Bury Relics Over 60 Whites went into their fourth set of fixtures of their 2026 Greater Manchester Division 2 Walking Football league campaign with a squad of 8 available; Eddy (GK), Ian McCann ©, Keith S, Danny, Kev B, Tony, Ian McKinnon and Martin Nolan. Keith was Player/Manager.

Welcome to summer at Heywood, today the weather will be mostly rain followed by a smattering of rain interspersed with a little rain. No matter what weight you are at the beginning of the day you will be several pounds heavier by the end of the day as a result of all the water that will seep into your clothing but inexplicably will be unable to seep out again of its own accord.

Game 1 v Rochdale Striders, won 1 – 0. 

Martin making his debut puts up a solid performance looking comfortable on the ball, the Bury team at first were a little bit under the cosh , however they soon got their act together and started stringing some good passes together, a little bit of confusion on the touchline with Ian McKinnon on the ball which he managed to control well from an awkward pass but because it was over the line but not fully over the line was deemed in play by the referee who was well placed, however everyone just kind of stopped because players are so used to these being given as out .. so after a brief interlude where everyone is looking at everyone else wondering what’s happening the referee said play on so…they did . 

Bury started to take more control of the game with a decent chance falling to Keith Swain who was through on goal but his shot went just wide of the near post… one of those chances that look easy from the sidelines but are a lot harder in reality when you’re on the pitch. 

Rochdale weren’t for rolling over despite the pressure from Bury, they had 8 shots 4 of which on target but most were from distance with no real power and Eddy dealt with them comfortably.

Danny had a decent shot from distance but couldn’t beat the keeper  Ian Mc Cann was pretty much dominating the midfield and as a result eventually a chance fell to Ian McKinnon on the edge of the box to the right hand side, a defender was right next to him so he didn’t have a lot of time so couldn’t adjust to his favoured left foot ( Thor’s Hammer) therefore he decided to do something completely out of character and sweetly and calmly passed the ball with his right foot right past the keeper and into the far corner… a beauty. The fans erupted in jubilation… well I did … everyone else was obviously too mesmerised by his silky skills…… superb goal. 

Archie Gemmill (who was driving past on his way to Bury’s World Famous Market) slammed his brakes on and started applauding …much to the confusion of a passing dog-walker who assumed he was an overly enthusiastic dog-lover. He probably had an interesting conversation in the pub later…

“ I’m telling you Archie Gemmill applauded my dog…”.

Rochdale had a go to get back into it but nothing worked for them.

A fine victory for the opening game.

Above report by Kevin Bates, all below by Ian McKinnon.

These matches were played on the same day as the 2026 FIFA World Cup’s opening game and for those of us who were looking forward to a Festival of Football were given a preview of things to come.

Game 2 v Corinthians, drew 0 – 0. Think Argentina v Egypt, think VAR, think referee’s bias towards an icon of the game and this fixture had all the portents of your thoughts. Relics were on tip top form and their domination of the ball quickly led to our opponents racking up 3 fouls in their attempts to keep the scores level. Surely it was only a matter of time before either a 4^th foul was committed and a penalty awarded or enough space was found against tentative opponents to create a quality goal scoring opportunity. It would have been, but for what has now become known as the “Messi effect”.

First effect concerned Corinthians’ tall, rangy midfield maestro, who had been the perpetrator of 2 of the 3 fouls and therefore at risk of a Blue Card as well as a penalty if he was adjudged to further transgress. During a well worked attack by us he was moving very quickly to try and get back to an open Ian McCann, Kev Bates’s attempted pass to Ian was intercepted out for a corner. The referee chose not to give a foul for running but instead give The Flash a final warning for his impressive velocity as he had not got involved in the play.

Secondly, after good defensive work by Keith, he played a superb long ball up to Scotch Ian who controlled it and turned with him and Ian McCann two and one on the last man, he flicked it up and on the way through to his unmarked teammate. However, the defender prevented the ball’s progress with an outstretched straight arm at elbow height, never mind the arm being in an unnatural position away from the body, this was a block that Michael Jordan would have been proud of! The referee gave the foul and Ian McCann scooped the ball up and strode towards the penalty spot. BUT, the referee decided that the handball was not deliberate and therefore the foul was not recordable so no penalty.

Bad luck (or outrageous misfortune) always comes in 3s and the final denouement of this tragedy came in the last seconds with their centre forward backing in to Tony so blatantly that I had a flashback to my halcyon days on the bins and the interminable beeping of the lorry reversing into cul-de-sacs. A loud blast of the whistle ended that reverie and I thought that we had finally got that elusive spot kick, only to be disappointed once again when I realised that it was, in fact, the final whistle. A diabolical draw.

