Seven Questions we asked a Bury fan

4. Who are the best team you’ve seen this season, other than Bury, and why?

Keith Curle’s first game in charge of Northampton Town saw the Cobblers host Bury, and you could see that he’d immediately instilled a defensive role hitherto completely absent from them. In Aaron Pierre, they already possessed one of the most dominant centre backs in the division, and alongside Ash Taylor and the now sadly retired Leon Barnett, the trio wiped the floor with Maynard (on his full debut) and Moore, especially in the air. Further forward, the likes of Matt Crooks (now at Rotherham) and Andy Williams caused the backline no end of problems. Even though the game finished goalless, it would’ve been difficult for the neutral observer to know which side had only just hired their new manager a couple of days prior to the match. They deserved to win the tie, and although their current league position of 16th doesn’t immediately scream ‘best team I’ve seen this season’, I think with the benefit of this window and the summer ahead, they should be challenging next season.

5. Who would you say the key men are for the Shakers and why?

The two key men are Mayor and O’Shea. I said the former the previous time I was asked ahead of the reverse fixture at Sincil Bank, but he hadn’t quite got going yet, and the same was certainly true of O’Shea, having to familiarise himself with a more withdrawn central midfield role. The clash came more than a month before Maynard signed, and you could see that although Bury certainly didn’t deserve to lose the encounter, not all of the key men were either firing or even present; it’s hard to believe now, but at the time, they were struggling for goals!

Every fan of a League Two club is aware of Mayor’s ability on the ball, especially when dribbling with such close control, cutting inside with his right, and aiming for the far corner with a shot from distance – akin to a mirrored, lower league version of Arjen Robben. Crewe manager David Artell knew full well what was going to happen in the recent fixture at Gigg Lane, and had instructed his players to deal with the danger… which they simply weren’t able to. This just goes to prove that you can be armed with all the data about a player’s behaviour, but it doesn’t always mean you can prevent the threat.

6.How do Bury fans feel about the likes of Salford and FC United of Manchester, given they’re ‘new’ clubs on your patch?

I don’t think many fans have a strong opinion about FC United of Manchester now – they have faded into the background somewhat, both because of all of the media attention lavished on Salford City, and also because of their own difficulties on and off the pitch. They currently occupy one of the relegation spots in the National League North, and it remains to be seen whether they can remain in the division, with wider interest waning and investment of one kind or another required.

Even if Salford don’t go up this year to the EFL, there’s an air of inevitability about it happening in the near future. I believe some Bury fans feel strong resentment to the millions pumped into the club, but that’s not exclusive to the Shakers. Similar views can be found at Oldham and Rochdale, and the pervading mentality is that Salford will become, in the short to medium term at least, more glamorous rivals to all three. They’re not quite drawing the same crowds as the established trio, but I expect that to change once they’re in the EFL. The Class of 92 (now joined by David Beckham yesterday) seem to be in it for the long haul, and I can easily foresee a time when they’re above all three in the pyramid.

An argument could be made that the city of Salford in its own right is certainly large enough to accommodate a professional football team, and perhaps the original club would’ve eventually found their way up the ziggurat. It’s fair to say attendances and media coverage of the club prior to the takeover five years ago were negligible, however. In their current guise, they’re here to stay, and it’s something fans of other local sides will have to accept.

7. How do you see the game panning out this weekend?

The recent re-signing of Danny Rowe will be key for this game for the visitors. His brace against the Glovers on Tuesday demonstrated his knack of running into the box late and getting across his man to strike at goal. He should have a decent amount of space to work in, given that neither of Bury’s central midfielders are defensively minded, and Thompson will doubtlessly be tasked with shutting down John Akinde. I’ve read with keen interest all season long that a lot of Lincoln’s fans have been frustrated with the striker, but he’s still one of the deadliest in the division. In Danny Cowley’s 4-2-3-1 system, he’s tasked with winning any aerial challenges and holding up the ball (as you’d expect). Where the Shakers have struggled the most is against that type of target man, and let’s not forget that Akinde is also adept at playing in others, before sauntering into the area unnoticed to get on the end of crosses, most notably from Harry Anderson.

Callum McFadzean will have to be at his best to ward off Anderson’s forays down that flank, as if Stokes is drawn in to challenging for the ball, it will leave the defence exposed. On the opposite side, Tom Pett is slightly more inclined to drift into the channel than his teammate, and Aimson will need to track him well (without getting sent off this time!).

Further back, the purchase of Cian Bolger has pushed Michael Bostwick into the double-pivot role alongside Michael O’Connor. The hosts do not normally launch the ball forwards in central areas, so I foresee the duo almost being on top of their own centre backs for much of the game, looking to nick the ball from Neil Danns or O’Shea and spray it wide to start counters.

Neal Eardley will have his work cut out dealing with Mayor, and might need the support of Anderson more than the latter (or Cowley) would like. He must avoid showing him inside to even come close to nullifying his threat, and McFadzean will look to combine with Mayor on the overlap to put in quick, low crosses to the near post.

Jason Shackell is for me the best centre back in League Two. Not only is he a colossus in the air, he’s a distinct threat from any kind of set pieces, having already bagged five goals. If he gets on the end of a corner, it almost always at least hits the target. Together with Bolger, they can expect to win almost every aerial challenge in open play, but a foot race with Maynard or Dom Telford would be a different thing entirely. That’s why I expect the back four to play a low line, as anything else would compress the space on the Gigg Lane pitch, and you know Lowe will throw men forwards to try to patiently find any opening at all.

Having somehow avoided a red card for a reckless high foot, Harry Toffolo will be a key asset. I expect him to get more joy than Eardley going forward, and he should look to make Nicky Adams think twice about bursting into Lincoln’s final third.

Finally, Bury cannot afford to concede any cheap free kicks around the box, or too many corners. Defending these situations successfully remains the very weakest part of the entire setup, and to achieve victory, they need to avoid conceding the first goal. Make no mistake, in spite of all the stirring comebacks in the past few games, the Imps are not liable to give too much away once ahead, especially on the road.

Anything you’d like to add?

I think the first game between the two sides offered a lot of hope for Bury fans, back at a time in the season where they might not have been expected to be Lincoln’s closest challengers with a third of the campaign remaining. Yes, they lost, but they had largely matched the side I thought then (and still do) would go on to claim the championship. The context of Saturday’s game has seen Lowe’s men make plenty of improvements, and it should ensure an excellent ‘advert’ for the division on live television.