Bury FC was formed in 1885. They played friendly matches for four years until in 1889 they became one of the founding members of the Lancashire League. Five years later the Shakers joined the Football League and in their first season won the Division Two title. No automatic promotion in those days however, Bury had to beat Liverpool in a forerunner of the play-offs to earn entry into the top flight of the pyramid, where they stayed until eventual relegation in 1912. Bury fans wouldn't have known it at the time but the period from 1900 to 1903 would be the most succesful the club would enjoy to date - achieving a 5th place finish in Div 1 in 1901, but also winning the FA Cup twice during that time, beating Southampton 4-0 in the final in 1900 and Derby 6-0 three years later.

The Manchester Road End for the away support Photo © 2003-04 Ciderspace

The club yo-yoed between the top flight and Division 2 following their first relegation in 1912 and achieved their highest ever league position of 4th place in Division 1 at the end of the 1925/26 season, before being relegated from the highest league for the final time in 1929. A long spell in the 2nd Division followed with the Shakers doing, well, nothing much really, until another relegation in 1957. The club found their way back into Division 2 by taking the Third Division title in 1960-61, but by 1971 Bury were down in the basement of Division 4 and in a taste of things to come, deep in financial trouble.

The Main Stand Photo © 2003-04 Ciderspace

More yo-yoing between the lower divisions followed, one step forward inevitably being followed by one step back as the sale of the club's better players to balance the books became a regular feature of life at Gigg Lane. And talking of Gigg Lane, the club's original home was rebuilt in the early 90's, the old wooden stands being replaced by the modern all-seated stadium seen today. The Shakers went to Wembley for the first time in 1995 but lost the 3rd Division play-off final 2-0 to Chesterfield. As usual this friendly and resilient little club bounced back the next season, being promoted on the final day of the season.

The South Stand Photo © 2003-04 Ciderspace

The Shakers went one better in the 1996/97 season, winning the 2nd Division championship title under the leadership of Stan Ternant, but yet again financial worries led to the sale of the club's best players, including striker David Johnson for over £1 million. Ternant left for Burnley and Neil Warnock took over but again Bury were doomed and relegation from Division One followed once more. A bad start to the 1999-2000 season and yet more cash flow problems saw Warnock depart to be replaced by player-boss Andy Preece. By all accounts Preece performed a minor miracle in keeping the Shakers relatively solvent and in Division Two for the next couple of seasons, but the inevitable eventually happened and Bury were relegated back down to Division Three at the end of the 2001-02 season. Preece's sacking last season was something of a surprise, as was the appointment of the worthy but rather uninspirational figure of Graham Barrow.

Wide angle shot of Gigg Lane Photo © 2003-04 Ciderspace

Prediction corner:
We found the Bury folk some of the friendliest on the whole circuit last season, so feel a bit churlish dissing their chances. But you've got to go with what you think, and whilst one should never write off Bury they had a mediocre season last term and we don't see anything changing this. They'll be targeting the play-offs - who won't? - but will be some way off the pace. Final position : 14th.

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FORTHCOMING FIXTURES

CLUB GOALSCORERS

Name

LGE

FAC

FAT

LGC

CC

Total

ATTENDANCE STATISTICS

Highest League Attendance: 0, vs ,
Lowest League Attendance: 999999, vs ,
Average League Attendance: Not Applicable

CURRENT LEAGUE SEQUENCE STATISTICS

Games Without A Win:	0		Games Without A Home Win:	0
Games Without An Away Win:	0		Games Without Defeat:	0
Games Without A Home Defeat:	0		Games Without An Away Defeat:	0
Games Without A Draw:	0		Games Without A Score Draw:	0
Games Without A No-Score Draw:	0		Games Without Scoring:	0
Games Without Conceding:	0		Home Results Sequence:
Away Results Sequence:			Overall Results Sequence:

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Directions provided by y3k.shakers.co.uk - the independent Bury FC website


By Road

From M62:
Exit at Junction 17, Follow signs to Whitefield (A56). Go straight over at a double set of traffic lights. Follow signs to Bury (A56). After passing through Whitefield, road forks with the Derby Hotel on left. Follow road bearing right still signposted Bury (A56).

After approximately a mile and a half, you will see the Swan & Cemetery Pub on the left handside, then after a further 400 yards there are playing fields on your left. The next right is Gigg Lane (signposted football ground), but you can't drive up it on match days. Continue another 400 yards to the major junction, and turn right into Parkhills Road. You can park anywhere down this road or the side roads off it.

From M66:
Exit at Junction 2 and follow signs for Bury Town Centre and "Football Ground". Follow well sign-posted "football ground" signs. After 1/3 mile turn left at lights (signposted Manchester (B6219)). After 0.7 miles turn right at new roundabout, then turn left at next roundabout into Market Street. Follow this road, going over mini-roundabout, and then turning right at T-junction into Gigg Lane. A 1/3 of a mile on left hand side is the ground.

