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Hope unsure of future

Image: Hallam Hope: Unsure of Shakers return

Hallam Hope wrote himself into the Bury history books on Saturday, but the on-loan striker is unsure if he will return next season.

The 20-year-old, borrowed from Everton, became the first Shakers player to score a treble in the league since 1999. However, amazingly, Hope's feat did not inspire his team to victory as Portsmouth scored three times in the final 11 minutes to grab a point in a pulsating 4-4 draw. Amid the madness, Hope was unaware his hat-trick was an historic one until one of his team-mates revealed the fact following the third goal. "It was when I was celebrating," the striker said. "One of the boys told me and I'm happy to do that." It took Hope's tally to five goals in seven games with one fixture of his loan stint remaining and such an impressive return has not gone unnoticed at Bury. Asked if he would be interested in spearheading the attack for a promotion charge next season, Hope replied: "Maybe, we'll just have to see what happens next season. A step up's always the aim, I'll just push on and see what happens really." Manager David Flitcroft is certainly exploring the possibility of bringing Hope back to the JD Stadium next season. "He's different to what's out there," Flitcroft explained. "Most players are in this number 10 role and they want to show for the ball and do lots of tricks. He loves going in behind and he does enjoy hurting centre-halves. "I've been delighted with him. He wants to learn, he wants to get better. He's in a good environment and I think it's positive; we've seen the best of him. "I've love to be able to work with Hallam, he knows that. I'll try and speak to Roberto and see if we can do something because he's certainly a player the supporters buy into."

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