BURY are at a crossroads. The FA Cup and the transfer window are behind them, now they face a three-month season that can go one of three ways - up, down or consolidation.

They are pretty much midway between the League One relegation and play-off places.

It seems to me the cup run, along with the distractions of which players might be coming or going, has maybe affected the focus of everyone at the club.

It must be hard for the manager to juggle those two strands of the job - paying the attention to detail needed on the training pitch to gain results and keep the players in check, while also working behind the scenes to rebalance the squad.

Well now that is all behind them.

Bury have got 19 league games left to play and nothing else to worry about.

Approach it the right way and they could soar back into contention for the play-offs, but if they let the cup defeat and the goings-on of the past few weeks affect them they can quickly get sucked into a dogfight.

Possibly what they should be hoping for, and what the goal was at the start of the season, is consolidation.

They still need to establish themselves as a good League One club, manage that by the end of the campaign and it will be a job well done.

What is important, however, is to give the fans a reason to turn out week in, week out to watch them in the league.

The flair players have to go out there, entertain and score goals, the defenders need to show their bravery and stamp their authority on matches - give the fans a team to be proud of and excited about.

Individually, each and every one of them should have something to play for, over and above the result. Some may still need to prove they belong at this level, others that they are capable of performing on an even bigger stage.

But first and foremost they need to show pride in the shirt.

It may be, if results go a certain way, the manager can blood some of his youngsters as the season progresses, while loan signings like John O'Sullivan have three months to prove themselves as a footballer, to their parent clubs or with the view to a permanent deal at Bury.

O'Sullivan showed in his time at Accrington that he has the talent to get supporters off their seats.

He can be a real entertainer, and this could be his stage to shine.

l Don’t miss Jamie Hoyland’s Marvellous People show on Radio Lancashire between 1-2pm on Saturday.