11th April 2024
Bury Relics Over 60 Stripes went into their second set of fixtures of the Greater Manchester Division 4 Walking Football Spring league campaign handily placed after a good first round in a very closely contested Division. The members of the squad were Eddy (GK), Mark T, Steve, Ken, Mike, Iain D, Nev and Andy. Ken was Manager, Keiran as Assistant Manager plus Kodak Keith & several supporters in attendance on a dry day. A strong defensive day resulted in a 1-0 win followed by 4 nil-nils which are the 2 most usual results in a 6 team league with 12 minute matches.

First up were Salcom with Ken & Nev starting on the bench. A very tight game with few shots but a great deal of running from both sides as they both wanted to get off to a fast start. Our best chance came after a great move between Andy and Iain set up Steve striding up from the back with a shooting chance from 10 yards which rattled the post after a fierce strike. Eventually, Salcom hit the 4 foul mark before us which gave us a penalty. Andy coolly put it away with aplomb to put us in the driving seat. We saw out the game sitting on 3 fouls which was a nerve racking watch for those on the sidelines but a 1-0 win was happily taken by all.

Next up were Wakefield with Andy and Steve as subs. We had the majority of the possession with Nev taking up Andy’s usual forward position and he was involved in our best 2 moves. Firstly, linking up well with Iain to put Mike in a good position but the keeper saved well and then slipping the ball into Ken’s path who agonisingly drove it across the face of the goal just sliding past the post. We did have the odd defensive lapses leaving their player free on the left but he kept shooting wide. We slightly shaded it but 0-0 was a fairish result.

Third up were Roach with Mike and Mark starting on the bench. We started like a house on fire, dominating possession and stroking the ball around. Nev had a good shot which was followed by Ken hitting the post after walking onto a great pass from Iain. Andy was taking up good position, controlling balls into feet and helping us get up the pitch but after 2 highly controversial 50/50 decisions going against him he had to be replaced by Mike. This adversely affected us and we never got back into the same flow plus we were scared of drawing more fouls. A 0-0 draw felt like 2 points dropped.

The penultimate game was against Ribble Valley with Ken and Nev as subs. As often happens our opponents dominated possession but Steve and Mark defended manfully and it turned into a poor, scrappy game. We only had one chance of note when Andy had a shot on the turn. Eddy dealt with all their shots comfortably and another 0-0 ensued.

Our final match saw us take on Bolton with Ken and Mark starting on the bench. Another tight game with Iain firing in 3 good shots and Mike having a good shot well saved after a typical mazy run. Bolton finished strongly with Eddy making a strong save with his foot and then they hit the inside of the post from a well worked corner move. A goalless draw again.

Overall, it was 7 well earned points which took the Stripes to equal top of the table with Ribble on 16 points but 3 goals worse off, at the halfway point of the season.

For a change there was no rain and wind at Heywood, and conditions were very promising for playing football. The Whites last time out, produced two points from draws and sat forth in the table of five teams at the beginning of play. The team sheet looked strong but had to account for the absence of Keith “The Wall” S, who was away negotiating a potential lucrative transfer to Tenerife Tornados. In his place was the man with the biggest pockets in the league, that of Pete Shev, who was chosen to fill in for The Wall. The full team was as follows: Gaz (GK), Graham (C), Motherwell Ian, Kevin A, Ian Mac, Paul W and Big Pockets Pete. Team manager was Ken Bug, and coaching staff of Keiren T and Sir Pat. A program of 4 matches began with Bolton and here’s what happened…

Bury Relics over 60’s versus Bolton Wanderers Blues
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Bury Relics Whites 0-0 Bolton Wanderers Blues

Bury Relics Whites versus Wakefield Wanderers
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Bury Relics Whites 0-0 Wakefield Wanderers

Bury Relics Whites versus Kingsmaid
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Bury Relics Whites 0-0 Kingsmaid

Bury Relics Whites versus Fleetwood Town Flyer
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Bury Relics Whites 0-0 Fleetwood Town Flyers

What a day of scintillating football action, particularly the games with Kingsmaid and Fleetwood. Against Kingsmaid, there was a spell where the Relics goal was under siege from a dogged and determined team, where they marked everyone up as Gaz was trying to distribute the ball. There were no easy pass-outs for him. Also in this game was a dubious penalty to Kingsmaid, that was given for denying a goal scoring chance, and a blue card. Even VAR may have overturned that one. The luck was with Bury however, as the striker hit a powerful penalty onto the post and wide, and Bury played very well with a man down for the next 10 minutes. Against Fleetwood, it was an amazing game, where both teams could have won it. Gaz played a pin-point pass to Motherwell Ian in acres of space down the right, and his shot was spilt by the keeper but to the wrong side of the post for Bury. Then Graham got past the last defender to have his shot superbly saved by the Fleetwood keeper. In between Bury’s chances, was a battle raging on between the tall Fleetwood Striker with Pete and Gaz in goal. A combination of determined defending by Pete, some good saves by Gaz and the post kept Bury in it and managed to survive the lethal fire power of the striker. Bury played well, and made a number of chances to score today but shots were either wide or saved, so they were not just hanging on in games, they played some good football. However, the quality of teams and play in this league is high and the videos show that. At the end of todays fixtures, Bury are bottom of the league on six points but only two behind Kingsmaid and 4 behind Fleetwood; could be a relegation battle brewing. Comedy moment was Kingsmaid pushing Kevin in the area. Bury Relics played well today. A good support of Ken Bo, Watford Mark and John W amongst others. Report by Dr. John.

