HISTORY was made at Gigg Lane on Saturday as Callum Styles became the first player born in the new millennium to play in the Football League.

Bury's teenage forward fell 30 days shy of beating Jimmy Kerr's club record of becoming the youngest ever Shakers player – with the record standing at 16 years and 11 days.

Born on 28 March, 2000, Styles was introduced as a 75th minute substitute in place of Anthony Dudley during the 3-2 win against Southend.

The debutant, playing two years above his own age group for the majority of the year, has been a key figure for Ryan Kidd's Under-18s, who finished runners-up in the Football League North West Youth Alliance.

The youth team's magnificent season has seen many players such as Jack Ruddy, George Miller, Rob Harker, Rob Bourne and Luke Williams on the fringes of the senior squad.

And Bury boss David Flitcroft says the players were ready to be given their chance in the first team.

“It wasn't a case of trust,” Flitcroft said. “It was a case of making sure the players we put on were in the same rhythm as the other boys.

“You can do it towards the end of the season, but if you put those boys in at the wrong time it can be catastrophic for their development because they feel the weight of the pressure that we have had at times this season.

“George Miller would have played a lot more had he not got injured, he was flying.

"I'm gutted that we have not been able to give George more game time but he will come back absolutely like a new player.

“It's an exciting concept to look at but I have seen teams go too young and get relegated, and that's something we have got to get the balance right.”

Despite narrowly missing out on back-to-back title wins, Bury still released six of their successful youngsters.

Raquarn Crosdale, Jake Durham, Sam Gibson, Rowan Kimmins, Jamie McCarthy and Khalid Mohammed were all let go, but Flitcroft is confident the club have done enough work with them to ensure the youngsters still have a bright future in the game.

He added: “They have had a fantastic year, they have had a fantastic two years. The lads that have come through and not got contracts, they are a fantastic group of guys.

“Each one of them has got an exit strategy and the club has worked hard on that.”