FANS can expect fireworks at Gigg Lane on Saturday and chairman Stewart Day would not want it any other way.

The Bury chief is preparing for what should be the biggest gate of the season when fierce local rivals Rochdale come to town.

And after boosting the squad with big-game players like Leon Clarke and Tom Pope, Day is confident supporters will be rewarded with a high thrills encounter.

“We went out over the summer to bring in players who are used to these kind of high-pressure derby days,” he said.

“Everyone knows how much stock footballers and supporters put in results against their nearest neighbours and with so many derby games in League One this is something we had to think seriously about.

“It was always our intention to produce a team capable of not just grinding out the results but also producing real quality when it counts.

“It has worked – we are something like the second highest scorers in the league.

“What’s really exciting about Saturday’s game is that fans will see both managers send out a team to play football the right way, with real quality.

“Both Bury and Rochdale score goals, and have conceded a few as well, so it should be explosive. That's what we wanted, I just hope we can come out of it with the right result.”

The two managers, of course, know each other very well, with Bury boss David Flitcroft working under Keith Hill at Spotland and Barnsley.

Their only previous head-to-head came at Gigg Lane in March, 2014, in a match played in front of the Sky TV cameras.

After a battling 0-0 draw, Bury went on to lose just two of their final 14 games to move away from the League Two danger zone and to the brink of the play-offs, while Rochdale won promotion.

The Shakers are in the box seat now, in fourth place in League One after just one defeat in 12 matches since their promotion to the third tier last season, while Rochdale are ninth.

Flitcroft faces a number of selection dilemmas, however, with key midfielder Danny Mayor struggling to overcome a virus and left-back Chris Hussey suspended after his sending off last weekend.

Teenage defender Matty Foulds could have been a possible replacement, but he is unlikely to figure while the Bury Times understands Everton and Derby fight over his services.

Day refused to name the two clubs to have tabled bids for the defender, but said: “We are not in a position, as maybe in the past, where we have to sell.

“We will not roll over and let our bellies be tickled just because some clubs from the Premier League and Championship have come in for him.

“What we want is a deal that is right for Matty and his development, but is also right for the future of this football club.”