Magnificent 7 passes (click-here)
Seven passes of the day that I liked:
1) Graham’s first time and one-touch pass, with the outside of his foot, to Ian Mac was excellent.
2) Kingsmaid’s #6 gets the ball on the wing and instantly plays it across to a striker in space.
3) Motherwell Ian’s nimble feet take out 2 Fleetwood defenders to get the ball to Ian Mac bearing down on goal.
4) My favourite. Ian Mac has Brazillian DNA! He plays a backheel-nutmeg pass up to Graham up-front.
5) Gaz threads the eye of a needle to find Motherwell Ian in acres of space on the right.
6) Fleetwood left back splits the Relics defence with a delicious ball; the striker hits first time.
7) A good example of how to play a one-two-three pass by Fleetwood.

April 2024 fixtures
Bury Relics Over 70’s went into their second set of fixtures of the Greater Manchester Division 1 Walking Football Spring league campaign unable to field 6 properly match fit players due to England duty (Tex), hospital duty (Gerry) and injury. The fit members of the squad were Eddy (GK), Dave M, Keith B and Peter. Those playing with fitness concerns were Woggy (knee), Bob (leg) and JoMo (leg) with Pat (ill) on standby, if absolutely necessary, but who went unused.

Ken was Manager, Keiran as Assistant Manager plus Kodak Keith & several supporters in attendance on a rain-soaked day. A battling day resulted in 4 nil-nils which everyone would have taken at the start of the day as it keeps us in the Title hunt.

First up were Tameside with Peter starting on the bench.  A very tight game with the Striders only having 1 shot and Relics having just two: a run (walk) and shot from JoMo and a Woggy shot after a clever 1-2 with JoMo. A deserved 0-0 for both teams.

Next up were Blackpool with Dave starting on the bench.  We dominated possession and had 8 good shots from Bob, Woggy, JoMo and Keith but their stand in keeper had an outstanding game keeping us at bay with the pick of his saves being a full length dive to tip a fiercely struck drive from Keith, heading into the top corner, over the apex of bar and post. Eddy didn’t touch the ball so the 0-0 finish felt like 2 points dropped.

Third up were Corinthians with Bob starting on the bench.  Virtually immediately JoMo pulled up and had to be replaced by Bob in midfield. We fought a rearguard action of the highest order as we survived 12 shots with Eddy keeping us in the game. We didn’t have a shot and only got into their half 3 times but produced a magnificent display of defensive football. All the players deserve credit but special mention must go to Woggy who took on the responsibility of holding the ball whilst we had possession and giving the rest of our players respite from the offensive pressure we were under. This 0-0 felt like a win but, more importantly, it deprived an excellent Corinthians team the full 3 points.

Our final match v Rochdale, saw Pat make the bench as JoMo unable to continue.

By this stage we were really struggling with our 2 midfielders , Bob and Woggy, hirpling with injury. The game plan was do not lose. Another very close match in which  we again had no shots but managed to restrict the Strollers to only 1 shot which Eddy dealt with comfortably. Another deserved 0-0 for both teams.

Overall, it was 4 hard earned points which set us up for the 2nd half of the season which hopefully will see better injury news as the top 4 teams in the league are all fighting for the Championship.

14 points Corinthians
12 points Bury Relics
11 points Rochdale AFC Strollers
10 points Tameside Striders Blues
2 points Blackpool SS

Photos

If global warming is true, then in the distant future Manchester will be a valuable city as it has plenty of water; Yes! It’s raining again. Although the Stripes just missed out on promotion in the Autumn by finishing runners up, a quirk of fate promoted Stripes to division 4 anyway because of a league re-structure. The new division 4 consists of 6 teams. However, on the day, another circumstance meant that 5 out of the 6 teams had a walk-over victory as Dynamo Roach were a no-show. The first game of the new season was against Salcom.

