BURY fear they are set to lose Ryan Lowe after giving him permission to speak to Plymouth Argyle about their vacant manager’s position.

This season Lowe became the first man to win promotion with the Shakers as a player and a manager when he led them to a runners-up spot in League Two.

However, that has alerted rival clubs, with Plymouth quick to make an approach after being relegated from League One on the final day.

Argyle sacked Derek Adams with a game to spare and chairman Simon Hallett has since said the club are seeking a ‘modern, forward-thinking’ manager.

Lowe was unable to prevent Bury being relegated to League Two in 2017/18 after being caretaker manager for the last four months of the season.

The Shakers still named the 40-year-old Liverpudlian their permanent boss last May, on a two-year contract, and he and his Bury squad went on to surpass expectations.

“I’m happy that I proved certain people wrong,” Lowe said.

“I’ll never judge a book by its cover and I think a lot of people tried to judge me.

“Young managers deserve a chance in the game, especially when they’ve just finished (playing), whether it’s me or someone else.

“Lee Johnson (now Bristol City) went right into management and has done a fantastic job, Mike Flynn at Newport is certainly another one. Why think ‘he’s got no experience’?

“Experience, for me, is learning on the job. People might talk about experience in certain circumstances. Well, if certain circumstances come along then you just ride through it.

“I didn’t come here to make the numbers up, to sit here shouting and bawling. I came here to bring the good times back to Bury and we did that.

“I’d like to think that the bitter and twisted people, who were very negative early on, would come and speak to me and buy me a glass of champagne because I’d do it if I was wrong about someone.”

Lowe was the bookies’ favourite for the Plymouth job on Wednesday, ahead of Mike Flynn, Bristol Rovers’ Graham Coughlan and the vastly-experienced Ian Holloway.

Flynn’s Newport have reached the League Two play-off final after beating Mansfield, who two days later sacked David Flitcroft, the man who led Bury to League Two promotion in 2014/15.

n Despite their off-field problems, Bury have confirmed their first pre-season friendly, with Championship side Blackburn set to visit Gigg Lane on Wednesday, July 24.