Game 3 v Panthers, lost 0 – 1. Think Paraguay v France, the similarity between Paraguay and Panthers just isn’t in the first 2 letters of their name as they also share the same approach towards disrupting skilful opponents as the South Americans did against France. The Relics again tried to play good football but the physicality they were met with continually impeded their progress. Ian McKinnon had our best opportunity in the first 20 seconds with a clear run on goal after winning a 50/50 ball. He took it up to the box but went for a shot himself when he should have laid it across to Ian McCann and it squirmed past the post. We continued to push forward but they kept it physical and scrappy which suited them. We conceded when their striker turned and shot whilst surrounded by 3 of our players; a bad goal to lose but a very well taken one. After that it was one way traffic but we just couldn’t get a decent shot on target. A disappointing loss.

Game 4 v Rochdale Striders, drew 0 – 0. Think Ghana v England, with the Striders changing names to Rochdale Low Blockers. We held the majority of possession but their compact defence kept our chances to a minimum with Eddie as a spectator. A frustrating draw.

Game 5 v Moston Brook, drew 0 – 0. Think Spain v Espana. Another great game of walking football between 2 excellent passing teams, with possession football at the heart of it. Very strong defence from Eddie, Danny and Tony kept them quiet and much as we tried we couldn’t really fashion much apart from some long range efforts.

An average day at the office for the Whites, 1 win, 1 loss, 3 draws, 4 clean sheets, 1 goal conceded but only 1 scored and 6 points gained which was a poor return for the excellent football played. It did lift them to fourth place in the league but dropped to 5 points off the promotion places. Every player worked their socks off in horrific conditions but, at least, they had 4 weeks of fair play, consistent refereeing, attacking football and an incorruptible governing body to look forward to.

Bury Relics Over 65’s went into their fourth set of fixtures (final session before summer break  of the Greater Manchester Division 1 Walking Football 2026 league campaign with a squad of 8: Keith G (GK), Kev Amos, Keith Swain, Alan, Graham, Tony G, Kev Bates and Ian McCann. Ken Bug was Manager.

This report was written by Kev Bates in the first person.

The Micro- Climate of Heywood chose to use heat… lots of heat … humid heat… held in place by a thick blanket of clouds… just to make sure. 

I must admit I almost got a sweat on at one point.

First game up against Bolton 

Substitutes Kev B and Keith S

Bury started well and despite a little bit of wayward passing managed to put a lot of pressure on Bolton.

Graham had a good shot on target saved and Alan and Ian both had good shots that went wide, Tony was stalwart in defence with Kev Amos and only allowed two shots from Bolton in the entire game which meant Keith G had little to do , however, in the latter stages Bury’s off the ball movement became poor and this helped Bolton to forge their best opportunity with a pass to ( you guessed it) the back post… a well driven shot was smothered by Keith G in goal who closed the space down quickly and made himself large . Could have been costly but shortly after at the other end in the dying seconds Kev Amos powers round the area and shoots only for it to go wide … just.

Bury edged this game and deserved more than a point… well played.

Bury 0 Bolton 0

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Second game up against Ribble Valley

Rule one … never underestimate your opponent.

Substitutes Kev A and Alan

I have no idea what was going on in this game from Bury’s perspective, personally it was a relatively quiet game for myself as my opposite number didn’t move up much so I was mainly static marking… everyone, including myself seemed to lose the ability to pass or control the ball and as a result Ribble peppered the Bury goal… Keith G was virtually playing on his own it seemed at one point with at least six magnificent saves… in fact at one point he passed it out to their striker as if to say “ go on have another go “ which he did… fortunately Keith was able to back up his bravado with another wonderful save. 

It wasn’t all one way and Kev A ( who came on for Tony who went off injured) had a good strike as did Ian McCann but the best strike came from Keith Swain who was set up by Kev B who then got out of the way as quickly as possible as Keith unleashed a blistering low shot that I was convinced was going through the keeper’s legs but the keeper just managed to drop at the last moment and stop it. That was the highlight of the game at that end of the pitch but man of the match to Keith Gillespie for the heroics at the other end of the pitch.

Final score 

Bury 0 Ribble Valley 0

………..phew

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Third game against Curzon Ashton

Substitute Keith Swain, Tony unable to continue due to injury.

So… not very convincing up till this point but then…. 

As if by Magic …

The Shopkeeper appeared ..and proceeded to supply the Bury team with magical boots… Keith G already had some magical gloves 🧤 and managed three great saves from Curzon’s strikers but the fun part was at the other end and midfield where Bury managed some lovely flowing football switching from side to side great control and good passing.

Kev B managed to slide the ball just in front ( to avoid the defender) of Ian McCann on the left hand side of the goal who hammered it in with his left foot…. Goal…… disallowed by VAR (very attentive referee) for running by Ian…. Dammit… it was a beauty too.

