IT is no coincidence Bury’s attacking threat has dropped off in the two games Chris Hussey has been unavailable.

By all accounts the derby against Rochdale was a bit of a damp squib and from what I saw against Bradford they were very comfortable before the Shakers piled on three strikers at the end.

Now Hussey’s ability with the dead ball and crossing from open play is a potent weapon that any side would miss.

But having watched the way Bury played against the Bantams I think they are missing his athleticism and willingness to bomb forward much more.

David Flitcroft said himself that Danny Pugh was much more comfortable sitting back and taking care of the defensive side of his game.

If whoever plays at left-back does not overlap as much then that will have an impact on Danny Mayor and the way he is able to play.

Mayor and Hussey work in tandem. Danny is much happier drifting inside on his favoured right foot while Chris puts doubt in the defender’s mind - whether to come out and attack the ball or stand his ground and track the runner.

Take that seed of doubt away and Bury become much easier to defend against.

So while the Shakers are by no means a one-man team, Hussey’s absence has really upset their dynamic.

Bradford looked very happy for them to have the ball, sit back and defend and because Bury were unable to stretch the home side they could have passed it around all night and never got anywhere.

In times like that you have to look at a different way of doing things.

They could try starting with two strikers at Shrewsbury and getting the ball to them a little bit sooner, but it is certain they will need a different ploy to increase their threat in the final third.

Another conundrum posed by Hussey’s absence, if he is unable to play on Saturday, is what to do about Matty Foulds.

In my opinion, as long as he is a Bury player then you have to play him.

If you have no other left-sided defenders in the team then I don’t see how you can afford to wrap him up in cotton wool?

I get the fact they do not want to risk losing the deal and may be holding their ground to try to get more money, but that increased offer may never come.

He is a young lad who should be playing football and you never know, if he comes in and plays a blinder then that might just convince his suitors to stump up the cash Bury are looking for.