By the Fans, For the Fans

Phil Brennan was at Gigg Lane on Saturday for Bury’s homecoming, after four years away

Monday 10 July 2023

NEXT HOME GAME: Huddersfield – Saturday 22 July, 3pm

NEXT AWAY GAME: Altrincham – Saturday 15 July, 3pm

Gigg Lane. I always loved going there as a kid. A local derby, a big away end, and for 20 years between 1986 and 2006 we didn’t lose a single game there (five wins, four draws).

I was delighted to see Bury FC – having merged with Bury AFC this summer – return to Gigg Lane on Saturday for the first time in four years, since being kicked out of the Football League at the start of the 2019-20 season. You might think “delighted” is quite a strong word for a County fan to use, talking about another club, but after all the shit they’ve been through over the last few years, I stand by it. If you’re not quite on the same page as me, just look at these comments from previous owner Steve Dale when everything was going tits-up back in 2019.

“I never went to Bury. It’s not a place I frequented. So for me to walk away from Bury and never go back is a very easy thing to do. I don’t do anything up there. I didn’t even know there was a football team called Bury to be honest with you. I’m not a football fan.”

What a twat.

I’ve got no links or ties with Bury whatsoever, but that still angers me today, how a 134-year-old football club can be destroyed so easily by the actions of an out-of-town tosser. Good on the Bury FC lot for saving Gigg Lane, good on the Bury AFC lot for bringing football back to the supporters, and good luck to the now-unified club moving forward. An FA Cup first round game at their place over the next couple of years would be decent.

Phil Brennan was in BL9 on Saturday and has written this fantastic piece for us on Bury’s homecoming, along with a few of his own Gigg Lane memories.

Finally, a big thank you to Kate O’Brien Art, today’s sponsor. Kate produces some brilliant County items, as well as lots of other hand-painted distinctive artwork and gifts featuring scenes around Stockport and beyond. Go and check out her website.

Enjoy today’s issue.

Des Junior

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Gigg Lane has always been high up my list of favourite grounds to visit despite the fact that my own team Stockport County have lost more often than not on my visits, especially during the 60s, 70s and 80s.

My first ever visit was as a 10-year-old on the last day of the season in May 1968 when the Shakers clinched promotion to Division Two (today’s Championship) with a 5-3 victory. We did have some revenge the following season when County knocked them out of the League Cup in a first round replay at Edgeley Park after a draw at Gigg Lane, but with both games being on a school night I hadn’t seen either of them.

The following season Bury rejoined us in the Third Division and once again we lost away and won at home in a season when both teams struggled in the league, County ultimately finishing bottom of the table with Bury just avoiding a second consecutive relegation.

Three seasons later – with Bury now also in Division Four – I finally witnessed a County win at Gigg Lane as Johnny Griffiths bagged the winner on Boxing Day 1972, although it would be some years later before I witnessed my favourite ever Gigg Lane memory as a County fan.

Having not played them for six seasons, Bury dropped back down to Division Four for the 1980-81 campaign, with County making the short trip to Gigg Lane in April. The news before kick-off was that County were starting the match with only nine men, which wasn’t great as Bury had the league’s top striker playing up front – Stockport-born Craig Madden. Apparently, David Sunley and Chris Galvin, who were travelling together, were stuck in snow on the road between Sheffield and Manchester.

Two things struck me as being odd. One, why was there snow on the road with it being the last weekend in April. And secondly, we had a substitute on the bench so why hadn’t we started with 10 men?

However, the nine men held firm throughout the opening half hour, denying Madden any real goalscoring opportunities, and both Sunley and Galvin managed to arrive and make their way on to the pitch before half-time. Amazingly, County claimed a second half winner via a Martin Fowler volley which whistled past Bury keeper Neville Southall in the Shakers’ net to send our travelling fans into ecstasy.

In truth our results at Gigg Lane very rarely improved over the years, although a Brett Angell winner in January 1998 stands out, as County went on to finish 8th in Division One - our highest ever finish.

Two further wins for County at Gigg Lane stand out in my memory. In March 2006, a late Liam Dickinson winner helped County avoid relegation to the Conference, whilst an Anthony Pilkington brace two seasons later contributed to another three points on our way to the play-offs, and promotion at Wembley.

