Bury: Johnny Phillips discovers how fortunes have changed for League Two leaders

The Bucket Club.

It was one of Bury’s less flattering nicknames, during a time when the Lancastrians appeared to be fighting an endless battle against administration.

The 117-year-old club is a proud one, but Gigg Lane has seen its share of troubles. Bucket collections by supporters to keep The Shakers alive became more than a one-off occurrence.

The gaffer sold me his vision and what he wanted to do here. Now everything is going in the right direction.

Former player David Flitcroft arrived in December 2013 with the club fighting a relegation battle after the unsuccessful tenure of Kevin Blackwell.

Flitcroft led them to an impressive 12th-placed finish last season. Now they sit on top of League Two, playing an expansive type of football that is the envy of the division.

“When I first came here from Barnsley we were really struggling at the bottom of the league. But the gaffer sold me his vision and what he wanted to do here,” revealed defender Jim McNulty.

“Now everything is going in the right direction. We train in the local area and visit gyms here, and fans stop us for a chat now. Everyone is really bubbly and they’re enjoying it.

“They’re seeing good victories in a nice style and so we are ticking a lot of boxes. It’s a really good brand of football that we are playing.”

Promotion

Flitcroft had a tough time as Barnsley manager but has been able to put his own ideas into practice at Gigg Lane – now known as the JD Stadium after the club secured a three-year naming rights agreement, the largest sponsorship deal in its history.

Sitting chatting to Flitcroft in his office, surrounded by his staff, he explained how everybody at the club was encouraged to communicate together, rather than being divided up into departments.

The office door was open and there was a steady stream of activity along the corridor outside as players warmed up in a newly-fitted gym.

“There’s a real ambition to be successful. We want to drive this thing forward,” the manager said. “The chairman is not going to be happy until we go through this league and the first objective is promotion.

“I’m a competitive person by nature and the chairman has given me, the players and staff a chance to be competitive on a Saturday. It’s something we relish and we’re enjoying being top of the league.”

It is refreshing to hear a manager talk about promotion so early on in a season, rather than trot out the usual clichés about not getting carried away.

It’s all part of developing a new attitude within the club. The changes to the dressing room tunnel area and a six-figure investment in the pitch have been clever ways of helping the players feel valued and think big.

Cosmetic

Thirty-two-year-old chairman Stewart Day has invested significant funds since taking over the club in May last year, with signings such as Nicky Adams, Danny Rose and Ryan Lowe unthinkable a season or so ago.

“There was no secret about the state of the club when I arrived,” said Day. “There was a transfer embargo, they owed money to the Football League and the PFA, along with the Inland Revenue. It was a tough place to come into.

“Staff weren’t being paid on time and morale was down, too. We want to create a positive place to come into work. We’ve made a lot of cosmetic changes to the football club and people are proud to come into work now. The press officer comes into work in a shirt and tie now and not jeans and a T-shirt!”

That is a reference to Bury’s long-serving loyal media manager Gordon Sorfleet, who organised our morning at the club and who has suffered the gloomy times here alongside the supporters.

Gillette Soccer Saturday

The fans have had it hard, in an area where so many bigger and more successful clubs are thriving. But whereas some managers would feel put off by the location of Bury, Flitcroft sees it as a positive.

“We’ve got so many fantastic clubs and fantastic players in this area. The north-west is an incredible football Mecca and we’re part of that. You have to embrace it,” he explained.

“Players want to come to Manchester, it’s a vibrant city, they want to come here and we can offer them a type of football they want to be part of.”

Supporters have seen false dawns here before, but they may finally be able to rest easy in their seats on a Saturday afternoon. There is a new pride in Bury and they won’t be kicking the bucket any time soon.

You can see our feature with Bury on Soccer Saturday from 2pm this weekend on Sky Sports News HQ (channel 401) and Sky Sports 5 (channel 406).