BURY have appointed Alan Thompson as their new assistant manager.

The former Bolton midfielder linked up with boss Lee Clark before yesterday's 2-1 victory at Chesterfield.

Thompson has previously worked with Clark at Birmingham and Blackpool and the Shakers manager is happy to now have him on board at Gigg Lane.

“Alan has joined as my assistant,” Clark said. “(He is) A man of great experience, both as a player and as an assistant.

“He had spells with me at Birmingham and Blackpool but was also very successful at Celtic under Neil Lennon.

“He has great knowledge of the game.”

Clark also revealed he wants to keep former head coach Chris Brass on his backroom staff.

The ex-head coach played a huge part in the win against the Spireites and was a constant voice in the technical area.

“The staff that are already here are great boys,” Clark added. “I am looking forward to working with them, that’s for sure.

“Brassy will be with us going forward, he is Bury through and through, even though he has still got the Geordie accent.

“He knows the club, he knows the players, he is very helpful in getting things done behind the scenes for us and he is also very important for stuff on the pitch as well.

“And Chris Sedgwick, the medical staff and the sports science guys, they have all been impressive, helped me along and helped me and Alan settle in very quickly.”

Meanwhile, former assistant head coach Ryan Kidd has returned to his previous role as under-18s manager.