22nd October 2025
On a damp, dull, drizzly, Heywood morning, more suited to sitting at home watching daytime TV with a blanket over your knee. The Relics were putting in some stellar performances to move 8 points above second place at the top of the league ..

First game v The Invincibles
This was a scrappy game with the ref pulling play back following minor offences to explain the laws of the game to the players. The players know the rules but have to be disciplined not to commit fouls in the heat of the moment. Inevitably with all the hold ups the game finished 0 – 0

Game 2 Rochdale. An early goal for the Relics as JoMo moved down the left hand side to the edge of the area. His shot hit the bottom of the left hand post, the big Rochdale keeper got down to the shot but not quick enough, the ball hitting the bottom of the post then hitting the keeper and rebounding into the net. 1 – 0 to the Relics.
JoMo and JW combined well for John W’s shot to force a save from the Rochdale keeper.
Keiran received a cross field pass, and set himself up for a shot with superb control. Keiran smashed the ball on target from a narrow angle, but the Rochdale keeper got in the way at the near post. The Relics dominated the 2nd half but couldn’t change the score.
Full time Relics 1 – Rochdale 0

Game 3 Relics v Tameside
This was mainly a midfield passing game from both sides. The Relics produced a super move from JW – Keiran – Bob – JoMo but his shot was saved by the Tameside keeper. HT 0 – 0
The Second half and the Relics dominated the play, with shots from JoMo, Kev, and Billy. Billy was involved in another crafted attempt the ball from Billy – Kev – JoMo but his shot was wide.
Final Score Relics 0 – Tameside 0

Well done to all the players Eddie (gk), Bob D, John W, Keiran, JoMo, Kev Longbottom (S), Bill Horton (S), Kevin Bate (S)

It was good to see Andy Rich on the touchline supporting the lads so soon after his hospital stay. Note, his quilted coat has a patch on the back, not a stain.

Bury Relics Over 65’s went into their sixth set of fixtures of the Greater Manchester Division 1 Walking Football 2025 league campaign with a squad of 7: Keith Gillespie (GK), Kev Amos, Pete Shev, Alan, Dave Luk, Keith Swain and Graham. Ken was Manager and supporters in attendance were Keiran, Tony G, Iain D, Nev, Kodak Keith, Kev B, Paul Webster (looking well), Steve H and KenBo on a dry, crisp day.

First up were Bolton with Keith S starting on the bench. We opened brightly with a great move: Graham played it up the middle to Alan who had moved up into the centre forward position, he laid it off to Dave on the left wing who hit it first time against the post after the goalie got his fingertips to it. We were on top but Bolton moved up the pitch and scored from a shot which went through Shev’s legs and trickled just inside the far post past a despairing dive from Keith G. We didn’t let this affect us negatively instead we went up a gear and really took the game to a very good team in the search for an equaliser. We kept repeating our first move to set Dave up with shooting chances, 3 of which forced their keeper into excellent saves. We were really pressing high and moving the ball well and eventually it paid off when a Bolton defender ran across the box to block a shot. Graham took great care with his penalty set up and despatched it brilliantly. There was very little time left and for the first time since they scored Bolton threatened our goal only for Shev to put in a superb block to divert the ball out of play and bring the game to an end. A fully deserved 1-1 draw.

Next up were Preston with Alan starting on the bench. They started well making Keith G’s belly bounce with a toebung into his midriff which was their only shot on (or off) target. We replied strongly and really took the game by the scruff of the neck playing outstanding football which delighted the Relics support. Graham had 2 good shots after great moves, then Kev A, who had played quietly but very effectively throughout intercepted the ball in midfield, strode forward but fired it just wide. Dave then hit another thunderbolt from out wide which the keeper pushed over the bar. Our last chance was a flashing drive into the side net from Keith S after a lovely one-two with Graham. A very unlucky 0-0 draw.

