DAVID Flitcroft said his side’s away form had gone “through the roof” after Saturday’s victory at Plymouth.

That to me is always the real sign of a side’s progression.

To win away from home you need a settled side, and that is just what Bury lacked for a large part of the campaign.

Players in a settled side know their roles inside out and are able to develop an understanding with their team-mates.

Those relationships are key when playing in hostile atmospheres when sides – defences especially – are tested.

Bury have now won four of their last seven matches on their travels, a run that stretches back to their 3-2 win at Northampton on Boxing Day.

Before then they had only managed two victories away from home all season, with a three-month gap between Northampton and their last win outside of the JD Stadium at Carlisle on September 13.

I have said in the past that consistent results come from consistent selection, and I think for a while there Flicker really struggled.

I believe he tried to over-complicate things. There is no point trying to reinvent the wheel when everyone knows it is round and it works – football is much the same.

The Bury boss is much quieter now, it’s as if he is letting the players do the talking, and they have responded.

It’s also no coincidence that the Shakers have improved since the signing of Charlton goalkeeper Nick Pope.

The back four has really settled down since he arrived on loan - they seem to be playing with much more confidence.

The knock-on effect of this improvement in their away form will be felt at home, as was seen against Luton on Tuesday.

With points in the bank, there is less pressure to perform at home, and while this can lead to complacency, a positive effect is that they no longer need to force games at the JD Stadium.

If you are desperate for points then a panic can set in if you fail to score early or go behind.

Winning away means you can be patient at home, while the confidence that builds from victories at places like Home Park carries over to performances on home soil.

I must admit that around the festive period I was still pretty hopeful that Bury would make it into the play-offs, but I had almost discounted the automatic places.

But I have also said before that it is better to break into the promotion frame with a late run than be sitting up there waiting to be shot at.

You saw from the weekend’s results that the top three are getting nervy and it looks like Bury now have all the momentum. Let’s hope they can continue to build on that during the run-in.