TOWN have given Phil Jevons the green light to lead Bury to Wembley.
As the Galpharm club were once again linked with Bristol Rovers frontman Rickie Lambert, paperwork was being finalised to extend Jevons’ Gigg Lane loan.
The Town man has so far scored twice in seven outings for the Shakers, who head to Shrewsbury for their League II play-off semi-final first leg tomorrow.
The second leg is at Gigg Lane on Sunday, with the winners taking on Rochdale or Gillingham in the final at Wembley on Saturday, May 23.
Town chief executive Nigel Clibbens explained: “Bury requested a loan extension and we agreed that it will run until after the play-off final.
“Hopefully Bury will get there with Phil’s help and we wish him all the best, because any footballer would love the chance to play in a Wembley final.”
Jevons, 29, who has a year to run on his Town contract, said: “Everyone says going up at Wembley would be the perfect way to go up, if you could choose.
“But it’s not always that simple. Losing out in the play-offs is heartbreaking and we need to be sure we can get the right result.
“We have finished fourth and that gives us home advantage in the second leg and that might be the thing that gets us through in the end.
“Hopefully the fans can come back out on Sunday and roar us on to Wembley, because their support is vital.”
League I’s joint-top scorer Lambert – he and Swindon’s Simon Cox both bagged 29 – has said that if Rovers are willing to sell, he would prefer a move to the Championship, but didn’t rule out switching within the division.
The 27-year-old Liverpudlian, who still has a year on his Bristol contract, was one of a string of strikers tracked by Town during the January transfer window, but Clibbens said: “We have had no contact with the player, his representative or Bristol Rovers since then.
“When someone with Lambert’s reputation says he is willing to move, it’s inevitable that clubs who are perceived to have money to spend will be linked with them, but speculation that we have tabled a bid is well wide of the mark.”
Lambert, who has 115 career goals, came through the ranks at Blackpool but first caught the eye after a move to Macclesfield. He later played for Stockport and Rochdale before heading to Bristol for £200,000 three years ago.
Town, meanwhile, have added another friendly to their pre-season schedule – away to Conference North club Harrogate Town on Tuesday, July 28 (7.00).
