Bury are not alone on the trail of tears
ANOTHER weekend, another afternoon of sorrow at a deserted Gigg Lane.
But as the home of Bury gathers dust, the battle for the club’s survival is still very much alive and kicking.
Last week the latest winding up order against Bury FC was kicked into the long grass by the High Court.
That means the future of the club remains uncertain. But they are far from alone. From Newport County to Hereford, Aldershot to Darlington, other clubs have experienced their pain before. And to varying degrees have bounced back.
Now Bury’s supporters are still desperately trying to keep the club alive, either in its current form or as a phoenix club formed from the ashes of the one thrown out of League One back in August.
So after another blank weekend, can those supporters who share their pain offer them some much-needed solace?
“It’s brutal when something like this happens,” says Graham Brookland, one of the co-founders of Aldershot Town when the original club were liquidated in 1992.
“You can see something disintegrating in front of you but you’re powerless to do anything about it. As a football fan you always have the thought that someone is going to come in and save it.
“There are false dawns and promises, but when nothing materialises it’s vicious. One day you have the football club you’ve supported your whole life, then it’s gone.”
That’s a feeling that Bury fans know only too well. As do supporters of now National League North side Darlington.
Relegated from the National League in 2012 after a string of financial disasters, the club have worked their way up from the Northern League Division One.
“If you’re organised properly and you have experts in their fields involved then you can make a success of whatever happens next,” says Ray Simpson, a key figure behind the scenes at Darlington.
“It’s great having people who are prepared to graft. But you can have as many people as you want going out and shaking buckets – you still need someone who has the expertise to speak at the levels that matter.”
Darlington are now owned by the fans and on a far firmer financial footing.
“The most important thing is that we still have a club,” says Brookland. “My son turned 22 this week and he’s celebrating his birthday by travelling with his mates to Hartlepool to watch Aldershot play.
“That’s why a football club is so important.”