Bury Relics

70s Edge It!

7th May 2025 Over 70’s at Heywood
Manager Keith Swain
Assistant manager Pat Fitzgerald
Pre match thoughts ….

John Morris “ make sure you spell my name right “

Squad:
Joon Mooris ( C )
Eddy Ford ( GK )
John Wardle
Gerry Luczka
Terence O’ Rourke
Bob Daniels
Graham Walton ( promoted from youth squad)

A fine beautiful sunny day with a promise of fine beautiful football from a squad boasting both experience and youth with the notable promotion of Graham from his Academy position in the 60’s and 65’s to the Senior division.

First game up was against Corinthians
Substitute Gerry

Bury started well with good passing and movement especially between John W and Graham who linked up well but Corinthians came back into it and started pressing more as the game went on.

Corinthians had more opportunities on goal with 7 attempts in total 3 of them on target.

Bury had 5 attempts on goal but only one on target a good effort from Graham from a tight angle producing a good reaction save from their keeper.

This match saw quite a lot of shall we say “ fast walking “ or running as it used to be called . First match tends to be on the quick side but this was pushing the boundaries, at one point Ed rolled the ball out and a Corinthian flew through the air like a ballerina to intercept and take a shot on goal which Ed dealt with superbly.

(Predictive text keeps changing Ed to Edge so if I forget to alter it just remember it’s Ed not the guitarist from U2 who was playing)

No goals in this game, a creditable draw considering Bury didn’t really gel and Corinthians pressed well.
Ed on good form both in goals and guitar.

Bury 0 Corinthians 0
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Second game up against Tameside Striders Blues ( who wear a yellow strip🤦‍♂️)
Substitute John W

Looking at the stats Bury should’ve walked this game ( intentional pun)
Bury had 6 shots 5 of them on target whereas Tameside had 4 shots with only 1 on target.
But football ain’t that simple.
Bury eventually dominated with good shots from John M and Gerry on target but they started poorly with wayward passing and poor marking and just couldn’t seem to string a move together.

Tameside took advantage of a mixup at the back and forced Ed into a great save which rebounded back to the kicker , Ed tried his best to get to the ball before it left the area which left him out of position, the original kicker then passed it to an unmarked player on his left who had a simple tap in despite an heroic effort by Ed to get back to block it.

Suddenly the game was running away from Bury but they then decided ( telepathically) to turn it on its head….The spirit of Maradona descended and settled into their loins giving them a freedom to pass and move , caressing the ball round the pitch with precision, moving off the ball, talking to each other… this culminating after a seven pass move with a superb goal first touch shot from ( checks notes) Joon Mooris. No wait Jon Marris, Jane Morish… no… John Morris.

Great team goal and Bury really should’ve won… but they didn’t

Bury 1 Tameside 1

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Third game against Rochdale Strollers
Substitute Tex

Maradona decided to sit this one out .

Strange game this… Bury seemed to dominate despite playing poorly, poor passing poor movement yet somehow they managed to stop Rochdale from even having a single shot, quite chaotic at times, nevertheless Bury had 5 shots two of which were on target but the game was decided by one of those weird footballing moments .. a relatively weak shot from Graham hits the keeper bobbles over him and with backspin trickles and I do mean trickles in slow motion into the far corner, unfortunate for the keeper who later made a great save.

Bury 1 Rochdale Strollers 0

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Fourth and final game against Winstanley Walkers.
Substitute Bob

Maradona came back off his break and possessed the entire team again for this final match.

Superb game

Bury had 7 shots 4 of which on target compared to Winstanley who had 3 shots 2 of which on target.

Again superb passing and movement pretty much throughout the game, Bury dominated but Winstanley had a couple of chances one from dead centre close range that somehow that guitarist from U2 managed to save.

Great defending from Tex led to a breakaway with the ball ending up at Jane Morrisey’s feet who passed it superbly from far on the right over to Graham on the left who buried it first time .. great goal.

John W had a great effort saved later on .
But for a valiant display by Winstanley’s keeper this could have been 4 nil , Graham had a couple of great efforts saved early on too.

A very very good display to finish off the day

Bury 1 Winstanley Walkers 0

All in all a thoroughly deserved 8 points.