Our third game was against Rochdale with Kev A on the bench. We continued where we left off and struck early when Graham threaded a lovely ball through the middle to the edge of the D for Dave to absolutely lash into the roof of the net. This settled us and we laid siege to their box. A good move out from the back saw the ball go from Shev to Keith S to Alan into Graham in the middle and he struck a rising drive which stung the keeper’s palms and the ball came bouncing out of the box to the right. Dave reacted quickly, got to it and brought it under control, he looked up and played it back across the D to a waiting Graham who was licking his lips as it headed towards him. The Rochdale defender only had 2 options – let Graham take the shot or step inside the box to knock it away and hope the ref was unsighted. He took the latter but was so far inside that it would have been visible from the International Space Station and Rochdale conceded their third penalty of the day. Once again Graham took great care with his penalty set up and despatched it brilliantly. 2-0 up, we relaxed and played keep ball, Rochdale only had 2 shots, one of which was on target when Kevin Williams hit a magnificent shot with the outside of his foot which was heading straight for the top corner until Keith G leapt like a salmon and tipped it over the bar. The highlight of the game, and indeed day, came just before the end when Keith S found himself up front on his own with only one man to beat. He beautifully knocked the ball one way, shimmied round the defender and was clear in on goal but the ref ruled too quick and killed the skill! A very strong 2-0 victory.

The final game was against Corinthians Whites with Shev as sub. We showed no signs of a drop off and flew out the blocks. Alan intercepted a pass out from the goalie and blasted it straight back which was bravely saved. Then Keith S put Graham in at the edge of the D, he tried to sit the keeper down but he wasn’t biting and when Graham tried to put it past him his leg got in the way. It was totally one-way traffic (to be fair to the opposition they had no subs, it was their fifth game and some were carrying injuries) now and we just camped in their half. However, their keeper, normally a striker, was playing out his skin and he turned yet another rocket from Dave past the post for a corner before once again denying Dave after a good turn and shot. Just before the end Alan teed Keith S up for a shot but again it flashed wide. A dominant 0-0 draw.

The stats of the day told a positive story as we had 16 shots on target with 5 against and took 6 points from 12.  Outstanding performances from everyone meant that we played very well in every game with the only negative being Dave pulling a thigh muscle just prior to the finish. After 6 of the 8 match weeks the table is still congested apart from Wakefield who are a huge 21 points ahead. Relics retain 4^th place, 3 points from second but only 6 points above the relegation places which is a slight improvement after this round of matches. Therefore, apart from the top spot, still all to play for.

An Ian McKinnon report

9th October 2025
Hard work pays off for the Relics over 60’s stripes. A tough day at Heywood brought 8 points from 5 games and only 1 goal against.

First game was the Burnley Clarets Casual. A big and tough looking team were totally dominated by the Relics over 60’s stripes. The Relics started well with plenty of passing and movement. Andy R’s enthusiasm brought a foul to the Clarets and a few choice words from the Clarets player as he lay on the pitch sparked a bit of afters. It all soon calmed down, the Relics continued their domination of the game but without scoring. It was beginning to look as though the Clarets were going to hold on against the onslaught, but in the last minutes a Clarets defender strayed into the box conceding a penalty to the Relics. Andy Rich took a superb penalty scoring hard and low off the keeper’s left hand post. Justice was done, the Relics constant pressure had paid off.
Final score Clarets 0 Relics 1

Next came Preston, the Relics didn’t have the same style of play as the previous game, not so much dominance, more of a midfield tussle without many chances. Ian D had a chance shooting diagonal across the box and just wide. Mark E shot wide, and the hard working Steve M intercepted a Preston Pass but his shot was just wide.
Final score Preston 0 Relics 0

Third game was Wakefield, always a good side, and today was no exception. Plenty of passing and movement from Wakefield left the Relics out numbered in defence, it was 2 Wakefield attackers against 1 Relics defender, Wakefield don’t miss many chances like that and they went 1-0 up with a calm finish from the edge of the box. The Relics continued to struggle to get into any shape and it looked like Wakefield had gone 2 up with a crisp left foot shot from the edge of the area but the Wakefield forward was pulled up for running. The relics got themselves into the game with Steve M and Mike B have a couple of good opportunities but shot wide. At the other end Keith G in the Relics goal pulled off a couple of excellent saves to keep the score close, but without reward.
Final score Wakefield 1 Relics 0.

