With Christmas and New Year behind us, The Shakers enter 2024 sitting atop the North West Counties Premier Division table after a month that saw Dave McNabb’s men go unbeaten in the league.
With the only mark on what would have been a perfect month being our Macron Cup exit to Charnock Richard which saw us fall to a narrow defeat at Gigg Lane.
Wins on the road at Longridge and AFC Liverpool, a draw against a plucky Burscough side and a solid home win against promotion chasers Prestwich Heys were enough to make sure we saw the New Year in sitting at number one.
We now head into a packed January schedule with seven fixtures on the calendar starting on Tuesday evening at home to Barnoldswick, a team we put to the sword at The Silent Night Stadium in a rip-roaring seven-nil epic.
Our visitors sit mid-table in 13th position but have only managed to play 21 league fixtures so far this season and haven’t played in the league since their away trip to the Isle Of Man on the 9th of December after having four consecutive games postponed.
Dave McNabb’s men will be keen to capitalise on the momentum of two excellent two-nil wins against Prestwich on Boxing Day and AFC Liverpool on the 30th.
Highlights of the AFC Liverpool match as well as Dave McNabbs post match interview can be seen below.
In Opposition – Barnoldswick Town
Formed in 1972 and named Barnoldswick United(1972) – so-called due to being canny Yorkshiremen- had there been a previous club named Barnoldswick United and they had outstanding debts the new club would have been liable for them.
The field started out as a grazing meadow for cattle, after a lot of hard work, it is now the pitch they play on. The club had 2 teams playing in the Craven & District Football League, in the early 1990’s and they joined the East Lancashire Football League again with 2 teams.
In the late 1990’s they had 3 teams and their 1st & 2nd team teams joined The West Lancashire Football League, our 3rds staying in The East Lancashire League.
The 2003/2004 season brought the amalgamation of Barnoldswick United (1972), Barnoldswick Park Rovers and Salterforth Juniors and they changed their name to Barnoldswick Town Football Club.
It has always been in the club’s constitution to get the ground up to the minimum standards of The North West Counties Football League and the 2009/2010 season saw them accepted into The North West Counties Football League.
Alongside the main pitch they have a floodlit training pitch. Barlicks club house can hold up to 100 people and be hired out for functions. The club’s main sponsor is Silentnight Beds Ltd and the ground is named The Silentnight Stadium.
In 2009/2010 their first season in The NWCFL saw them finish runners up in Division 1 and finalists in the prestigious West Riding County Cup beating Guiseley who won promotion to the Conference North along the way. It was an interesting season as Town only expected to hold their own and try to make sure they didn’t end up at the bottom of the league.
Following on from their success in the 2009/2010 season Barlick went from just looking to avoid relegation in the Premier Division 2010/2011 to astound themselves by finishing a creditable 7th in the league.
In March 2012 they achieved The FA Grade E, enabling the club to enter The Evo-Stik League when finishing in a promotion position.
The 2012/2013 season saw them finish 9th in the Premier Division and reaching a round further in The FA Vase and the Reserves finishing 4th in their respective league, with players being selected for the first team squad showing strength and depth in the club.
The 2013/14 season was a little bit traumatic for the club, players leaving or not being available, unrest in the dressing room which led to poor performances on the field.
In June of 2014 the club achieved Charter Standard Development Club at both Senior and Junior level, which was an excellent achievement by both Senior & Junior Committees. The season had ended on a knife edge, if results on the last day of the season had gone a different way we would have been relegated
For the 2017/2018 Barnoldswick Town have one team in the Hallmark Security League and one team in The Lancashire Football League Western Division (Galaxy League).
The Junior section has 21 teams in The East Lancashire League from U7’s -U18’s, plus one U12’s girls team playing in The West Riding League. They also have a Tiny Town Junior Academy for 4 – 6 year olds.
Tickets & Admission
General sale tickets are available online HERE, which includes hospitality tickets in the Main Stand.
We recommend purchasing a ticket ahead of the game to allow us to plan appropriately in the ground.
Please follow requests from volunteers and stewards for directions if unsure.
Prices*: £10 adult, £5 16-18, £3 Under 16s & Free for Under 5s.