However it wasn’t long before Kev B found himself in a similar situation but this time with an option to shoot but seeing Ian ( walking ) into almost exactly the same position as last time with a defender in hot pursuit Kev B managed to again slide the ball just past the defender and onto the left boot of Ian McCann who unleashed an almost identical shot… Goal… and this time it was…. Great goal. ( henceforth to be known as Deja Voodoo goal)

Now, holding onto a lead is always a bit nervy and talking of nerve .. a Curzon player (Sainty, I believe) decided to just casually waltz past two or three defenders like they weren’t there exhibiting ball control normally associated with elite Futsal players but he ran into a wall of desperate Bury players and couldn’t get through on goal despite mesmerising them for a moment.

And…. that was that

Final score 

Bury 1 Curzon Ashton 0

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Final game up against Preston

Substitute Kev Amos

Bury were putting pressure on Preston right from the off in this game pushing them deep into their own half and thereby taking their quite dangerous striker out of the game effectively at least for the most part.

As a player and match reporter it is sometimes difficult to remember all the details of a match and sometimes beautiful moves don’t get the attention they deserve as I’m concentrating on playing… so it’s especially useful nay essential when fellow players tell you to make sure you write that in your report… so … having been thus instructed by Keith Swain it shall be recorded for posterity that he Keith Swain made the beautiful pass to Alan who was situated to the right of the opponents goalmouth , Alan then subsequently and without hesitation made an equally beautiful pass to Ian McCann who was situated most conveniently on the edge of the area, Ian McCann did then forthwith and duly deliver a most glorious strike of the ball which hurtled without impedance into the roof of the far corner of the net and angelic voices could be heard singing in celebration far and wide.

Preston then decided to have a go and put Bury under pressure but in their enthusiasm for revenge they made too many errors leading to a penalty for Bury, Ian McCann stepped up to thunder home a goal but it was all in his mind (as we found out at the end of the match*) because the keeper saved it.

Kev Amos replaced Kev B and had an immediate impact nearly stealing a goal with a great lunging toe-poke but again the keeper saved it.

Preston didn’t really trouble Keith in goal but they pressed forward so much that they clean forgot about defence and when Ian McCann intercepted the ball on the half way line he was able to just stroll up the pitch unchallenged and score a magnificent mis -kick that flummoxed the keeper. 

And that boys and girls was that.

*(for clarity on my earlier comments, Ian was absolutely convinced he’d scored three in this game)

Final score 

Bury 2 Preston 0

Best goal to Ian McCann

Best assist to Alan Blackley

Best assist assist to Keith Swain 

Best looking shin-pads to yours truly KevB 

A great team effort and well earned 8 points which lift them out of the relegation places for the first time this season and up to 6th place.

Bury Relics Over 65’s went into their third set of fixtures of the Greater Manchester Division 1 Walking Football 2026 league campaign with a squad of 8: Keith G (GK), Kev Amos, Keith Swain, Alan, Dave Luk, Tony G, Kev Bates and Ian McCann. Ken Bug was Manager.

First up were Winstanley with Kev B and Keith S starting on the bench. Winstanley had the first chance when a strong shot was saved comfortably by Keith G. This kickstarted us into life and we quickly replied when Ian set up Kev A  who shot past the post. We started passing it about really well and after a great move Ian shot just over. Then Dave beat his man and played Ian in but again it was over the bar. Winstanley had been pinned back but they broke out to get their second and final shot away but Tony put in a strong block to put it round the post for a corner. We broke out from their corner, moved the ball quickly and a majestic pass from Ian set up Alan who rattled the post with the keeper beaten. More good passing football again set up Alan but a tight angle saw his shot hit the side netting. Our final chance again fell to Alan when he stole the ball but his shot was kept out by a good diving save. A dominating 0-0 draw.

Next up were Burnley with Kev A and Alan starting on the bench. Relics carried on where they left off in the previous game with 7 good chances created to the Clarets 3 off target efforts. Our early chances fell to Ian mainly set up by Dave, the best of which played him in 1-2-1 with the goalie, Ian did everything right but the keeper made a brilliant save with his shoulder to keep it out. As the game progressed we were in total control and Kev B started getting into the act firstly with a lovely turn and shot which grazed the post and then lastly with a first time toe poke as the Burnley defenders tried to pass it across the goal. It flashed in past a keeper caught completely by surprise. A dominating 1-0 win.

