BURY boss Andy Preece will be forced to change a winning team for tomorrow's tough clash at Peterborough.

But while it's bad luck for one Shakers star, it's a golden opportunity for another.

An ankle ligament injury to full back Lee Unsworth denies Preece the chance of naming an unchanged side for the fourth successive match.

Unsworth was carried off on a stretcher in agony during Monday's 1-0 win against Northampton but, fortunately, the injury isn't as bad as first thought.

The 24-year-old, who has been in excellent form since his summer switch from Crewe, has only tweaked the ligament rather than damaged it. He is seeing a specialist this weekend and should be back in a fortnight.

But the injury setback provides a chance for young Bury star Matt Barrass to get back in the team.

Barrass has overcome a mystery pre-season virus which left him physically exhausted. He played the full 90 minutes for the reserves in their 4-2 midweek victory against Macclesfield (Barnes 2, James and Crowe on the scoresheet) and, with Unsworth sidelined, Preece may throw him straight into the first team for the trip to Posh.

"It is a shame for Lee because he has been superb," said the boss. "But Matt is coming back from illness well. He came through a full game for the reserves during the week though he was a bit stiff the next morning because it was his first match in nearly a month."

"We'll see how he is and look at what options we've got before we pick the team for Peterborough

"Matt must have been looking at Lee's performances and thinking 'oh no' because he was playing so well. But as one door closes another one opens and now Matt has to take his chance." Barrass emerged as one of the Shakers' best young prospects last season when he made the right back role his own and was first choice again for this year until he was struck down by a virus on the eve of the new season.

It was initially feared that the youngster had contracted glandular fever which could have kept him out six months or more but tests proved negative and he has made a good recovery.

He has been training for the last two weeks and will be ready for tomorrow if Preece decides he needs him.

Aside from the right back problem Preece is likely to stick with the same players who took a maximum six point haul from the Bank Holiday weekend fixtures and lifted the Shakers to joint top.

Preece believes his players won't get carried away with the early season success and said tomorrow's Peterborough game would be tough.

"They like to attack so we will be under pressure. With Barry Fry as manager you never know quite what to expect so we will have to stand up and be counted," he said.

"Being second is nice but we won't get carried away because it's still early days. We've always been confident and we feel in the same frame of mind now as we did after the Wrexham defeat."