By Rail

Bury must be one of the biggest towns in the UK without a mainline station. Bury is well-served by the relatively new tram system - Metrolink from Manchester. Trams for Bury from Victoria or Picadilly in Manchester run every six minutes and the journey time is around half an hour.

From the Metrolink drop-off point (walking): Turn left out of station along a pedestrian walkway underneath dual carriageway, and towards the Town Hall (on left is a park with pyramids, I know but they are Pyramids!!). Follow this walkway until it reaches "Knowsley Street". A newspaper kiosk on the left and opposite the clock tower. Take left and walk down Manchester Road for approximately 1/2 mile. Gigg Lane is on left hand side.

By Bus

The bus from the Metrolink/interchange. Bus numbers: 134, 135, 136 and 137. Ask for Gigg Lane stop.

Directions provided by y3k.shakers.co.uk - the independent Bury FC website

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Local Pubs :

Arthur Inn: On the A58 from Bolton to Bury. It is one of five tied houses for the Porter Brewing Company, and always has five of their beers on. Very unusually for this area of the country it also does cider from the cask. Drinkers only though, no meals. Opens all day from 12.00. Arthur Inn, 97, Bolton Rd, Bury, Lancashire, BL8 2AH. Tel: 0161 7973860. Map: Click Here.

Town centre outlet © Hugh Gleave Duke of Clarence: Large pub in the middle of Bury. Duke of Clarence, 2, Silver Street, Bury, Lancashire, BL9 0EX. Tel: 0161 7636432. Map: Click Here.

Dusty Miller: One of Moorhouses Brewery's (from Burnley) six tied pubs. Moorhouses current crop of beers is justly sought after. Black Cat was the Champion Beer of Britain in 2000; Pendle Witches Brew is the strong ale; Premier Bitter is also on tap. Parking can be difficult, but it is conveniently situated for the Metrolink. No food - but who cares when the beer is this good. Open all day from noon on a Saturday. Dusty Miller, 87, Crostons Rd, Bury, Lancashire, BL8 1AL. Tel: 0161 7641124. Map: Click Here.

Rather down market effort © Hugh Gleave Jolly Waggoners: One of three pubs virtually next door to each other half way between Gigg Lane and the town centre. The other two are the excellent Rose & Crown and reasonable Trafalgar (below). Jolly Waggoners, 6, Manchester Old Road, Bury, Lancashire, BL9 0TB. Tel: 0161 7974142. Map: Click Here.

Old Blue Bell: Serves Holt beers. The pub has several rooms, so you can choose whether to indulge in the live music when it's on. Open all day, children are welcome until 6.00pm. No food. Old Blue Bell, 2 Bell Lane, Bury, Lancashire, BL9 6AR. Tel: 0161 761 3674. Map: Click Here.

Pack Horse Hotel: The second closest pub to Gigg Lane, a mere couple of hundred yards away, it naturally tends to be packed on match days. Newly refurbished, it is a sports orientated establishment, with big-screen TV, pool, and a separate area for darts and other pub games. There is also a beer garden. Families are welcome, but food is confined to the sandwich/roll sort. Open all day. Pack Horse Hotel, 201, Manchester Road, Bury, Lancashire, BL9 9HL. Tel: 0161 7615635. Map: Click Here.

Bury's Wetherspoon outlet in the main square © Hugh Gleave Robert Peel: For those struggling to find food with their drink in Bury the Wetherspoon chain is a generally reliable fallback. This is a typical offering - big and centrally located. With odd exceptions, where the manager is rather more adventurous than the norm, I do find Wetherspoon pubs rather too formulaic these days, but at least in strange towns where pub choice is a bit of a hit and miss affair you pretty much know what you are going to get. This one has the usual Courage Directors, Theakston Best Bitter and Shepherd Neame Spitfire, but makes a gesture towards regional preferences with Thwaites Mild. There is usually a guest available. The standard Guinness, Foster's and Blackthorn are present for those who like to consume very dull liquids. So if JD Wetherspoon is your thing, this is the one in Bury. As with most of the chain's outlets these days children are allowed in. It is wheelchair friendly. Robert Peel, 5-10, Market Place, Bury, Lancashire, BL9 0BL. Tel: 0161 7647287. Map: Click Here.