The next and final win to date came during the 2010-11 season, when County were relegated into non-league football for the first time in well over 100 years.

Little did I know back then that the next time I would watch Bury would be as a non-league phoenix club after Bury FC had been expelled from the Football League prior to the 2019-20 season.

Almost a year to the day later, Bury AFC, the phoenix club raised from the ashes, played their first ever game, beginning a new era for the town’s football supporters with a comfortable 5-0 win at Daisy Hill.

By now I was a regular reporter for The Non-League Paper, and I had been asked to provide an article covering the new club, managed by former County favourite Andy Welsh. I spoke to Andy after that first game and he was quick to acknowledge that the occasion was more important than the win: "For us as a football club, now we're up and running, to see fans watching us having a good work out like that, is brilliant. To have the first ever game is a huge, momentous occasion, whether it was in front of 150 fans or five fans. First and foremost it was a fabulous occasion, although we’re not getting too excited. It’s been a good workout and credit to Daisy Hill as well, they made it hard for us in the first half.”

Defender Matty Williams will go down in the club’s record books as the scorer of Bury AFC’s first ever goal, his strike from the edge of the box the only goal of the first half despite the visitors’ dominance.

The phoenix club’s first ever chairman Chris Murray told me afterwards: “There are so many people to thank for us as a club to get to this point, and if I’m honest it felt quite surreal being here. But walking around the ground seeing so many happy, smiling faces, it has made all that hard work worthwhile. It’s felt like the last few weeks have dragged, but once I saw our supporters coming into the ground it started to feel real. It felt like reward for all the effort that has been put in since we decided towards the end of last year, to start the football club.

“I have found it very rewarding to work with different types of people from different types of backgrounds all working towards the same goal, to create a football club for the fans by the fans. We have had tremendous support from people that have already been in our position, the likes of FC United and Chester, and obviously everyone connected with Radcliffe Borough, where we will be playing our home games. Without all of those people we would not be here tonight.”

That night Andy Welsh told me that as grateful as he was to Radcliffe for hosting his club, he wanted to be the man to take Bury back to Gigg Lane but more importantly he wanted to ensure that the new club built strong foundations with a successful future in mind.

“We want to win promotion and we want to kick on, but whatever we achieve this year as a club will be seen as a positive. This time last year the supporters had no team to follow. What I’m looking forward to is how we grow both on and off the field.

“If I have a message for our supporters, it’s that we will win games but it’s how we react when things don’t go our way. Let’s have that air of getting behind the club, let’s get behind the lads, let’s make more noise than anyone else, let’s make a mark on the division. That’s what I’m excited about. The ultimate aim is to get promoted, but we have to be respectful of the other clubs in the league. We will have to earn the right to be up there, we will have to go out and win games, but that is easier said than done. We will all have to be of the right mindset to achieve what we all desire, and making sure that happens is down to me.”

Denied the North West Counties First Division North title in his first season by the Covid-19 pandemic, Welsh led his side to promotion the following year, his Bury team losing just one game on their way to clinching the title. In those first couple of seasons, I witnessed several Bury AFC games and with each week the desire amongst the coaching staff, players and more importantly the supporters was plain to see.

Last season Bury AFC enjoyed their best ever runs in both the FA Vase and FA Cup, falling at the quarter-final stage in a penalty shootout in the former whilst losing to a late goal against York City in the fourth qualifying round in the latter, falling tantalisingly short of making the first round proper.

After the York game, Welsh told me that he was an immensely proud manager: “In moments like this when you come up against a team from four divisions above, and in my opinion, dominate most of the game, it’s hard to be anything but proud. This was our ninth game in our first ever FA Cup journey and apart from those early few minutes where we were a bit naive in giving them a goal, we were the better side.”

Ultimately the two cup runs made it almost impossible for Bury AFC to win promotion as they had so many games to catch up on in the league, and despite losing just four league games all season they eventually fell four points short of clinching a play-off slot.

During this summer, the rift that had been formed between the phoenix club and the Bury Football Club Supporters' Society, who controlled the use of Gigg Lane, was finally put to bed and Welsh was able to fulfil his and many others dream of bringing Bury back home.

On Saturday, I took my place in the hastily-arranged press box in the South Stand as the renamed Bury FC took on League Two side Bradford City in the first game back at Gigg Lane. With current crowd restrictions in place due to ongoing safety certification the official attendance was a “sold out” 2,135 with 1,100 visiting fans making the journey over from Yorkshire.

