Josh Curry and Luke Brown become Cole Skuse and Paul Musgrove’s first Bury Town signings of new era at Ram Meadow

Cole Skuse and Paul Musgrove have wasted no time in bringing in their first new signings at Bury Town with one familiar face being described as returning to the club as ‘the complete package’.

As revealed first on today’s Bury Free Press back page, assistant manager Musgrove has raided his former employers, and Bury’s divisional rivals, Stomwarket Town to bring 30-year-old versatile midfielder or defender Josh Curry back to the club.

And striker Luke Brown, 26, is the other new addition, having also worked under the former at the Old Gold & Blacks but having ended the 2022/23 campaign with higher-league Needham Market.

Curry came through the same West Suffolk College football programme, led by then Bury boss Richard Wilkins who has just taken over at Stow, with Newcastle and England goalkeeper Nick Pope.

Like the Premier League star, he also got his first taste of senior men’s football with the Blues’ now disbanded feeder side, Team Bury, in the Eastern Counties League (Thurlow Nunn League) before progressing into Wilkins’ successful promotion-winning Bury Town side.

After moving on to get regular football with the likes of Mildenhall Town, Diss Town and Walsham-le-Willows after being recruited for the first time by Musgrove under Paul Smith’s managerial tenure, he went on to enjoy a three-year spell at then higher-league outfit Lowestoft Town.

Musgrove then signed him for Stowmarket in the summer of 2021, after he had taken over the managerial reigns from Rick Andrews.

And he is delighted to get him back to Bury for new manager Skuse, with the recently retired professional utilising his number two’s wealth of knowledge of the local non-league scene as he adjusts to it himself.

Skuse told the Bury Free Press and SuffolkNews: “When I was appointed as manager and Muzzy was my first appointment, so to speak, as the first people I leaned on and wanted on board straight away, one of the first conversations we had was: ‘you need to try and get Josh Curry in the building. He’s a full package really, on and off the field he’s going to make a massive difference to the group’.”

Musgrove added: “It’s actually the third time I’ve signed him.

“The first was at Walsham from Diss and he obviously went on to Lowestoft and bettered himself and put himself in really good shape off the pitch and everything improved massively.

“He moved from Lowestoft across to Stow and now obviously to Bury.”

The pair said the 30-year-old’s flexibility position-wise also made him a great fit to be among their first signings.

Musgrove said: “He’s quite flexible and that’s part of the philosophy we’re putting together, making sure we’ve got a number of positions covered.

“We predominantly see him playing centre midfield or centre-back but he can play right-back but we need flexibility really.”

Striker Brown was brought into Needham Market in February to help ease their relegation worries, having scored 11 goals in 24 appearances for a struggling Soham Town Rangers side in the Step 5 Thurlow Nunn League Premier Division.

The 26-year-old had previously demonstrated his talent of finding the back of the net at Step 3 with Biggleswade Town, while he also impressed in spells at Stowmarket and Cambridge City.

Musgrove said: “We obviously recognised Bury needed to score more goals. They didn’t concede many last year but higher up the pitch they didn’t get the service and the quality they needed, so we see Luke Brown as someone who has been around.

“He’s obviously been at Stowmarket and played for me, he’s been at Soham and then ended up at Needham at the back end of last year.

“I kept in contact with him and basically he’s recognised that he needs a home to settle now.

“He’s a good intelligent lad that will add to the group. On the pitch he's very intelligent, he can drop into holes, he can play as a 9 or a 10 and he fits exactly what we need.”

Skuse held his first brief, informal chat with the existing squad at the end of last week via a video call and has said all players with the club last season will be given a chance on returning in pre-season training, set for June 24, to impress him.

Curry’s departure from Stowmarket - where he made 40 appearances last season and scored four goals - comes off the back of captain Tom Bullard’s move to Felixstowe & Walton United and fellow centre-back Joe Jefford going to fellow divisional rvials Gorleston, as the club face up to life without Tom Morley’s donations.

Meanwhile the start date for Bury’s Pitching In Isthmian League North Division campaign has been confirmed as Saturday, August 12 and concluding on Saturday, April 27.