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My picture of Gigg Lane and Bury kits over the years. To see enlarged versions, click on the images. |
Goals in the
final were scored by skipper George Ross, Charlie Sagar, Joe Leeming, along
with Wood and Plant as Bury emulated the record of the Preston North End
‘Invincibles’ side in not conceding throughout the run. The team
couldn’t emulate their form in the league and were eventually relegated in 1911-12
after an earlier narrow escape.
Bury regained their Division One place in
1923-24 after a season ending as the second tier runners-up, before dropping
back down in 1928-29. Worse was to
come in 1956-57 as Bury were relegated to Division Three North. Under manager
Dave Russell, a young team went back up to Division Two in 1960-61 as
champions. Colin Bell was introduced to the team from 1963 at the start of a
stellar career.
The 1962-63
season also saw a run to the semi-final of the League Cup before bowing out to
Birmingham City under manager Bob Stokoe. Bell was sold to Manchester City in
the summer of 1966, with Bury being relegated the following season. Bert Head
had a short spell as manager before Les Shannon led the team back to Division
Two in 1967-68.
The spell at that level lasted just twelve months; which led to
a procession of managers in a short time; with Jack Marshall, Les Hart and
Colin McDonald having short tenures. Tom
McAnearney took over but couldn’t help the team from relegation to the bottom
flight in 1970-71. Alan Brown followed in the hot seat before Bobby Smith was
appointed to the hot seat in December 1973, leading Bury to promotion in
1973-74.
A returning
Stoke and then Dave Hatton were the next managers to try to lift the mood at
Gigg Lane before the team went back down to Division Four under Dave Connor in
1979-80. Jim Iley steadied the ship before former England international Martin
Dobson led the team to promotion in 1984-85. Dobson was
sacked and replaced by Sam Ellis after the 1988-89 season.
His side reached the
playoffs in 1989-90, where they lost to Tranmere Rovers in the semi-finals. Ellis
remained in place until December 1990, when Mike Walsh was appointed. The Shakers
reached the 1990-91 playoff semi-finals before Bolton Wanderers ended any
dreams of promotion.
Bury were relegated in 1991-92 before falling at the
semi-final stage of the playoffs to York City to deny a chance of regaining a
third-tier place at the first attempt. The 1994-95
campaign saw more playoffs, but this time a win as Preston North End were
defeated before a defeat to Chesterfield at Wembley. Walsh departed with Stan
Ternent becoming the new manager.
The bottom
League level had been renamed Division Three. The Shakers won promotion in
1995-96 before becoming Division Two champions the following season to finally
climb back to the second level of the Football League. Stars of the
show were keeper Dean Kiely, defenders Paul Butler and Chris Lucketti, while
forwards Ronnie Jepson and Davis Johnson scored the goals.
Local ‘benefactor’,
Hugh Eaves, had assisted by providing funds to the club and updating Gigg
Lane. Ternent
departed to take the Burnley manager's job, with Neil Warnock taking over in
June 1988, with Bury going down to the third level in his only full season
before he moved on to Sheffield United.
Andy Preece took over, initially as
player-manager, as the club’s financial situation deteriorated. The newly
formed supporters-owned club, FC United of Manchester, became tenants as Bury
charged a very lucrative rent to ease the problem after Swinton RLFC had
previously groundshared at Gigg Lane.

In 2001-02, Bury went back down to Division Three, before missing out in the playoffs of 2002-03 to AFC Bournemouth in the semi-final. Preece was replaced by Graham Barrow in December 2003, who lasted until the arrival of Chris Casper in September 2005. Bury were
defeated in the 2008-09 playoff semi-final by Shrewsbury Town.
Casper lasted a
couple of years before a short spell from Chris Brass ended when Alan Knill
arrived at the club in February 2008. The club had
gone through more than one scare with relegation to the Conference, but after
they stabilised, the club pushed for promotion once again, and achieved their
goal at the end of the 2010-11 season after Richie Barker had taken over from
Knill.
The club
came briefly to national attention in June 2012, when it was rumoured Rangers
FC were looking at buying the Shakers so that they could join the English
league system, but this was quickly denied. Kevin
Blackwell was installed as manager in September 2012 with the task of moving
the playing side forward.
