NEW manager Lee Clark has assured Bury fans he has the battling qualities needed to keep them in League One.

The former Newcastle and Fulham midfielder was manager at Birmingham City three years ago when they escaped relegation from the Championship with a last-gasp equaliser at Bolton.

He joins Bury with them in a similarly "sticky situation", fourth-bottom and two points from safety with 14 matches of the season remaining.

“Every game is a cup final from here on in,” Clark told the Bury Times ahead of Saturday's trip to second-bottom Chesterfield.

“I have got experience of getting clubs out of a sticky situation so there is calmness there."

The 44-year-old, who had a successful spell with Huddersfield in League One but twice missed out on promotion in the play-offs, revealed his decision to swap mid-table safety at Scottish Premiership side Kilmarnock for a relegation dogfight at Bury was down to the ambition shown by chairman Stewart Day.

The Bury owner harbours dreams of taking the club into the Championship – but Clark knows staying up this season is a must if they are to achieve their long-term goal.

“The Championship is the ultimate aim but I believe the first part is the crucial part," he said.

"We know the short-term goal has to be to keep them in League One.

“It doesn’t daunt us, I am not frightened by it. I have done it before, I have staved off relegation with Birmingham and Kilmarnock.

“I don’t want a last-minute job, that happened at Birmingham in the 96th minute when we got the equaliser against Bolton. I’d prefer to have it done and dusted before then.”

Clark revealed he is searching for a new number two and is considering adding former Bolton midfielder Alan Thompson to his backroom team.

“I could possibly bring in one or two,” he revealed. “It might be just one at the moment, though. I will work with the current staff here and see where we get to. If that needs to be looked at again then I can do that in the future.

“Alan is a possibility. He is obviously out of work and couldn’t come to Scotland with us for personal reasons.

“I have worked with him before at Birmingham and he was with us at Blackpool – but we tried to erase that part of our managerial time. He is someone to be considered, yes.”

Clark will be hopeful of continuing where he left off with Huddersfield on his return to England’s third tier.

The Geordie boasted a 49 per-cent win ratio in the division and led the Terriers to a club-record 43-game unbeaten run during his four-year spell in West Yorkshire.

When asked what type of football Bury fans could expect, he replied: “A winning one.

“Do I want to play sexy football, as they call it, and win four and five every week? Without a shadow of a doubt. Is that possible? Probably not.

“I am a very honest guy and I just want the players to give everything that they can give us on a daily basis.

"Certainly, when it comes to a match day they leave nothing in the dressing room, they give us everything. If they do that with the ability they have I’m sure they will get the results.”