BURY Town skipper Tom Bullard is still targeting automatic promotion to Blue Square Bet South this season.

Centre back Bullard, who was outstanding in Bury’s 0-0 draw against Lowestoft Town on Tuesday night, is not giving up on Bury overhauling leaders Sutton United before the season’s end.

The Lowestoft game was the first of three home matches in a row – Bury play Margate today and then Folkestone Invicta next Saturday – as Bury, who still have a game in hand, try to close the seven-point gap on Sutton United.

Bullard, who led Bury to promotion from the Zamaretto League Midlands Division One last season, said: “We have got Sutton and Lowestoft to play away, and our aim is still to try and win the league.

“This season was always going to be a learning curve, but we want to get back-to-back promotions if we can.

“I think the fans would have been happy if we had been in mid-tale, but we want to win the league, although if we don’t then the play-offs will be a good consolation.”

Reflecting on Tuesday’s stalemate against their Suffolk neighbours Bullard said: “We were not at our best against Lowestoft – we failed to get our passing game going.

“Neither team had many chances and the game had 0-0 written all over it, although in the second half we struggled to get out of our half.”

Bullard played through the pain barrier after injuring his left ankle in a collision with his own goalkeeper, Marcus Garnham, in the early stages of Tuesday’s match and is expected to be out today.

“I was playing on adrenaline for the rest of the match,” he admitted.

James Scowcroft is unavailable today while Kieran Leabon and Russell Short both have knocks but could feature.

Bullard, who was captain of Suffolk’s 2005 FA County Youth Cup winning team, was on trial at Derby County around the same time, playing four reserve team matches during former Ipswich Town boss George Burley’s spell in charge at Pride Park.

However, nothing came of it and Bullard said he was not aware of any interest from Football League clubs since.

The 24-year-old said: “I never give up hope that I might get a break, and I try and do well in every game I play as you never know what will happen.

“But at the moment I am just concentrating on trying to get Bury as high as I can.”