ANDY Preece will be aiming to put one over on his former mentor, as Bury try to knock Bolton out of the Worthington Cup writes Chris Hall

The Shakers boss played under Sam Allardyce at Blackpool in the mid-1990s, where he witnessed first hand the managerial qualities that set Allardyce on his way to taking over at Wanderers and eventually leading them into the Premiership.

Big Sam made a big contribution to Preece's own managerial style, but there will be no room for sentiment at the Reebok.

"I know Sam really well from our Blackpool days," says Preece. "He signed me as a player so it will be nice to pit my wits against him.

"Like all the managers I have played under, he has had an influence on my own managerial style.

"He is very much a players' manager. He looks after the players well and that gets him results. He really brought the best out of me after I made a dodgy start at Blackpool. I really enjoyed playing under him.

"We were very unlucky not to get promoted that year and Sam should never have been sacked because he was doing a great job.

"He's done a great job at Bolton over the past few years to not only get them in the Premiership but to keep them there."

Although it was one of the best draws that Bury could have got, after their surprise victory over Stoke in the first round, Preece and his side have been concentrating their recent efforts on the league rather than thinking about the Worthington Cup. He is confident going into the game, and is unconcerned about Wanderers' starting line-up.

Says Preece: "The lads have just been focusing on the league games, there has not really been a mention of the draw since the day that it was made.

"It is a big night for Wanderers as well as for us, so I'm sure they will be taking the game seriously.

"But it doesn't bother me, whatever team they put out. It will be a terrific game. Obviously if he puts a weakened team out, I will be very happy because it gives us that slightly better chance of winning."