Football Season Review

Bury are coming from a rollercoaster of the season, which saw them look like play-off candidates early on, look likely to go down midway through and eventually doing well to escape the drop. They bought in interesting signings during the summer and additionally strengthened their lines with the capture of James Vaughan, a superb striker at this level, and things were looking good after ten rounds, as the Shakers had a 6-2-2 record and were inside the top six. However, they then had a remarkable twelve-game losing streak, with the board showing more than enough patience for manager David Flitcroft, who lost his job in mid November. Two more months passed before the Shakers started to win games again, with the club opting against naming a new permanent boss despite that, with their decision to appoint Lee Clark in mid February coming as a bit of a surprise, as the Shakers' caretaker team seemed to have helped the side get back to normal after that. The explanation for Clark's appointment was that the club had to take advantage of the fact that such an experienced manager became available and there is no arguing with his results as, despite a few bumps in the road, he definitely made the Shakers far better than they were without him and they managed to escape the drop. One of League One's big mysteries is where the money that Bury are spending is coming from, but the Shakers definitely seem to have funds at their disposal and Clark will be expected to deliver a promotion push in what will be his first full season in charge.

Player of the Season: James Vaughan