Unfortunately, it had the opposite effect as the team was relegated in April 2013 after a period when the club was hit with a transfer embargo because of their financial situation. Stewart Day
arrived as the new owner of the club, investing substantial sums. Blackwell was
dismissed following a poor start in the basement division.
Ronnie Jepson took
over the reins on an interim basis. With the team in a perilous position, he was
sacked in December 2013, with David Flitcroft taking over in charge of the team. Flitcroft
led the side to a mid-table finish. The 2014-15 season saw the Shakers finish
in third place and win promotion back to the third tier as Day sold off and
mortgaged part of the land and facilities belonging to the club with his
company heavily involved.
Flitcroft
was sacked in November 2016 to be replaced by Chris Brass, who only lasted until
February 2017 before the appointment of Lee Clark. The team avoided relegation,
but Clark was dismissed in the early stages of the 2017-18 campaign. Former
favourite Chris Lucketti came in but only lasted a few months at the helm.
Ryan
Lowe, another former player, was given the job as full-time player-manager after
a previous stint in a caretaker capacity. Day’s
company hit severe financial trouble, so he sold the club to ‘businessman’
Steve Dale in December 2018. HM Revenue and Customs were involved in a court
case against the club until an outstanding debt was paid.
Players went without their wages for several months. Financial
problems resurfaced in April 2019. Former manager Brass issued a winding-up
petition against the club as a creditor. Dale claimed that the financial problems
were far worse than he had understood when purchasing the club.
On the pitch, Lowe’s side went on to clinch promotion, a remarkable achievement under the
circumstances. A Company Voluntary Arrangement was set up in July 2019 which
meant that Bury would begin the 2019-20 season with a twelve point deficit. Lowe
departed with several players to join Plymouth Argyle.
Truro City manager Paul
Wilkinson was appointed as the new boss. The EFL required guarantees of
finances, which weren’t forthcoming, while admitting that they hadn’t
scrutinised Dale’s credentials at the time he bought the club. Opening
matches were postponed with the club being given deadlines or risk expulsion
from the competition.
Dale was reported to have agreed a sale to analytics company C&N Sporting Risk on 23rd August. An hour
before the deadline on Tuesday, 27th August, C&N pulled out of
the deal, saying it was unable to proceed having uncovered the full financial
state of the club, much of it emanating from deals still connected with former
owner Day.
Later the
same day, the EFL withdrew Bury’s membership. The Insolvency Practitioners
Association was to investigate the agreed CVA after discovering anomalies that
could have benefited a newly formed company involving Dale. The EFL was to consult with member clubs regarding Bury’s membership after an appeal from
Bury North MP James Frith.
Greater Manchester Police were to investigate a
fraud allegation with regards to the finances at the club. This prompted a group of supporters to set up a phoenix club, Bury AFC. They became members of the North West Counties Football League for the 2020-21 season, playing home games at Station Park, Radcliffe.
However,
that season was abandoned owing to the pandemic. In 2021-22, the team won the
Division One North title. The 2022-23 season ended in a fourth-place finish. Meanwhile,
another fan group managed to buy Gigg Lane from the administrator and also
announced that they had purchased the history, memorabilia and trading name of
Bury FC.
There was bad blood and bitter ill feelings between the
two groups, which required resolving. One had a stadium, the other a team. A
vote failed to pass, to merge the two bodies. A second in May 2023 was
passed, meaning that Bury AFC amalgamated with Bury FC taking their place in
the Premier Division of the NWCFL at Gigg Lane.
Issues surrounding fans' behaviour caused the club
problems in the 2023-24 campaign, while tensions continued behind the scenes
between some parties. The team lost in the final of the playoffs to Wythenshawe Town after earlier defeating Charnock Richard. They put things right in 2024-25, winning their league title and promotion to Division One West of the Northern Premier League.
Bury FC will play in the Northern Premier League Division One West in the 2025-26 season.
My visits
Bury 3 Cardiff City 0 (Tuesday 8 April 1986) Division Three (att: 1,720)
My first time at Gigg Lane was to keep my City supporting mate, Gary Griffiths, company and to get a new ground in. This relegation battle was played out in pouring rain. The result would eventually see The Shakers stay up at the expense of the Bluebirds. Gigg Lane oozed character as a ground.
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