Cheap friendly pub ten minutes towards the town centre from the ground © Hugh Gleave Rose and Crown: Opening times: Mon-Wed 12 noon - 3 p.m. , 5 p.m. - 11 p.m., Thurs-Sat 12 noon - 11 p.m., Sun 12 noon - 3 p.m., 7 p.m. - 10.30 p.m. End of terrace pub with an excellent selection of real ales hidden away just off the A56 close to Bury town centre. Deuchars IPA was the house standard; guests are wide ranging, but often include offerings from the local Phoenix Brewery at Heywood. It does lunches, but not on Saturdays when its roll and sandwich type fare only. Ten minutes walk to the ground. Busy friendly pub. Even better it was ridiculously cheap - well for those used to London prices anyway. Children welcome. Music a bit loud for some tastes maybe. Rose and Crown, 36, Manchester Old Road, Bury, Lancashire, BL9 0TR. Tel: 0161 764 6461. Map: Click Here.

Football fans boozer © Hugh Gleave The Staff Of Life: The closest pub to the stadium. Has Tetley and J.W. Lees beer. With a public and lounge bar (children allowed in the lounge) and separate pool room. Two televisions. Food is sandwiches and pies. Crowded on match days. Offers some accommodation. The Staff Of Life, 111-113, Manchester Road, Bury, Lancashire, BL9 9HJ. Tel: 0161 7646246. Map: Click Here.

The Swan & Cemetery © Hugh Gleave The Swan & Cemetery: A welcoming and popular pub with away fans going to Gigg Lane. Situated just a short walk away from the ground, on the Manchester Road which links Bury to Manchester and the M60, most visiting fans pass it on their way to the match. It's a Thwaites pub, and the choice of beers reflects this. Thwaites is a brewery in definite decline, concentrating more and more on the bland, but it still has a residue of reasonable ales. There was only one real ale from their range on at this particualr venue when we used it last season, and it wasn't very good. It has its own car park which is a bonus, and a beer garden at the front. There's a wide screen television to the left of the bar. The clientele is very much football supporters on a Saturday, but the family end of that market, and children are welcome. Serves food, which was decidedly superior to the beer. The Swan & Cemetery, 406, Manchester Road, Bury, Lancashire, BL9 9NS. Tel: 0161 7641508. Map: Click Here.

Train spotters paradise.....but the beer is top quality too © Hugh Gleave The Trackside: Recent addition to Bury's range of pubs. For those who know the King & Castle at Kiddy that's the closest comparison (though no beer at £1.00!!). A converted waiting room on Platform Two of the East Lancs Steam Railway's Bury station. Has nine handpumps, including local beers, plus bottled beers and ciders. It does reasonable food during the week, though very basic from a limited menu Fridays to Sundays. Opens through the day, with children welcome until 7.00 p.m. Five minutes walk from the Metro station, 15-20 minutes from the ground. Fairly busy when there's a spotters event on (when it opens at 10.00 a.m.). Beware the walk to the toilets, which are outside. If you can avoid being trapped in conversation by an anorak each time you're either luckier, or ruder, than us. The Trackside, Bolton Street Station, Bury, Lancashire, BL9 0EY. Tel: 0161 7646461. Map: Click Here.

Ten minutes walk from the ground © Hugh Gleave The Trafalgar: Middle of three pubs, both pyhically and in quality, half way between the town centre and Gigg Lane. The Trafalgar, 12, Manchester Old Road, Bury, Lancashire, BL9 0TB. Tel: 0161 7645281. Map: Click Here.

Old style pub in the town square © Hugh Gleave Two Tubs Inn: One of three pubs in The Wylde, which is a kind of central 'square' in the middle of Bury. Two Tubs Inn, 19, The Wylde, Bury, Lancashire, BL9 0LA. Tel: 0161 7644773. Map: Click Here.

On the A56 © Hugh Gleave Waterloo Hotel: Next hostelry up towards the centre of Bury after the Staff of Life (above) on the A56. Waterloo Hotel, 155, Manchester Road, Bury, Lancashire, BL9 0TD. Tel: 0161 7645864. Map: Click Here.

Another pub in the town square © Hugh Gleave Wyldes: A pub in the Wetherspoon style which is right next door to........a Wetherspoon, the Robert Peel (above). Enormous hostelry with a range of real ales from around the country, good value if unexceptional food, so just like........... a Wetherspoon. Wyldes, 4, Bolton Street, Bury, Lancashire, BL9 0LQ. Tel: 0161 7972000. Map: Click Here.

Likelihood the Natives Will Understand You :

Fairly high as long as you take a crash course in northern vernacular by watching a few episodes of Coronation Street first. They probably think we're cockney's or from Cornwall anyway.

Top-Tip :

Bury is probably not the best of towns in which to go showing off your Sam Allardyce tattoos. And you can leave your ear-plugs at home : Gigg Lane home areas were the quietest we've ever come across. It was like a library........and that's when they were winning!

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[No responsibilty is taken for any inaccuracies. This page is entirely the product of bias and prejudice.]

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