Moston were next up for the Relics. Not much to separate the two teams early in the game trading shots that were wide, high, or tamely saved. As the game went on the Relics were more and more on top, defending well with Nev making a good block in front of the Relics goal, Nev was in action at the other end with a good shot that was high. With both teams lacking that finishing touch the game never looked like there ever would be any goals.
Final score Moston 0 – Relics 0

Final game of the day was Rochdale. The Relics started well with a through ball on the edge of the box from Ken B to Nev, a quick turn from Nev and a low shot was too good for the keeper. Relics 1 – 0 up early in the game. Relics were trying to keep possession to run down the clock. They succeeded in restricting Rochdale to just a couple of goal attempts and saw out the game for 3 points.
Final score Rochdale 0 – Relics 1

Some excellent play throughout the day from the Relics squad:- Mike B (C), Keith G (gk), Andy R, Iain D, Mark E, Steve H, Steve M, Ken B, Nev K. Special mention to keeper Keith G, and never stopped running, oops never stopped working Steve M.

2nd October 2025 Heywood 
Whites O 60’s
Squad:
Eddy ( GK )
Graham ( C )
Ian McKinnon 
Keith Swain
Kevin Amos
Tony Greenall
Danny Mitton 
Manager Ken Buggie

Pre-match thoughts… I had a sneaking suspicion that based on current form Ian McKinnon was going to have a big impact in the games.

( Disclaimer..absolutely no benefit of hindsight was used in the above assumption)

Good dry conditions, slightly overcast, ideal for football.

Let battles commence.

First up was against Corinthians 
Danny was substitute

Right from the off Bury dominated this game pressing high as a team and working some lovely passing moves together, early on a neat through ball from Graham put Ian McKinnon in a great position to shoot on the edge of the box but the ball was just nicked off his toe at the last moment going for a corner for Bury. Ian took a neat corner that gave Kevin Amos a chance to shoot, he chipped the ball and it just sailed agonisingly over the net.

The constant pressure from Bury led to a free kick where Ian deftly passed to Graham who shot accurately for the bottom right corner but the keeper just managed to get a hand to it.

Kev Amos had another shot shortly afterwards but it went just wide.

Great pressure from Bury but few good chances available for the first ten minutes, in the latter part of the game Corinthians seemed to wake up and pressed hard with some very good moves of their own resulting in five shots two of which on target, decent shots too that Eddy did well to save.

Proper battle towards the end leading to a free kick against Graham with shouts for a penalty to be given but the referee saw differently and gave a free kick.  

Hanging on a bit at the end but should have won it in the first ten minutes based upon level of play.

An understandable but slightly disappointing draw.

As a side note Keith gave everyone a bit of a breather by taking five minutes to tie his shoelaces mid match . As a result tying shoelaces is now a formal part of Bury’s training regime going forward.

Bury 0  Corinthians  0

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Second game up against Bolton 
Substitute Keith Swain ( who continued to tie his shoelaces).

Some games are so intense that it’s difficult to take notes as you don’t want to miss something as you’re frantically trying to scribble something down that’ll be vaguely legible later when compiling the report…. this was one of those games .

The lasting impression is overwhelming pressure from Bolton but Bury refused steadfastly to be anything other than whelmed.

Ian McKinnon even nonchalantly found time to tie his shoelaces mid match ( there’s a theme developing here) although he did achieve this at a considerably faster pace than Keith whilst nevertheless remaining cool and collected.

Let’s get down to the nitty gritty… Bury had four shots one of which on target… Bolton had ( checks notes….. checks notes again) 14 shots… three of which on target. 

Ed made two superb saves with his feet but one deflected shot almost caught him out but sailed just wide… it was a proper cannonball too.

At one point as I glanced up from note making I saw Tony burst forward ball at his feet from his own half and well into enemy territory but he was closed down before being able to take advantage of it but this led to an opportunity for Ian from a free kick where he received the ball on the edge of the area and through some jiggery pokery magic making bought some space to take a shot ( now from my perspective I thought he should have used his right foot but from his perspective as he explained later he absolutely hammered it with his left and it was sailing in but for a superb reaction save from Bolton’s keeper).

