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.
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