England Debut for Graham

Huge congratulations to Relics stalwart, Graham Walton, who made his debut for the England Walking Football team at the Maureen Evans International Memorial Cup, which was held at the Neath sports centre, on Sunday 24th August 2025. There were 3 age categories: 60s -65s-70s and he played for the Over 70’s in a triangular competition against Wales and Ireland. 

Each team played twice against each other and England won the 70s Tournament after their two draws against Wales and two wins against Ireland was followed by Ireland beating Wales in their last game. Unusually, Graham didn’t score but hit the post twice and laid on 2 goals. When asked about the experience the master of understatement said “it was a good day played with and against some good footballers”.

Over 60 Stripes Put On A Show

Bury Relics Over 60 Stripes concluded the first half of their Greater Manchester Division 2 Walking Football league campaign in match week 4. A squad of 8 were selected of Keith (GK), Ken Bo, Mike, Mark T, Steve H, Iain, Mark E and Andy. Pat was Manager and Eddy, Kev and Neville, were in attendance on a dry and humid day. 

First up were Claret Casuals with Ken and Mark E starting on the bench. It started evenly with Andy driving in a long shot to the keeper’s midriff and Keith making a good save from the Casuals dangerous frontman. We gained the ascendancy by passing neatly and good interplay between the forward trio of Mike, Iain and Andy. Another long shot from Iain whizzed past the post. Then Steve won the ball at the back, strode forward over the halfway line and hit a good shot which the keeper cleared with his feet for a kick in. We were on top now and a lovely crossfield pass from Iain put Mike in on the keeper; he chose to stroke it first time across the keeper but it slid past the far post. Casuals took heart from this and began getting into our half more. A very timely block from Mark T sent a strong shot out and from the resulting corner they fashioned a chance which Keith cleanly dealt with superbly. This warning shot kickstarted us back into action. Firstly, Mark T was set up after a good move between Mike and Andy which he hit hard but high over the bar. Then a beautiful pass from Andy put Iain in 1 on 1 on the goalie, he did everything right but couldn’t get it past a despairing dive. We finished strongly with another fantastic forward move culminating in an Iain shot which was blocked just before the final whistle. An entertaining but frustrating, 0-0 draw.

Next up were Preston North End with Mark T and Iain starting on the bench. We started where we left off from in the previous match when Steve H won the ball at the back and threaded a pass up to Mike who smacked it low and hard against the post. The attacking tone was set when Mark E took possession, strode forward with the ball and played a diagonal ball to Mike in space, he took one touch and drilled it across the goal towards the bottom corner. It looked a certain goal but their keeper dived low to his right to make an excellent save with his outstretched hand onto the post again! Then Andy skilfully intercepted a waist high ball at the edge of the box and absolutely lashed it on the half volley towards the goal, unfortunately it was straight at the keeper who palmed it out as it knocked him off his feet. A high octane start but the Lilywhites have been the Stripes bogey team over the last few years and always pose problems no matter the match situation. As we piled forward it left space when we lost possession and they had the next 2 chances, firstly Keith turned a good shot round the post and then from a breakaway they rattled the bar which was a real let off. We continued pushing unabashed and Mark E shot across goal just past the post followed by another Steve H long shot which the keeper dealt with well. It wasn’t all one way traffic though and Keith had to pull off another great save as they countered. As we entered the last few minutes we kept looking for all 3 points and we forced a couple of corners. On the first Andy produced a great bit of movement to get himself free and when the ball was played to him he thundered it just over the bar. On the second Mark E played it short to Ken who slipped it into a free Mike who went high this time only for the goalie to tip it over the bar for another blinding save with the ref blowing for full time before the resulting kick in could be taken. Phew! An incident packed 0-0, both keepers were faultless with Mike ruing a possible hat trick evading him by inches.

Third up were Wakefield with Andy and Steve starting on the bench. Although we had drawn our first two games Pat was buoyant with how we had played and implored the players to keep the excellent level up in a fantastic team talk which banished any doubts that the squad may have had due to our lack of goals. The first chance fell to us as Mike returned the compliment to Ken with a little threaded pass but again it went past the post. The second chance fell to Wakefield’s diminutive maestro who turned on a sixpence at the edge of the D and shot it low and hard across Keith into the bottom corner. This was the pivotal moment not only of the game but the day. Were we going to burst like a ballon or fight like tigers? Roared on from the sidelines by Andy and Steve our heads did not drop. We got straight back up from the canvas and poured forward in continuous waves. Mike had a turn and shot which the keeper saved then Mark E really grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck. He had a strong shot blocked for a corner, then a Cruyff turn and shot had the goalie scrambling followed by a GOAL! Finally, after a plethora of opportunities throughout the day we scored and it was well worth the wait. A great move started off by Iain after he won the ball in the middle of the park and he moved it on to Mark T who had cleverly moved forward as soon as we regained possession, he played it first time up to Mark E who had time and space, he took his time and used that space to stroke it confidently past the keeper in to an inviting corner. A mixture of relief and delight in equal measure at breaking our duck erupted from the Relics support and squad. The goal was needed and confidence flowed as we did not let up. Good interplay led to more shots on target from Iain, Mike and Mark T. Wakefield’s second and final chance saw a carbon copy attempt of their goal but a vital Mark T block prevented them taking the lead against the run of play. Iain then really stepped up towards the end, firstly setting Mark E free to walk it in and put it under the goalie for his second goal and secondly to intercept the ball in his own half, cooly walk it up and fire it into the bottom corner to seal a tremendous 3-1 victory.

Our final match versus Rochdale Striders saw Ken and Mike on the bench. Striders started well making Keith earn his biscuits with 2 quality saves. We replied through Mark E and another Steve H long shot as a much tighter game played out with Striders defending doggedly. Our best chance came towards the end when Steve H found Andy who gloriously turned it into’s Iain’s path who was now 1 on 1 with the keeper but was denied by a brilliant save.

Pat the Manager commented – “Thanks everyone who played today. Great team performance. Without some good goalkeeping by the opposition and post’s 😉 we were deserving of more points. Great support on the sidelines which makes managing the team a pleasure. Talk me through those goals Mark E  and Iain 🤗 “

This was my first chance of the season to report on the Stripes and was hugely impressed by not only the quality of their football and how they try to play it but more importantly by their tremendous team spirit and camaraderie. This was truly epitomised on the day by Neville’s attendance, support and encouragement – what a great club man he is. 

19 shots on target, 3 goals and 6 points for the Stripes were the statistics of the day. The story however is no matter how much beautiful football you play it is very, very difficult to score goals at Heywood and you don’t always get your just reward. If the squad can convert a higher proportion of chances to goals they have a shot at promotion as they are only 6 points behind at the halfway point of the season, if not, they should finish comfortably mid table.

A Scotch Ian report

Bury Community Football and Bury Relics go to Whitehaven

Whitehaven friendly tournament
Date; Whitehaven, June 3rd 2025

Background
A man called Richard turned up one Tuesday at the Castle for game of walking football and asked if Bury Community Football would be interested in a friendly with some players from Whitehaven. So, on the 26th of February 2025 we played a 5-team league format friendly at the Castle. The league consisted 5 teams, with 3x coming from Bury. Bury Black Bibs managed to top the league after winning all games, but it was very close, with Whitehaven’s top team, who won all except the Black Bibs, just being beaten by a single goal. After, we went to the Jewel in the Crown for tea. It was a very good day of football, played in a friendly manner; it was great to meet the Whitehaven lads. Picture shows the team photo from the Bury Tournament.

