 Pugh became captain of the Shakers and was a near ever-present in his first two seasons at Gigg Lane, the latter ending in promotion from Division Three.He also managed double figures twice and played at Wembley Stadium in the play-off final in May 1995 against Chesterfield.Bury then defied expectations by winning the Division Two championship in 1996–97 under Stan Ternent, but Pugh's season was badly hit by injuries
.