Bury Relics Over 65’s went into their third set of fixtures of the Greater Manchester Division 1 Walking Football 2025 league campaign with a squad of of 8; Keith Gillespie (GK), Kevin, Pete Shev, Alan, Dave Luk, Keith Swain, John Morris and Graham. Ken was Manager and numerous supporters were in attendance on a beautiful day.
First up were Winstanley with Keith S and Alan starting on the bench. We dominated possession throughout with Keith G having no notable saves to make as Shev shackled their tall, dangerous centre forward. We had 5 good shots, 4 from Graham and 1 from Dave but all of them were just past the post and similarly their keeper had no notable saves to make. Kev, Dave, JoMo and Graham played good football to create the chances but we couldn’t make the breakthrough. A frustrating 0-0 draw.
Next up were Panthers with Shev and JoMo starting on the bench. We started well with Graham neatly laying off for Alan to hit a good shot into the side netting. Panthers replied quickly though and a great shot from them forced Keith into a good save which he caught cleanly. The game settled into a midfield stalemate with the difference being that Panthers rapidly got on the 3 fouls mark. The 4th foul was a long time coming after numerous close calls but eventually it did to give us a chance from the spot. Graham stepped up bravely after a recent miss in the 60s and placed it nicely to the left of the keeper (pictured above). A well taken 1-0 victory.
Our middle game was against Blackpool with Graham and Dave on the bench. After 2 solid performances we began to unravel on a roasting warm day as our players started doing very uncharacteristic things. First off, we left a Tangerine with total freedom in our half, he received the ball and struck a rasper towards the top left hand corner which Keith hurled himself at, John Martin-like, to turn one handed over the bar. Then a nice passing move between JoMo and Alan set Keith S up in a good position, normally he would look to pass it on but this time he hit a great shot which their keeper did well to keep out. The third incident was one of those double whammys when we again left their forward totally free in our half but as the ball was played up to him, all on his lonesome, he moved too quickly whilst taking his shot to notch up their 3rdfoul rather than first goal. It wasn’t long before they ran again and JoMo stepped up for the penalty. He chose to hit it hard and straight but the keeper stayed upright and batted it away. At this point we were on 1 foul and Ken stated straight after the save “we all know what is coming next, we will gift them a penalty and they’ll score it”. In double quick time he was proved right and the next time the EuroMillions tops £200m I am asking him for the numbers. As soon as Blackpool scored they went into full lead preservation mode and Kev self subbed himself to get Graham on to add to our firepower but to no avail as a late shot from Dave flashed past the post. A very frustrating 1-0 loss.
Our fourth game was against Wakefield with Kev and Alan on the bench. The Yorkshire outfit were always a top team but the addition of dynamic No. 9, Tony Breslin, to their ranks for this season has put them out of sight at the top of the league. They piled forward from the off with Shev putting in a great shift to limit Tony’s chances as they got the ball up to him time after time. Keith G was also working overtime in goal and this game really proved his worth as an addition to the Relics goalkeeping ranks with some outstanding stops to keep us in it. They then scored a brilliant goal when Tony threaded a beautiful pass just a toe’s width in front of the covering Keith S for the long striding Kim to smash first time across Keith G into the net. Sometimes you have just got to hold your hands up and say WOW. Right from the restart, JoMo pulled up and with his injury history Ken whipped him off faster than a Buck’s Fizz skirt to be replaced by Kevin. They kept pushing for the second goal but everyone defended manfully and eventually we got some respite with a couple of breaks forward, the second of which saw a good shot on target from Dave after a lovely pass from Graham. Wakefield could see us clawing our way back and hit back immediately with their second goal, a trademark goal from Tony at the edge of the D, quick feet, pivot, fierce shot with no backlift which flew in off Keith G’s outstretched hand. Some teams would have thrown the towel in at this point but not this resilient Relics outfit as we threw everything we had left at them and admirably won a DOGSO. Graham drilled the penalty home but the Blue card was of no help to us as the ref blew for time immediately on the restart! Is there a case for the extra 4 minutes to be added so that the punishment can be served in full? An exhausting 2-1 loss.
The final game was against Corinthians with no subs available with JoMo injured and Dave having to return to work. This was a game too far for us after 4 tough games in blistering heat and we looked weary, both physically and mentally, from the off. One mistake at the beginning cost us, Keith G threw it out, a piece of miscontrol was pounced upon and the ball hit straight back into our net. After that there was nothing in the game as two too tired teams went through the age old motions of the team 1-0 up holding onto the ball and wasting time whilst the team 1-0 down huffs and puffs trying not to give 4 fouls away as they chase the ball. A yawn inducing 1-0 loss.
An important day as we continue to learn lessons from the new formats and age groups introduced in 2025. Everything is changing but the one constant is the fantastic effort that the players are giving in difficult circumstances.
Bury Relics 