Ed made another great save late on but man of the match goes to Tony … not for his defensive performance.. which was superb along with Danny but because at one point ..near the end …under no particular pressure he elected to just boot the ball… quite considerably… out of play. Which …. just brought a huge smile to everyone’s faces…’ave it. Old school.

An exhausting but deserved draw

Bury  0   Bolton 0

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Third match up against Panthers
Substitute Kevin Amos

Panthers have upped their game recently and are proving to be a difficult opponent.

Having said that they started with a shot from well inside their own half that sailed off into the stratosphere… a rush of blood to the head I suppose.

Ed made a great save early on with his foot that was a sign of things to come as Panthers piled on the pressure.

However Bury weren’t about to sit back and let them have it all their way.. Graham threaded a wonderful pass for Ian to walk on to .. leaving him through on goal but a Panther pounced ( sorry couldn’t resist) at speed and was determined to have denied Ian of a goalscoring opportunity.. so penalty and a blue card for the offender.

Graham took the penalty but their goalkeeper was on fire and saved it.

With a one man advantage Bury ought to have dominated but just couldn’t get their act together in this period , Ian did have a couple of shots.. one on target and one hitting the post plus one disallowed due to an infringement and to make matters worse Tony had to be substituted due to a recurring groin injury, Kevin Amos came on and shortly afterwards their blue carded player returned to the game.. what followed seemed like relentless pressure from Panthers with strike after strike most of which on target and at pace with Ed making six superb saves one after the other.

Bury didn’t fold though and at the other end of the pitch Ian again found himself in on goal and he unleashed a thunderbolt that somehow the keeper managed to deflect with the tip of his finger .. Ian was left dumbfounded by the save … the keeper was left in considerable pain in the aforementioned finger.

But the drama wasn’t over.. Panthers accumulated 4 offences leading to a penalty… this time Ian took the long walk… the goalkeeper tried to put him off by goading him “ hit it as hard as you can “ he shouted…. 

So that’s exactly what Ian did… oh yes he most certainly did…. the net bulged nearly to the point of breaking . GOAL . 

Luckily for the keeper he didn’t get a finger to it this time or Ian would have sent him to the hospital.

Final score 
Bury  1  Panthers  0

👏 yes

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Final game against Burnley Clarets
No substitute available.

As mentioned in previous reports the average height of the Burnley squad is 7 feet tall or at least that’s what it feels like but despite their large physical presence Bury actually had the much better game 

Keith made some good passes to 
Graham who had a couple of good shots on target saved. Danny pushed forwards and had a couple of shots himself having been provided passes from Ian who was busy despite being tired out from the previous games.

Danny played well at the back and threaded a lovely ball down the right wing through to Ian who laid it on for Keith who had his tremendous shot blocked by the keeper.

Kevin Amos was also busy picking up great positions but unable to capitalise due to being quickly closed down by Burnley players , Ed had a couple of saves to make but on the whole Bury dominated but then a breakaway move from Burnley saw one of their strikers put the ball past Bury’s last man and run round him to be in on goal. 

Ed pushed forward to close down the angle and went to ground when the striker feigned a shot… the striker then went round to the right to pass it into the net but to everyone’s astonishment he hit the post , he told me later that Ed started moving to block him and it put him off by making him go for a more precise shot to the corner of the goal . 

Huge sighs of relief from the Bury crowd and players. Then in typical football fashion less than a minute later Burnley conceded their fourth offence leading to a penalty.

Up steps Braveheart himself Ian McKinnon who waits patiently as a Burnley player messes around near the goal then when told to move by the referee he wanders straight towards Ian, but Ian wasne gonna be phased by those shenanigans, the referee took control… blew his whistle and….GOAL.
Another net bulger from the Slayer of Sassenachs  Ian McKinnon.

Final score 
Bury 1   Burnley Clarets  0

A fine days football fought in good spirit with the whole squad playing very effectively for each other.

