THE group behind a Bury phoenix club are confident they will be ready to strike when the time comes to act.

Those behind the start-up are working away to ensure the new-look Shakers can hit deadlines to be considered for a place in the non-league structure next season.

The North West Counties League, the ninth tier, have a deadline of the end of this year, with proposals then moving to the Football Association at the start of 2020.

Plans are moving on as the future of Bury FC continues to hang by a thread, an adjourned winding-up petition brought by HMRC not due to return to the High Court in London until December 4.

After expulsion from the Football League after 125 years of membership fans are volunteering in their hundreds, around 300 now signed up, to support the phoenix movement with organisers confident they will be ready to press go on their project if and when the time comes.

“We’re carrying on as planned at the moment,” said Chris Murray, one of the leadership group.

“We can only control what we can control.

“If the club does get bought we have to look at whether it’s a credible bidder. Then we put it to be members and see if they want us to stop what we’re doing.

“Most fans want Bury FC to be playing at Gigg Lane – I do. But we are planning for the club being liquidated and the town of Bury needing a football club next season.”

More than 1,000 people filled in an online survey to air their views on what a new Shakers club should look like with a launch event in the works to present plans to supporters.

Having met with the FA a fortnight ago about where the club would land in non-league, there is another meeting scheduled this week.

“The meeting with the FA was good. They advised us what we needed to have in place before the deadline,” said Murray.

“They were impressed with where we were up to.

“With other things that we’ve been doing it’s been a productive couple of weeks.

“We’ve got a meeting with them again this week as things keep moving forwards.”