Football Season Guide

Bury managed to win promotion to League One for the first time in nine years thanks to a superb run of form they had late in the season, which saw them winning six consecutive matches in a crucial stage of the season. The Shakers' fans didn't feel too optimistic in early April, as manager Alan Knill left the club to take over at Scunthorpe, but his replacement Richie Barker proved to have been a superb appointment by the club's board, easily convincing people running the club to offer him the position on a permanent basis. Now, Bury are set to wonder into the unknown realms of League One, and will try to do so with a squad consisting of players who either have no experience in the third tier or who had short but unsuccessful stints in the third division. In that sense, Bury have some resemblance to Rochdale's side of last season, as they, like Dale did last season, have no experience at this level, but have a young and enthusiastic manager who is keen on playing attacking football. However, Rochdale is the only side of that profile that actually managed to survive in their first season in League One, as most of attacking minded sides that get promoted without finishing in the top two of the League Two tend to struggle in the third tier. From that perspective, and their lack of experience, Bury have to be considered one of the candidates to go down. The bright side for the Shakers is that they have a squad of players who are well used to playing together, with the only notable departure being the transfer of Kyle Bennett to Doncaster, while Hull striker Mark Cullen has been signed on loan, while former Walsall skipper Mark Hughes signed on a free transfer - both of these players should be useful additions at this level. All in all, Bury are a huge unknown at this moment and are facing a season of hope and uncertainty.