THE NEW SHAKERS ARE UP AND RUNNING IN TIER 10, BUT THE
OF all the ways Bury fans might have chosen to mark the anniversary of their club’s expulsion from the Football League, this was just about perfect.
The rain which had lashed down earlier in the day helpfully gave way to late summer sun.
The bar at Daisy Hill FC ticked over nicely for just over a hundred fans.
And five unanswered goals went in the right net. A small step after the turmoil and heartache of watching the slow death of their beloved club – a pre-season friendly in the North West Counties League, Division One North – but after the traumas of the past 12 months it was, at least, a step forward.
Bury AFC is the latest of an increasing number of footballing rebirths following financial decline or mismanagement. And, typically, it is a long and complex story, with no obvious winners.
Yet the growing fan membership (over 800 and rising) who have rebooted the passion with a new start-up believe that, even in tier 10 – seven levels below where the technically still-in-existence Bury FC were a year ago – this is better than nothing.
“We just wanted to bring back the feeling of enjoyment of watching some football,” said Chris Murray, chairman of the new club.
“It has been a difficult time watching a club we love, if not die, then end on life support. It just feels good watching football again.” Two hours earlier the 33-yearold Murray had turned up with the kit at Daisy Hill (near Bolton), picked up the physio – “because he doesn’t drive” – and lumped camera equipment through the turnstiles.
Such a hands-on approach should not mask the fact that there is a drive and professionalism about a set-up with ambitions to secure promotion.
Player recruitment continues apace following the appointment of former
Stockport, Sunderland and Yeovil winger Andy Welsh as manager.
“We have a 24-hour emergency plumber and a couple of landscape gardeners on our books, which could be handy,” said Murray.
“We had 650 applications for the manager’s job. About 550 from people who had managed only on FIFA and Football Manager. But there were 100 genuinely decent ones.”
A groundshare with Radcliffe FC at their Neuven Stadium is secured, at