Return leg in Whitehaven
As a consequence, since the Whitehaven lads had made considerable effort to make a long trip to Bury from Whitehaven, we thought we’d return the gesture and take a couple of teams to Whitehaven. Ergo, on the 3rd of June 2025, a combined set of players from Bury Relics and Bury Community Football, took a mini-bus and a car to Whitehaven, which was 17 players in total (15 on the bus, 2 in the car). The outward journey was punctuated by a visit to a very nice service station called Tebay services (I think it’s won awards) for breakfast, which was subsidized by Ramsbottom Rotary (see below). It was an interesting breakfast as I learnt about Cuddy’s Cheese that apparently used to be sold at Tebay, and Dave bought himself a magic carpet. Additionally, following a fuel up of the grey matter, the remaining part of the journey involved a 50-question classic sports quiz. When I was setting it, I was thinking it could be simple for the sporting geniuses that were along on the trip, but I got many groans of this being difficult. From all the teams of 2, it looked like Phil and Dave B, Mark and Keith T (#1028) and Mike and Ian were the favourites. This was emphasized when one of the teams started to brag as they finished while all the other teams were half way through theirs. As it turned out, the said team had missed out the last 2 pages and didn’t win as a result. Phil and Dave B came a commendable 2nd place on 33 points, while Mark E and Keith T (#1028) won with 36 points (well done). Photo shows Keith T (#1028) and myself taking a selfie on the minibus.

Guided tour of Whitehaven Harbour
On arrival in Tesco’s Super store in Whitehaven, we were met by Richard, who had kindly planned a tour of Whitehaven Harbour. On reflection, afterwards, we were thinking this was a strategy to tire us out, as it involved climbing a huge stone staircase. It’s not an ideal thing to do, just after 3 hours in a minibus 😊. Anyway, the tour was excellent, with great scenery and an interesting narrative from Richard. Some of us did an alternative walk on a beach, which was also good. Note; if we go back to Whitehaven, we can get a game of beach cricket in, as this beach is close and we could do both football and quick game of cricket. Photos show the harbour and the steep steps Richard made most of us climb.

Football games
On to the football stadium, where we were warmly welcomed by Phil and Nige, and all the players of Whitehaven. Whitehaven had prepared a nice spreadsheet of the football format for the day, which was similar to the Bury friendly, with a league format consisting of 5 teams. This time Whitehaven had 3 teams and Bury the 2. Each team played each other once, with the winners of the league format being Whitehaven team 1. Well done for winning the league. The league finished as; 1st place Whitehaven 1 won 3 and drawn 1 = 10 points, 2nd place Bury 1 won 2 and drawn 2 = 8 points, 3rd place Whitehaven 2 won drawn 1 and lost 1 = 7 points, Whitehaven 3 team and Bury 2nds both drawn 1 lost 3 each = 1 point.

Since the top 2 teams were not tired enough, they decided to have a one-off “FA Cup” final. This was an incredibly tight game, with Whitehaven throwing the kitchen sink at Bury, who were defending for their lives. It was not all one-way traffic though as Bury had attacks of their own on the break, and, as it’s like in professional football, it takes something special or individual genius to break the deadlock. Youth team player Craig scored a wonder goal for Bury to win it, taking the ball inside a defender and hitting an unstoppable shot into the top left-hand corner. A fabulous goal. I think he’s still smiling now 😊.

A selection of photos including a mass team photo of everyone.

In summary
In my small opinion, the football was great from both sets of players. Notably, for Whitehaven, from what I saw, Richard scored at least 5 good goals, with good build up play from Geordie, one-touch give and go football from all that team. In the first game, Bury 1 were under extreme pressure, with Pat making some great saves. It was a great point for Bury to draw that game, a bit fortunate. Whitehaven’s other teams were also strong, with awesome individual skills from Kate (Lenor Messi) and her supporting cast. Whitehaven’s 3rd team played well and scored on the day, which was great.

Bury players were also fabulous; Pat in goal didn’t concede all day, Keith S was top scorer for Bury with 5 I think, Pete S, Tony G, Mark E, Craig and Ian made up a very strong Bury 1 team. Bury’s second team played well too but were probably undone by the physicality of tournament football. Despite this, Phill did a sterling job of leading the team, with Alan in goal making multiple good saves, Mike, Keith B, Watford Mark, Dave B, Keith Hamblett and John Hamblett, Keith T, John H and John (Leeds fan) all made useful contributions to the team. Dave B did not leave his most feared left foot at home, who scored 2 sublime goals that were similar, both top corner screamers. One was against the winners of the league, Whitehaven 1, but they were winning 6-0 at the time 😊. Well done to all the players.

Hospitality and great attitude of all
Whitehaven’s friendliness and hospitality were great and there was no confrontations or heated disagreements about any of the football. The facilities with showers, changing rooms and a bar were good. Richard, Phil and Nige did a great job of organizing the event and a Curry to be delivered to the bar, which was delicious. Thanks to Richard’s wife who served behind the bar, when the bar staff didn’t turn up (and also helped serve food). Everyone enjoyed the football and the food afterwards. It was a great day out. Thank you very much to Whitehaven people. Thanks to all from Bury players too, who had a positive and helpful attitude on the day.

Acknowledgements to others:
Colin Whaley with his minibus was excellent. Most importantly, he was punctual, helpful and a safe driver, whilst been quick enough to be prompt. At no time did we feel unsafe and he was very helpful if someone wanted something from the luggage boot and also stopped whenever we wanted to. We recommend Colin and his minibus company to anyone for a day trip, he was fabulous. See CW Exec Travel.

The VCFA and Ramsbottom Rotary. When I was organizing this trip, I was worried we would not get 16 people to fill the coach, and so I asked Anne and Katherine from the VCFA if I could get some money to make seats cheaper for everyone, so better attract people. Katherine kindly put me in contact with Kevin from Ramsbottom Rotary Club and he supplied me with Duck Race Tickets. I managed to sell 150 worth and that subsidized the trip. As we sold all 16 seats on the bus in the end, we used the surplus to buy breakfast at Tebay Services on the M6. Even Colin the driver got in on the act. So, a big thank you very much to Anne and Katherine of the VCFA (VCFA site) and Kevin from Ramsbottom Rotary Club (website) for that.

Photos by Ian, Watford Mark, Craig, Richard and Dr. John.
Report by Dr. John.

Photo memories of the trip

Over 75s top dogs extend their lead

Date; June 25th 2025
A humid day but not blazing sunshine, was at Heywood for matchday 4 of the over 75s league. And for my dad joke; what animals takes the most risks? Lambs, they always like a gambol. To the football….

Bury Relics vs. Invincibles
The first team up for the Relics are the Invincibles and it appears they have loaned some Bolton players, that includes an England international. Interestingly, there is “swagger” style coming into walking football, as one player has a pair of shorts that has one leg shorter than the other, possibly cut-off purposely. I speculate, scientifically, to give more oxygen and hence power, to his shooting leg muscles. The game kicks-off and the Relics are passing and moving with great energy, notably John W, who is attacking all space, waiting for a pass that just eluded him. On Relics next attack down the left, the same John turns, shoots and there is the sound of a reverberating fence (it’s just wide). Immediately, Invincibles go down the other end, a long-range toe-bung and a great save from Eddy; he has to drop down to his knees and saves the ball with his thigh, a brilliant save. It’s now Relics turn to attack again, and Keiren receives a pass without realizing he has time to turn and shoot. However, his layoff is good one and a powerful shot comes in but a defender blocks it. Relics regain possession and Bob has a long-range strike that is put out for a corner. Then John W gets the ball out wide and literally sprints past his defender; I am waiting for a whistle to sound but it does not come and John shoots wide. Then a moment of genius by the same man. John W receives a pass with his back to goal, a good 5 yards away from the area with a defender in close proximity. He turns his man, gets about a yard wide of him and shoots, low and hard to the left of the keeper, what a great goal. Bury Relics go 1–0 up, with a fantastic goal. The Invincibles try to immediately respond, using long-range artillery of the toe-bung, which are always unpredictable. Eddy makes a good save from it and the subsequent play is another shot from the right-hand side of Eddy’s goal, he saves again out for a corner. The game has definitely got more Harrison Ford, or Frantic, for those not familiar with his movies, since Wardle scored. From the corner, an Invincible player absolutely power-hoofs a shot out of the ground; it seems internationals can also miss the target 😊. The first half ends with Relics having the better quality, with John W being on fire. A good half with a great goal to lead 1-0.