Special mention for Bob who was as consistent and reliable as ever, Bob does a lot of the unglamorous things that can easily go unnoticed but without which the team would fall apart, tracking players off the ball, closing down attacking players, blocking shots , passing under pressure. Well played Bob.

NB
A photo (above) has been brought to my attention of the last match against Winstanley which seems to show Gerry tackling John W on the edge of our box … I can only assume that not only was the spirit of Maradona present but also the spirit of George Best when he decided to tackle Rodney Marsh despite them being teammates at the time.😂

Editors note

Apparently there are a few spelling mistakes specifically around the spelling of the name of John Morris .

I can’t imagine how this happened but do wholeheartedly apologise to Jane and it won’t happen again… this month.

Over 75s having a ball

Bury Relics Over 75’s went into their second set of fixtures of the Greater Manchester Division 1 Walking Football Spring 2025 league campaign with a squad of Eddy (GK), Dave, Bob, JoMo, plus the Salcom trio of Billy, Joe and Kev. Ian McKinnon was Manager with supporters Pat, Kieran, Ken, Frank, Kodak Keith and Ken Bond enjoying the Heywood sunshine.

First up were Invincibles with Dave on the bench. We started the game well and looked in control but weren’t getting the shots in that our possession warranted. The 5 minute half time break saw Dave replace Bob for the restart. The Invincibles management team made a couple of tactical changes and they were a completely different proposition in the second half. The game was evenly balanced but, unfortunately, our propensity for trying to force the play resulted in 4 fouls and a penalty which was clinically dispatched for an unlucky 1-0 loss.

Next up were Rochdale with Kev on the bench. They had a great 3 – 0 win in their first match and had a very strong squad on show so we definitely went into this as underdogs on our earlier second half showing. Both teams began strongly but the defining moment was a brilliant curling left footed shot JoMo hit from the right hand touchline which went in off the inside of the far post after 5 minutes. We relaxed and knocked the ball around well for the rest of the half. Kev came on for Joe at half time. This time we did not let our standard slip in the second half but instead we actually raised it with some wonderful stuff being played. Rochdale were trying hard to get a foothold but we just didn’t let up. JoMo’s second goal came from a defensive mix up which presented him with a loose ball 8 metres out, he hit it on the half turn into the top corner of the net with the goalie completely caught out by such quick thinking. We saw the game out with long passing moves with the ref eventually blowing for time at the end of a 15 pass move. A tremendous 2 – 0 victory.

Last up were Tameside with Kev again starting on the bench. We continued where we left off from the previous match stroking the ball around forcing their goalie into several excellent saves. Eventually, the culmination of one of these moves saw Billy hit a fierce strike from 15 yards out which dipped just before their keeper and squirmed under his diving body for a 1 – 0 lead. At half-time Kev came on for Billy. We were looking just as good playing the ball around at the start of the second half until we lost our bearings and entered our box to concede a penalty. This was expertly taken to leave Eddy no chance. After such a shock we could have caved in mentally but we resumed from the kick off in the same pass and move manner and with 2 minutes left it paid off when a great piece of interplay put Kev in space just outside the box. He lashed a rising shot and despite a valiant effort from the Striders custodian it nestled into the opposite top corner of the net (pictured above). An immediate tactical substitution was made to sacrifice Joe, our impressive centre forward, and bring on Billy to play 3 at the back and 2 in midfield, to hold onto a lead that we had worked so hard to get back. Fortunately, this worked out well as we saw out the last couple of minutes to win 2 – 1.

Overall, an unusual day in which we scored 4 left footed goals from open play in only 3 games whilst conceding 2 extremely soft penalties. The quality of our football deserved the six points gained and they took us to equal top of the table with Tameside on 10 points. It is extremely tight though with Invincibles on 8 and Rochdale on 6 so all 4 teams have everything to play for next month.

GMWFL Over 65’s – Tight at the top.

17th April 2025
Another day of sunshine football at Haywood as the Relics entered the second game day of the 2025 season. Relics were looking for a bigger points haul than the six from day 1.

