Bury Relics Over 60 Stripes went into their third set of fixtures of their 2026 Greater Manchester Division 2 Walking Football league campaign with a squad of 9 available; Keith (GK), Steve M, Ken Bo, Mark T, Steve H, Neville, Iain, Mark E and Andy. Ken Bug was Manager.
Controversy before the start of the session as a Bury Whites player was allegedly seen doing a Southampton style ‘spygate’ by filming the Stripes training session – to add to this Danny joined the Stripes for his warm up!
First game v Manchester Corinthians Final Score 0 – 0
Manager Ken Bug’s concerns that in recent sessions he had lost players to injuries early doors came to the fore when KenBo clashed with an opponent and appeared to have a face injury, luckily Ken brushed it off and continued. Corinthians are a strong side who slightly edged the game, however the Stripes worked hard and restricted the opposition to a few chances. A good move breaking out from the back released KenBo at the edge of the box whose shot was well saved by the keeper. Overall, a well deserved point.
Second game v Bury Relics Whites. Final Score 1 – 0 defeat
The adrenaline was flowing for the start of the ‘derby’ round 2. Most of the play was dominated by the Whites from midfield, however chances were kept to a minimum due to some staunch defending. There was another injury scare when MarkT and IanMcK accidently clashed, Mark stayed down for a while and was subbed but he quickly recovered. The only goal of the game came from a shot following a free kick (Maybe the Blue’s ‘spying’ uncovered a weakness in the Stripes defence, will they appeal to the League?😂) The Whites were more up for it and deserved their narrow win
Third game v Panthers. Final Score 0 – 0
Two well matched sides. The Stripes quickly got over their disappointment from the previous encounter and raised their game, teamwork was good, passing was accurate and few fouls were given away. Chances for both sides were limited, a good ball from defence released Andy whose snap shot was lifted just above the bar. Keith was as reliable as ever in goal when needed. A late break from the Stripes released Andy free on the left however his shot from the outside of his boot drifted wide. Another well earned point
Fourth game v Rochdale Strollers. Final Score 1 – 0 defeat
A game that was sadly dominated by the referee, very early in the game Steve H was ‘blue carded’ to the surprise of everyone, even the opposition couldn’t understand the ref’s decision. Justice was done as the resulting penalty was missed. The Stripes down to 5 men for 4 minutes managed the time well. More controversy followed when the ref stopped the game to seek out the Stripes Management and accused the Stripes players of not understanding the rules. Up against it the Stripes fought on but were defeated by a well taken goal following a free kick.
Final game v Moston Brook. Final Score 0 – 0
A game of 2 halves against the league leaders. In the first period of the match the Brook’s excellent football created 3 great chances. The first was brilliantly saved by Keith who whilst going to his left stuck out his right hand to stop a shot which had sent him the wrong way. The second was again brilliantly saved by Keith who this time pushed it onto the inside of the post, it went across the goal line to hit the other post before coming back to the scrambling goalie. The third rattled the bar and it looked like it would only be a matter of time before conceding. However, sometimes momentum can turn on small incidents like a strong tackle to get a team going and here it was Nev tracking back the length of the field to get a block in to stop a shot when they had a 2 v 1against our last man. This got the crowd going which had been supplemented by most of the Whites who had played their final game. The support geed up the players who showed great spirit to fight back and not only gain a foothold but dominate the second period of the match. Andy led the line superbly, holding it up and laying it off for Steve M to have two cracking shots which just flew just over the bar and past the post. Mark E also had a couple of his trademark mazy runs, one of which he just ran out of space before the D and the other in which he controversially was knocked from behind. A very deserved draw.
Although 3 points seems a low return it was on a day where the Stripes played the top 4 teams in current league position, they are still only 3 points off promotion. In the next round of fixtures they play the bottom 3 teams who are all well adrift and they could rise up the league if they get their shooting boots on.
Bury Relics 