Football Season Guide

The Shakers head into the season looking to bounce straight back from relegation after a three-year spell in League One. Striker Ryan Lowe has been handed the job on a permanent basis after signing a two-year deal in May. He had been in caretaker charge since last October but was unable to prevent the side from finishing bottom of the League One table, recording just five victories. It is something of a poisoned chalice with the club beset with financial problems again and he has spent the summer rebuilding the squad. He has lost influential defender Greg Leigh, who has joined NAC Breda in the Netherlands whilst last season’s joint leading goalscorer George Miller has returned to parent club Middlesbrough. Influential midfielder Stephen Dawson could be set to leave before the start of the season whilst player-of-the-season Nathan Cameron wasn’t offered a new deal over the summer, much to the surprise of many. Lowe will be hoping Will Aimson can step into his boots after signing from Blackpool. The stand-out capture of the close season is undoubtedly the return of winger Nicky Adams from Carlisle United; although he will need to be given time to recover from a long-term knee injury. Goalkeeper Mathew Hudson has signed on loan from Preston North End to give some competition to number one stopper Joe Murphy whilst Lowe has brought back former strike-partner Chris Dagnall for another spell at Gigg Lane. Lowe retains a strong spine in centre-back Tom Aldred and midfielders Danny Mayor and Jay O’Shea whilst striker Jermaine Beckford will be hoping to rediscover his fitness. Only the most optimistic of Shakers supporters will be anticipating a challenge for automatic promotion this time around and they need look no further than the fate suffered by Chesterfield, whose instability saw them suffer back-to-back relegations and lose their Football League status. Lowe’s first objective will be to ensure that does not happen.