Bury begin their League Two campaign this weekend as promotion favourites with manager David Flitcroft saying the club’s blossoming strike partnership will be a force to be reckoned with.
The Shakers face Cheltenham at home on Saturday for their opening game, Bury’s 4-1 victory the last time the teams met in August 2013 still fresh in the mind.
Flitcroft is confident forwards Danny Nardiello and veteran Ryan Lowe can make the difference as his troops begin their promotion assault.
“If we can get the ball in their area of the pitch more often they are going to devastate teams,” he told the club’s YouTube channel ahead of the new season.
“Devastation is what we’re trying to produce, certainly in the top half of the pitch. Nards (Nardiello), Danny Mayor and Ryan Lowe will be devastating.”
Flitcroft said the fitness and desire of Lowe, 36 next month, had stunned him.
“Ryan Lowe’s fitness has blown me away. He’s as fit as I’ve ever seen him.”
The Bury manager’s one bone of contention was his side’s defence, though with a steady improvement in that department last year Flitcroft feels the time is right for the twice FA Cup winners to climb the ranks of English football.
“I get disappointed when we concede in training,” he said.
“So we’ve got work to do on that as the season progresses, but it was something that held us in good firm last season, we had a lot of clean sheets, so that doesn’t worry me.
“People are focusing on the Cheltenham game, we’re focusing on the 46-game period.”
Bury are expected to field several of their summer signings too, including Joe Thompson and Nicky Adams, both former members of rivals Rochdale.
The club will also hope their recent £150,000 revamp of the Gigg Lane playing surface aids them in search of victory… and an improvement on 12th place last season.
Cheltenham will be without Jamie Cureton for the match – the Football League’s second highest goal scorer – after he left for Dagenham & Redbridge in July.
Main image courtesy of Bury Football Club via YouTube, with thanks.
