MARK Lawn insists Bury’s expulsion from the EFL must serve as a warning for fans to be careful what they wish for.

The 134-year-old club have become the first team to drop out of the league since Maidstone in 1992.

Bury had racked up debts under successive owners since property developer Stewart Day bought the club from Brian Fenton six years ago.

Former City chairman Lawn, a friend of Fenton, has not been surprised by their sudden demise.

He said: “When Brian sold it, there were no debts to the club at all but fans wanted more.

“Eventually, he’d had enough of the hostility and people having a go at his family and he got out. He was a good sensible owner but they didn’t appreciate what they had.

“They wanted some fly-by-nights to come in, mortgage up the ground, spend a load of money on players – and now look where it’s left them.

“You’ve got to ask the fans what they want? A viable football club or take a risk that might mean they go out of existence?”

Lawn and Julian Rhodes sold City in 2016 to Stefan Rupp and Edin Rahic – and admits a similar situation could have arisen at Valley Parade if the former chairman had been allowed to carry on unchecked.

“If it wasn’t for Stefan Rupp, we could have been in a similar boat to Bury,” added Lawn.

“Okay, it’s not quite the same because we’ve got the (Olly) McBurnie deal.

“But people need to realise that while Julian (Rhodes) and myself took risks, we knew there were other deals on the line. We knew we were due money and what was coming in from the League Cup and so on.

“There’s no way that you shouldn’t take risks in football but they have to be calculated. You don’t put the club’s position in turmoil.

“Bury got promoted last season on running up debts. You can understand why supporters of other teams were thinking, ‘if they can do it, why don’t we?’

“I’m a massive Bradford City fan and want us back in the Premier League. But I also want to make sure there is a football club for my grandkids, my great-grandkids and my grandkids’ grandkids.

“It has to be sustainable so they can watch it at a professional level. That’s something you’ve got to come to terms with as supporters.”

City skipper James Vaughan, who scored 24 goals in his one season with Bury, said on Twitter: “Absolutely gutted to see what has happened.

“I had some of my best times in football there and met some amazing people. Really feel for the fans and community.”