Football Season Review

Bury enjoyed a successful season against all the odds as they returned to League 1 at the first attempt. It was a personal triumph for rookie boss Ryan Lowe, who achieved an unlikely promotion in his first managerial role. He assembled a talented squad of players who played entertaining football and they finished as runners-up. They were also the top scorers in the division with 82 goals. Lowe opted for a 3-5-2 formation for most of the campaign which brought the best out of playmaker Danny Mayor and winger Nicky Adams. They provided the service for experienced Nicky Maynard, who finished as leading goalscorer with 22 goals. Adams didn’t miss a single game whilst Joe Murphy was also ever-present and was a safe pair of hands between the sticks despite constant changes to the back three in front of him. Lowe will be particularly pleased to have overcome a promotion wobble with less than a month of the season remaining. It came on the back of financial problems at the club which saw players and staff unpaid. Owner Steve Dale subsequently put the club up for sale with debts far bigger than realised and next season looks like being a tricky one for Lowe and the Shakers. Holding on to the likes of Mayor will be crucial to any hopes of success.

Player of the Season: Danny Mayor