The second half is a battle, with Invincibles now laying siege to the Relics goal. Dave and John W play a good one-two on the edge of the area, with the former making a great dummy, to let the ball roll back to Eddy (but not sure he meant that). Bob has been tenacious from the start but his tackle is marginally late to give a foul to Invincibles, a free-kick 4 yards from the area. No problem though, as Relics defend well and while Invincibles did have the opportunity to shoot, they were just to slow in execution. Next, a running offence by JW and the free-kick is quickly taken but there is a lucky ricochet to a Relics player, Salcom John B, who, in a flash, is clear up-front and he precisely finishes passed a bemused keeper, who was just wondering what biscuits the league would be providing today. The keeper did well to get a hand to it in his moment of shock but that was an unexpected attack and goal to the Relics. Now 2-0 but with Relics currently on 3 fouls. Invincibles shoot quickly from the kick-off but easy for Eddy, then their next attack was good, with their striker finding space. The shot is not great and Eddy can save. The next passage of play leads to a Relics 4th foul. It was a soft foul but I think it’s tough been a ref as Relics complain. In any case, it is a penalty that is expertly dispatched, high to the left, with Eddy having no chance. The Invincibles are back in it at 2-1 but with plenty of encouragement from the side-lines, Relics manage the game out for a superb 2-1 win.
Result; Bury Relics 2 – 1 Invincibles

Bury Relics vs. Rochdale
Due to dodgy tech, my voice recording disappeared. In summary, Bury Relics had good possession from kick-off with 14 passes around the team but unfortunately, it does not lead to a Relics goal, as possession is lost. Rochdale respond and are more direct; after 2 passes their striker has a shot that is well saved by Eddy. Bob is on form again and is given the task of marking their striker, who regularly scores when I watch at Heywood. He does get a couple of shots away but both are saved by Eddy, so apart from them Bob, and on occasion Dave, keep him quiet. Bob’s anticipation was on the mark as he intercepted 2 Rochdale attacks by predicting the pass and then launching raids on the Rochdale goal. John W was battling hard, being a ferocious competitor, which is good. However, in his enthusiasm, he picks up 2 fouls and is consequently substituted. Rochdale edged the first half by the fact they had 4 shots, none of which troubled Eddy but Relics only had one shot that went high and out of the stadium. Ergo, Relics have not tested their keeper yet. Relics vs. Rochdale is 0-0 at half time.

Second half is underway by Rochdale, and a great shot by them as their striker finds a modicum of space down the left and strikes hard. It’s OK for Eddy, who can get behind the power shot to palm it away. There is a screech of a whistle as 2 players take a tumble outside the Rochdale area but there was no malice and the game continues. Relics are battling and defending well, with a blocked shot that rolls the ball back to Eddy. Then one of the Relics gives away a running foul but this kind of running has been happening all day already. Then the Rochdale striker gets a ball in the nose from his own control; he receives a hard pass from a colleague, he controls it and it flicks directly onto the end of his nose (ah, the famous nostril trap, not sure it’s allowed here). Looked painful, and yes, it’s not in the rules, it’s a free-kick to Relics. However, Relics commit another third foul and it’s now a tight-rope for the rest of the game. This leads to conservative play, retaining possession, with regular passes back to Eddy. When Rochdale do regain possession, their #6 in midfield gets the ball but can’t see a subsequent pass, he mulls it over and decides to swivel and shoot. A great effort that just went wide, luckily, it would have been a great goal for them. Then again, another good effort from Rochdale, their striker gets the ball up front and he sets-up a midfielder who strikes hard but just past the top left-hand corner. Very close and another good chance for them. Then Rochdale commit a third foul, so both teams now wary in their play. The game peters out for a goalless draw, with Rochdale probably deserving a split decision win (if it was boxing). Note; Peters out apparently means breaking wind in French, but for me, the game just ran out of gas 😊. Intriguingly, one of the Relics players was approached by a league supremo after this game, reminding them of the tradition of hand-shaking following a games conclusion. From my experience, when you’re shattered after a hectic match and nobody is in front of you with an outstretched hand, it’s easy to accidentally miss that bit out. Definitely not a case of bad sportsmanship on any of our players’ part.
Result; Bury Relics 0 – 0 Rochdale

Bury Relics vs. Tameside
There is an early chance for Bury Relics, where JW intercepts the ball and instantly passes it to Keiren in space. The first touch is a bit heavy, which takes him a bit wider than he wanted, but like all good and seasoned striker, he still made the goalkeeper work with a save of his good shot. In reply, Tameside get down the Relics goal and hit a good and hard shot that is deflected wide for a corner. From the corner comes another shot but it’s wide. Great tenacity by JW, who shadows their winger all the way down the pitch towards the Relics goal, but no inch was given, and the Tameside player ends up making a mistake and possession is back with the Relics. Several passes later, and it’s JW in the action again with a long shot that is saved. Good play by the Relics; Another quick passing move finds Joe in some space and he takes a shot but it’s too high. Relics now come under pressure, under the proverbial Kosh, and some good defending is needed to usher the ball back to Eddy, away from Tameside’s strike force. Then it’s sea-saws in the Relics favour, with some sustained possession and pressure on the Tameside goal but without any clear-cut openings. Bob then thinks he’s Lee Sharpe, and bursts down the wing, but, surprisingly, he’s not quick enough to stop it going out of play. He did say after that he was thinking himself George Best rather than Lee Sharpe in that moment; fair enough. The teams go into the half time break goalless, which is about fair.

There is a terrific start to the second half, with some magic provided by Joe. He receives a pass with his back to goal and pivots quickly before unleashing a thunderbolt toe-bung shot. Only the brilliance of the keeper prevents an excellent Relics goal. Then my dodgy phone goes on the blink again and stops voice recording (well it didn’t save the recording). From memory, this was pretty even, with chances for both teams. After the final whistle, there was definitely a flurry of handshakes, as the management reminded everyone to be gentlemen and to shake hands, and right too.
Result; Bury Relics 0 – 0 Tameside

Bury extend their lead at the top of the league, with a superior points tally of 22 points, 6 ahead of second placed Tameside. The advantage of depth of squad was evident today. Bury were without one of their top performers this season so far in John M but he was replaced by John W who’s today was on fire. In addition, Bill, Joe and John B of Salcom slotted right in, as Kev was not available this time. The young manager Ian M, who’s in his inaugural season as a Bury Relics manager, is doing a tremendous job, encouraging and advising his team throughout the games. If everyone is available next term, he’s going to have to make some difficult decisions on who he leaves out. The entire squad are playing brilliantly. Eddy should get a special mention, he only arrived back from holiday at 4am the day of these fixtures but was still sharp in goal, making a great save on his knees in the first game. Well done to all the Relics, all made a positive contribution to a fairly successful day at the office.

