Bury Relics Over 60 Stripes went into their penultimate set of fixtures of their Greater Manchester Division 2 Walking Football league campaign in match week 7. A squad of 9 were selected of Keith (GK), Steve M, Ken Bo, Mike, Keith H, Steve H, Iain, Neville and Andy. Ken was Manager and Pat, Keiran, Keith the Kit Man and Dave M, were in attendance on a very clement November day. These matches were played on World Kindness Day and in that spirit I have reported the day’s events.
First up were 2nd placed Salcom with Ken Bo, Keith H and Mike starting on the bench. They had the first shot which was off target and they had the second shot which was a goal. A bad start. Frustratingly it came from our own possession just outside our box when we gave them the ball and a quick toebung nestled in the corner. Andy replied with 2 shots as the game continued at a very rapid pace. Nev was very quickly on 2 fouls and replaced by Ken Bo. This did nothing to halt the flow of recorded offences and we gave a 4 foul penalty away shortly after. Fortunately, a strongly hit shot cannoned back off the post to go out for a kick in near the halfway line! The running persisted and then it was our turn to get a 4 foul penalty which Andy brilliantly despatched. We were back in the game looking to consolidate but we couldn’t kick on and Salcom regained the lead when their outstanding centre forward scored with his trademark roll and right footed shot. This took the wind out of the sails of our comeback voyage and we limped into the port of Final Whistle. 2-1 loss.
Next up were 3rd placed Ribble Valley with Steve H, Andy and Keith H starting on the bench. We started with what looked like a hangover from the previous match. Ribble played good football from the off and eerily again scored early from their second shot which finished off an excellent 4 man move. Another bad start. It is always difficult when you go 1 down to a good footballing team as they can contain you when you have the ball and make space easily when they have it, to play in triangles to kill time and the game, ultimately. After we had been hemmed in for a long period with only Keith’s brilliance in goal and Steve M’s last ditch defending keeping the score within reach we showed great spirit to get some shots off but none were on target and the men in red eased to a 1-0 victory.
Third up were top of the table Bolton with Keith H, Ken Bo and Steve M starting on the bench. Disaster struck from the kick off when they took the centre, had a couple of passes and a long shot deflected off Steve H (which was especially cruel as he defended superbly throughout the day) to send it spinning past the wrong footed Keith G. 3 bad starts in a row. Literally the last thing we needed as they then kept the ball for the remaining 14 minutes 45 seconds with an excellent display of walking football whilst in front. We had no shots at all and they doubled their lead just before the end from a free kick. 2-0 loss.
Our fourth match versus Rochdale Strollers saw Andy, Iain and Nev on the bench. Having played the top 3 teams in the league there was hope of some respite in our last 2 fixtures against teams who were mid table like us. Before the game Ken and the players had a constructive team talk to put the first 3 matches behind them and try and get back on track. We started well with firstly a fierce Steve M strike being deflected for a corner and a clever Ken Bo shot being saved by their keeper. We were looking a lot better but then got sucker punched, hit on the break and beautifully finished put us behind again. Our resolve dissolved and they settled into a brilliantly executed game plan of allowing us to come onto them and then hitting us on the break. Another 2 excellently taken goals put us 3 nil behind but we kept going with our highlight being a piece of typical Mike B brilliance on the edge of the D but their keeper made, not 1 but 2, diving saves to keep Mike out. 3-0 loss.
Our final match versus Moston Brook saw Mike B, Steve H and Steve M on the bench. After the disappointment of the previous game we went into this one low in confidence and were on the back foot from the off. The Brook played neat short passing football which forced Keith G into 2 good stops before they eventually scored from a good move which created a man in space who placed it home. This sparked a response and Keith Hayes turned and hit a screamer which their keeper tipped past the junction of post and bar. From the resultant corner Neville played a fantastic ball across the face of goal which the long striding Ken Bo met perfectly to rattle the underside of the bar, it bounced down on the line then back up above the bar. We followed that up with a good pass from Iain to Andy who hit a strong shot which again made the keeper work. Confidence was rising but was immediately brought crashing back down when the opposition scored a carbon copy of the first goal. We chased the game, tried too hard and found it difficult to keep possession. We were being picked off and unsurprisingly they scored another replica to lose 3-0.
After the matches, Captain Mike commented “it was a struggle today against 5 teams who are now all above us in the league but the good thing is that we have the final set of fixtures to recover. A decent set of results next time round could see us climb to sixth so we have got something to aim for and finish on a high rather than a low.”
Bury Relics 