Bolton
An even game which Bolton started and finished well. From the start Bolton were on top with their first shot hitting the Relics crossbar. Keith G in the Relics goal was tested again soon after but he was down quick to save with his feet. Relics had warmed up now and. matched Bolton for possession, although play was mainly around midfield. Ian McC and Alan B had a couple of half chances but didn’t really test the keeper. Ian McC had the Bolton keeper on the floor, but he managed to stretch and save Ian’s chip shot. Bolton scored late in the game with a strong shot from centre field just outside the area. The power of the shot and coming through a sea of legs gave Keith G no chance.
Final score Relics 0 Bolton 1

Preston
Although another mid field game the Relics turned possession into more shots and chances. A shot from Graham W. Was saved for a corner by the Preston keeper. Dave L had his shot parried out to Ian McC’s shot was parried out to GW whose shot was saved. GW had another shot saved. Dave L put the Relics ahead near the end of the game with a snatched shot after a great save from the Preston keeper.
Final score Relics 1 Preston 0

Rochdale
Another “midfield” type of game with an even number of shots from both teams but none really troubling the keepers. A good defensive display from Kev A and Pete Shev once again resulted in Keith G in the Relics net with nor much to deal with.
Final score Relics 0 Rochdale 0

Corinthians
A super dominant display by the Relics against Corinthians. Possession and shots all dominated by the Relics. My shot count was 13 for the Relics with just one for Corinthians. The Relics winner coming late on in the game, began with a cross field pass from Dave L to GW his superbly placed shot in the bottom left hand corner gave the keeper no chance and gave the Relics the win they so much deserved.
final score Relics 1 Corinthians 0.
A good way to end the day. Seven points from a possible 12 put the Relics into a tight placed second spot in the table on 13 points with Preston and Winstanley.

Well done to the players on the day. Some great individual performances from. Keith G (gk), Graham W, Kev A, Ian McC, Ian McK, Keith S, Dave L, Alan B, Pete Shev

GMWFL 2025 – Good day for over 60’s Whites

Another beautiful day welcomed the Relics over 60’s (whites) to Heywood Sports Village for the second match day of the 2025 season. Four games today for the team made up of Ed (GK), Pete Shevlin, Kev Bates, Ian McC, Ian McK, Graeme W, Alan Blackely, Keith S.

A tough start today against Corinthians as always, but the Relics were ready for the task. The game was mainly each team keeping possession of the ball for as long as possible. Corinthians tested Ed with a couple of shots, but Ed kept them out. Relics responded with a shot from Graham W which was deflected out for a corner. Nothing much else between the teams. A solid performance from the Relics and a final score of 0 – 0

The next game against Bolton was another tough game. Bolton had the most of the pressure and chances. A scramble on the edge of the Relics are was cleared. Then a dribble to the edge of the Relics area, and a left foot shot gave Bolton the lead. Bolton 1 – Relics 0. Further good pressure from Bolton produced two good saves from Ed. Relics responded and had two good attempts one just over, and one just wide. Final score Bolton 1 – Relics 0.

Up next were the Panthers, with Relics having the majority of possession. Ian McK shot wide, Kev had a couple of efforts one saved, and a miss. Kick wide. The pressure on the Panthers was starting to ruffle the fur and resulted in a four-foul penalty for the Relics which Graham W put away. Relics 1 – Panthers 0. Relics continued to dominate but couldn’t add to the score. Kev said after the game that he missed two sitters but I missed them too so I didn’t mention them. After all it’s the three points that count. Relics 1 – Panthers 0

Relic’s got off to a great start against Burnley with both Ian’s McC and McK having great efforts. Both Ian’s combined well formthenRelics goal with McC to McK who’s shot was parried out to Graham W on the right hand side of the box from a. Very tight angle slotted the ball between the keeper and the post for a spectacular goal. Relics 1 – 0. Ian McC had a shot saved by the keeper’s foot after a nutmeg pass from Ian McK.
Final score Relics 1 Burnley 0.

Seven points on the day for the Relics and good performances along the way too. Well played to all the players.

