We welcome Burscough for their first visit to Gigg Lane as we hope to resume matters in the NWCFL Premier Division this Saturday, 3pm kick-off.
Our game on Tuesday night was called off owing to a water-logged pitch, so we will now play Ramsbottom later in the season. With 14 games to fit in between now and 20th April, there’s plenty to get your teeth into as we head on the hunt for top spot.
We have the covers on the pitch (see here) in the hope of avoiding a repeat of the recent cancellations following the snow and wet weather through this week. We thank our grounds staff for going above and beyond this week to assist in this regard.
Last weekend, we got a win on the road at Pilkington, stretching our unbeaten run in the league to nine. Scoring 33 goals in the process. It was Oli Jepson who got on the scoresheet first last weekend with a powerful header at the back post, before Andy Briggs netted his 20th and 21st goals of the season either side of an early reposte from Pilkington in the first half.
Pilks almost found away back into the game in the dying minutes of the second half capitalising on a rare mistake in the Bury defence and slotting a late goal past Harry Wright, but The Shakers stood firm to close out the game to ensure Dave McNabb’s men came away with all three points.
You can see the highlights from our weekend victory at Pilkington Below.
All details for the game can be found below. Head down for opposition details, tickets, parking and live match coverage. Full details on arrangements inside the ground as we respond to the recent anti-social behaviour experienced can be found HERE.
In Opposition – Burscough
Following the Second World War, the present Burscough club was founded in 1946, starting life in the Liverpool County Combination. In only their second season, 1946/47, they achieved a unique treble, winning the Lancashire Junior Cup, George Mahon Cup and the Liverpool Challenge Cup.
In 1982 the Club became founder members of the North West Counties Football League and had the distinction of becoming the Leagues first ever Champions under Bryan Griffiths.
In more recent times, following the resignation of John Davison the club appointed Shaun Teale as player/manager in May 2002 and the ex-Aston Villa defender went on to sensationally lead the club to its greatest ever achievement as Burscough became the smallest club to ever win the FA Trophy following a tremendous 2-1 victory over Tamworth at Villa Park on Sunday 18th May 2003 in front of a crowd of 14,296 spectators and televised live on Sky. There were incredible scenes as almost 2,000 fans welcomed the team home to Victoria Park.
An incredible end to 2003/04 season saw Burscough finish with a remarkable run of victories that saw them claw their way out of the bottom three into the play-offs for Conference North. Despite playing all their games away from home the Linnets went on to reach the play-off final where they only went down at Bradford Park Avenue following extra-time. During the summer Frank Parr stepped down after 30 years as chairman with local businessman Chris Lloyd taking over at the helm.
Season 2005/06 was another historic one for Burscough F.C. as they went on to reach the Second Round proper of the F.A. Cup for the first time in their history. In reaching that milestone they defeated League One side Gillingham 3-2 on a never to be forgotten day at Victoria Park before going out to Burton Albion.
Despite spending many a season in the higher reaches of the non-league pyramid, financial difficulties through the 2010s lead to Burscough ending up back in the NWCFL in 2017. This season has been equally tricky for The Linnets, with nine wins and two draws in their 32 games. However, they have opened up a gap between themselves and tenants, Skelmersdale United, who sit bottom.
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. The first 250 season ticket holders who wish to watch from the Main Stand, can do so by admission at 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 1:30pm.
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 ahead of the game or head to the sellers in and around the ground. 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 new catering partner, Quirky Catering, operate the kiosks throughout the ground, and are accessible for supporters under the stands. A selection of hot and cold snacks will be available. Alcohol will be unavailable in kiosks for the time being, full details available here. Please respect the advice from stewards on managing this process on the day.
Starkies bar
Starkies: For those with tickets in the Main Stand, access to Starkies will be available from when the gates open with drinks required to be consumed in the bar only for the next two games. The bar is limited to a set number and this will be managed by stewards through the day.
After the game, supporters from other areas of the ground can gain access to Starkies via the ground floor entrance in that corner of the ground – subject to the maximum capacity not being exceeded.
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: For this game, we will have no live stream. 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!