Team: Eddy (GK, C), Dave M, John W, Bob, Keiren, Bill, Joe and John B.
Manager Ian M.
Supporters: Sir Pat, Keith S, John M, Ken Bug, Ken Bon, Keith B and others.
Report by Dr. John.

Photos

65s Stand Ins Stand Out

19th June 2025 Heywood 
Over 65’s
Squad:
Keith Gillespie ( GK )
Graham Walton( C )
Pete Schevtschenko
Alan Blackley
Kevin Amos
Keith Swain
Nev Kitchen 
Andy Richardson

Manager:

Ken Buggie

Pre-match thoughts 

“ It’s hot….. too hot”…..everybody!

First match of this final session before the summer break , it’s the kind of day when sensible people grab an iced drink and find a bit of shade sit back and play spot the cloud. 

There were no sensible people to be found …and thus …caught between the hammer of the sun and the anvil of the plastic pitch …battle commenced at Heywood .

Bury were down to a bare six due to a last minute cancellation but fortunately Nev Kitchen and Andy Richardson were able to turn out for the Relics.

First match up against Bolton Arena.

Substitutes Kev and Nev .

Fast game this with Bolton dominating from the off stringing lots of good passes together, Bury seemed a little punch drunk and were getting dragged around the pitch and Bolton’s striker was soon able to find space to the left of the goal and he slotted it in neatly leaving Keith G not much chance of stopping it.

Bolton were looking to add to their lead and forced Keith G into two wonderful saves. 

The game started to swing a little bit in Bury’s favour with a great on target attempt by Keith S and a good shot by Andy which missed the target.

Gradually Bury began to string some decent passes together despite tight marking from Bolton and Graham found himself just to the right of the Bolton goal with a defender in front of him, he managed a neat shimmy to get round the defender and just managed to toe poke the ball before he was closed down by another defender and it shot like an arrow into the bottom left corner giving the keeper no chance. This was a toe-poke with attitude…great goal.

Not easy coming back from an early goal down and it ended in a creditable draw.

Bury 1      Bolton Arena 1
Bolton had 8 shots 4 of which on target 
Bury had 5 shots 2 of which on target 
Tough game but a decent result.

———————————————————

Second match up against Preston

Substitutes Keith S and Andy R

Not sure where to start with this game, it was very scrappy with both teams making lots of errors.

However I’m going to start with a statistic, Bury had 7 shots… all of which on target… first time I’ve seen that and to add to the merriment these were the shot takers in order:-
Nev
Kev
Nev
Kev
Kev
Pete
Nev 

So this was basically the Nev and Kev show with a guest appearance from Pete .

This game was all over the show with everyone playing their part in the chaos ( I think Ken had to just look away on several occasions).

Alan picked up two offences for running and so Ken replaced him with Andy ( Alan asked me to point out that he feels he was “ harshly adjudged to have been running “) 

I can’t possibly comment.😊

So…. anyway… the ball is pinging about all over the show with little rhyme or reason and then it just magically appears at Kev Amos’s feet in the opposing half with just one defender badly placed to stop him, Kevin calmly advances towards goal and smashes it past the keeper… GOAL….

Bury then decided to give a masterclass in how not to do game management…. deciding it would add a bit of spice to the proceedings by passing to the Preston players.

This tactic led to a great attempt by Preston whose striker spun and sent a low shot heading towards the bottom right corner , both Ken and I were convinced it was going in but somehow Keith G managed to get down at full stretch to palm it round the post. Preston had three attempts on target but that was the best.

Luckily Preston were still providing opportunities for Bury to score also though most shots weren’t really threatening the keeper, Pete picked up the ball midfield and had a crack which deflected off a defender right back upfield to the feet of their striker 
Pete ended up running back to toe poke the ball from his feet but was adjudged ( not harshly 😊) to have run and I was expecting the worst as I have been blue carded for a very similar incident but fortunately just a free kick was given.

Towards the end Neville ( that’s predictive text at work right there) found himself in a similar situation 
to the one that lead to the goal earlier on… closed in on goal and unleashed a mighty effort heading straight for the top left corner that somehow the keeper just managed to get a hand to . 

Not today Nev….. not today.

Bury 1      Preston 0

Preston had 6 attempts on goal 3 of which on target 
Bury as previously noted had 7 attempts on goal all of which on target.
( sorry for the lack of detail Nev  and Kev on your other attempts… I was so distracted by the way each team seemed determined to pass to their opponents that I was fully expecting everyone to start hugging each other burst into tears and call it a day)
—————————————————

Third match against Rochdale 

Substitutes Alan and Pete 

This match swayed back and forth with Rochdale having 8 shots on goal 4 of which on target 
Bury had 6 shots on goal 3 on target 
Early doors Keith G made a tremendous save as the ball seemed destined to bury itself into the bottom left corner of the net…. then shortly afterwards at the other end of the pitch a lovely pass from Andy found Nev who unleashed yet another mighty shot only to be denied by the post ( I swear I heard the post give out a little yell of pain … or that might’ve been Nev) .

A free kick to Bury in a decent position saw Andy put the ball over the crossbar…. shortly afterwards Keith S decided to prove that he could also get the ball to go over the crossbar …. way way over the crossbar… over the fence and part of the way into next season…. I think we should put his name down for walking rugby ( don’t worry Keith you weren’t the first and certainly won’t be the last to do that).

Andy had a decent shot blocked then Ken replaced Graham with Alan at the half way point.

Rochdale managed to get a free kick just to the right of centre near Bury’s goal and a bit ( lot ) of confusion ensued resulting in poor marking which gifted Rochdale a free shot to the bottom right corner of the goal… too much for Keith to get to.

Bury were a bit rattled at going a goal down and didn’t really recover… Alan had a lovely shot blocked towards the end of the match but that was all they could muster.

Bury 0      Rochdale 1

6 shots by Bury 3 of them on target 
8 shots by Rochdale 4 of which on target.

Not a match that Bury should have lost.
———————————————————-

Last match up against Corinthians Whites
Substitutes: Keith S and Nev.

5 shots from Corinthians 1 of which on target .
4 shots from Bury 3 of which on target.

The highlight of this game was a lovely move fairly early on in the match. Bury were under a bit of pressure from a decent Corinthians team initially but Andy managed to thread a ball from central midfield to Alan who had moved forward on the right hand side into space which Corinthians seemed a bit blind to as Alan did it a few times , Alan controlled the ball well and neatly side-footed it to Graham who had moved up to a central position in front of the box and Graham did what Graham does and scored a cracking goal wrong footing the keeper.

The rest of the game was a bit sloppy some unnecessary showboating passes going wrong ..poor passing that led to an attempt by Corinthians which fortunately hit the post.

Bury woke up a bit after that and put some good passes together leading to Alan supplying Andy with a great chance which hit the post.

And then….. the ref blew his whistle …and the collective sighs of relief were audible in Whitefield .

A good result for Bury 7 hard earned points. Nice way to end the season.
Everyone had good moments and everyone had bad moments, a bit chaotic at times but highly entertaining if somewhat nerve wracking.

Well done ladies.

60s Whites Shooting Blanks

5th June 2025
O 60’s Whites at Heywood 
Squad:
Eddie (GK)
Graham (C)
Ian McKinnon 
Ian McCann
Keith Swain
Kevin Amos
Kevin Bates

Manager:
Ken Buggie

Overcast day not too warm or cold.
Pre-match thoughts:

“ where is everyone “? Eddie
“ what time is it”? Ken
“ has somebody lost a radish“? Kev B

A thoroughly professional day begins with Keith lending a player from another team some shorts and socks, who keeps saying “ can I keep these “?
“ No” said Keiran

“ can I keep these”?

“No” said Keiran 

“ can I keep these”?