Our third game was against Blackpool with Dave and Tony on the bench. This saw a Tour de Force or in modern parlance, a Unicorn when Ian scored a hat trick. It could have been 4 as the game began with him putting a shot narrowly past! The Tangerines replied with a good move which put their striker in on goal but Keith G pulled off a magnificent stop – that was their last attacking threat as we assumed control. Goal 1 was set up by a piece of individual brilliance by Kev B out on the sideline when a drawback turn and slide rule pass by him found Ian in space in front of goal. He took his time and cooly curled a right footed shot into the corner of the net. Goal 2 was a classic move from our keeper to the back of their net in 4 touches, Keith G up to Kev B who laid it back to Keith S who hit a first time diagonal pass in front of Ian who latched onto it with a stinging toebunger which bamboozled the keeper. Goal 3 was a carbon copy finish of the first when Ian was again found in space after a superb move involving him, Kev B and Alan. A dominating 3-0 win.

Following our earlier showings Game 4 didn’t look quite as challenging against reigning champions and, once again, runaway leaders Wakefield as normal with Ian and Keith S on the bench. We came out strongly and started with 2 shots from Tony and Dave and were looking better against them than we have for a long time. We reached the halfway point with no shots against Keith when BAM, from nowhere, they played a long ball up to their striker, Tony, who used his body superbly to hold off the challenge and turn and rifle into the net. Just great skill to put us 1-0 behind. The players did not let their heads drop and actually stepped it up, Kev A sacrificed himself to make way for Ian to come on to add his forward drive. We did not allow them another shot and they became happy to sit back and try to keep the ball. We had 4 good chances all set up by great passing moves, Alan shot off target, Kev B had a shot saved by the keeper, Ian had a 1 on 1 brilliantly palmed away and then a Dave thunderbolt was tipped over the bar by the goalie. We have never really rattled these tremendous opponents in the last 2 seasons but we gave them a real scare here which was very sportingly acknowledged by their manager at the end. A spirited 1-0 loss.

Our fifth and final game was against Corinthians with Kev A and Kev B on the bench. Two strong teams matched each other in an even game. We started the stronger with 3 shots from Ian then our best chance fell to Dave after a neat interchange of passes with Alan but the keeper got behind it. The game swung towards Corinthians after that with Keith making a couple of good saves then they had their best opportunity when they hit the post and the rebound was fired back in but fortunately it went narrowly past. A fair 0-0 draw.

We played excellent football in all our games which was rewarded with 8 points which was 5 more than we took from this same group of fixtures in the opening week of the season. This haul trebled our points tally and lifted us to third bottom, albeit on goal difference, up from being adrift in bottom spot. 

A contingent of the Stripes squad asked the match reporter to use the word ‘Entertaining’ as the headline to define today’s performance, one cynic replied “It was certainly entertaining but will never replace football”. On a day when a slightly depleted Stripes squad due to holidays and injuries faced atrocious weather conditions, improving opponents and controversial refereeing decisions the team performed well and supplied some entertaining moments of football.

11th June 2026 at Heywood Sports Centre rather than a pleasant sunny day for the GMWF over 60’s latest league outing the weather produced continuous rain and damp miserable conditions, the car park was so flooded that someone calling himself Noah appeared to be building an Ark.

Manager: Pat Fitzgerald. Squad: Keith Gillespie (GK) (C), Mark Thomas, Mark Evans, Steve Hassal, Ken Bond, Andy Richardson, Iain Dawson

First Game against North Manchester WFC, Sub KenBo 

Relics: 8 shots with 4 on target. North Mcr: 3 shots with 2 on target. Final Score 1 – 0

Bury started the game against a rapidly improving North Manchester side whose quality of passing, movement off the ball and game management was noticeably better than previous meetings, however, the Relics experience and overall knowhow started to show dividends, an early shot from Iain easily saved by the keeper. Iain then produced a good pass to MarkE who shot narrowly wide. The Relics continued to pick up the pace and quality passing released MarkE for 2 more shots on target, unfortunately both fell to his weaker foot and were easily saved by the keeper, then followed a shot from Andy wide of the target. A quick break from the back again produced another opportunity for MarkE whose shot on target was saved. The highlight of the game came towards the end, Andy was given the ball just outside the box, surrounded by defenders with no obvious options he managed to guide the ball with the outside of his right foot into the corner of the net, goal. Any threats to the Relics goal were efficiently managed by Steve and MarkT at the back protecting Keith’s goal and they got forward to support teammates whenever the opportunity arose. Final Score 1 – 0, a deserved victory

Second Game Preston NE Senior Whites. Sub MarkE

.

Relics: 1 shot on target. PNE Senior Whites 8 shots 4 on target  Final Score 0 – 0

What a contrast to the previous match, this time against a tall, efficient PNE side who are surprisingly languishing in the bottom 3 of the league. PNE were on the front foot for the majority of the game, Keith was on top form making saves that looked to be certain goals and received plaudits from the opposition at the final whistle. The Relics were under a lot of pressure, Manager Pat replaced Andy with MarkE to strengthen the midfield. The stats really do reflect the game, however the Relics almost stole all 3 points when a late shot from Iain was well saved by the Neville Southall lookalike in the PNE goal. Final score 0 – 0. As a whole the team earned a point through very hard work against tough opposition.

