I AM confident if Bury conduct their business in the right way over the summer they can build on what has been a good first season in League One.

The form the Shakers showed at the start of the campaign to put themselves in the play-off frame lifted the bar a little on what was expected of them.

But while results have tailed off a bit since November, I believe fans should be proud of the strides made by the team this year.

If they can keep the core of the squad together, those players will provide an experienced platform for David Flitcroft to build on.

My experience as a scout has shown me there are plenty of young, hungry players out there who would love to get a chance to prove their worth at Bury.

You don't have to pay fees these days, and I think with the current financial climate outside the top tier, clubs are not having to break the bank as much as you might think to bring in a decent standard of player.

What is important for Bury is that those holding the purse strings box clever, spend their money carefully and don't risk the financial future of the club.

If you look at where the Shakers are now and where they were the last time they successfully navigated a season in League One, they are at a similar crossroads.

Richie Barker's team ended the 2011/12 season with 56 points, two more than Flitcroft's men currently have with five games still to play.

But instability on the pitch, in the dugout and behind the scenes, along with bad decisions made in their first year in the third tier came back to haunt them and they were relegated the following year.

There was no money left to supplement the squad in between those two seasons in League One, with Craig Jones the most significant signing during the summer.

And the writing was on the wall when Barker left for Crawley just days before the start of the 2012/13 campaign.

But if Bury can remain tight, keep their stars, attract the right kind of player and maybe bring a bit more balance to the squad, I don't think history will repeat itself.

But it is true that the second season after a promotion is often the hardest, and next season is an important one in chairman Stewart Day's five-year plan to reach the Championship.

The building blocks are there, but one false move and the whole thing can come crashing down.