In a season of new starts and reconnecting with football in our town, the return of a Boxing Day fixture at Gigg Lane places another tick in the box of all Bury supporters, as we welcome Prestwich Heys for a local derby clash this festive period.
With the ground left to ruin from 2019, the roar of a Gigg Lane crowd on Boxing Day went with it. And all who have been involved with its return will no doubt be ‘walking down the the Manny Road’ with beaming smiles this year to witness what is set to be a Christmas cracker of a game.
However, the less said about the last Boxing Day fixture at Gigg Lane, the better! Newly-appointed manager, club legend Chris Lucketti, precided over his first home game in charge, and looking to propel the Shakers from their lowly position at the foot-of-the-table after a dreadful start to the season which had seen Lee Clark leave his post in October.
The ‘new manager bounce’ didn’t work however, and the visitors on the day Rotherham United ran out 3-0 winners in front of a crowd of 4,630. We hope for much better result this time around!
For all the details of this big local derby, the full match information pack can be found below.
In Opposition – Prestwich Heys
The origins of Prestwich Heys AFC can be traced back to February 9th 1938 when a meeting was called at the Music Room of the Heys Road Boys School at which Elgar Lumsden put forward the idea of forming an Old Boys Association.
Despite the onset of the Second World War a year later, the Association flourished under the Chairmanship of Proctor Bell, who also acted as Secretary of the football arm, known as Heys Old Boys AFC and was acknowledged as one of the region’s best.
The team gradually progressed through the Bury Amateur League and in to the South East Lancashire League claiming Championships in 1960, 1961 and 1964. Under the guidance of Peter Gilmore in the sixties, Heys won the prestigious Lancashire Amateur Cup in 1967 followed by the one and only Lancashire Combination Grand Slam in the 1970/71 season with Heys bringing all four trophies available back to Grimshaws.
The club also changed its name in 1964 to Prestwich Heys AFC, an acknowledgement of the fame achieved by the club as they proved one of the nations top amateur clubs.
Thousands flocked to see Heys play, and beat, the likes of Sutton United, Ferryhill Athletic, Finchley and Highgate United in the FA Amateur Cup with the clubs best run taking Heys to the last 16. The victory over Sutton United in 1969 ranks as one of Heys most famous moments, attracting nationwide coverage, coming a week before their opponents were due to meet Leeds United in the FA Cup.
The above has been taken from the history section of the Prestwich Heys website, read more here.
In more recent seasons, Heys re-entered the NWCFL in 2017 (following a stint in the divisions in the early-80s) before gaining promotion to the Premier Division during the covid league re-shuffle in 2021. The side finished 7th last season, and are looking to improve on that this season, comfortably sat inside the play-off positions going into the festive period.
Tickets & Admission
Buy your ticket now to secure your seat at Gigg Lane for the return of football this Boxing Day!
Prices*: £10 adult, £5 16-18, £3 Under 16s & Free for Under 5s.
1885 Suite: £40* per ticket
* tickets bought online are subject to booking fees & are non-refundable.
Visiting Supporters: To enter via the Cemetery End entrance.
Pay on the gate: Both cash / card entry will be available for the South Stand and Cemetery End.
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 sold, and can be consumed anywhere in the stand. Please respect the advice from stewards on managing this process on the day.
Starkies bar
Starkies: We were delighted to have Starkies open last weekend for the first-time on game day, following its renevation in the summer. For those with tickets in the Main Stand, access to Starkies will be available from when the gates open, and throughout the game. 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: A live stream of the game will be available via Bury FC TV for £6.99! Details on this will be provided closer to the game.
Season ticket holders will be informed by email before 2pm 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!