Third Game Wakefield Wanderers Whites. Sub Ste 

Relics: 3 shots all on target. Wakefield : 6 shots 4 on target. Final Score 2 – 2

If the stats based on shots reflected the previous game they certainly didn’t in this one. The Relics were playing some good football, KenBo marshalling the opposition’s tricky centre forward well restricting him to speculative shots. The Relics started on the front foot, a break down the right releasing MarkE to cleverly put a right foot shot past the keeper, goal. With the Bury side well in control the referee chose to make controversial decisions awarding Wakefield 3 recordable free kicks, whilst the opposition were happy to accept them their officials on the side seemed somewhat surprised by them, aware of the threat of a penalty the Relics didn’t panic and pressed on trying to produce a 2nd and almost certain winning second goal, perhaps with too much enthusiasm they gave away a fourth offence, penalty to Wakefield which went in from under the bar despite Keith’s efforts to save it. Despite the disappointment the Relics continued to play well, there was a great move down the right by MarkT and he found Andy at the edge of the box who turned and casually slotted the ball past the keeper, goal. With the game all but over a turn and speculative shot by a Wakefield forward crept into the Bury net, it’s difficult to express the disappointment we all felt. Final score 2 – 2 played well, deserved all 3 points

Fourth Game: Rochdale AFC Striders. Sub KenB

Relics: 3 shots all on target. Rochdale : 7 shots 3 on target. Final Score 2 – 0

End to end stuff, although Rochdale managed more shots only one really threatened the Bury goal and as ever it was well saved by Keith, MarkT and Ste not allowing any real space. Despite the disappointment of conceding late in the previous game the Relics didn’t let it get to them and once again set off at a pace controlling the game defending well and looking dangerous in attack. Early in the game a good passing move once again found MarkE free, his well placed shot found the net, goal. Working well as a team covering for each other the Relics didn’t really allow the opposition back into the game. A fluent Bury move found Andy who released Iain who placed a shot on target past the keeper, goal. Iain then asked to be subbed straight away, after working tirelessly and old injury started to flare, KenBo came on as a replacement and fell straight into the tempo of the game. Final score 2 – 0, a thoroughly deserved win

Full marks to the players who worked hard in horrible conditions, KenB later thanked Pat for standing in as manager, Pat’s calm analytical skills and after match talks were appreciated by the squad and he took difficult decisions when needed. The Manager’s summary “Thanks to everyone today. Some great football in awful weather. Some classy goals and excellent goalkeeping” Report by NevK

The phrase ‘Total Football’ was first used to describe the concept of fluid, interchanging play where defenders could seamlessly shift into attack and and attackers into defence without disrupting the system and was associated with the Dutch sides of the 1970’s, we can now add the phrase ‘Total Walking Football’ to describe the Relics over 75’s for their performance at Heywood in the latest series of GMWF fixtures.

The squad: Joe Cohen, Tex O’Rourke, Dave Morris, Bob Daniels, Pat Fitzgerald, Eddy Ford (GK) (C), Bill Horton, John Morris, John Wardle

Manager: Ian McKinnon 

8th June 2026 conditions at Heywood varied from Autumnal to Spring like not the early summer days that people dream of

First Game against Ribble Valley Invincibles, Subs Tex and Billy, (Billy on for JW)

Relics: 4 shots with 3 on target. Invincibles: 3 shots with 2 on target. Final Score 0 – 0

Bury started the game in total control with all round good movement and accurate passing to feet, an early move saw a JW break on the right and his pass to JoMo whose shot was narrowly wide. Ribble denied the Relics a goal scoring opportunity with a clumsy tackle from behind, the resulting penalty was well struck by JW but the keeper made an impressive save touching the ball onto the post. With Dave marshalling the back, substitute Bill controlling the left hand side, Bob and JoMo dominating the midfield and Joe holding the ball well upfront the 1st goal was inevitable, however this was not to be, an excellent passing move resulted in the keeper saving a shot from Dave who had drifted upfront, there were further shots on target shot from Bill and JoMo. Good positional play and defending restricted the opposition to long range shots that were easily covered by Eddy. Final score 0 – 0 The Relics excellent play deserved more.

