THE hard work begins in earnest for Alan Knill when the final whistle blows at Accrington on Saturday.
Though his players will jet off immediately for a short holiday in Spain after the last game of the season, the Bury boss will stay behind to put the finishing touches to his retained list which will be announced on May 8.
The future of several senior players lies in the balance, though contract negotiations began last week with both Nicky Adams and David Buchanan. Glynn Hurst, Brian Barry-Murphy, Colin Woodthorpe, Dave Challinor and Jim Provett are among those out of contract and, though the date of the retained list has been put back seven days, Knill insists neither his overall plan, nor his budget, have changed considerably since his arrival nearly three months ago.
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"The nucleus that we keep is the way forward," he said. "One or two players have changed my mind since I came in, but in the main, the same players will leave next week that I thought would leave back then.
"I feel we need to change things around. Money doesn't come into it. I want players who are on the pitch for what they do football-wise, not for what they get paid."
Victory at Accrington could see the Shakers finish 12th in League Two - a position unthinkable when Knill took charge in February. But the Shakers boss is not getting carried away with results, and has kept a firm grasp on his plan for the future.
"I know what type of players I want and what positions they will be playing in," Knill said. "I don't sit at home waiting, I'm out watching games so I have a fair idea of who's out there and what we need. The hardest part then is convincing them to come to Bury. The club has had a relegation fight for the last three years and the players know that, so you have to sell it really well."
Colin Woodthorpe is facing up to the fact that Saturday's game might be his last for the club.
The veteran defender is hoping to concentrate on coaching and looking after the interests of his family - his six-year-old son is on the books of both Everton and Liverpool. But he has not completely ruled out the possibility of continuing his 23-year playing career.
"I'm comfortable with the fact that this might be my last year," Woodthorpe admitted. "I have to be honest and say it wouldn't be a great surprise if my contract was not renewed.
"Having not played for the last seven or eight games, you start to think that you might not be in the manager's plans.
"There are players like Dion Dubin and Teddy Sheringham still doing the business, but I'm 40 in January and, though you never say never, I have to be realistic."
Glynn Hurst, who is also out of contract, also took a pragmatic view of the impending retained list.
"You can see that things are happening here and you would be a fool not to want to be a part of it. But obviously a few people must depart for everything to come together," he said.
"Everyone has got their own ideas. The only way you can affect them is by the way you train and the way you play when you get out there on the pitch.
"I think every time the gaffer has called on me, I have produced."
With Ben Futcher suspended after his red card against Rochdale and Elliott Bennett back at Wolves after his loan spell, Knill must plug a hole in both his defence and midfield. Long-term absentees Dave Challinor and Paul Morgan are the only injury worries.
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