GMWFL 2025 – Nev scores on a good day for the Stripes

10th April 2025

Bury Relics Stripes O 60’s
Squad:-

Mike Bartram ( C )
Keith Gillespie ( GK )
Nev Kitchen
Steve Hassall
Mark Thomas
Iain Dawson
Steve Murphey
Andy Richardson
Ken Bond
Pat Fitzgerald ( stand in manager )

I asked for pre-match thoughts
Keiran…” we’ve got a strong squad “
Pat….” It’s a beautiful sunny day”

Concise and accurate statements… we’re off to a great start.

First game was against Clarets Casuals.

Substitutes:Ken, Nev, Steve M.

It was indeed a beautiful sunny day

I must admit I was pleasantly surprised by this opening game.

The Stripes played some beautiful football , moving the ball around with ease , some lovely accurate passing and movement off the ball ( crucial to any decent team) .

There were lots of shots… in the general direction of the oppositions goals from Mike ,Andy , Ian and Mark .

Mark probably had the best effort forcing a save from the keeper, in fact there were so many shots it was hard to keep up, the general consensus was three on target.

Bury should have won this game, the Clarets were hardly in it but the shots were for the most part lacking in accuracy and power.

A great shame as the build up play was lovely I think perhaps benefitting from Mike playing a more central position than usual.

A good start but a disappointing scoreline

Bury 0 Clarets Casuals 0

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Second game up was against
Preston North End Whites Seniors

Substitutes: Steve H, Iain, Andy.

Preston are a decent team with some very strong players but this in no way fazed the Stripes.

This was a proper end to end game and great to watch ( which makes it kind of hard to take notes for fear of missing something 😊 that’s my excuses out of the way)

Again, lots of good passing and off the ball movement, not sure I’ve seen the Stripes play this well except perhaps in the last sessions of last season, again benefitting from Mike playing more centrally.

This was a hard fought game, both sides having at least three corners each , very difficult going up and down the pitch in warm weather and sweaty brows were the order of the day, I’m sure other bits were sweating but…. let’s not go there…Ste Murphey ( I’m going off the spelling I was given of your name Ste hope it’s right)😊 had two great powerful shots on target, in reply Preston forced Keith into making three great saves .

The only downside ( apart from not winning) to this game was that Bury got caught in transition a few times and on another day might’ve conceded a few.

A case in point being a free kick mix-up by Bury on the edge of the opposition area ( an easy to make mix-up which I’ve seen happen a few times at these sessions) where Mike back-heeled to Ste M but he’d just moved his position and the ball went loose, as is often the case a team is at its most vulnerable when everyone is up front attacking and not paying attention to what’s happening behind them, Preston were able to easily thread a ball through to their front man who really should have scored but Bury got let off the hook fortunately as it wouldn’t have been a fair reflection of this evenly balanced game.

A very good match

Bury 0 Preston North End 0
NB :
Pat pointed out that Bury had more shots in the last two games than in the last two entire sessions .
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Third match was against Wakefield

Substitutes : Nev, Ken, Mike

There was a long delay before this match which perhaps didn’t help but Wakefield are a very strong team and this would prove to be the hardest game of the day.

The first decent chance fell to Andy and on any other day this would have been in the back of the net but nothing is certain in football and his attempt didn’t succeed.

After that it became a pretty one-sided game with Wakefield dominating possession.

Keith was forced into a good reaction save which he probably didn’t see till the very last second and he pushed it over the bar.

In response Mark had a decent shot on target saved. The pressure just intensified though and Bury gave away a free-kick on the edge of the box, Wakefield forced Keith into another great save.

For the most part of this game Ste H had managed to contain their very dangerous striker forcing him wide and blocking him but eventually with a little help from the dark arts the striker managed to break free and probably broke a couple of Ste’s toes too.

The Wakefield striker backed into Ste a couple of times and as any defender knows when you’re up against the penalty area you’re between a rock and a hard place , with nowhere to go Ste stood his ground and the striker stood on Ste , as Ste bent over in obvious pain the striker pulled away and turned and scored. The referee gave the goal despite the multiple infringements by the striker and unfortunately Bury suffered their first defeat of the day.

Bury 0 Wakefield 1

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Fourth match against Rochdale Striders

Substitutes: Ste M, Andy, Mark

Cometh the hour cometh the man.

Being in the right place at the right time is a fine art , being able to capitalise upon that is also an art in itself… enter the mighty Nev.