For the record a strong Bantams side ran out 6-0 winners but there were no sad faces inside Gigg lane afterwards, with Welsh full of praise for all involved: “I was pleased with the way we played in the first half especially. We played some good stuff and were unlucky with Benito Lowe’s goal being ruled out during a good spell for us. That said we are playing a Bradford side that came close to winning promotion from five levels above us, so to play as well as we did, I have to be happy.

“Today isn’t about the result, it’s a celebration for the town and the supporters that have waited for over 1,500 days for their team to come home. Three years ago, when we started as a phoenix club at Daisy Hill, I said that it was our dream to bring the club back to Gigg Lane and today we have achieved it.”

For what it’s worth I agree with Welshy. In my opinion Saturday wasn’t about the result, it was about what the Bury AFC slogan stated for those “lost” years: “By the Fans, For the Fans – Bringing football back to the town of Bury.”

Congratulations to all that have been involved and here’s to many more years at Gigg Lane.

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Upgrade your coffee setup

I’d hazard a guess that a sizeable chunk of our readers (especially those suffering with Spanish hangovers at their desks this morning) will be enjoying today’s edition of The Scarf My Father Wore with a cup of coffee. Take a look at your mug. Now take a look at your coaster. They need upgrading, don’t they? Stop drinking your brew from a Sports Direct mug, then placing it down on an “I Love Blackpool” coaster. For just £18, pick up this stunning County mug and coaster set from Stockport artist Kate O’Brien. (Kate’s got loads of other great County/Stockport stuff as well, so check out her website or pop along to her stall in the market.)

Visit kate-obrien.co.uk for further details.

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Today in SK

🥙 Food and drink

Kebabs are just £3 all day at Fishers of Cheshire (SK2).

Med Monday at TRUNK (SK7) between 12pm and 9pm. Enjoy three tapas dishes for £15. T&Cs apply. Call 0161 222 9260 to book a table, and mention “The Scarf My Father Wore” to receive a 15% discount off the normal tapas menu.

❓Quiz night

The George & Dragon (SK7). 7.30pm. Even if you’re crap at quizzes it’s worth getting down there tonight, as there’s also £225 in the Play Your Cards Right pot.

The Scarf My Father Wore works closely with venues on a daily basis to bring you the most comprehensive guide to all of the best offers and events taking place across the whole SK region. Click on the links below for full details of everything taking place in your area over the next few weeks.

SK1 / SK2 / SK3 / SK4 / SK5 / SK6 / SK7 / SK8 / SK9 / SK10 / SK11 / SK12 / SK13 / SK14 / SK15 / SK16 / SK17 / SK22 / SK23

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Bits and bobs

🪂 A big well done to County fan Sarah Nield (is it a bird… is it a plane… no, that really is Sarah in the photo!) who recently completed a charity skydive, along with Stephen Wharton, Melissa McDonald, Laura Lee, Amie Coburn and Lucinda Green. The team have been raising money for Swanbourne Gardens Respite Centre in Edgeley, which provides palliative care for children with life limiting illnesses. They’re currently just £46 short of their £1,000 target, which I’m sure we can fix today, can’t we? Click here to donate.

✍️ The latest edition of When Saturday Comes includes a review of the 2022-23 League Two season. Here’s a little snippet: “For many clubs, however, League Two was a triumph of grit over flair, resulting in a much lower-scoring competition than the two other EFL divisions. Goal difference was modest across the board, typifying tight defences and victories by narrow margins. Only two teams broke the 70 goals scored barrier – Mansfield Town, who have finished in the top eight four times in the last six years but who fell short once again, and ever aspirational Salford City, who reached the play-offs for the first time but were seen off on penalties by Stockport. Well managed by Dave Challinor, County can be delighted to have reached the play-off final in only their first season back in the league.”

👕 All three of County’s new kits are on sale today, don’t forget. The club shop’s open until 5pm.

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Photo of the day

As we’re doing a feature on Bury today, let’s have a photo of the last man to score for County at Gigg Lane, Wes Fletcher. The Burnley loanee scored the only goal of the game in front of 1,141 travelling Hatters in November 2010, during the season we dropped out of the Football League.

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