Richie Barker hailed what he believed to be a greater achievement than last season's promotion after Bury's 4-2 win over Notts County.
Two goals from Mike Grella and brilliant individual strikes by David Worrall and substitute Mark Carrington secured the Shakers' League One status.
The victory gave the visitors the points to take back to the north west, despite finishing the game with 10 men after Andrai Jones saw red for a second booking.
A Giles Coke own goal and a Mike Edwards header had gave County hope but the defeat dealt a big blow to the Magpies' play-off ambitions.
"I thought it was one of our best performances of the season for a host of different reasons," said Barker. "As an all-round performance, including the substitutes and everybody involved, against a team in the top six, it was brilliant.
"It was a fantastic advert - six goals, a sending off - it could, maybe should have been 7-6. I thought we passed the ball extremely well but we also did the ugly stuff well.
"I think this achievement outshines the promotion last year. To be sitting in the top half of the table with the teams in this league this year, having been through what we've been through in terms of losing players and rebuilding, is a phenomenal achievement."
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