This goal happened so quickly it caught everyone by surprise, some lovely passing moves put Mike in a great position just to the right of the nets, an acute angle but not enough to stop Mike unleashing a worthy effort which the keeper parried only to watch the ball trickle seemingly in slow motion towards Nev waiting poised on the other side of the box, fortunately Nev had the patience to wait for the ball to leave the area which took so long that he had time to polish his boots on his socks in anticipation, now many a slip can happen between the cup and the mouth… but not this time… “have it”… is what he should have shouted but as we all know Nev is shy and retiring so he just nonchalantly placed it in the back of the nets… he regretted the knee slide on the artificial surface but no one could begrudge him a celebration as he had worked hard all day ( ok I’m lying about the knee slide ).

There were further attempts on target by Mike and Iain and a rugby style conversion by Nev but we can forgive him that one.

However, not all the drama was done, Keith made an uncharacteristic error and gifted the ball to their striker but he managed to cut down the angle and smother the shot , a heart in mouth moment but well recovered.

Mike was subbed for Andy but no more drama emerged , Bury managed the game well and kept most of the possession .

And won…. Yaye

Bury 1 Rochdale Striders 0

A thoroughly deserved 5 points fought for by everyone in the squad in difficult warm conditions, a pleasure to watch… well done everyone involved .

(No tomatoes or Velcro were involved in the making of this report )

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Report by Kev-iam Shakespeare.

GMWFL 2025 – Over 70s do well

April 2nd 2025 (match day 2). This season, Bury Relics have to sit out the first game, while watching others play. That puts the team at a disadvantage for the first game. The first game was against Corinthians, who had just played. Yes, there was a break before the kick-off where Relics got to pass the ball around, but that does not make you match warm. In my extremely small opinion, it will be good to have a game of 4-aside with 3-touch between ourselves, just to get the muscles working and the mind sharp (probably have to be on the other pitch if available). Most of the first game, against Corinthians, was spent defending. Good keeping and defending prevented any goals conceded. It was a good result for Bury in the end, with Corinthians probably thinking; how did we not win?

Bury Relics vs. Manchester Corinthians
To see the highlights, click-here.
To view the entire game, click-hear.
Final score; Bury Relics 0 – 0 Manchester Corinthians

By the second game, the team were now warm and firing on all cylinders and this showed against Tameside. Whilst Tameside had chances of their own, Bury Relics attacking play was more decisive and with higher quality finishing. Jomo scored 2 fantastic goals in this game, the first from a great Bob cross, and the second, he used great control and poise under pressure, to side-foot in off the far post. A great result of a 2-0 win to Bury Relics.

Bury Relics vs. Tameside Striders
To see the highlights, click-here.
To view the entire game, click-here.
Final score; Bury Relics 2 – 0 Tameside Striders

Bury will be wondering how they did not win this game as Eddy didn’t have a difficult save to make and Bury had several chances to score. Either the keeper saved, or it hit the post or the shots went wide. It was good play from Bury but it just lacked the killer instinct and the accurate finish. Rochdale may feel lucky to have gained a point in this goalless draw.

Bury Relics vs. Rochdale AFC Strollers 70’s
To see the highlights, click-here.
To view the entire game, click-here.
Final score; Bury Relics 0 – 0 Rochdale AFC Strollers 70’s

The final game of the day was Winstanley and it was pretty even on number of chances. Winstanley’s #9 was like twinkle toes and had a bit of a running-battle of wits against Peter T, trying to turn him inside-out. However, Pete was not giving an inch and held his own. Eddy made a couple of saves, and a goalless draw was a fair result despite Winstanley having more of the possession.

Bury Relics vs. Winstanley Walkers 70’s
To see the highlights, click-here.
To view the entire game, click-here.
Final score; Bury Relics 0 – 0 Winstanley Walkers 70’s

No goals conceded on the day and the 3 points against Tameside helped Bury move up the table into 2nd place, courtesy of goal difference. With Winstanley 4 points clear at the top and the next 3 teams on 10 points, all is to play for in the league. It was notable that refereeing strategy could have changed since there was not one penalty given for or against Bury on the day (for 4 offences), which is not what usually happens in these fixtures. If Bury can score more goals next time out, maybe they can catch Winstanley. In any case, a good days football for the Relics.

