Football Season Review

Bury entered the season with so much optimism surrounding them, having performed well in the late stages of the previous season under Lee Clark and having invested heavily over the summer. With Clark spending the majority of his managerial career in divisions higher than League One, the Shakers' fans were hoping for a promotion push but it soon became apparent that this would not be the case, as their side won their opening game, only to go on an eight-game winless run after that. Given how high the pre-season expectations were, there was little surprise when Clark was fired in mid October, although his replacement Chris Lucketti did not last much longer and was fired in January. The Shakers were plagued by injuries throughout the course of the season, with none of their managers having the opportunity to get a settled starting lineup, having frequently been forced into changes. With relegation already looking likely, the Shakers opted to take a bit of a risk and named Ryan Lowe player-manager in January and, despite improving somewhat under him, Bury fell well short of staying up and had their relegation confirmed with over a month left to play. Despite the relegation, Lowe was named Bury's permanent manager at the end of the season. The big question regarding the Shakers, whose source of funding is a bit of a mystery, is whether their board will be willing to significantly strengthen the squad over the summer and back Lowe in his bid to win promotion back to the third tier at the first time of asking.

Player of the Season: Nathan Cameron