Date: September 2nd 2026.
The over 70s, previous triple champions on the trot and now on a quad, began a fresh new autumn season, welcoming two promoted teams of Blackpool and Ribble Valley to the party. Combined with Moston and Tameside, they made up the five teams of division 1.
The squad for the day was: Eddy (GK), Jomo Morris (C), Graham W, Gerry L, Alan B, Ray H, Ken Buggie and Peter S. Manager Pat F, Kitman Keith S, Chairman Keiren T.
Fans present included: Keith H, Neville, Ken Bond, Peter T, Dr. John and Steve H.
Report Dr. John.
Bury Relics vs. Blackpool
The first game was against Blackpool, who put orange bibs on to circumvent their white shirt colour clash with the pristine white of Bury Relics. The Bury Relics starting lineup was Eddie in goal, Pete and Ray at the back, a midfield engine of Jomo and Gerry, with Ken upfront.
With the game underway, Gerry performed a canny bit of skill in the middle to bamboozle two Blackpool midfielders and got an accurate pass up to Jomo. He hit a powerful shot but it went wide and out for a kick‑in. Jomo was in the action again but this time was judged to have tackled from behind, giving Blackpool a freekick.
Beautiful midfield play by Gerry again — he got around his marker and made a nice pass out to the lefthand side to Jomo. Ken had found space in the middle but as the pass came to him, a defender just got a toe‑end to deflect it. Good play by the Relics this.
Back and forth a bit now as Pete and Ray did well between them to repel a Blackpool attack, with Ken Buggie also making a good interception; however, Jomo was unable to collect the pass.
Then it was a first shot off target by Blackpool; the ball came to their #11, he turned and shot and it just whistled past the top‑left corner of the posts. Eddy was poised, ready to pounce, just like a Bengali Tiger.
A contact foul by Blackpool made it now two fouls to each team. Blackpool made another chance from work down the righthand side, where the attacker got to the cross, turned and shot wide.
Relics nearly made a good opening for Jomo, but the pass was just out of reach.
Blackpool built slowly down the lefthand side, with a player walking forward with the ball — looked to be no danger but he then twisted and let rip with a sling‑shot of a shot that went wide. Again, Eddy was crouching like a Tiger, ready for a spectacular save.
A great move now by the Relics, with Jomo finding space up‑front. Gerry had the ball in midfield, found Jomo, who then crossed for Ken (looking like a move PSG would have been proud of). However, the Blackpool defence panicked and as a result conceded their third foul.
From the resulting free‑kick move, Jomo was free on the righthand side and got a good shot away, but it was met with some quality keeping and a save.
Good defending by Pete, who mopped up after a mistake and passed it to Eddy, who gave it to Gerry. He nicely passed it to Jomo, who attacked the space in front of him and gave it back to Gerry, who took on his man before returning the ball to Jomo, who then found Ken. He hit a pinpoint cross over to Gerry, who took a great shot on target but it was saved again. The keeper dived low to his left and tipped it around the post from what was a great move by the Relics.
However, effectively the move wasn’t over as the ref had blown for an infringement in that passage of play, giving Bury Relics a four‑foul penalty.
Jomo was courageous and volunteered to take the penalty. The keeper was doing some Strictly Come Dancing jigging and jiving on the line. After the whistle was blown, he stood up straight and didn’t guess‑dive, which unfortunately for Jomo meant the penalty was covered as he went down the middle.
To me, from a distance, it looked like the keeper made a fingertip save as his hands moved towards the ball on the strike as it went over the bar — but everyone else in the whole wide world said the ball went clean over. I was still giving it as a good keeper save.
So we continued at 0–0 and a Blackpool player was pressurised into giving a cheap corner. However, Gerry took the corner 11‑aside style, expecting Ken to score Harry Maguire style with a towering header at the back post.
The final whistle went and it was a missed opportunity for three points for Bury Relics because Bury had three total shots, with two on target, and a penalty miss, whereas Blackpool’s three chances were all off‑target. However, Blackpool did exert pressure and Relics needed precise passing moves to make opportunities.
Result: Bury Relics 0–0 Blackpool
Bury Relics vs. Tameside
The next game was against Tameside, with Bury kicking off, and in the first attack it became 1–0 to the Relics. That was a horror goal from Tameside’s point of view.
Following a couple of passes from kick‑off, the ball was played up to Graham, who laid it off to Gerry. He had a defender standing in front of him, lots of shouts of “shoot” were in Gerry’s ear and he obliged with a low and very powerful shot — and it was a goal. The defender was stood right in front of Gerry and the goalkeeper was not in line with the players, so the ball sailed past everyone and into effectively an empty net. A great goal and start for the Relics.