Players and Staff: Eddy (GK), Jomo (C), T O’Rourke, Bob D, Gerry L, Peter T and Ken Bug. Coaching Staff: Keiren T, Keith S, Pat F and Keith B.
Fans: John H, Keith H, John W, Dave M and others.
Report by Dr. John and photos by Kodak Keith H.

Photos

GMWFL 2025 – Good day for over 60’s Whites

Seven points on the day for the Relics and good performances along the way too. Well played to all the players.

GMWFL 2025 – Impressive start for over 75’s

26th March 2025
A rare beautiful day at Heywood welcomed the players for the first games in the newly formed over 75’s league.
The fitness of the players and standard of play was excellent showing that this Division is going to be as strong and competitive as all the other Divisions in the league.
The Relics were impressive from the start in the first game against The Invincibles, keeping possession, and creating chances. Shots from JoMo and Bill early in the game tested the keeper. A great pass from Woggy across the box brought a spectacular shot from JoMo which the keeper saved. Bill, Woggy and JoMo continued to test the Invincible’s keeper who was having a blinder saving the final shot of the first half from JoMo with an out-stretched foot. Half Time 0-0.
The invincibles went ahead, against the run of play, early in the second half. The Relics fought back, with shots from virtually every member of the Relics team. JoMo and Bob had shots saved. Finally the Relics pressure paid off with a great strike from JoMo finally beating the Invincibles keeper. The Relics dominance probably best illustrated by te shot count, which I had at 11-3 in favour of the Relics. But its goals that win games.
Final score 1- 1.

Second game was against Rochdale Strollers, Relics were on top from the start with shots from JoMo, DaMo, and John W. The Relics were totting up the fouls and just before half time gave away a four-foul penalty which was superbly saved by Ed in the Relics goal. Half-time 0-0. The Relics carried on the dominance in the second half with shots from John W, Bob, Bil, DavMo. and JoMo. JoMo came close late in the game when his shot was saved by the Rochdale keeper the ball spun towards the corner of the Rochdale goal but the keeper managed to push it out for a corner. The Relics finally broke the deadlock with JoMo sharp turn and shot on the edge of the box into the bottom right hand corner of the goal. Final score Relics 1-0 .

Last game of the day was against Tameside who were full of confidence from the two victories in their earlier games. The game was a lot closer contested with both teams passing the ball around well. Relics were getting their shots away, with Bill forcing a couple of saves from the Tameside keeper. Bob had a great run from midfield but his shot was saved. Half time 0-0. Possession was shared in the second half with Tameside testing Ed in the Relics goal with a couple of good efforts. Tameside went ahead with a classy goal when the striker, with his back to goal, juggled the ball turn and shot into bottom. Credit to the striker, you won’t see many goals as good as that one. Relics didn’t have time to get the equaliser. Final score Relics 0-1

Well played to all the team today, Ed (GK), Bob, Dave Mo, J Bate, J Cohen, B Horton, John W, Jomo. The opposition goalkeepers played superb preventing the Relics getting more points. Tameside will be a tough test all season.

GMWFL 2025 – goals, Schev-velcro, misses and multiple ref-errors for the over 65s

Thursday 20th March 2025
Over 65’s squad:-

Manager K Buggie

K Gillespie GK
G Walton Capt
K Amos
K Swain
I McCann
J Wardle
P Schevtschenko

Beautiful spring day,
The birds a singin’
The bees a buzzin’
Graham’s a chattin’.

Opening game against Winstanley Walkers.
Keith Swain started on the bench but would swap with Kevin Amos mid way through the game as Kevin is playing despite not feeling very well.

A bare seven squad .

Winstanley are a good team and dominated at first with impressive flowing passing moves, this was a fast paced game which always takes a bit of adjustment especially with it being the first one up.

I want to say Winstanley scored first… so I will… but poor note taking on my part makes this a debatable point… speaking of debatable the ref made a few errors in my (totally unbiased )opinion .😊

Bury got back into the match resulting in three good shots on target one from Keith Swain and two from Graham one of which slid nicely past their keeper to make it one apiece.

