BURY’S return to League One has coincided with some big local rivals dropping down to the division, which was already home to a healthy crop of big names and North West neighbours.

Here we look at some of the games that are sure to get Gigg Lane rocking this season:

Barnsley

Manager: Lee Johnson

Last year’s finish: 11th

Gigg visit: Saturday, December 26

Last meeting: Bury 1 Barnsley 0 - Football League Trophy, November 12, 2002

Set the scene: David Flitcroft arrived at Bury after being sacked by Barnsley, so there will be plenty of motivation for the manager to get one over on his old club. He quickly turned from saviour for sinner after keeping them in the Championship in his first year before guiding them towards relegation the next.

Bradford

Manager: Phil Parkinson

Last year’s finish: Seventh

Gigg visit: Saturday, March 5

Last meeting: Bradford 1 Bury 0 - League Two, January 3, 2011

Set the scene: Bury and Bradford swapped places in League One when Phil Parkinson’s Bantams were promoted and Kevin Blackwell’s Shakers side failed to beat the drop. Bury now have plenty of catching up to do.

Blackpool

Manager: Neil McDonald

Last year’s finish: 24th in the Championship

Gigg visit: Saturday, October 31

Last meeting: Blackpool 0 Bury 1 - League Division Two, January 26, 2002

Set the scene: Peter Clarke and Jacob Mellis left Bloomfield Road for Gigg Lane in the summer following their relegation from the Championship so both former Seasiders will be watching out for this one.

Oldham

Manager: Darren Kelly

Last year’s finish: 15th

Gigg visit: Saturday, August 29

Last meeting: Bury 0 Oldham 1 - League One, April 13, 2013

Set the scene: Bury fans don’t need reminding about the last time these two clubs played – the Latics single-goal victory at Gigg Lane consigned them to League Two. It’s payback time.

Rochdale

Manager: Keith Hill

Last year’s finish: Eighth

Gigg visit: Saturday, October 17

Last meeting: Bury 0 Rochdale 0 - League Two, March 7, 2014

Set the scene: More than 6,000 fans turned up to Gigg Lane for their last encounter, which ended honours even. The media will, of course, bill it as a head-to-head between the two managers, but for the fans it is much more than that.

Sheffield United

Manager: Nigel Adkins

Last year’s finish: Fifth

Gigg visit: Saturday, January 30

Last meeting: Bury 0 Sheffield United 2 - League One, February 12, 2013

Set the scene: The Blades will still be licking their wounds going into the new campaign after taking a beating in last season’s play-off final. But their new manager will be looking to wipe the slate clean and you can expect the south Yorkshire club to be there or thereabouts again this season.

Wigan

Manager: Gary Caldwell

Last year’s finish: 23rd in the Championship

Gigg visit: Saturday, October 10

Last meeting: Wigan 1 Bury 1 - League Division Two, December 26, 2001

Set the scene: Wigan’s fall from grace has been a mighty one, dropping from the Premier League, and FA Cup glory, to League One in just three seasons. Their demise does at least give fans of the two local rivals the chance to resume acquaintance for the first time in nearly 14 years.

Coventry

Manager: Tony Mowbray

Last year’s finish: 17th

Gigg visit: Saturday, September 26

Last meeting: Bury 0 Coventry 2 - League One, February 16, 2013

Set the scene: Shakers captain Nathan Cameron left Coventry looking for a fresh start, and while it took him a while to find his feet at Bury he is now looking the real deal. His former club have not faired so well over the same period.