TAKE the day off. That's the reward Bury boss Andy Preece gave to his eleven heroes after the magnificent midweek win against league leaders Millwall.

Preece ordered his squad to spend Wednesday and Thursday relaxing at home to rest their weary legs and recharge batteries.

But the team were back in training today and fully focused on turning over Bristol Rovers.

"I gave the lads an extra day off because it was a very tough 90 minutes on Tuesday and we didn't make any substitutions," explained Preece.

"It was a heavy pitch and the lads were pretty shattered by the end. They earned an extra day's rest with the performance but we are back in today and working hard again."

Bristol away is another big test but the Shakers fear no one, not least a team who have only won once at home all season.

Rovers are fourth from bottom and struggling to beat the drop and Preece is quietly confident his team can continue their seven-match unbeaten run.

"We are favourites to win but it's never as simple as that in football," admitted the boss. "All matches are tough at this stage of the season because teams are fighting for their lives. This one is no exception and Bristol will be up for it."

The Shakers will be hoping for a better result than the last time they visited the city - when they suffered a 4-1 hammering at Bristol City in December.

On that occasion though they did not have a settled team. And they didn't have striker who looked capable of scoring.

Now they have both and Preece is looking forward to sticking with the same starting eleven for the third time in a row.

"It's fair to say there won't be many changes," said Preece. "The only thing we need to get sorted is the Jon Newby deal because there are a couple of loose ends to tie up but we're pretty confident we'll get it all sorted in time."

The squad is injury free apart from Preece who has been advised by a specialist to rest his troublesome back for a fortnight.

Preece signed off in style on Wednesday though with both goals in the reserves 2-0 home win against Hartlepool United.

That result leaves the Shakers second string eight points clear and almost certain to go up.