Well done a deserved 8 points.

A Kev Bates report

Bury Relics Over 65’s went into their fifth set of fixtures of the Greater Manchester Division 1 Walking Football 2025 league campaign with a squad of of 8; Keith Gillespie (GK), Kev Bates, Pete Shev, Alan, Dave Luk, Keith Swain, John Morris and Graham. Ken was Manager and numerous supporters were in attendance on a dry, crisp day.

First up were Winstanley with Keith S and Kev starting on the bench. The teams had equal possession throughout with Winstanley having the better chances with a shot thudding off the base of the post and Keith G making a great save diving full length to stop a fierce daisycutter. We had 3 good shots, from Graham, Dave and JoMo but all of them were just past the post and their keeper had no notable saves to make. A fair 0-0 draw.

Next up were Panthers with Shev and Alan starting on the bench. They started well from the off, forcing Keith G into a good save and then scoring in the 2^nd minute from a topclass toebung into the roof off the net which flew past Keith G. After that we chased the game and they hit us on the counter with Keith G making another 2 good stops. We had 3 good chances. Firstly, JoMo set up Keith S beautifully, he hammered the ball towards the near post but their keeper turned it past the post. Secondly, JoMo threaded a ball through the middle to Graham for him to walk onto, unfortunately it was just a tad too hard and whilst Graham reached it he couldn’t get enough power on it before it entered the box to really trouble the goalie. Lastly, Graham had a brilliant walk past 2 men through the middle, had a good shot but the keeper’s feet kept it out. A 1-0 loss where a draw would have been a fair result.

Our middle game was against Blackpool with JoMo and Dave on the bench. A midfield stalemate. Absolutely nothing happened in the first 8 minutes as both teams cancelled each other out. The last 7 minutes weren’t much better with only 5 shots total with only 1 on target which fortunately came from the Relics or I wouldn’t have bothered writing anything about this match and just listed the score. Alan won a free kick, he laid it back to Graham who blasted it against the post with the keeper beaten but the rebound came straight back out to a remnant of the Tangerines wall and he tapped it back to the keeper. A 0-0 bore draw.

Our fourth game was against Wakefield with Kev and Graham on the bench. The Yorkshire outfit are 17 points clear at the top of the league for a reason and they dominated possession and chances but we defended, especially Pete Shev, valiantly to keep the score down to 2-0. Going forward rarely we managed 5 shots but only 1 of those made their keeper sweat when he had to dive low to save from Dave after another lovely JoMo pass. Deserved 2-0 loss.

The final game was against Corinthians with Keith S and Shev as subs. Both teams looked weary in their fifth match of the day. They started better with 3 shots, one over the bar, one great save and one off the post but this early effort with no reward seemed to empty their tank. We came into it more and more as time went on. Kev Bates superbly found Graham out on the wing and he sauntered forward before cutting back inside and driving the ball goalwards but the goalie saved well. The game was drawing to a close when Corinthians gave the ball away just inside their own half on the sideline to JoMo, he looked up and played a magical pass into Graham’s path. Graham got it under control and took it goalwards, he dummied his shot and set the keeper down, he took it around the D and dummied the keeper again, took it further round the D and from a very narrow angle chipped it over the prostrate custodian for it to nestle just inside the far post. A sublime end to a long day which ended well with a 1-0 win.

After 5 of the 8 match weeks the table is congested apart from the runaway leaders. Relics sit 4^th, 4 points from second but only 5 points above the relegation places. Therefore all to play for but no matter the outcome this team will fight to the end.

11th September 2025
O60’s Stripes
Manager Ken Biggie

Squad:

Mike Bartram ( C )
Keith Gillespie ( GK )
Steve Hassall
Andy Richardson
Alan Blackley
Never Kitchen ( hope that’s spelled correctly)
Pete Schevtschenko
Danny Mitton

The day started on a sad and solemn note with the pre-game announcement that a fellow walking footballer had succumbed to blood cancer at the age of 62.

