Knill strikes it lucky - again
11:40am Thursday 19th November 2009 in Bury FC By Marc Higginson
ALAN Knill fielded his eighth striker of the season on Saturday — and admitted he thought having four in his squad at the start of the campaign was a luxury.
Daniel Nardiello, snapped up on a month’s loan deal from Championship side Blackpool, scored on his debut against Notts County on Saturday and impressed alongside the returning Andy Morrell in a 3-3 draw.
They filled the shirts previously worn by Andy Bishop, Ryan Lowe, Danny Carlton, Jordan Robertson, Domaine Rouse and Tom Elliott this season. It has been a difficult situation for Knill to manage, but the Bury boss is still managing to get his hands on quality hitmen to bolster the ranks.
“I thought the four we had at the start of the season, which was a luxury, would play the majority of the games for us,” said Knill.
“Having eight strikers by the middle of November tells its own story really. I never expected that to happen.
“We are lucky to get Nardiello. The fact he has been injured and fallen off the radar a little bit helps and he will prove a good signing.
“It is a deal that works for us and him.”
The 27-year-old will once again link up with Morrell this weekend with Bishop still two or three weeks away from a recovery, despite starting running again this week. Lowe is expected to be out for another week while Carlton is not expected to return until the New Year.
Bury face a difficult double header this week, with a trip to Shrewsbury being followed by the visit of Chesterfield on Tuesday night.
Both teams currently occupy play-off spots, and Knill is looking forward to pitting his wits against his fellow promotion challengers.
“It’s a tough month for us but we have got to play everyone at some point,” said Knill. “We know we have to improve, but we are doing well at the moment.
“It will be good for us to gauge where we are at as a team in these two games.”
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