Bury vs Oxford United - New head coach Chris Brass aiming to end Bury's losing run

Chris Brass will take charge of Bury for the first time since being named head coach on a permanent basis against Oxford.

Neil Danns picked up the Shakers' seventh red card of the campaign when he was dismissed at Bristol Rovers on Saturday to trigger a three-game suspension, with Jacob Mellis and Niall Maher also banned.

Skipper Antony Kay is back from a ban after missing out at Bristol Rovers, where Craig Jones sustained a thigh problem that looks set to rule him out.

Brass, appointed on a permanent basis on Thursday despite having presided over four successive losses in the interim, remains without Leon Barnett (calf), Kean Bryan (thigh), Ishmael Miller (hamstring), Chris Brown (knee) and Nathan Cameron (knee).

Oxford have been dealt a blow ahead of the clash after Aaron Martin was ruled out for the remainder of the season with an Achilles injury.

Martin sustained the problem during the U's 3-0 FA Cup replay win against Macclesfield and was taken to hospital for scans. The full extent of the damage is not yet known but boss Michael Appleton believes the defender's campaign is over.

Joe Skarz is also likely to miss the Shakers clash with a niggling back problem.

"Joe is still struggling a bit," Appleton told the club's official website. "We won't risk him if it's not right, especially because we have nine days before the next game after Saturday to get him right."