His name was Gilson Rogers. Known to his friends as Gilly. He played his football mainly at the Bolton Arena facility. I played against Gilly a few times and he was one of those players who was very comfortable on the ball, it was obvious from his interactions with other players that he was well liked and respected and he came across as a very thoughtful person. When not playing he would go out of his way to support his teammates and always had a few choice words of advice when they were playing crap 😊. He was a proud Welshman and was part of the Welsh National Walking Football Squad.

A lovely man who will be sadly missed.

Gilson “Gilly” Rogers 

Bury’s first game was against Salcom.
Substitute-Alan.

This was a fast game that Salcom had control of for the most part but there were notable performances from Bury players. Pete “ Velcro “ was on top form beating his man early on as Salcom tried to push high up the pitch Pete neatly sidestepped and executed a lovely pass up front to Andy who was on good form himself using his trademark “ round the corner “ technique to lay balls off for Nev and Dan but only one shot on target which was supplied by Nev but not enough power to trouble the keeper.

Bury picked up three infringements out of nowhere that had all the crowd baffled (the term “ crowd “ might be considered exaggeration but remember three’s a crowd). Bury then picked up another infringement which in typical Heywood mathematical terms added up to a total of … yup…. three…. the crowd said nothing 😊.

Salcom did most of the attacking and managed four shots two of which were on target, Keith Gillespie as usual was superb saving at full stretch with both hands and feet. 

Bury were a little slow in closing down the shots but luckily Keith was alert to the danger. 

The heavens absolutely opened half way through this match first with rain in bucketfuls then hailstones everyone soldiered on to a fair goalless draw. 

Bury 0 Salcom 0
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The second match was against Ribble Valley
Substitute Nev.

Proper back and forth game this with Ribble edging it , lots of shots from both teams.

Keith again saving the day with seven superb saves some from point blank and at full stretch.

Andy again having a great game with good hold up play and superb layoffs to Al who had a couple of shots one of which on target, Al returning the favour for Andy who also had two shots one of which on target. Mike was busy with some neat footwork but couldn’t get a shot on target. Ribble had seven shots all on target Bury had six shots two of which on target. Played well really against a strong Ribble team, some very nice passing moves throughout.

Bury 0 Ribble Valley 0
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Third match against Bolton Arena.
Substitute Pete.

Statistics don’t always reflect the game… but….in this case….Bury had two shots none on target ,  Bolton had nine shots four on target.

Tough game again in absolutely horrendous weather … rain… more rain and then some. The crowd had to abandon brollies due to lightning… and really it should have been called off at that moment. 

Keith as you may recall had a statue erected of him after his last game against Bolton…. ( in my mind at least) he was on top form again saving at absolutely full stretch on several occasions . Bolton are very tricky with ex-professionals on their team but a combination of Keith’s agility and Al’s timely blocks seemed to be enough to frustrate the Bolton strikers but alas a momentary lapse in concentration was Bury’s undoing, Bolton had the ball deep in Bury’s half to the right of the box, two Bury players facing but nobody closing down the shot… the Bolton player took his shot which was buried in the far corner of the net , Keith with little chance against a powerful shot coming through bodies blocking his sight. 
Bury did rally towards the end but to no avail.

Bury 0 Bolton Arena 1
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Fourth match against Rochdale Strollers
Substitute Andy.

The sight of Danny trying his best to squeeze out the excess water from his shorts kind of summed up the mood at this point….. the match kicked off and Rochdale had an early shot off target, Ian McKinnon had wisely abandoned his umbrella earlier on due to lightning… I rather foolishly trying to protect my notebook kept my umbrella up…. but not for long….. an almighty crack of thunder and a huge bolt of lightning narrowly missing the nearby church steeple saw me throw my brolly away along with everyone else on all the other pitches doing the same thing… the officials finally called the whole thing off … match abandoned..  and a collective sigh of …. “ thank f**k for that “
Perhaps a fitting end to the day that the weather was  reminiscent of a typical day in the Welsh mountains and valleys .
Perhaps Gilly was having a laugh at our expense 
Nice one Gilly … Rest In Peace ❤️