Ian McCann and John Wardle were proving a handful in midfield and slotted some lovely passes through, at one point Graham returned the favour and passed to Ian who was fouled just as he was about to release his shot right on the edge of the box…. now by the rules this should have been a DOGSO ( denial of goal scoring opportunity) resulting in a penalty and a sending off… instead a free kick was given…. made no sense to me at the time… still doesn’t.

The game went back and forth but no more breakthroughs occurred, Pete was stalwart in defending as usual.

Bury 1 Winstanley 1
A fair ( ish ) result

Second game against Panthers 🐆

Pete on the subs bench for this game.

Bury dominated this game and should have had a load of goals.

John Wardle had a great beautifully placed shot saved by the keeper, Graham managed to sneak one past the keeper though to make it one nil.

The rest of the match is summed up by my hastily scribbled notes which went as follows :

John Wardle missed a sitter
Ian McCann missed a sitter
Graham missed a sitter

There were lots and lots of wayward shots.

To be fair there was some lovely play also at times but Bury should have had at least three.

It didn’t seem to be Ian McCann’s day as he should’ve been awarded a DOGSO again in this match for a foul on the edge of the area that thwarted a clear chance on goal.

Kevin and Keith did a great job in defence/ midfield. As did Keith in nets.

Bury 1 Panthers 0

Third match was against Blackpool

Kev was sub in this game.

Again Bury dominated this match but only two shots on target, one from Graham saved by the keeper and another from Ian McCann saved by the keeper who was impressive in this game. John Wardle saw a great effort from a free kick hit the post.

There was lots of good pressure from Bury a few wayward shots but despite their dominance they were almost undone by a simple pass to the Blackpool striker who dead centre right on the edge of the area looked certain to score and probably would but for a timely intervention from Keith Swain.

Bury should have won this game, again a penalty ought to have been awarded for four offences but the ref only had three fingers on his counting hand.

The only other thing of note was John Wardle being warned twice for “colourful “language 😂.

(To be fair to John I did ask him before the game to give me a bit of controversy to write about… unfortunately I couldn’t hear what he said…. so you’ll just have to use your imagination).

Bury 0 Blackpool 0

Fourth game was against Wakefield

John Wardle unable to continue due to injury so no subs.

Wakefield are a very dangerous team, their striker can turn on a sixpence and score with either foot and he’s a bit of a unit too so will muscle players off the ball.

Bearing that in mind I think it is fair to say that this game should be remembered as the
Pete Schevtschenko show.

Bury had no shots on target probably slightly hindered by the six foot brick wall that Wakefield had built on the half-way line just before kick-off .

Keith Gillespie made a couple of fine saves to thwart their striker but those were the only two shots on target they had thanks to the magnificent defensive display of Pete (Velcro) Schevtschenko .

Now obviously everyone played their part but Pete had the foresight to attach Velcro to his leggings and managed to tie the striker’s bootlaces together whilst distracting him with talk about the fine weather and the best way to grow tomatoes 🍅.

Despite Wakefield being able to pick out their striker on multiple occasions with lovely passes from seemingly anywhere on the pitch he couldn’t shake off Schevtschenko.

Obviously it’s pretty stressful when backed into a corner by a great team so quite a bit of arguing ensued but this was punctuated with a bizarre moment where everything seemed to stop and go in slow motion as everyone watched a back-pass from a Wakefield player roll towards their goal everyone that is except their keeper who perhaps was also thinking of the optimum time for planting tomatoes 🍅…. when he did see it it was too late … the ball trickled past him… only to glance against the post🤦‍♂….and out for a corner… damn.

Bury 0 Wakefield 0

I’m calling this a win… it felt like one

Fifth and final game against Corinthians ( boo…. hiss )🐍

No subs available so Kevin played on despite feeling ill.

This game ebbed back and forth but Corinthians just edged it in terms of attacking play.

Bury perhaps suffering from a combination of fatigue and elation after the last match couldn’t really get going and Corinthians had a couple of great shots on target one after the other… the first producing a spectacular save from Keith Gillespie (at point blank) who stayed alert and saved the second shot too.

The game turned on a free kick and more controversy.

Corinthians got a free kick right on the edge of the box, they placed a man right in front of our defensive wall who received the ball and one touched it to an oncoming unmarked player who buried it in Bury’s net giving Keith no chance.

