Anthony Johnson excites fans as he gives his first sit-down interview as the new first team manager of Bury FC.
The Shakers currently sit 2nd in the Northern Premier League โ West Division (8th tier), with 56 points from 29 games, are two points behind leaders Lower Breck, and a game in hand over them.
His long-serving joint-boss Bernard Morley will continue as Radcliffe manager, the club currently 5th in the National League North (6th tier) with 49 points from 31 games played.
Bury Football Club is delighted to announce the appointment of Anthony Johnson as our new First Team Manager, with immediate effect.#BuryFC | #bfc140 pic.twitter.com/zdFhca1YYy
โ Bury Football Club (@buryfcofficial) February 11, 2026
CLUB STATEMENT:
Bury Football Club is delighted to announce the appointment of Anthony Johnson as our new First Team Manager, with immediate effect.
This is a statement of intent from the Club as we continue to build with purpose, ambition, and pride in the badge. Anthony arrives with a reputation forged through hard work, tactical intelligence, and an uncompromising desire to win, qualities that resonate deeply with the values of Bury FC and its supporters.
Known for creating organised, energetic, and fearless teams, Anthony brings with him a proven ability to get the best out of his players while fostering a strong dressing room culture. His sides have consistently been built on togetherness, discipline, and a clear identity on the pitch, exactly the foundations we want to see moving forward.
We would like to place on record our sincere thanks to Tim Lees for stepping into the role of First Team Manager on an interim basis. Tim, along with Sam Ashton and the rest of the Management Team have steered the team to unbeaten run of 9 games, winning 6, with 3 draws, seeing us into 2nd place in the NPL West.
Since Tim took on the role in December, he has always been clear with his intentions to return to the role of Assistant Manager. When the opportunity to bring Anthony to the club arose, this was something that was discussed with Tim, and as a collective, we feel is the best for both the club, and Tim.
We are delighted that Tim will continue in his role as First Team Assistant Manager, ensuring continuity for the squad and the fanbase.
๐ฃ๏ธ โ๐ช๐ถ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฎ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฎ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐๐ผ-๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ-๐ฎ-๐ต๐ฎ๐น๐ณ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐โ๐๐ฒ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ณ๐ผ๐ผ๐๐ฏ๐ฎ๐น๐น, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐โ๐น๐น ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ๐.โ
Our final interview with Jonno โคต๏ธ
๐ฅ https://t.co/dtyavLeWzP#WeAreRadcliffe #UTB pic.twitter.com/IWoJBWGji8
โ Radcliffe FC (@radcliffeboro) February 11, 2026
โJonnoโ began his managerial career at Ramsbottom United. His successful stint with The Rams, with promotion to the NPL West in 2014, led to a well-documented move to Salford City in 2015 following the Class of โ92 takeover.
A period of success followed for Salford, with promotion to the Northern Premier League Premier Division before a run to the Second Round of the FA Cup. Johnson led Salford to the National League North at the first attempt, defeating Workington in the Play Off Final.
After reaching the Play Offs in the National League North in their first season at the level, Saford won the National League North in 2018 and were promoted to the National League for the first time in their history.
Johnson left Salford City in May 2018 to become the manager at Chester FC. Chester were 3rd in the National League North in 2021 when the season was declared null and void due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Anthony became the manager of Spennymoor Town in December 2021 before taking the reins at Radcliffe in May 2023. The 2023-24 season saw Radcliffe promoted to the National League North for the first time in 20 years and leaves with Boro currently in the Play Off spots.
Johnson joins the Club fully committed to the challenge ahead and eager to get started immediately. He will work closely with the players and staff to instil an identity that supporters can be proud of, one built on effort, togetherness, and attacking intent.
The appointment of Anthony Johnson represents a bold step forward and a clear signal of where Bury Football Club intends to go. With Anthony Johnson leading the First Team, there is renewed optimism and confidence as we look to the future.
Please join us in giving Anthony a warm Bury welcome.
The journey continues โ with one of our own ๐โฝ
Interviewer: โBernard, welcome, congratulations on your appointment. Just tell me a bit about how this opportunity came about.โ
Anthony: โThank you. Itโs a real honour to take the job. It came about, as youโre probably all aware, there was an approach made before Christmas for myself and Bernard to Radcliffe which in Radcliffeโs prerogative they turned down the approach. Itโs something that weighed heavy on me for the last few weeks.