1885 Suite: £40* per ticket
* plus booking fees
Pay on the Gate: Whilst encouraging supporters to buy online ahead of the game, turnstiles will be available to take cash & card payments.
Season Ticket Holders: We have recognised the requests from some season ticket holders who wish to be sat in the Main Stand, instead of the currently allocated South Stand. 200 General sale tickets for the Main Stand are available on Tuesday evening and the first 250 season ticket holders who wish to watch from the Main Stand, can do so by admission of the turnstile.
Please arrive early to secure your seat, with allocations made on a first-come, first-served basis.
Click here to purchase online tickets. Read here on how to access your tickets digitally.
On the Day & In the Ground
Travel: Gigg Lane is accessible by car and is well served by public transport, please see our page on the TfGM website, which advises the best travel routes to the stadium. Directions can be sourced via Google Maps below.
SatNav Postcode: BL9 9HR
WhatThreeWords: ///issues.skins.span
Parking: Our new car-park policy for the upcoming season is now in force.
Due to the limited space within the car park at Gigg Lane, it is reserved for the following:
- Team Playing Staff and Management
- Match and Competition Officials
- Club Staff and volunteers transporting matchday equipment
- Members of the 1885 Suite
- Sponsors
- Blue Badge Holders
If you have a blue badge or mobility issues please email the club secretary at secretary@buryfc.co.uk at least TWO days before the game. Blue Badge holders shall be prioritised for a parking space.
Entrance to the car park is strictly controlled and includes the areas within and in front of the fenced area. Please contact the Club Secretary with any other related queries.
There is on-street parking in the residential areas surrounding Gigg Lane, with supporters reminded to be respectful and considerate of the local residents at all times, as well as being mindful of and adhering to the parking permit measures in place in close proximity to the ground.
Stadium Entry: Gates will open at 6:30pm.
Our matchday volunteers will be on hand, both outside the turnstiles and inside the ground, to guide supporters to where they need to be. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask those who are there to help the day.
Matchday Programme: You can purchase a programme online now, to collect at the merchandise stall tomorrow afternoon or head to the sellers in and around the ground ahead of the game at the price of £3.
Pound for the Ground: Our ‘Pound for the Ground’ half-time raffle tickets will be on sale in and around the ground, £1 per entry. Sellers accept cash or card, with 40% of the total pot going to the winning ticket with results announced over the PA system and on the scoreboard.
Food / Drink: Our catering partner, Quirky Catering, will be operating the kiosks throughout the season, and are accessible for supporters under the stands. A selection of hot and cold snacks will be available. Alcohol will be sold, and can be consumed anywhere in the stand. Please respect the advice from stewards on managing this process on the day.
Keep #GiggGleaming: With so much work gone into Gigg Lane to get us to this point, we want to keep it that way and a lot of work goes into turning the ground around between games each weekend. We have a team of volunteers lined up to clean the stands following the game.
With this in mind, we urge all supporters to make sure any rubbish is processed in the correct manner, using the available bins where necessary, or if possible please take any rubbish away with you.
Designated Smoking Areas: Supporters are not allowed to smoke / vape anywhere within the stands at Gigg Lane. Designated areas are set aside to do this, follow guidance from stewards on this and only smoke / vape within these areas.
#NonLeagueDogs: For now, dogs are NOT permitted in the ground.
Match Coverage & Live Stream
If you are unable to make it to the action at Gigg Lane, we’ll have all the live coverage across our media platforms.
Live Stream: A live stream of tonight’s game is available via Bury FC TV by clicking on the image below! Season ticket holders will be informed by email before 7pm on how to access the game for FREE.
Keep up-to-date with all our video content via the club’s YouTube Channel. Click to subscribe and never miss highlights and match reaction across the season.
Audio Commentary: Roch Valley Radio will be providing commentary for this game. Join the team from the press box at Gigg Lane. Click here ahead of kick-off to listen live. Audio commentary will be provided for every game of the season, so you will never miss a piece of the action.
Social Media: Our team will also bring you in-depth text commentary via the club ‘MatchDay Live‘ Twitter feed, with team news and score-line updates available also on Facebook and feel like you are there with our match galleries and imagery available over on Instagram.
Whatever the weather, wherever you are across the globe, we have you covered.
Up the Shakers!
