DAVID Flitcroft has urged the 2,300 Bury fans set to attend their League Two promotion decider at Tranmere tomorrow to respect the home support.

The rock-bottom Wirral club were relegated last weekend, ending a 94-year association with the Football League.

And while the Shakers manager will be going all out to claim the three points that could secure automatic promotion, he is conscious the majority of the Prenton Park crowd will be in no mood to party.

“We have lost one of the North West football family and that hurts you as a North West person,” said Flitcroft.

“It’s galling that we have lost a club that’s steeped in history.

“I just hope our football fans have that respect for one of the North West football family.”

It is perhaps not surprising two clubs with such long-lasting traditions – Bury are this year celebrating their 130th anniversary – have a shared history.

Tranmere beat the Shakers in the 1989/90 Division Three play-off semi-finals.

But Flitcroft wants his fans to cheer on Bury’s bid for automatic promotion without wallowing in the Merseysiders' misfortune. “We go there with our objective and our aim, which is to try to win a football match,” he added.

“(Bury supporters should) just get behind that effort because there will be a lot of Tranmere fans that will be hurting.”

Bury go into the game at Prenton Park fourth in the table, knowing victory will be enough to swap places with Southend in third, if Phil Brown’s side fail to win at Morecambe.

But while the Shakers boss says he will be kept fully informed of results elsewhere once the game gets under way, he will only drip-feed information to the players.

“Certainly on the match day you have got to know what’s happening,” he said.

“We (the management staff) will be taking care of business. The players will only need to know what they need to know while the match is going on.

“But certainly before the game they will know exactly what is expected of them.”