Second Game Blackpool Senior Seasiders. Subs JoMo and Bob

.Relics: 9 shots 4 on target. Blackpool 1 shot on target  Final Score 1 – 0

To say that Bury dominated this game would be an understatement, the Relics quickly took full control and ran the game from start to finish, the distribution from Eddy in goal was superb, picking out teammates accurately and creating a number of attacking plays, the opposition were restricted to one shot from distance. A passing move started from the back by Dave and involving all the Relics players resulted in a shot from Tex that went narrowly wide, a similar move this time resulted in Tex driving the ball wide of the keeper, goal. There were further shots on target from Joe and Bill and a couple of narrow misses from JW and Bill, late in the game JW won the ball in midfield and drifted past 2 defenders one of whom just did enough to disrupt his shot which was still on target. Final score 0 – 0. Thoroughly deserve win which Manager Ian described as “the best walking football performance he has ever seen”, however his screams of “keep the ball” that he kept repeating towards the end of the game were still ringing in the ears of players and spectators alike

Third Game Tameside Striders. Subs Joe and Dave

Relics: 4 shots all on target. Tameside: 1 shot on target. Final Score 0 – 0

Carry on where you left off was very much the theme as the Relics once again dominated the game from the start to the finish restricting the opposition to just one shot on target that was well saved by Eddy. There was crisp passing to feet, excellent movement off the ball and clever defending when needed. There was an early shot from JW saved by the keeper, then a pass from JW found JoMo whose shot on target was saved. The highlight of the game was probably a pin point pass from defence by Tex to release JoMo who feigned a shot and the keeper dived to his right, JoMo then casually picked his spot in the left hand side of the goal, the keeper somehow managed to extend his leg and save the shot, we were still talking about how excellent the save was well after the match. Relics still found time to pick out Bob whose shot was again saved. Final score 0 – 0. Some excellent play, the Relics deserved to win.

Fourth Game Rochdale Strollers. Subs JW and Tex (Tex for Bill)

Relics: 2 shots none on target. Rochdale : 4 shots all on target. Final Score 0 – 0

Rochdale proved to be trickier opponents  and maybe the Relics were tiring a little as this proved to be much tighter than the previous three games. Rochdale restricted the Relics to just one shot on target by Bill and one wide from JoMo. There was some very good defending against a dangerous Rochdale attacker who held the ball well and created a couple of chances for himself that were well covered by Eddy, both teams worked hard and passed the ball well, Final score 0 – 0, a fair result against a good Rochdale side

Full marks to the players, unbeaten and four clean sheets, added bonus was great to see JW back.

Manager Ian’s summing up “A fantastic session today, some inspired football and only two unbelievable saves away from ten points”.

Supporters and officials on the day, KeithS, Pat, KenB and TonyP. Report by NevK

The GMWFL for the over 70s have now completed three sessions for March, April and May; Bury Relics 70’s are very much still in the title hunt as they sit proudly in 2^nd place of division 1. Their trademark game is that of good passing team play, some dribbling, stout defending and excellent goalkeeping. Other team strikers must be sighing before every Bury Relics match as it’s unlikely they are going to score any goals. Only Tameside has managed to breach Bury’s ranks and the Relics have the best defensive record in the league, with 10 clean sheets from 12 games after today, and only 2 goals conceded. All other teams have shipped 6 or more goals.

One could argue that the Relics don’t score often enough, usually once a month in fact, but it’s like clockwork and efficient, but when they do score, the goals are fatal to the opposition. If the Relics can find their shooting boots more often in the coming months, even just for one extra goal a month, then the title could be a very real possibility.

Today produced some great football and the 2 no-goals are worth mentioning against Salcom. Ken Bug, who drafted himself into the team because of injury, had 2 goals chalked off. The first seemed a bit harsh as his shot was parried into the air by the goalkeeper (over-head height). The ball was spinning as it came down and bounced into the net. Ken and Bury thought they had scored but the ref said no, it’s a kick-in. Someone said afterwards that this type of decision should be in the attacking teams favour and the goal should stand. I agree as the keeper saved it that way, it’s his fault it got lofted and ended up in the net 😊. I was too far away to see if the other no-goal should have been allowed or not; the ball was called in the area just as it was crossed to Ken, who side-footed in. Goals scored for and against Relics today were both penalties; for Bury for 4x offences and against for a last ditch breakaway tackle from behind. Both penalties were well placed passed the keepers, who both dived the wrong way (Graham scored Bury’s penalty vs. Moston). The entire team played well today to earn a good haul of 5 points.

The squad and staff for the day were as follows: Eddy (GK,C), Alan B, Graham W, Tex, Gerry L, Bob D and Peter T. Player-Manager was Ken Bug, with support from Keith S, Pat F and Keiren T. Supporters included Nev, Frank, Keith H, Ken Bon and others; report is by Dr. John.

Videos of the action are below.

