Knill succeeded Chris Brass as Bury manager in 2008

Boss Alan Knill says he is preparing for Bury's long-term future after steadying the ship since his arrival.

The ex-Rotherham manager was Bury's seventh boss in 10 years when he arrived at Gigg Lane 27 months ago.

He told BBC Radio Manchester: "My choice was to go in there and re-build the football club because it really was starting from very little.

"It's gone pretty well. My first job was to stop every year being a relegation fight which we've managed."

He added: "If the first team aren't winning, then people don't believe you can do it.

"We had to turn around that first team quickly. That was the first thing, to make the first team competitive and to challenge in the league.

"Then hopefully that buys you time to try to put the rest of the stuff in.

Now we have to look at developing players and bringing players through... so the long-term future of the football club will be secure Alan Knill

"As a manager, it's really difficult. You want to do things and you want to build things but unfortunately there aren't many managers that are at a football club for 10 years or five years or six years.

"So you have a long-term picture but usually it's only short-term because that's the nature of the job.

"We run on a tight budget but, I have to say this, a competitive budget.

"Now we have to look at developing players and bringing players through, a constant run of players so the long-term future of the football club will be secure - whether I am there or not.

"There'll be some things in place, hopefully, that secures that."

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