmere in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy on November 11 before missing the next three matches.

He joined the club with less than 100 minutes of first-team football under his belt following just four substitute appearances on loan at Sheffield Wednesday.

Shakers boss David Flitcroft moved quickly to sign him up after Hope’s intended season-long stay at Hillsborough was cut short in November.

But he, along with the Bury faithful, has had to be patient as the youngster struggled to regain match fitness and was then laid low by food poisoning.

Yet despite missing a good chance in the second half of Saturday’s FA Cup tie against Luton, Hope showed enough glimpses of the form that brought him five goals in eight appearances in a previous loan spell at Bury last season to convince Flitcroft the move will pay off.

“He has given us that threat,” he said.

“He is under where he wants to be and needs to be on his testing.

“It was unfortunate last week that he had food poisoning, but we have seen today (against Luton) he is exciting on the ball.

“He has got power, he has got pace, he has got strength and he causes people problems.

“He really is different to the strikers we have got.”

Hope eventually made way for Danny Nardiello with seven minutes of Saturday’s tie remaining, and it was his more experienced replacement that eventually scored a stoppage-time equaliser to take the tie into a replay.

But Flitcroft is confident the Toffees striker will prove to be a matchwinner with one or two more games under his belt.

“We will get him sharper, we will get him more reactive,” he said.

“He creates goals for himself, that is one thing that Hallam does, the way he moves the ball and his speed over two or three yards is really quick.

“So I am excited to have Hallam back in the frame, we have just got to make sure that this week we look after him and get him ready for the weekend.”