David Flitcroft reveals admiration for Crewe Alexandra

Bury boss David Flitcroft has praised weekend opponents Crewe Alexandra for the way that they have developed players in the past.

The Railwaymen have built a strong reputation over the years thanks to their ability to turn young prospects into first-team stars.

Flitcroft singled out director of football Dario Gradi for particular acknowledgement, while revealing that Bury themselves have taken encouragement from Crewe's model.

"Dario is someone I have got an incredible admiration for, the way he has gone about his business and the way he has built the football club to produce talent," he told the club's official website.

"What he has built there is a fantastic football model for teams like ours to copy, but they are so far in front with the facilities, the coaching structure and the processes they have got in place.

"It is a club where if you have a choice between going to a Premier League side like Liverpool and Everton or Crewe, at times you are going to choose Crewe, because you know you'll be around the first team at a younger age. The Crewe model is a fantastic model and we have studied it to take away some of its unique points to implement here."

Flitcroft signed six youth-team players to professional contracts upon Bury's promotion to the third tier this summer.