Bolton-born Andy Kellett is pleased to see Wanderers heading in the right direction again – and hopes Bury can follow in their footsteps.

Both clubs hit rock bottom in 2019 but while the Whites were saved by Football Ventures, things turned out very differently for the Shakers.

Bury were expelled from the EFL later that year despite winning promotion to League One, and the years that followed were difficult for supporters.

But things are finally looking up after the Shakers agreed to merge with phoenix club Bury AFC and football returned to Gigg Lane.

Kellett was part of the squad that lined up against Bradford City on Saturday, July 8 – a game that meant so much more than usual pre-season friendlies.

“I don’t think there is a better club to come into at the moment,” he told The Bolton News. “Everything is new, fresh and exciting.

“Obviously, there is a buzz around the fans as well. All eyes are on July 29 now when the league games begin.

“With what has happened with the club in recent years, to get back to Gigg Lane is great for everybody involved.”

The 29-year-old made the move to Gigg Lane following a three-year spell at Guiseley, which was impacted by injuries.

Kellett hopes he can get a consistent run of games under his belt and play his part as Andy Welsh’s side aim to push for promotion from the NWCPL Premier Division.

“On a personal level, it is just about playing as many games as I can this year,” the former Bolton man continued.

“The last couple of years have been quite difficult in terms of getting on the pitch and staying fit.

“But I am hoping, with a good pre-season behind me, that I can play as many games as possible this year and help the team get promoted, which is what everyone wants this year.”

Kellett came through the ranks at Wanderers and went on to make four first-team appearances for the club.

“I started at Bolton when I was seven and stayed in the Academy until I was 21,” he recalled. “I am from Bolton as well so they are always going to have a place in my heart.

“Being there day in, day out, it is something you can work on all the time.

“It is a little bit more difficult now (at Bury) with it only being part time and a couple of days a week, but I did learn a lot from a lot of different coaches there.

“It was just a really good experience coming through the Academy there, setting me up for my professional career to start.”

Many supporters will remember Kellett joining Manchester United on loan in 2015 – a move that seemed to come completely out of the blue.

“It was brilliant, completely different to the first half of that season when I was at Plymouth and we were training on a park,” he smiled.

“I went back to Bolton to sign for Plymouth until the end of the season but they told me I could go to Manchester United.

“It was completely different, but that was something I will probably never experience again in terms of how things were ran at the club.

“Obviously, it’s a massive club and everything is ran as professionally as it can be. That year, we won the Under-21s Premier League as well which was nice to top it all off.”

Although it was brief, the versatile midfielder learnt lots from his experience at Old Trafford.

“When we were in the Under-23s, a lot of us lads trained with the first team every single day,” he said. “The likes of Robin van Persie, Angel di Maria and people like that.

“We saw them and ate with them every day, which might sound a bit unusual but it just felt like any other football club.

“Everyone was so down to earth and with these players who play at the top level, it was nice to train with them to see what the difference is and what they are doing on the pitch to reach that elite level.”

Kellett headed to Wigan on a permanent deal later that year, and he admits leaving Wanderers was not an easy choice.

“It was a tough decision,” he added. “Things had gone on at the club and it didn’t end so well for me for reasons away from football.

“Going to Wigan, that was also a great part of my career. I had a couple of injuries there but I learnt a different part of the game. That was the first time I was playing first-team football week in, week out.”