ONE of the battles of the season at Bury this year looks like it could be in defence.

The right full back berth is wide open with Matt Barrass and Lee Unsworth neck and neck in the race to fill it.

Add to that the presence of eager youngsters Lee Connell and Edward Tarsus and it's easy to see why the competition is so fierce.

Barrass, who missed the majority of last season with a catalogue of seriosu injuries, is back to full fitness and started the first two games of the season. But he was dropped by Shakers boss Andy Preece for the Worthington Cup clash against Sheffield Wednesday.

And although Bury lost that game, his replacement Lee Unsworth impressed Preece and looks set to keep his place in the team for a while.

That will not please Barrass, a highly talented youngster already rated at more than £250,000.

It is an interesting little battle and Preece has a tricky task on his hands if he is to keep everyone happy.

The manager has always said he wants it to be difficult to pick his team and with Barrass and Unsworth, and Connell and Tarsus all vying for one spot, then the word difficult could be an understatement.

Whatever happens Preece needs to make a choice soon and stick with it for a while to add balance to the team.