Barker left Gigg Lane to take up the hotseat at Crawley on Tuesday, with Peter Shirtliff taking temporary charge of the Shakers and Futcher as his assistant.
Futcher told the club's official website: "The gaffer's departure was a pretty major shock to us. Nobody was expecting it and it came out of the blue, but good luck to him. He's done a fantastic job here and good luck to him at Crawley.
"Losing the manager like this is a sign that the club is doing well, it's a compliment to the club that other clubs want to come in and take our staff.
"We've been going in the right direction for the last couple of years and it's fantastic, but the players have been in this situation before. They are a durable bunch and they will do well for us.
"We just have to get on with it and there's no better game to play than somebody like Middlesbrough (in the first round of the Capital One Cup) coming here."
