DARREN Bullock signed on the dotted line at Gigg Lane this week then vowed - 'I'll help lead Bury to safety!'

The 30-year-old midfield powerhouse took part in his first training session with his new teammates yesterday and was quickly focused on his debut at home to Norwich on Saturday.

"I'm delighted to be here and I can promise the Bury fans I will do everything I can to keep this team up," said the former Swindon star.

"I am a born leader and I want to lead the Bury team. We need 11 skippers on the pitch in a situation like this. If we all pull together, and with Neil Warnock's help, I can see us pushing up the table."

It will be like old times for 'Bully' - in more ways than one. As well as previously playing for Warnock at Huddersfield, he is about to renew an old partnership with striker Andy Preece. The two played together almost 10 years ago with non league Worcester City, a time which Bullock remembers fondly.

"I was in midfield with Andy up front. We worked well together and I am glad to get the chance to play with him again," he said.

Bullock, a £200,000 signing, comes to Gigg Lane as a straight replacement for Lennie Johnrose, following his shock defection to Burnley. Whilst supporters will be gutted to see the popular midfield general up sticks, Warnock believes the two deals could keep Chris Lucketti at the club.

The Shakers have received a full cash payment of £225,000 for Johnrose, but will pay for Bullock over two years. That has allowed Warnock to balance the books and, in turn, has relieved the pressure to cash in on the star skipper, who failed to agree personal terms with Huddersfield last Thursday.

"We have had the bank on our backs recently, but this takes the heat off. Our short term financial problems are solved. We are certainly in no hurry to sell Chris and I have asked him to stick around and help us through this battle - and he is determined to do that," said Warnock.

"If we receive offers over a certain price for Chris then we are obliged to tell him. He can talk to the clubs and then it is up to him. Birmingham made a bid last week but it was under £1m. It would take a bid of more than £1m before we would even consider it now." Warnock was keen to explain to Bury supporters exactly why Johnrose had been allowed to leave.

He said: "Burnley say we made Lennie available, but I will let the fans read into it what they will."

He revealed: "Lennie came to see me four weeks ago and said he wanted to go to Burnley and that he had been offered a deal which he couldn't turn down and we couldn't match. He didn't say he wanted to go on the transfer list - he named Burnley.

"I told him I could not let him go until I found a replacement, but he came back again last week insisting he still wanted to leave. From the moment Lennie first expressed his desire to go I noticed a difference in his performances. I need 11 committed players, not people with their minds elsewhere.

"The chairman got a cracking deal with Swindon for Darren, which helped with the Lucketti situation, so we let Johnrose go."

Of his new signing, the Bury boss added: "Darren has the kind of bulldog spirit we need at Bury and he had no hesitation about joining us."

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