“”No” said Keiran 

Repeat about another four times… eventually he wanders off then decides to return the shorts having acquired some other shorts from… somewhere. He kept the socks.. for now.

It’s all go at Heywood.

First game against Corinthians 
Substitute: Keith Swain

Bury started strongly, good pressing, incisive passing resulting in a number of attempts on goal.

Ian McKinnon found good space on the edge of the area, went for placement rather than power but the keeper was up to the task.

Ian McCann also had a shot on target  from a good position but again their keeper was on it.

Despite playing the better football Bury got hit with a sucker punch late in the game, Kev B had managed to nullify the attacking threat from the right wing for most of the game but got caught flat footed by a neat one two between their winger and striker which saw the winger home in on goal and slip one past Eddie who managed to get a hand to it but the spin on the ball took it into the net behind him.

Bury had five shots on goal two of which on target, Corinthians in contrast had two shots on goal only one on target but a decisive one.

Frustrating game, but it only takes one good move to win a match in this league and that good move fell to Corinthians in this instance.

Final score 

Bury 0             Corinthians 1

———————————————————-

Second game up against Bolton
Substitute Kev B

This was a good tight game which could easily have gone either way, Bolton have a very strong side but Bury took them to task pressing high which created a bit of panic for the Bolton players as I think they’re used to teams sitting back against them, pressure from Graham led to him intercepting an attempted clearance by a Bolton defender. Graham then being through on goal feigned a shot and put their keeper on the floor he then moved sideways and chipped the ball towards the net but Bolton’s keeper did something I’ve seen him do on multiple occasions and just raised his long arm ( editor’s note… he has two long arms…and legs) and deflected the ball to safety. 

Shortly afterwards Ian Mc Cann had an opportunity on the edge of the area but again the keeper saved it. Then Keith Swain found himself in a similar situation on the other side of the area after a great pass from Graham but again their keeper saved it. You know what’s coming next 🤦‍♂️

Bolton had squandered a few chances themselves with two great saves from Eddie and some dogged defending especially from Kevin Amos but their striker is pretty ruthless and difficult to defend especially when backed up against your own area and eventually he succeeded in bagging two goals in relatively quick succession.

Bury didn’t give up though and kept pressing resulting in a free kick that unfortunately went over the bar from Ian McCann.

Time was against Bury and they were unable to capitalise on their attacking chances.

Bury had six attempts on goal four of which on target, Bolton had five attempts on goal three of which on target.

Final score 

Bury 0    Bolton 2

——————————————————

Third game up against Panthers 

Substitute Kevin A

This was a quick physical game lots of running by Panthers leading to catch up running by Bury players just in case the ref didn’t blow his whistle .

The referee was on point however and Panthers quickly accumulated four offences, a combination of running and fouls. 

The resulting penalty fell to Graham but, possibly distracted by the Panthers keeper fluttering his eyelashes provocatively , Graham hit the post ( editors note.. with the ball).

It was fast turning into one of those games.

Shortly afterwards Ian McKinnon found himself in a very similar situation to his shot attempt against Corinthians ( after which Graham advised him to go for power next time) and I swear that even though I was at the other side of the pitch I could hear Graham’s voice reverberating around Ian’s head “ go for power… go for power “ and despite his better judgment sure enough Ian went for power …….and it sailed wide.

Shortly afterwards as if to cement the icing on the cake ( editor’s note… intentional use of mixed metaphors) Graham went for power…. and it sailed wide. 

Now statistically apparently power shots are more likely to beat a keeper… ……………but not today.

Panthers had a number of attempts from distance that didn’t really trouble Eddie.

Bury had five attempts on goal three of which on target Panthers had four attempts on goal three of which on target.

To be honest I can’t remember who had shots on target because playing and reporting at the same time is… challenging. So I’m going to say Keith and… Keith it shall be.

Final score 

Bury 0   Panthers 0

———————————————————

Final game up against Burnley Clarets

Substitute Ian McKinnon 

( editor’s note… what do they feed them in Burnley…..they’re all built like tanks)?!

That’s my first use of an interrobang ( look it up) so apologies if it’s not strictly correct grammatically.

What can I say about this game… well… based on Ian’s notes in my little orange book…. not very much ( editor’s note… consider yourself told off Ian 😊)

So… first things first….Bury had four attempts on goal one on target, Burnley had five attempts on goal three on target so immediately I can see that Eddie was the star of this show with an especially memorable dive pushing the shot around the post.

Did I mention how big the Burnley players are?!

It was all a bit Olivia Newton John to the point where the referee warned both sides to calm down and be less physical , he rather charitably warned us that henceforth he’d be noting offences having allowed us all to get 
away with murder for the first three minutes.

Burnley pressed hard and deep which prompted Graham to drop back further than usual, to provide an outlet for the potential break Kev B moved up front tying up one of their defenders, because he stayed quite high upfield this yielded a lot of space in the Burnley half which meant that Graham and Keith especially were able to thread the ball through to Kev B , Kev B had three attempts on goal one of which on target , half chances really with tight defending from Burnley. ( did I mention they’re quite big)?

One neat pass from Keith enabled Kev B to set up Graham who had moved forward at this point but unfortunately the shot went wide .

There were some good attacking moves from Bury ..Graham just narrowly failing to thread the ball through the eye of a needle  right at the end of the match.

Ian McCann was busy throughout as usual but forced into a more defensive role due to Burnley pressure. Kevin Amos stalwart as always in defence.

Final score

Bury 0        Burnley Clarets 0 

So two points from four matches, not brilliant, but not the whole story, Bury played well in all the games and it really could have gone the other way in the matches they lost.

But…. that’s football 🥅 ( editor’s note… this is what the nets look like… except they’re a lot smaller than this when you’re trying to score a goal).

GMWFL 2025 – Over 70’s clean sheet

Heywood 4th June 2025
On the final day before the summer break the Relics kept themselves in contention for the over 70’s league title with a clean sheet in all four games and 6 points from the days activities.
The squad of Ed, Jomo, Tex, Gerry L, Ray H, Bob D, Ken Buggie, Pete T were on top in all their games and were unlucky not to come away with maximum points.

First game was Corinthians which is always a tough game, but the Relics started well with some neat footwork from Ken on the edge of the box but his shot was saved. Ray then had a fierce shot that the keeper managed to keep out. Ken then tried his hand (well, must have been foot) again, but mishit his shot. It wasn’t all one way traffic and Corinthians had a few chances too but not much to trouble Ed. Gerry nut-megging Corinthians Denis and leaving him twisting himself into the ground trying to see where Gerry went was the highlight. Relics last attempt was a good move from Tex to Ray who’s shot was saved.
Final Score 0 – 0

Tameside were up next, another team in the mix for top spot. Relics dominated play with Gerry testing the keeper early on. Pete & JoMo then had a neat interchange of passing with JoMo’s shot saved. JoMo had his shooting boots on but frustratingly couldn’t beat the keeper with a string of shots. A good defensive display meant that Ed didn’t really have much to do. Final Score 0 – 0

Rochdale were struggling and the Relics were hopeful of three points from this game. Relics started strong with a fierce shot from JoMo that was headed for the top right hand corner but the keeper managed to save it with his left elbow! Komodo was then denied again. Ray then hit a tremendous right foot shot (a beauty for a left footed player) from the left touchline which rattled the far post, which is probably still shaking! Relics didn’t manage to get the ball in the net though. Final Score 0 – 0

Final game of the day was Winstanley who started the day top of the table, 1 point in front of the Relics and a 1 goal advantage on goal difference. It was going to be tough. relics started with a flyer, a free kick was touched to Gerry who smashed the ball low into the net, a great goal. Relics were keeping the ball well, and another chance fell to bob after a run down the right from Tex, a great pass to Bob, who’s first time shot was saved. Another free kick was touched by Ken to Gerry who smashed another shot that the keeper managed to keep out. A great display by the Relics, saving the best for last. Final Score Relics 1 – Winstanley 0

Over 75s Still On Top

Report for over 75s league fixtures on the 28th of May 2025.
Lately, the reporting has been of supreme quality, with a heavy dose of jokes. So, since I was thinking to myself about a joke I made up, I may as well post it here; of course it’s awesome.

