THE dust has barely settled on the runners-up medal he picked up last season, yet Bury’s Lenny John-Lewis is already plotting trips to Sheffield United, Charlton Athletic and Preston North End.

The 22-year-old, who made 39 appearances last season, mainly from the bench, readily admits he is eagerly anticipating the League One fixture list, which will be announced on June 17.

“We’ve got big teams coming to Bury next season, such as the two Sheffield clubs, Charlton and Preston – teams that I never thought I would be playing against,” said John-Lewis.

“They are clubs that I watched growing up. Charlton and Sheffield United were in the Premier League when I was a kid.

“I never thought I would be playing at places like The Valley, Bramall Lane and Deepdale. I can’t wait.”

John-Lewis, who is currently mulling over a new contract offer from the Shakers, has gone away on his summer holidays feeling on top of the world.

It is a remarkable turnaround for a player, who, 12 months ago, was unemployed after being released by Lincoln City.

“It’s been a pretty good first season for me at Gigg Lane,” he said. “It’s probably worked out to be the best season I could ask for.

“Nobody can complain about being involved in a promotion winning team, so, for me, it is so far so good.

“I did want to play more but there is no frustration on my part. I have got games in and I played a massive part in our success.

“After what happened to me at Lincoln, where I didn’t play much because of injuries and ending up leaving by mutual consent, it is a very positive time to be at a club that has faith in me.

“It is a shame that Lincoln got relegated, but I can’t do anything about that now. I just have to concentrate on becoming a good player in League One – a division that is of the same quality as the Championship was a few years ago.”

It has been a massive turnaround in fortunes for the player, who is still smiling from the flood of honours that followed Bury’s promotion.

“The runners-up medal will be framed, though my dad was trying to take it off me, and that is something I can treasure,” he said.

“It’s hard to sum the season up, I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. I came to Gigg Lane and I never excepted this but, even after pre-season I said to my family and friends that I think we have a really good chance here, but I never expected it to finish like it did.

“I’ve never done an open top bus parade before, but that was an old bus. We were celebrating and you could feel the bus moving and swaying, but it was good and to see so many fans turn out really impressed us.

“The fans have played a massive part, they have been there all season for us, especially away from home. They've helped us go all the way and we are thankful for that.”