โObviously I saw the announcement that there had been an interim with Tim until the end of the season. I got a phone call Sunday night, explaining the situation and circumstances had changed in terms of the interim manager basically asked me again if weโd be interested in taking the job or having a conversation around what the job looked like.
โThe answer was always going to be yes from me but obviously being a joint manager with Bernard I had to speak to Bernard about what that looked like.
โA lot of long conversations were had between the pair of us in terms of me feeling it was the right time to take the role and Bernard not feeling like the timing was quite right for him and his reasons are his reasons.
โObviously unfinished business at Radcliffe and varying things but heโll speak about that himself.
โFrom my point of view I felt it was the right time. There was an itch there and even Mike as the owner at Radcliffe understood it, there was an itch that I needed to scratch.
โThereโs no secret that Iโm a Bury fan, a proud Bury man, born and bred in the town, went to school in the town. It was something that I suppose in 2009 when we started managing it was what I wanted to get to.
โIโll be honest I never envisaged managing Bury in the NPL 1, it was in my mind itโd be League 1, League 2, the Championship back when we started but thatโs football events unravelled over the last few years and we are where we are with that.
โFrom my point of view it just felt like an opportunity and got to the point where I had to take it. As I say unfortunately my best mate decided it wasnโt right for him but after discussion over a couple of days we decided that Iโd go it alone and take the role and itโs a role that Iโm so excited to take.
โThereโs a bit of trepidation obviously with it being the first role that Iโve done on my own but with it being Bury it was a no brainer for me.โ
Interviewer: โYour managerial journey since 2009 has taken you to places, starting out at Rammy, Salford, Chester, Spennymoor and then obviously on to Radcliffe. What key lessons would you say youโve learnt from each of those clubs to make you the manager you are today?โ
Anthony: โWell theyโre all different types of football clubs and theyโre all different types of models. We started at a village club at Ramsbottom United under Harry Williams, a tyrant, a great man, an unbelievable bloke that gave us an opportunity as 24 and 25 year old managers, no one else would have given us that opportunity.
โSo almost our apprenticeship was done at Rammy over the first five or six years there, winning a couple of promotions and learning on the job, we were just two young lads that were thrown at the deep end. After that was a totally different move going to Salford, working for the Class of 92 and in particular Gary Neville which opened my eyes in terms of what football looked like outside of a Saturday afternoon but again an incredible journey and time, we were thrust into the limelight without any sort of training and I suppose thatโs where our reputations came from, was through Salford off the back of that we went to Chester, again a totally different type of football club but a fan owned football club that was there for three and a half years and I suppose a lot of similarities with the very role and as a club.
โI loved it there at Chester but the pressure at that club with it being fan owned was much bigger than anything else weโd felt in the past at Salford, different type of pressure with the owners and things like that but a great time at Chester.
โWe then decided to take a visit to the North East, we felt like we wanted to get out of that comfort zone, try something totally different, sign new players because as managers it can be quite recycled at times with transfers and players that come and go so we decided to take the role up at Spennymoor which again was brilliant, we only did less than a year there, but the travel took its toll, but it was an experience that we loved and then obviously after a bit of time out reflecting on what weโd done we took the Radcliffe gig, pardon the pun, we took the Radcliffe job and itโs been an unbelievable two and a half, well nearly three years to be honest with you, managing your local club and taking it to the highest level itโs ever been as we did with Salford and as we did with Rammy.
โIt was an amazing couple of years, the people there, the owner Marcus, Billy the chairman, the previous chairman Paul, you know yourself, great people and a brilliant time but it always felt like everything I was doing for both of us was leading towards this and Iโm not trying to overstate or over exaggerate it, Iโve always spoke about it that when I get to Bury, when I take the Bury job at some point that will be the pinnacle of everything that I do, for me this is where hopefully the journey ends in the next 10-15 years and not just over the next couple of years when hopefully we take Bury back to where it belongs, that journey will be the real pinnacle and full stop of what Iโve done over my career.โ
Interviewer: โYou come into the club at a key point of the season, thereโs no bones about what the aims are for this football club this season, how are you going to take on that challenge from day one?โ
Anthony: โI think thereโs great responsibility with this role, thatโs the one thing thatโs not lost on me, the pressure side of things, thereโs no point pretending weโre underdogs like we were at Radcliffe, the pressure to get a result every single week and itโs been done to death with Bury being everyoneโs cup final, everyone knows that but we cannot use that as an excuse when we donโt get the result that we want, we have to embrace that pressure, so that responsibility is on my shoulders, that pressure is on my shoulders that over the next couple of years thereโs no excuses with this football club for not performing and being in positions in the league where the supporters expect us to be.
