11th April 2024
Bury Relics Over 60 Stripes went into their second set of fixtures of the Greater Manchester Division 4 Walking Football Spring league campaign handily placed after a good first round in a very closely contested Division. The members of the squad were Eddy (GK), Mark T, Steve, Ken, Mike, Iain D, Nev and Andy. Ken was Manager, Keiran as Assistant Manager plus Kodak Keith & several supporters in attendance on a dry day. A strong defensive day resulted in a 1-0 win followed by 4 nil-nils which are the 2 most usual results in a 6 team league with 12 minute matches.
First up were Salcom with Ken & Nev starting on the bench. A very tight game with few shots but a great deal of running from both sides as they both wanted to get off to a fast start. Our best chance came after a great move between Andy and Iain set up Steve striding up from the back with a shooting chance from 10 yards which rattled the post after a fierce strike. Eventually, Salcom hit the 4 foul mark before us which gave us a penalty. Andy coolly put it away with aplomb to put us in the driving seat. We saw out the game sitting on 3 fouls which was a nerve racking watch for those on the sidelines but a 1-0 win was happily taken by all.
Next up were Wakefield with Andy and Steve as subs. We had the majority of the possession with Nev taking up Andy’s usual forward position and he was involved in our best 2 moves. Firstly, linking up well with Iain to put Mike in a good position but the keeper saved well and then slipping the ball into Ken’s path who agonisingly drove it across the face of the goal just sliding past the post. We did have the odd defensive lapses leaving their player free on the left but he kept shooting wide. We slightly shaded it but 0-0 was a fairish result.
Third up were Roach with Mike and Mark starting on the bench. We started like a house on fire, dominating possession and stroking the ball around. Nev had a good shot which was followed by Ken hitting the post after walking onto a great pass from Iain. Andy was taking up good position, controlling balls into feet and helping us get up the pitch but after 2 highly controversial 50/50 decisions going against him he had to be replaced by Mike. This adversely affected us and we never got back into the same flow plus we were scared of drawing more fouls. A 0-0 draw felt like 2 points dropped.
The penultimate game was against Ribble Valley with Ken and Nev as subs. As often happens our opponents dominated possession but Steve and Mark defended manfully and it turned into a poor, scrappy game. We only had one chance of note when Andy had a shot on the turn. Eddy dealt with all their shots comfortably and another 0-0 ensued.
Our final match saw us take on Bolton with Ken and Mark starting on the bench. Another tight game with Iain firing in 3 good shots and Mike having a good shot well saved after a typical mazy run. Bolton finished strongly with Eddy making a strong save with his foot and then they hit the inside of the post from a well worked corner move. A goalless draw again.
Overall, it was 7 well earned points which took the Stripes to equal top of the table with Ribble on 16 points but 3 goals worse off, at the halfway point of the season.
Bury Relics 