Wow — another goal, this time from Graham. Bury regained possession and passed it up the middle to Graham, who made a smart turn and smashed a powerful shot into the net. It was a good goal but the keeper again was not in the right position to have the best chance of saving it. For Bury, Happy Days — it was 2–0 to the Relics.
The line‑up changed; Alan came on for Ken and Jomo went off for Graham. The play looked fluid with nice one/two passes between players.
However, Tameside were not lying down as they made an interception and a chance — a good shot for Eddy to save, but Mr Dependable did what he usually did to make a save.
Graham received the ball up‑front, turned and made a toe‑bung and the keeper made a good save with his feet, sticking out a toe to save it. Keepers could also do toe‑bungs, and it was a good save by this infamous method.
Tameside played it around riskily at the back and got away with it until a telescopic leg belonging to Peter S made an interception and fed it immediately to Gerry. He quickly shot but the defender got it right to make a block for head height.
In the next Bury move, Gerry was free on the righthand side, played across the box to Graham, who shot wide.
Tameside now had a slow‑motion attack where a player carried the ball almost the full pitch length. He intermittently looked like he was going to pass, then moved a bit more forward, repeating this until he realised he was close to the area. He shot but just a trickling shot that rolled wide.
Relics got forward again and Ray had a shot from range; it had the power but the direction was just wide.
Another nice move by Bury — Alan saw acres of space down the left‑wing and attacked that space, looking to receive a pass. Gerry made a perfect pass between two Tameside players to Alan’s feet, who shot on target but the keeper made a good save.
Fabulous goal by Graham, who got the ball up front with a defender in front of him on the left side of the area. He used quick feet and sublime control to make a tiny amount of space to shoot high and across the keeper into the top right‑hand corner of the net. The score was now 3–0 to Bury.
Relics again, with Ray trying his luck from long range; powerful and on target but the keeper made another good save with his feet.
Then it was Gerry, using what looked like a feint and a stepover to make space for a shot, which he took. It was on target but the keeper had found his range, with another foot save.
In the next moments, Tameside had the ball in defence but Graham was snapping at the heels like a Jack Russell nipping the postman’s heels. It paid off as he nicked the ball away and calmly side‑footed past a surprised keeper. Now it was 4–0 to Bury and a hat‑trick for Graham.
From Tameside’s kick‑off, they got forward and tested Eddy with a decent shot that was heading towards the top left‑hand corner. The Tiger struck — Grrrr — Eddy pounced and palmed the ball behind for a Tameside corner. It came to nothing and time was up.
That was a very comfortable and superb victory for Bury, who had 11 shots, seven of them on target. In contrast, Tameside had three shots, with two on target.
Result: Bury Relics 4–0 Tameside
Bury Relics vs. Moston Brook
Game three was against Moston, for which Jomo came back on to give Gerry a rest. From the kick‑off, the flowing and passing moves of Bury like in the previous game continued.
However, against the initial run of play, a long ball from Moston found their attacker up front. The ball bounced in front of him and he hit a looping shot that wasn’t too high and was on target, but it was an easy save for Eddy.
Oooh — a great answer and move from Bury, who immediately went down the other end. Alan got the ball to Jomo on the lefthand side of the box, who moved past the defender and took a left‑side‑foot shot. It fired underneath the keeper to make it 1–0 to Bury Relics. That was an incisive move and awesome finish.
Moston tried to immediately counter by getting a ball up to their striker, who held it up to lay off to a colleague, who used a neat bit of skill to make space and shoot. Eddy made a good save to preserve Relics’ lead.
Solid defending by Peter — their striker got the ball and tried to dribble a way through, but Pete was having none of it and won the ball back.
But it was Moston with the next chance as they had a long‑range missile that whistled over the bar; the rocket launcher being a trusty toe‑bung again.
Relics then played the ball up to Graham with his back to goal. He looked to turn to his left with a dummy but actually turned the other way to make a yard of space. He shot but the shot cannoned off the post — a very good effort.
Then some good interplay between Alan, Graham and Jomo gave Jomo a long‑range shot, which was wide off target.
Then it was Moston’s turn for some good play, by intricate passing on the edge of the Bury area from a kick‑in. The ball finally was at the striker’s feet but stout defending by Ray prevented any shots on Bury’s goal.
Then a comedy‑ish moment by Moston — Relics tried a lofted pass up the pitch and the Moston midfielder was so sure it was head height that he plucked the ball from the air with his hands. Alas, sadness for him, as it turned out to be a handball offence 😊.
