SOMETIMES players have to wait for their chance in football and others have it thrust upon them, but however your big break comes you have to make the most out of the opportunity.

On Tuesday night at Accrington, Bury had three players with a real point to prove – Hallam Hope, Matty Foulds and Rob Lainton.

I was pleased to see Hallam get on the scoresheet and finally get that monkey off his back.

His challenge now is to kick on and start moving up the scoring charts.

He is clearly a confidence player and the fact David Flitcroft has stuck by him should now begin to pay dividends, although Hallam still has plenty to prove to earn a regular first-team place.

The biggest compliment I can pay to Matty is that he seemed to fit right in, which is no mean feat on your first senior start.

If I had watched him without looking at the team sheet first I doubt I would have guessed he was only 17 years old.

You can normally spot young players a mile off as they tend to be drawn to the ball, eager to do something exceptional to stand out – sort of a ‘look at what I can do’ mentality.

It seemed to me this young man just played his natural game – he made the challenges he needed to, showed great positional sense and awareness and used the ball well.

The fact he was playing at Accrington in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy obviously helped, as did his central defensive partner Nathan Cameron, who put in another strong, dominant display.

But the calm way he went about his business showed me Foulds feels he belongs at this level.

Lainton is at the other end of the career spectrum.

For the record, I think he has played well over the last two games, since replacing first-choice stopper Christian Walton.

He has also done what he had to do – grab hold of the shirt, say ‘it’s mine now’ and do his best to make sure nobody takes it off him.

But the fact Flitcroft chose to kick off the season with a 19-year-old loan player ahead of him speaks volumes.

The Bury boss clearly has reservations about making him his number one.

He will have put those to the back of his mind following the injury to Walton but they will return the first time Lainton makes a mistake that costs the side points.

Which is why I believe Flitcroft will be looking to sign an experienced keeper, or at least one that fits the style of football he wants to play, as soon as the loan window reopens.