Bury Relics 70’s vs. Winstanley Walkers 70’s
To see the highlights of this match, click-here.
To see the full game, click-here.
Result Bury Relics 70’s 0 – 0 Winstanley Walkers 70’s

Bury Relics 70’s vs. Tameside Striders Blues 70’s
To see the highlights of this match, click-here.
To see the full game, click-here.
Result Bury Relics 70’s 0 – 1 Tameside Striders Blues 70′

Moston Brook FC 70’s vs. Bury Relics 70’s
To see the highlights of this match, including Graham’s penalty, click-here.
To see the full game, click-here.
Result Moston Brook FC 70’s 0 – 1 Bury Relics 70’s

Bury Relics 70’s vs. Salcom 70’s
To see the highlights of this match, which shows the no-goals, click-here.
To see the full game, click-here.
Result Bury Relics 70’s 0 – 0 Salcom 70’s

Bury Relics Over 60 Whites went into their third set of fixtures of their 2026 Greater Manchester Division 2 Walking Football league campaign with a squad of 8 available; Eddy (GK), Ian McCann, Kev A, Danny, Kev B, Tony, Ian McKinnon and Mike. Keiran was Manager.

Game 1 v North Manchester, won 1 – 0. 

The fledgling Mancs are still getting to grips with league football and their keeper now knows what it must have felt like at the Alamo. Every Relics outfield player had at least 2 shots whereas Eddy in goal did not touch the ball. Mike was brilliantly pulling the strings up front continually setting up shooting chances with defenders Danny and Kev A being the main beneficiaries but the keeper kept doing just enough to keep them out. The pressure was immense but we just couldn’t score until midfield powerhouse Ian McCann took matters into his own hands; he picked the ball up in his own half, strode forward and hit a great swerving shot which the diving keeper got a hand to but could not keep it out.

Game 2 v Bury Relics Stripes, won 1 – 0.

The adrenaline was flowing for the start of the ‘derby’ round 2. Most of the play was dominated by the Whites from the two Ian’s in midfield, however chances were kept to a minimum due to some staunch Stripes defending. The only goal of the game came from a well-placed Ian McCann shot following a free kick lay off. The Whites were more up for it and deserved their narrow win.

Game 3 v Preston, drew 0 – 0.

Relics dominated this match much like the two previous matches in this session. Preston didn’t trouble Bury’s goal at all, Ed was tempted to work on his crochet skills but found it too awkward with his gloves on. Meanwhile at the other end all kinds of shenanigans were happening but nothing leading to a clear opportunity on goal but then from nowhere up steps Tony G high on the right wing ignoring his nose bleed from being so far up the pitch he passes one player (with the ball I should point out) passes another and another his hips swaying like a flamenco dancer (the lessons are paying off) the spirit of Georgie Best pushing him right to the edge of the area when… Georgie decided to nip off for a dram.. leaving Tony alone teetering on the edge of the area his feet that were dancing with delight just moments previously just…. stopped …his left foot seemed to have a little argument with his right foot and the ball just dribbled into the area …. I so wanted him to put his laces through it but alas Georgie let him down at the crucial point.

Mike also had a couple of good opportunities but the spirits of football were playing around causing him to stumble in a similar way to Tony and later to launch probably one of the highest shots of the day (usually my speciality) …I found it entertaining… the birds in the nearby trees .. less so.

Then at the other end of the pitch Tony was yet again possessed by the spirit of George Best but this time George had definitely had a few and caused Tony to start dribbling the ball under pressure right on the edge of his own goal area. Now… from a spectator point of view… this was highly entertaining… from a teammate point of view… probably less so… but with neat footwork he nevertheless managed to clear the ball and Pat was able to reopen his eyes and watch the game… which fizzled out into a nil nil.

Game 4 v Wakefield , drew 0 – 0. 

Perhaps the most difficult match of the day but even so Relics were pretty much in charge. Wakefield did have a lot of the ball in Bury’s half but time and again Relics were able to steal it from them and surge forward. 

Ian McKinnon stole the ball in midfield and pushed forward with just a defender to beat with Mike and Ian McCann to his left, to me it felt like he wanted to set himself up for a shot but with supporting players so close by he chose to pass and unfortunately Mike couldn’t quite take it in his stride so he then passed to Ian McCann but the momentum was lost, defenders got back and nothing came of it.

In a similar move Mike found himself through on goal but he took a nudge off the chasing defender just before his shot and it caused him to shoot wide… possibly a dogso?

Meanwhile at the other end Wakefield got their one and only decent shot on goal and it was a doozy fired right at the top right hand corner but Ed made a magnificent full stretch save to thwart them.

It wasn’t all over yet though, Relics pushed yet again, Ian McKinnon found himself right on the edge of the box but had to adjust to put the ball on his left foot and a moment is all a defender needs to spoil the party…another attack thwarted.