Then in the next passage of play, it was a classic tackle from behind by Moston, by a nutmeg toe, which gave Bury a free‑kick in a good position.
Bury worked it out to the wing, where a marauding Pete S controlled and lashed a hard shot in on target. The keeper saved but pushed it high for a Relics kick‑in (good shot Pete).
Ray was a bit envious of another Relics defender shooting, so he took his own from a lay‑off from Graham, but it was too high.
Moston were now more frantic as time was running out but they were struggling to make an incisive forward move and were pegged back in defence. They resorted to a long‑range shot, on target, but their striker couldn’t move out of the way in time and the ball went to a Relics player.
The game concluded with a 1–0 victory to Bury Relics, against a good side that could play the ball around intelligently. In this game, Bury Relics had three shots on target and two off target, while Moston had three shots on target and one off target.
Result: Bury Relics 1–0 Moston Brook
Bury Relics vs. Ribble Valley
The final game was against Ribble Valley, who had played in red in the past but today had a nice new shiny yellow and green kit, much like Norwich’s kit.
Ken and Gerry came back on into an adjusted formation for Pete and Ray, which now saw Alan and Gerry in defence.
A good move from the KO, as Graham bamboozled the defender by quickly knocking the ball past him on the turn, but it had too much momentum and carried through to their keeper.
Ribble now attacked but committed a contact foul, and Relics then committed a running foul.
Nice interplay of one‑touch passing from Bury, which got to Jomo, but he shot powerfully over.
In the next Bury attack, the ball was played up to Graham by Gerry, who turned and fired first time, but the keeper dived to comfortably save the shot.
A quick spell of play meant it was now two running offences against the Relics; so Relics were winning 2–1 on fouls at least 😊.
Ribble got the ball to their attacker, who turned but was met by two Relics players, with Jomo making a block.
Incredibly, it was Jomo himself getting a shot away on the counter‑attack at the other end, shooting low across the keeper on the right‑hand side, but the keeper saved, tipping it around the post. A good shot on target by Jomo, matched by a good dive and save by their keeper.
From the corner move, it looked like Ken was fouled but appeals were ignored.
Then, from a biased point of view, it was a phantom goal that never was; Ken of Bury got the ball again on the edge of the area, took a good shot but it was saved and the ball ricocheted out to Jomo, who put the ball into the net. Bury celebrated momentarily until the ref said the ball hadn’t fully left the area, and it was Ribble’s ball.
One of the Ribble players had to tie his shoelaces after a challenge but it wasn’t clear if it was a foul.
Meanwhile, Bury Relics had another attack and Jomo took a high shot to the keeper’s left, on target, but it was saved. The keeper for Ribble looked good but Bury looked much more of a danger going forward.
Bury Relics made an attack where Graham received the ball in an advanced position. He had a defender in front of him but he had Ken to his left, who was in acres of space unmarked, with lots of time to have a clear shot. Graham elected to shoot, which went high and wide.
Then Relics won back possession and played a multi‑pass move that involved all the out‑field players, but the final pass was not good enough for a shooting opportunity.
From a head‑height free‑kick, Ken whacked the ball just over the bar.
Another Bury offence for running made it three offences to Bury. Someone asked how many Ribble were on and it was also three. Now 3–3 on fouls.
Then — wow — on my audio commentary I said it was a penalty to Bury Relics as Ken was “Slap Shotted” to the ground by a body check, full‑contact style. There was a bit of a pause but surprisingly it wasn’t a foul and a goal kick.
Then there was another incident, which I thought wasn’t a foul — but that’s football — it was a penalty to Relics.
Graham stepped up this time and the keeper dived, making a save with his belly and onto the bar. A great save by the keeper but disappointment for the Relics as the game finished 0–0.
Bury had four shots on target, penalty included, and three off, whereas Ribble only had one shot off target, but had a good keeper.
Result: Bury Relics 0–0 Ribble Valley
On todays play, Bury Relics over 70s still look like a very strong team and candidates to make another challenge for league champions. Eight points from a possible 12 was a good return, and if more of the chances were taken, it could have been a clean sweep of wins. It’s early days but it’s a very promising start; the entire squad and management made a contribution to superb performances. Eddy made a few saves but it was a quiet day for him, which is testament to how well the team played. In possession, Relics engineered passes by either making space before a pass or being in space to receive a pass. Conversely, out of possession, Relics endeavoured to close down the opponents, so that none of the opposing teams really had a clear-cut goal scoring chance. Great work by Bury Relics.
Bury Relics 