Ellis set for shock return - Bury Times - Friday, 03 November 1995:
FORMER boss Sam Ellis has made a dramatic return to Gigg Lane as assistant to Stan Ternent. A deal was concluded yesterday lunchtime after weeks of discussions. Ellis spent nineteen months in charge at Gigg Lane before being lured to Maine Road to become Peter Reid's number two. When he closed the door behind him at Gigg Lane in December 1990 Ellis left behind an impressive record and a top notch squad. Three of his buys - Mark Patterson, John McGinlay and Aidan Davison - have all ended up in the Premier League with Bolton, while Andy Hill developed into a top defender after a move to Man City. Ellis brought Gary Kelly to the club and also the recently departed Ronnie Mauge and Roger Stanislaus. In his first season in charge, Ellis steered the club into fifth place in what is now the Second Division. It was their best finish for nearly three decades. Under his stewardship, the Shakers' lost only 18 of 63 games and never fell below ninth in the table. Over the same period gates rose by more than thirty-three per cent. With Reid, Ellis later helped guide City into fifth, fifth and ninth place in the First Division before the pair were sacked in favour of Brian Horton. Ellis' latest managerial posting took him to Lincoln City where he took the team into 12th place in the 1994-95 season, six places above their previous season's efforts. However, it all turned sour this season when, despite winning their opening game at Preston, the Imps struggled and Ellis was replaced by Steve Wicks . He, in turn, lasted little more than a month before John Beck took over the reins.
Shakers' chief Terry Robinson confirmed that Burnley's Adrian Heath had turned down the chance to become Tement's player-assistant.