Bury Relics Over 60’s Stripes versus Salcom
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Final Result; Bury Relics Over 60’s Stripes 1 – 0 Salcom


Bury Relics Over 60’s Stripes versus Wakefield Wanderers Whites
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Final Result; Bury Relics Over 60’s Stripes 0 – 0 Wakefield Wanderers Whites


Bury Relics Over 60’s Stripes versus Ribble Valley WFC
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Final Result; Bury Relics Over 60’s Stripes 0 – 0 Ribble Valley WFC


Bury Relics Over 60’s Stripes versus Bolton Arena
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To see the best of the action, including Eddy’s last-minute penalty save, click-here.
Final Result; Bury Relics Over 60’s Stripes 0 – 0 Bolton Arena


Bury Relics Over 60’s Stripes versus Roach Dynamos
A walkover 1 – 0 win to Bury.
Final Result; Bury Relics Over 60’s Stripes 1 – 0 Roach Dynamos

This was a very good start for the Stripes, who at the end of day 1, are joint top of the league, just behind Ribble on goal difference. In all of the games aside from Ribble, the Stripes were in control and the better team, with only goals from open play missing. The Stripes played good football throughout, making several chances to score and also marking opponents while defending. Andy Van R’s penalty against Salcom was perfectly placed high into the net, and Mark E hit the post on 2 occasions with clever strikes. Mark T and Steve H had strong games in defence, while Ken B, Iain and Mike, all produced good attacking play and had decent shots. The importance of a good keeper was evident on the day, with Salcom’s keeper saving a shot from Iain, and immediately after, saving Andy Van R’s follow up shot with his legs. Wakefield’s keeper saved a Stripes penalty and Eddy made several good saves against Ribble, and 2 notable saves against Bolton. The first was when their striker made space for himself and took a fierce shot. Eddy saved but the rebounded ball resulted in an area infringement. For the resulting penalty, Eddy made a magnificent save to preserve a clean sheet for the day. This was a strong start for the Relics Stripes, where all players made a good contribution. If they can keep this level of performance up, they have a good chance of promotion. Well-done Stripes.

Team and management: Eddy (GK and C), Andy Van R, Mark T, Mike B, Iain D, Fast Ken B, Mark E and Steve H. Manager Ken B, and staff of Keiren and Keith S. Supporters included Nev, Watford Mark and Motherwell Ian. Keith H took the team photos and report by Dr. John.

Photos  

Bury Relics Over 70’s went into their last set of fixtures of the Greater Manchester Division 1 Walking Football league campaign again struggling to field 6 properly match fit players due to holidays, injury and illness. The squad was Eddy (GK), Tex (returning to a pitch for the first time in 6 weeks after a hairline wrist fracture), Bob, Kieran, Keith B, JoMo and Woggy with Keith the Kit Man as Manager, Dave (injured) as Assistant Manager plus Kodak Keith & Watford Mark in attendance. A good day resulted in 2 wins, 1 defeat and 1draw which was enough to secure second place.

First up were Corinthians in a top of the table clash. We needed to win to put pressure on the league leaders in the hope of overtaking them. We lined up with the tried and tested defence of Eddy in net with Tex and Bob patrolling the back line, JoMo and Woggy in the middle and Keiran up front. Unfortunately, it looked like the pressure was on us as we started poorly and got worse ending up with no shots on goal. Corinthians got a shot in quickly and had us on the ropes to such an extent that JoMo encroached in our area to concede a penalty. Fortunately, the Fantastic Mr. Ford foiled Ray’s spot kick attempt. Eventually, their hustle paid off when Woggy was bundled off the ball in midfield. The ball broke kindly for them and was toe-bunged into the bottom corner past a stranded Eddy. Corinthians then strolled through the remaining minutes to win 1-0 and seal the Championship.

We then had 2 options, crumble and possibly lose the runners up trophy or pick ourselves up and clinch second place.

Match 2 v Rochdale, saw the same starting line up with Keith B again sub. We started well with a Tex screamer flying past the post and JoMo playing a nice ball up to Keiran, who turned on a sixpence, fired off a first time shot which the keeper got down well to. Immediately, Keith B took over from Kieran and he got straight into the thick of it with a good shot just nicking the outside of the upright. We were looking good but out of nowhere they broke up the pitch and as we were outnumbered which led to Woggy running across the box to give away a penalty. It was blasted in and we were 1-0 down. We responded well to the setback and piled forward with nothing to lose and the constant waves of attack resulted in Rochdale clocking up 4 fouls and a penalty for us. Woggy despatched it with aplomb for a 1-1 draw.

Next up were Blackpool with Keiran starting on the bench.  We dominated possession and shots rained down onto their goal from all our players but their keeper had an excellent game keeping us at bay. Eventually, a Blackpool defender stepped into the area and again Woggy scored from the spot, this time low to the keeper’s right for a 1-0 Bury win.

Our final match of the season was against Manchester Citizens. Within 15 seconds, Woggy intercepted a loose pass and slotted away a daisy cutter past the keeper’s outstretched leg. An entertaining game ensued as City gave as good as they got but Eddy kept a clean sheet for Bury to run out 1-0 victors.

It was a good end to the season which had been severely disrupted throughout by injury, illness and suspension but we kept on fighting time after time. Corinthians were deserved Champions but I am certain that the Spring season will see a revitalised Relics squad contend again.

Team Photo and trophy