โI think what Timโs done over the last, and his staff have done over the last couple of months, over the last 10 games unbeaten is nothing short of incredible, from Dave standing down to them getting that sort of run of form, that consistency has been amazing, as I said the circumstances surrounding why thatโs had to change with me coming in is a personal reason for Tim but from my point of view short term nothing will change, it canโt change because what weโre doing on the pitch at this moment in time is near perfect, whatโs going on around us, Lower Breck, Avro, Vauxhall, Bootle, Runcorn, all the sides that are having a great season themselves, Stalybridge, itโs none of my business, Iโm not interested in what they do, I donโt really listen to outside noise, itโs about what weโre doing, if we continue to do what Timโs done over the last 10 games, over the last couple of months, what weโve done all season and what Daveโs done over the last couple of years weโll be fine, but the expectation and the ambitions is no secret, we want to win promotion this season so the pressureโs on us, the pressureโs on me but thatโs why Iโve taken the job, itโs the absolute dream to be coming into a football club like this with that pressure because it means that the ambitions of the club are very high.โ
Interviewer: โJust finally, whatโs your message for the fans?โ
Anthony: โWell Iโm one of you guys, Iโve followed this football club from Bishop Auckland down to Brighton, Iโve been everywhere with my dad from the 80s all the way through, obviously my own career started in the 2000s as a player and as a manager, but Iโve been on the terrace, Iโve had some of the best days of my life following Bury, so I came to the Avro game the other week, and we drew 1-1 and I think that was the turning point, as well as Gareth Castickโs persistence, Iโm honest with you, I think the turning point was that day against Avro, the noise, just the environment was amazing, it just takes me back, listen Iโm far too nostalgic for my own good, I am, I ask heart back to the 90s, to the kids all the time about music and holidays and watching Bury and I think thatโs where Iโm at but this is not just a trip down memory lane for me, this is me wanting to put my stamp down in our town, our football club and taking it back to where it belongs and if I play a small part in that journey along the way, Iโll be a very proud man and I can look back on my career knowing that everything that I wanted to achieve, hopefully Iโve achieved.โ
As mentioned, Anthony Johnson excites fans as he gives his first interview as Bury FC managerโฆ
@lukejoelfish9: That is absolutely huge wow, what an appointment that is #buryfc
@civicblonde: This could be the start of something magical. Even better the fact heโs a local lad ๐
@feisar73: Wow, listening to him speak, Iโm so excited for the future. Itโs a perfect match
@JakeWaddo_: Unbelievable scenes. Brilliant news as well that Tim Lees will stay on as Assistant #buryfc
@Timmymorgan19: Get that promotion champagne on ice lads!!! UP THE FUCKING SHAGGERS
@CalumJo65399722: Fuckin class !! ๐๐
@liamalexanderj: Wowโฆ the best announcement since we found out the club were coming back. Where has that come from. @amjonno youโre finally home mate โ up the shakers. #buryfc
@Black1eboy: Massive statement, massive appointment! Huge welcome @amjonno. Now letโs go and win this league! ๐๐ค
@rokerroarontour: In a world increasingly dominated by money & a sanitised industry the appt of @amjonno at @buryfcofficial is different. Hes dropping 2 divs to manage his team. The club hes loved all his life. As kids on the playground after playing, managing was what we all dreamed of. Didnt we?
@gigglane22: @amjonno this is an absolute brilliant appointment not just a great manager but heโs also one of our own upwards and onwards also just a massive thankyou to @TimLees10 for the job heโs done ๐๐๐
@Sanny_Rudra: Such a rare thing to have a manager whoโs also a proper fan. Sheffield United have it with Wilder and only listening to Anthony Johnson does it really resonate. When the boss knows what itโs actually like on the terraces, no need for word salad and performative fist pumps.