What brand of sausages do bricklayers like the most? Walls.

On the day, it was perfect conditions for playing football; no rain, no wind and not too hot a sunshine, so it set the scene for some high-quality football. While the league gave a small speech, a few of the Relics staff had a game of side-foot bowls, where a football is carefully kicked at distance, with the aim of getting it to stop right on the goal-line. Not easy and nobody managed it.

The squad on the day consisted: Eddy (GK, C), Bob D, Dave M, Jomo, Keiren, Kevin L and Sir Pat*. Manger was Foghorn Mckinnon, backed up with Keith S and Ken Bug. Supporters included Keith B, Dr. John and others.

* Pat moved on a Bosman free loan transfer to the Invincibles mid-game.

A good and thorough team talk was given by Ian before the first game versus the Invincibles.

Bury Relics vs. The Invincibles
I was expecting this team to be wearing red suits and masks, as in the cartoon, but I since realized that’s the Incredibles. However, as it turned out, the team could only turn out 5 players. Bury Relics and/or the league were very sporting and we also put out a team of 5 players to match. Ergo, the starting line-up for the Relics was Eddy, Bob, Kevin, Jomo and Keiren. The Relics began well, dominating possession and having several shots. In response, the Invincibles hit a long-range toe-bung that just fizzed past the outside of Eddy’s post. Then a good chance to Relics, as Bob bombed down the right-wing to centre to Keiren, he laid it off to Jomo, who had time and space to measure a shot. Unfortunately, it just went wide of the post. Another chance sees Bob coming up from the back again, receiving the ball from Jomo. Bob hits a hard toe-bung that clears the bar, but it had plenty of power on the shot. Again, Relics are getting shots away, this time Kevin, but with the same result of going past the post. Then a series of corners to the Invincibles, includes a toe-bung shot that Eddy does well to save. Relics then reply with a move down the left with Jomo passing to Kevin, who has to lunge into the shot that takes him into the area. No goal but that was a close one.

Second half; Dave M comes on for Kevin, and Relics carry on where they left off, by attacking. Jomo shows great skills to make some space and passes to Bob, who shoots just wide. Then the Invincibles reply with some powerful shots, which are both blocked bravely by Bob. Then Jomo is at it again, using great skill to get past 2 defenders and have a clear path to goal, he strikes but the keeper saves it. Then, an unlucky quirk of fate for the Invincibles, sees their #4 pull a muscle, he’s limping around, holding his Glutenous maximus muscle. As a consequence, Sir Pat the Cat, volunteers to play for the Invincibles, who turns out to be their lucky talisman on the day. I was asking what the transfer fee was at the time, but apparently, he moved freely on a Bosman. Then, tremendous 11-aside play; Jomo receives the ball on the edge of the area and muscles the defender away from the ball. He then used precision to guide his shot into the goal, via the inside of the post, to make it 1-0 to the Relics. A great goal but it looked like a walking football contact foul to me, but players closer to the action assured me it wasn’t. Happy days in any case, the Relics were ahead and managed the game well for the remaining 5 minutes to win 1-0.   
Result Bury Relics 1 – 0 The Invincibles

Bury Relics vs. Rochdale AFC Strollers
Next up were Rochdale, who have 2 or 3 dangerous players, most notably their #7 striker. Bob is given the job of marking him when they are in possession. The Relics have their first meaningful attack with a nice lay off from Keiren, setting up Jomo for a shot that goes just wide. Then the ball is down the other end, with their #7 hitting some shots. Then the #7 manages to get free of his marker, and takes a powerful shot, which Eddy saves, but the ball comes back to him and luckily, he puts the rebound wide. Dave is faced by another player who dips his shoulder to make space, and it’s a good shot but just wide. Then Bob makes a tremendous tackle by intercepting the ball just before it reached their striker. Rochdale just edge the first half on shots but it’s an even game, with great defending from the Relics and good saves from Eddy.

Nearly a great goal at the start of the second half. What a great shot by Kevin, who is upfront and gets a pass at pace, along the ground. He waits for the ball to pass him and swivels quickly to shoot first time; oooh, just past the post. Then he is put in space by Keiren, but Kevin’s shot is just too high. The Relics have started very brightly and are well on top at the beginning of the second half. However, Rochdale break away, with #7 finding a bit of space. He shoots high and Eddy is able to save it out for a corner. Then it’s 2 chances in quick succession for the Relics: first it’s a turn and shot from Kevin, who showed high quality to spin on a sixpence and shoot, then it’s a great move. Brilliant chance for Relics on the left-hand side; Bob finds Jomo in space, the Rochdale defence try to get back but Jomo has time to shoot, but it just goes wide. More shots from Relics means the second half has turned into the Alamo on Rochdale’s goal. Bob and Jomo link up yet again but this time Jomo is adjudged to have run (just 2 steps) before shooting. The game continued with more shots from the Relics until the final whistle. The second half was very exciting and Relics deserved a goal. Overall, a great game.
Result Bury Relics 0 – 0 Rochdale AFC Strollers

Bury Relics vs. Tameside Striders
This game started off quite even with the ball going from end to end. However, out of the blue, there is a bit of an argy bargy. Jomo pushes an opponent to the ground. Fans and staff, at the side, grimaced and were fearing the worst, of a carded punishment for Jomo. It was not clear what the problem was that lead to this but clearly Jomo was not happy with something the opponent had done. Very luckily, the Ref just gave a foul and free-kick, which was probably the right outcome. The game continues and Jomo makes a good interception and moves forward, this time his shot is wide.

Bury Relics score a goal out of the blue, through Kevin. The ball is knocked up to him, and his control marginally lets him down, so that the ball is just out of his reach. At the exact same time, a loud whistle beeps and that kind of stuns players on the pitch and myself on the sideline. Time stopped, the birds stop singing and the clouds stopped moving in front of the sun. But Kevin stuck out a telescopic leg to toe-poke past their keeper, who didn’t attempt to save it. It all happened so fast and credit to Kevin for carrying on. He probably would have scored anyway but the whistle definitely stunned the Tameside keeper and his defence. It turned out the whistle came from the other game. Relics go into the half time break 1-0 up.

The instructions for the second half were not to go too kung ho after another goal; play the ball sensibly and manage the game. The entire team took notice of this and were moving into space to wait for a pass. Dave M was particularly good at taking up positions that had him free of any markers, so he was an easy pass for the Relics.

Comedy moment for the day was a kick-in taken by a Thameside player. He tried to curl it down the wing, with the arc of the curl keeping the ball off the pitch, until the last minute, presumably. One of the spectators calmly stopped the ball halfway up the pitch (the ball still hadn’t entered the pitch), who was surprised when the Thameside player remonstrated with him for not leaving it 😊. It was an interesting tactic to bypass the pitch until the last moment.