The thing is , at the time I thought what a great free kick routine ( which it was) but with hindsight I’m pretty sure in the rules of walking football you can’t place a man right next to or in a defensive wall… another refereeing error?

Bury didn’t really recover from this and struggled to build up an attack, a good chance fell to Keith Swain from an Ian McCann pass , Keith found some good space just to the right of the opposition goal but the keeper was quick to smother the shot closing down the angle and making it difficult for Keith to score it was one of those chances (we’ve all probably been there ) where you have a bit too much time to think about it .

A difficult game and a bit of a dampener on the day but in hindsight a pretty positive start to the season all in all.

Bury 0 Corinthians 1

Report by Kev B.

Photos of the day (Kodak Keith H)

GMWFL 2025 – Over 60’s Division 2 – Slow start for over 60’s stripes

Thursday 13th March 2025

The Relics over 60’s Stripes made a slow start to the 2025 season in the newly extended GMWFL Over 60’s section with 10 teams now in the Division.

First up was SALCOM, with the Relics hoping for a quick start, but it was SALCOM who were on the front foot. Relics keeper Keith G, was tested on a number of occasions but he kept the Relics in contention with some good saves. Both teams were confident in possession but Relics couldn’t turn the possession into shots, which was going to turn out to be the story of the day. Full Time Relics 0 – SALCOM 0

Second game was a tough game against Ribble Valley. Relics were pushed back right from the start, with Keith G in goal kept busy diving to turn the first RV shot round the post for a corner.
It wasn’t log before RV went ahead following a break own the right hand side and a fierce low shot across goal into KG’s bottom right hand corner. 1 – 0 to RV. Relics were finding difficult to create an opening and the second goal for RV wasn’t long in coming. Again from a move down the right hand side. 2-0 to RV. The Relics failed to have any shots Final Score Relics 0 – Ribble Valley 2.

The next game against Bolton wasn’t any easier for the Relics. Although the Relics had a few good chance early in this game with Ken’s shot from a pass by Ian D saved by the Bolton keeper, and another shot from Ian D blocked out for a corner.
The Bolton goal was a bit unlucky for the Relics as Keith G made a great reaction save to a strong shot from the edge of the area. He tipped the shot with an outstretched right hand onto the top right hand corner of the goal post and crossbar, the ball rebounded back to the edge of the area where the Bolton striker made an instinctive shot into the net.
Now for me, I thought the rebound was over head height, and when the striker struck his shot I thought the ball was in the goal area. However the ref didn’t hesitate to give the goal.
On the plus side the Relics managed to create a few good chances Ian D and Steve M getting into some good positions causing problems for the Bolton defence. Steve M in particular making some good chances, but not getting an equaliser.
Final Score Relics 0 – Bolton 1

No rest in between games for the Relics as Rochdale Strollers are next. Rochdale had some good chances but Keith G was equal to them. One hit the post and went out, another hit the bar and went over. At the other end Andy Rich, and Ian D had a shot saved.
as the time rolled on the foul count was going up, and on the stroke of full time Rochdale gave away a four-foul penalty. Up stepped Andy Rich and confidently smashed the ball into the net. Some people were on the pitch, they thought it was all over, Relics had snatched it at the death, but wait …… the referee is coming over …. he disallows the goal saying that Andy had made a backward step before his shot. Groans from the Relics side line but the final score is Relics 0 – Rochdale Strollers 0

Final game is Moston Brook and the Relics at last seem to have found their shooting boots matching the Moston shot count with Andy Rich testing the keeper who knocked his shot out for a corner, a shot from Steve M saved, Mark E hitting the post and out, Mark B forcing a save from the keeper. None of this affecting the score line. Final score Relics 0 – Moston Brook 0

Relics need to work on creating chances/shots with no goals and only 3 points on the day, but this is going to be a long season with lots of twists an turns ahead. Don’t write off the Relics yet.

Well played to all the squad, Keith Gillespie (GK), Mark Thomas, Steve Murphy, Mark Evans, Ken Bond, Ian Dawson, Andy Rich, Mike Bartram. Well done to Manager Ken Buggie assisted by Keith S.