Lee Clark: Bury players vindicate manager's decision to move from Kilmarnock

Lee Clark has taken 15 of a possible 24 points as manager of Bury

Bury manager Lee Clark believes his players have vindicated his decision to join the club last month.

Clark left Scottish side Kilmarnock to join the Shakers, despite them being in 21st place and two points from safety.

Since then the former Birmingham and Blackpool manager has turned things around, losing just one of his eight games in charge to move them up to 17th, four points above the drop zone.

"We couldn't have asked any more from this group of players," Clark said.

The 44-year-old's decision to leave Kilmarnock when they were sixth in the Scottish Premier League and join relegation-threatened Bury came as a surprise to many, but the former Newcastle midfielder says he saw the team's potential.

He told BBC Radio Manchester: "I looked, when I was in talks with the club, at the quality in the squad and I felt that with just a little bit of help - a few tweaks here and there and some confidence back - that this was a group of players who could do good things and they've proved it.

"Confidence is a huge thing in any sport; these players had no reason to doubt themselves."

Back-to-back 0-0 draws with promotion-hopefuls Millwall and Fleetwood Town mean Bury have now kept four successive clean sheets, and while they are not yet safe from relegation, Clark is pleased with his side's progress.

"We've played teams in the top six and we've more than matched them," he added.

"Any successful team needs a solid base and we've felt that we're getting there slowly but surely."