Not to be outdone by Tony G’s impressive surge forward in the previous game Ian McKinnon decided to nonchalantly dribble past two players high on the right wing leaving them for dead… I should have mentioned earlier that despite the weather being unusually kind to us on the day there were nevertheless dark storm clouds gathering and this is perhaps why everyone stopped and checked for lightning because they mistook the sound of Ian’s shot on goal for a thunderbolt… Ian’s left foot or Thor’s Hammer as I like to call it ( Mjolnir for the studious) absolutely unleashed …beating the keeper but rattling agonisingly against the underside of the crossbar then catapulting quite some distance back into play. This would turn out to be the highlight of an entertaining match that frustratingly ended nil nil also.

A very successful session for the Whites with, for once, no injuries picked up. They played good football throughout and defended well. The 8 points gained lifted them one spot to 4^th only out the promotion places on goal difference.

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 Over 65’s went into their second set of fixtures of the Greater Manchester Division 1 Walking Football 2026 league campaign with a squad of 7: Keith G (GK), Ian McCann, Kev Amos, Keith Swain, Dave Luk, Kev Bates and Steve Hassall. Ken Bug was Manager and supporters in attendance were Keiran, Pat, Nev and Kodak Keith on a dry spring day.

First up were Bolton with Keith S starting on the bench. With 4 players unavailable beforehand Steve Hassall was called up for his 65s debut after a string of quality performances for the 60s Stripes and the squad were in good spirits before kick off. However, on his very first involvement Steve pulled up sharply with a problem with his achilles sleeve. He hobbled off gingerly and the team were a bit shell shocked. Keith S replaced him leaving no subs and, after a very, very quick fitness test by Pat, Steve was sent home to rest and Nev was sent to the dressing rooms to get some kit on. Bolton are a strong team and don’t need any encouragement to push home an advantage. They dominated proceedings and Kev B was quickly (pun intended) on 2 fouls and with no sub available yet (Nev’s fast but he’s not that fast) he was unable to make much of a contribution in case he was blue carded. Keith G kept us in it, especially with a great flying save to the top corner, but eventually the pressure told and they scored off a pass interception. As often happens when you are playing catch up we tried to force the game and just before the end racked up our 4^th foul and they duly despatched the penalty. Just as the ref blew for full time Nev turned up with a frustrated Kev B remarking for the first time in his life “How slow is Nev?” A tough 2-0 loss which considering the circumstances was not a bad performance.

Next up were Ribble Valley with Kev A starting on the bench. This was a cagey affair with us in the slight ascendancy. RV didn’t have a shot and we only had 2, a Nev shot on target and a Dave thunderbolt which flew just past the post. A 0-0 draw which was a missed opportunity.

Our third game was against Curzon Ashton with Keith S on the bench. We continued our good form and completely dominated the game. We started well with Ian hitting a tremendous shot which their goalie tipped over the bar and then Kev B having a good turn and shot which the keeper smothered low down. CA then had their only shot of the game when Sainty strode forward and lashed it home low into the bottom corner past a myriad of outstretched legs. We could have dropped our heads but we kept the same level of intensity and created 5 good chances with some excellent passing football, 2 good shots each from Dave and Ian and our best chance was a Kev B solo effort when he beat 3 players and got a shot off only to be denied by the keeper. A hugely unlucky 1-0 loss.

Our fourth and final game was against Preston with Kev A on the bench as he was now carrying a knock. The disappointment of the previous game and the cumulative effect of the day’s events looked to have caught up with us. Preston missed a sitter against the post right at the beginning and before you could say “Usain Bolt” Kev B was on 2 offences leaving KenBug in a quandary of whether to replace him with a player not fully fit. Kev A made up Ken’s mind by bravely volunteering to come on and play in a totally unaccustomed forward role. Our problems were compounded when the Lilywhites dangerous centre forward turned on the edge of the D and slotted it home. Once again we were chasing the game but they killed the game and we only had one shot, from Nev, which was past the post. Just before the final whistle we once again conceded a penalty after a 4^th foul but this time it came back off the post. A deserved 1-0 loss.

1 point from 4 games was a low return for the effort we put in but it is an age old story in football that when you are at the bottom of the league anything that can go wrong usually does. We are now adrift at the bottom with 1 point but as Yazz nearly sang before Simon Cowell changed the lyrics – 

We’ve been beaten down 
To the lowest rung 
Bein’ on the bottom line 
Sure ain’t no fun 

But if we should be demoted 
Huh, from our league
We’ll just drop somewhere else 
And still carry on 

Oh 
(Hold on) hold on 
(Hold on) hold on 
Ooh, aah, baby 

hold on 
(Hold on) ooh ooh aah 

The only way is up, baby 
For the 65s now 
The only way is up, baby 
For the 65s now