after taking ill hours before the game.

Lightbourne trained with his new English First Division team-mates in the morning and travelled with the side to Bury but spent the whole match on the team coach sleeping as the team played to a scoreless draw.

"I just had to get my head down and get some rest,'' said Lightbourne, who was still in bed when contacted by The Royal Gazette . "That's the worst I've felt.'' Lightbourne is due to see the club doctor today and does not know if he will recover in time to play tomorrow at home against First Division leaders Nottingham Forest.

"At this time I don't know, it has taken a lot out of my body,'' he said of the flu-like symptoms.

Tuesday's draw left Stoke near the bottom of the standings. "They got a draw which is better than a loss,'' said Lightbourne, who joined the club on a 425,000 transfer on Monday from Coventry City.

New Stoke manager Chris Kamara, who made Lightbourne his first signing, was planning to play the Bermudian against Bury because of a shortage of available strikers. The team have been struggling to score goals all season.