Foghorn Ian was really shouting instructions at his players now, “Kev, go and help them, go and help them!” and “No Fouls!”. This must have worked as they closed out the game without giving any sniff of a goal to Tameside. It turned out an excellent result of a 1-0 win, which should keep Bury Relics on top of the league.
Result Bury Relics 1 – 0 Tameside Striders

The entire team played really well, as you can say something good about each players performance. Eddy dealt well with all he had to face, Bob and Dave defended resolutely, with Dave using his pitch IQ to take up really clever positions. Bomber Bob, kept bombing forward and linking up with Jomo, so was an attacking threat without sacrificing his duty of defending. Jomo was on fire, and was everywhere; on another day, he could have scored 5 goals. Best piece of skill on the day goes to Kevin. He received the ball in midfield while closely marked against Tameside, but he completely loses his marker by dragging the ball back and flicking behind, very like a Cruff turn. Sensational! Keiren was colossal up front, been the outlet for many of Relics attacks, as well as having a few shots himself. Pat was awesome; firstly, he was very kind to help out the Invincibles, who had gone down to 4 men, so that really helped them out. But he helped them so much that they ended up winning their other 2 games. That helped the Relics move clear of Tameside but meant the Invincibles were now in second place. Ian did a good job dishing out instructions, particularly for the Tameside second half, where the team took note and finished the game off comfortably. As a fan on the side, it was a very enjoyable watch of some good football. Tremendously well-done Relics, who are now 3 points clear at the top of the league.
Report and Photos by Dr. John.

Photos

Over 65s Give It Their All

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

First up were Winstanley with Keith S and Alan starting on the bench. We dominated possession throughout with Keith G having no notable saves to make as Shev shackled their tall, dangerous centre forward. We had 5 good shots, 4 from Graham and 1 from Dave but all of them were just past the post and similarly their keeper had no notable saves to make. Kev, Dave, JoMo and Graham played good football to create the chances but we couldn’t make the breakthrough. A frustrating 0-0 draw.

Next up were Panthers with Shev and JoMo starting on the bench. We started well with Graham neatly laying off for Alan to hit a good shot into the side netting. Panthers replied quickly though and a great shot from them forced Keith into a good save which he caught cleanly. The game settled into a midfield stalemate with the difference being that Panthers rapidly got on the 3 fouls mark. The 4th foul was a long time coming after numerous close calls but eventually it did to give us a chance from the spot. Graham stepped up bravely after a recent miss in the 60s and placed it nicely to the left of the keeper (pictured above). A well taken 1-0 victory.

Our middle game was against Blackpool with Graham and Dave on the bench. After 2 solid performances we began to unravel on a roasting warm day as our players started doing very uncharacteristic things. First off, we left a Tangerine with total freedom in our half, he received the ball and struck a rasper towards the top left hand corner which Keith hurled himself at, John Martin-like, to turn one handed over the bar. Then a nice passing move between JoMo and Alan set Keith S up in a good position, normally he would look to pass it on but this time he hit a great shot which their keeper did well to keep out. The third incident was one of those double whammys when we again left their forward totally free in our half but as the ball was played up to him, all on his lonesome, he moved too quickly whilst taking his shot to notch up their 3rdfoul rather than first goal. It wasn’t long before they ran again and JoMo stepped up for the penalty. He chose to hit it hard and straight but the keeper stayed upright and batted it away. At this point we were on 1 foul and Ken stated straight after the save “we all know what is coming next, we will gift them a penalty and they’ll score it”. In double quick time he was proved right and the next time the EuroMillions tops £200m I am asking him for the numbers. As soon as Blackpool scored they went into full lead preservation mode and Kev self subbed himself to get Graham on to add to our firepower but to no avail as a late shot from Dave flashed past the post. A very frustrating 1-0 loss.

Our fourth game was against Wakefield with Kev and Alan on the bench. The Yorkshire outfit were always a top team but the addition of dynamic No. 9, Tony Breslin, to their ranks for this season has put them out of sight at the top of the league. They piled forward from the off with Shev putting in a great shift to limit Tony’s chances as they got the ball up to him time after time. Keith G was also working overtime in goal and this game really proved his worth as an addition to the Relics goalkeeping ranks with some outstanding stops to keep us in it. They then scored a brilliant goal when Tony threaded a beautiful pass just a toe’s width in front of the covering Keith S for the long striding Kim to smash first time across Keith G into the net. Sometimes you have just got to hold your hands up and say WOW. Right from the restart, JoMo pulled up and with his injury history Ken whipped him off faster than a Buck’s Fizz skirt to be replaced by Kevin. They kept pushing for the second goal but everyone defended manfully and eventually we got some respite with a couple of breaks forward, the second of which saw a good shot on target from Dave after a lovely pass from Graham. Wakefield could see us clawing our way back and hit back immediately with their second goal, a trademark goal from Tony at the edge of the D, quick feet, pivot, fierce shot with no backlift which flew in off Keith G’s outstretched hand. Some teams would have thrown the towel in at this point but not this resilient Relics outfit as we threw everything we had left at them and admirably won a DOGSO. Graham drilled the penalty home but the Blue card was of no help to us as the ref blew for time immediately on the restart! Is there a case for the extra 4 minutes to be added so that the punishment can be served in full? An exhausting 2-1 loss.

The final game was against Corinthians with no subs available with JoMo injured and Dave having to return to work. This was a game too far for us after 4 tough games in blistering heat and we looked weary, both physically and mentally, from the off. One mistake at the beginning cost us, Keith G threw it out, a piece of miscontrol was pounced upon and the ball hit straight back into our net. After that there was nothing in the game as two too tired teams went through the age old motions of the team 1-0 up holding onto the ball and wasting time whilst the team 1-0 down huffs and puffs trying not to give 4 fouls away as they chase the ball. A yawn inducing 1-0 loss.

An important day as we continue to learn lessons from the new formats and age groups introduced in 2025. Everything is changing but the one constant is the fantastic effort that the players are giving in difficult circumstances.

Stripes hit form

8th of May 2025 over 60’s Stripes playing at Heywood 

Manager  Ken ( don’t blame it on the sunshine, don’t blame it on the moonlight , don’t blame it on the good time , blame it on the) Buggie

Squad:

Mike Bartram  (C)
Keith Gillespie (GK)
Andy Richardson
Steve Hassall
Ken Bond
Iain Dawson
Nev Kitchen 
Will Scott
Mark Evans

Will Ken survive if his team don’t perform? Is the Board behind him ?
Will the fans kick off? Will he be walking tall at Friday’s session?

Pre-match thoughts from the totally unbiased match reporter…

“ it’ll be great you’re going to play fantastic football “

An overcast day neither too hot nor too cold , a slight breeze.
Perfect conditions for football.

First match up against Salcom

Substitutes: Nev, Mike, Ken

This started off pretty even with lots of back and forth and neither team seeming to dominate, looked to be settling into a cat and mouse game but then after about 5 minutes Andy collected the ball from Will who had managed to get it upfield tight to the left hand line, from what looked at first like an unpromising position Andy somehow managed to weave the ball slightly more central against a tight marking defender and unleashed a beautiful shot that gave the keeper no chance… one nil and you could feel a surge of positivity ripple through the adoring fans on the sideline.

Andy decided against a knee-slide celebration and just gave us all a big grin instead. 

Great goal.

It was almost two nil shortly after when Andy placed an inch perfect pass to Mark from the left hand side as Mark moved in on the right and Mark let loose a tremendous strike which thundered against the post.

Ste also had a good effort saved when he struck from distance with power and accuracy.

However the momentum of the game shifted considerably with Salcom dominating possession and what felt like a bit of panic seeping in to Bury’s players, poor marking leading to lots of shots having to be dealt with by Keith in nets, Mark made a great block towards the end on the edge of the area, it nearly all unravelled when a great save from Keith resulted in a rebound falling at the feet of a Salcom player who just needed to tap it in but he swung wildly at it and it spiralled off into the distance much to the relief of Bury players and staff alike.

