Bury boss Kevin Blackwell wants his players to reap the rewards of their attacking play, ahead of their ‘six-pointer’ clash with Hartlepool United.
The Shakers are second-bottom and face basement boys Hartlepool and defeat for either side would lead them to being all-but relegated.
Bury have lost five of their previous seven games, but Blackwell said the players cannot be faulted in their efforts and hopes they find their shooting boots.
“You just feel for all their industry and hard work, when are they going to get the reward?” Blackwell told the club website.
“If our endeavour and hard work were rewarded with goals, we’d have won the last four or five games.
“Apart from not hitting the net, there is not much more I can ask from them.”
But Bury captain and top-scorer Steven Schumacher is ruled out for the remainder of the season, as he requires surgery on a double hernia.
Blackwell said the players remain confident due to the amount of chances they have created, but wishes for the opposition to succumb to the pressure.
“The lads have not lost their belief and they have an affinity with the club,” he added.
“Surely the force field across the opposition goal cannot stay up for much longer.
“If we are not hitting the target, the goalkeeper is making unbelievable saves.”
The trip to Victoria Park kick-starts a three-game relegation scrap for Bury and Blackwell is looking for the campaign to be saved.
“For whatever reason, everything has gone wrong this season,” Blackwell said.
“I just feel the players haven’t been given their reward through our results and maybe some credit they should have got.
“But you never get credit when you are down where we are.”
