Bury Town manager Ben Chenery to lead squad rebuild after disappointing season

After a season in which the 'overall performance was not acceptable', Bury Town have revealed that manager Ben Chenery is set to oversee a major rebuild of the playing squad.

Popular forward Olly Hughes and playmaker Jake Chambers-Shaw announced their departures following last weekend's season-ending 5-2 defeat at Heybridge Swifts – a result that saw the Blues finish 12th in the Pitching In Isthmian League North Division, 28 points adrift of the play-off places.

And in a statement released this morning the club's board of directors have confirmed that further exits are imminent, with Chenery and his staff already in discussions with potential new recruits as they look to put a disappointing campaign behind them.

"Now that the 2021/22 season has finished, we would like to thank everyone for their support during the past nine months. We have enjoyed an average attendance of 570 and were by far the best supported club in the Isthmian North Division," read the statement.

"However, on the pitch, results and performances were simply not good enough and that left us far from reaching the targets set at the beginning of the season. After several years of progress, this season has seen us take a step back and a plan must be put into place to rectify this.

"Several players will be leaving the club over the summer, some have already announced their departures, others will be announced by the club in the near future. This will enable the squad to be rebuilt over the next two months. We thank those players leaving us for their efforts and wish them the best with their futures.

"The management team are aware that this season’s overall performance was not acceptable to the Board and also to our supporters, and they are currently planning for the new season. Discussions are under way with potential new players and those players that they wish to retain from the current squad."

However, while the first team fell some way short of expectations, off the pitch it has been a successful period.

The statement continued: "Off the pitch, the club remains in a strong position. Further ground improvements are planned for this summer and into the new season, and we currently have several grant applications in place to fund this work. We also have a big announcement regarding the clubs future and we hope to be in a position to announce this before the start of the new season.

"Thanks to the hard work of our commercial manager Stephen Jarrold, we have a record number of sponsorship agreements in place. We have welcomed local companies such as Atalian Servest and Greene King to the club this season, and we are also thankful to Glenn Edwards for his sponsorship through Getaway Cars and First Stop Travel as main sponsors of the club and to Adi Valiant of F.A. Valiant & Son Ltd for their sponsorship of our Under-23 and Under-18 teams.

"Although the season has ended, the hard work has now begun to make sure that the 2022/23 season is a much more enjoyable one for everyone. We very much hope that you will continue your loyal support of the club."