At the other end of the pitch shortly after Will performed some beautiful footwork to create space for himself resulting in a good shot on goal well saved by their keeper.

Thankfully the referee blew the final whistle as that was as much excitement as we could cope with so early on plus I was running out of space to write it all down. 

A great start , good win 

Bury 1   Salcom 0

I told them to tone it down in the next game as I was running out of paper.

Both teams had seven attempts on goal.
Bury had 3 on target Salcom had 5 on target. Good match.

———————————————————-

Second match against Ribble Valley

Substitutes: Ste, Iain, Will

This was a tough game, the stats speak volumes …

Bury had 4 attempts 3 on target 
Ribble Valley had 11 attempts 6 on target .

Both Andy and Mark had good shots on target saved well by the opposition keeper, Mike and Nev played well in midfield and Ken was stalwart in defence but as the game progressed Ribble just kept piling the pressure on.

Keith made several great saves but Bury just couldn’t break past the press and eventually Ribble scored from a corner and could have had two but for the post. 

Right at the death Bury had a breakaway chance with Andy supplying Mike in a good position but he got closed down before he could convert and then the whistle went.

Very difficult game against strong opponents.

Bury 0   Ribble Valley  1

——————————————————-

Third match up against Bolton 
Substitutes: Mike, Mark, Andy

Even with one of their best players on the bench Bolton had a formidable team on the pitch and an ex Man City player as a manager, this was looking ominous.

To get a true sense of how this game went I’ll start with the stats.
Bolton had 12 attempts on goal 9 of which were on target.

Bury decided to give Bolton’s keeper a rest with 0 attempts on goal.

Bury were under pressure right from the off, unable to break through in any significant way. Bolton marked each man so closely you couldn’t get a fag paper between them and their opposite number .

Unfortunately Bury made it easier for Bolton by opting to play musical statues and since no music was playing nobody budged, (not entirely fair but an overall impression over the length of the game) , this of course made it very difficult to progress the ball upfield. 

Will and Iain did their best in midfield and Ste and Ken were very busy in defence and Neville did his best to keep up with a long legged opponent  but the entire game belonged to Keith Gillespie in nets.

The game could almost be described as a penalty shootout …from a goalkeeper’s dream… shot after shot after shot from all angles and if you can imagine a penalty shootout where the keeper saves 9 out of 12 with the other 3 wide or high… that’s what it felt like .

Unbelievable display ….but then…towards the end a deflected clearance rebounded back to the goal at pace….Ken Buggie averted his gaze ..heart in mouth…everything froze …but Keith dealt with it as if nothing had happened..so really it was 10 saves he made.

Meanwhile at the other end of the pitch Graham ( Bolton’s keeper) was reading “ 101 things to do to stop yourself getting bored in a football match. “

The referee was good and fairly lenient towards Bury as a couple of times people wandered into the area but he deemed it not to be affecting play based on the position of the ball at the time… a bit of a let off but to be fair those lines are barely visible in the heat of a game.

What can I say 
Man of the Match 
Keith Gillespie

( my words don’t do it justice.. magnificent display)

Bury 0   Bolton  0

With two difficult games one after the other  Ken Buggie is wondering at this point whether he should accept the offer from Barcelona.

(Board members were spotted looking at his current contract )
——————————————————

Fourth match against Rochdale Strollers.

Substitutes: Nev, Will , Mike

Both teams wearing blue of a similar shade, there was some discussion about wearing bibs which was decided against 🤦‍♂️ perhaps influenced by a statement by a Rochdale player “ we never pass to each other anyway so it doesn’t matter “ .

This may go some way to explaining a bit of confusion early doors when a Rochdale player called Howard ,( who I had noticed in an earlier game was a bit handy with his feet if you see what I mean ) , blustered and bundled his way from the half way line straight down the middle splitting the defence and slotting a well placed shot past a potentially weary Keith still recovering from the previous game. 

One nil to Rochdale. Not a good start.

Rochdale had two other clear chances which they fluffed fortunately for Bury, but then… then… a little bit of magic was sprinkled on the sad …increasingly worn ..plastic pitch .

Andy received the ball on the right wing deep in his own half , he looked up briefly and without hesitation stroked the ball beautifully upfield… as it flew down the line past Ken ( Boogie Nights) Buggie , Ken was heard to say “ beautiful pass” and so it was… landing at the feet of Ken Bond on the edge of the box as if delivered by Royal Mail , without hesitation Ken caressed the ball past the keeper and into the opposite left hand corner… what a goal.

The crowd went wild and the momentum shifted to Bury but it wasn’t all going their way and Ste still had some serious defensive work to do at the back but inspired by the goal the movement up front started opening up spaces and Andy got ready to exploit the disarray settling into Rochdale’s play .

Andy received the ball on the right wing again but this time a little further upfield into Rochdale’s half  , a gap opened enabling him to thread the ball diagonally through to ….oh my days😮😱….it’s Thierry Henry … the unmistakable long legs ( albeit slightly paler than I remember) the characteristic shift of the body position …to enable a classic one touch finish ..pushing the ball across the front of the keeper from the left to bury it in the right corner… no wait …it’s that Ken Bond again… another classic goal even better than the first… grown men started weeping ..women fainted… what a turnaround.

Other stuff happened …but it was all irrelevant .

I could give you the shot stats… but who cares?

Bury won

Bury 2  Rochdale Strollers 1
( Board members are seen hastily scribbling a new contract for Ken Buggie on the back of fag papers salvaged from the Bolton game)
—————————————————

Final match against Moston Brook

Substitutes: Andy, Mark, Ste

In an unexpected move Ken ( boogey woogie ) Buggie decides to put Thierry Henry in defence… sorry Ken Bond I mean.

Against a difficult team like Moston Thie….. (ahem ) Ken’s defensive skills were much needed, Nev went up front and marvelled later that “ there’s so much space up there “ .

Moston dominated possession but didn’t have it all their own way and Nev (spaceman ) Kitchen managed to lay off a couple of beautiful passes to Mike, one shot went wide and the other was well saved by their keeper.

Everyone was stalwart in defence but Ken ended up crashing to the ground entangled with the other teams biggest player , this player left the game shortly afterwards muttering “ how am I supposed to play against Thierry bloody Henry the man’s a machine “

Ken ended up on the floor again shortly afterwards when Keith decided to smash the ball into Ken’s face ( fair enough.. don’t want him getting too cocky) Ken’s female fans screamed “ no … not the face” but he was fine… dazed but unmarked.

The ball ended up at the other end of the field eventually Ken pushed up to half way then spotted perhaps a wayward or perhaps an intentional pass that fell into space in the middle of the pitch, he launched forward and shot a daisy cutter to the bottom right corner that somehow the keeper managed to save.

Ken Buggie was perhaps relieved that he’d missed , being conscious of the fact that there was only one defibrillator available to deal with fans collapsing with excitement if he’d scored.

Moston enjoying a lot of possession resulted in them having 7 shots 4 of which on target,  Keith dealing with them with relative ease.

Bury had 3 shots , 2 on target, Moston came close at the end of the match but were foiled by a timely block from Mike.

A good draw

Bury 0   Moston Brook  0

A hard fought for but deserved 8 points.

A roller coaster of a day, some classic moments to take away from some very difficult games.

Ken Buggie has a new contract, Ken Bond has a new fan club , Nev Kitchen has a new space to explore, Keith Gillespie has a new statue being built and the Stripes have a renewed sense of purpose and belief.

All is right with the world and with that I bid you goodnight and a safe journey home , and may your god go with you as Dave Allen used to say.