Bury News Feed

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Bury won 2-0 over Barnoldswick Town as they continue their march towards the NWCFL Premier Division title, Captain Bobby Carrol spoke to the club to give us his thoughts on the game. Bobby Carroll: “I think the main thing out of today was getting the three points and we’ve done that. I think we started the game quite well, first 20, obviously got the goal quite early, played some good stuff, started with good intensity. I’m not sure if some music just dropped off a little bit towards the end of the first half. I thought we got a bit sloppy in possession, forcing balls. Credit to them, they played some good stuff, tried to play out from the back and caused us a few problems. I thought we showed good spirit in the second half, got about them a bit more, had a bit of a higher press and we looked a lot better in the second half.” He then spoke about whether they expected Barnoldswick to play the way they did with him saying “Definitely, we know they like to play football. Their sentiment was dropping in as well, into the back four, trying to get on it a little bit. So, yes, they had some good patterns. To be fair to them, they played some good stuff and obviously caused us a few problems. But yes, the lads dealt well with it and we’re really happy with the clean sheet as well.” Bobby then spoke about if its good to play with the same players each week “Yes, definitely. We’re a really tight-knit group and you can see that on the pitch. You could see that today as well with the lads coming off the bench. I thought they were outstanding today. Every single person who came off the bench, they gave everything. That’s what we want and that’s what we need right through to the end of the season.” He then spoke about how good it was to play back-to-back home games and whether that’s helped with the pressure to finish the season strong “Yes, definitely. Being at home is ideal with all the fans. There was a big turnout again today and they got us over the line in the end. They were really good, really loud all game. They were amazing. Definitely, two home games will be really important for us in the running. Obviously, every game is really important now. Even the away games, obviously, we take a lot of fans with us. Every game is important. We win them all. We win the league. That’s what we’re looking to do.” Bobby then looked ahead to next weeks clash with FC St Helens “Yes, obviously, we’ve played them already this season. They were a good side. I think we drew the game. They were a good team. We like to play some good stuff. It’ll be a tough game, but we’ll go into it with confidence. Hopefully, we can get the win.” To finish the interview Captain Bobby sends a special message to the fans with him saying “Yes, just keep supporting us like you have been. You’ve been absolutely fantastic. Six more games to go and then hopefully we’ll be lifting that trophy of yours.” View the full article

Bury won 2-0 in a tightly fought game against Barnoldswick Town, Manager Dave McNabb spoke to the club to give us his thoughts on the game. Dave McNabb: “Obviously really pleased to get the three points and another win. I think obviously the run’s been really good and the lads, massive credit to the lads. To start with the negatives, I think I was a little bit disappointed. We could have been more clinical. First half, we missed two one-on-ones, we had another good chance off a corner. Probably could have gone in, so it’s a 3-0 up, 4-0 up and you think it’s about then seeing the game through and being a bit more professional. We didn’t control the game enough, both in and out of possession first half. I think that was probably from the point we scored the goal we stopped because I thought we started really well. But I think some of that credit’s got to go to Barnoldswick. They played some really good stuff. They’ve got some very good technical players, they’re big, strong, they’re powerful. Didn’t create an awful lot, I know they’ve had a couple of chances from set-pieces, but the build-up plays and the way they move the ball causes problems at times. Overall, it’s about getting three points on the board and we more than deserve that but just need to make sure our standards are high.” He then spoke about Aaron Chalmers absence from today’s squad with him saying “He’s got a bit of a pull on his hamstring, just a low grade, but he felt it on Saturday and then he came Tuesday and had to stop. He couldn’t train Thursday, and he’s probably touch and go for next week. He’s got an outside chance, but I doubt he’ll be available for next week, but we’ll see.” Dave then spoke about his team achieving 3 clean sheets on the bounce with him saying “Yes, I think defensively I agree with the angle of what you’re saying. I think defensively we haven’t been good enough at times this season, 100 per cent. Clean sheets few and far between, I think it was our 14th in the league, highest in the league 15. It was not that bad. I think the problem’s been in games where we’ve conceded too many. I think obviously when we shut shop up and being professional with it and moved across the pitch well, I think like we did today, we’ve looked really good. I think at times we’ve capitulated and conceded too many goals. I think three on the bounce is a massive kudos to the players and the way they’re now starting to lift some strokes. We’ve done quite a lot of defensive work over the last few weeks in training and starting to pay dividends.” He then spoke about his constant adaptations to the team’s structure throughout the season with him saying “Versatility is massive. Obviously, people will talk about tactics and formations, and it is important, but what we like to say to the players is the formation that we put up is basically the starting position on the pitch when you kick off. The formation can change. I think what’s really important is the way that we play, and our identity doesn’t. Regardless of whether we’re playing a back three, a back four, we’ve got five in midfield, four in midfield, whatever it is, we should be able to switch between multiple shapes. We’ve worked on multiple shapes, we’ve worked on three or four different formations this year, so the players should be able to adapt and fit into those formations and regardless, the way we play should always look the same. Compact, solid to break down and when we get the ball, nice and expansive, playing through the lines and playing forward and trying to be creative.” He then also gave praise to Josh Gregory who picked up Bury’s February player of the month and also provided us an update on his issue that saw him leave the pitch, he said “Yes, I was really pleased for him when I saw the results and it was a landslide in the votes as well, which is brilliant for him because, again, he’s had a tough year, he had a tough couple of years. He’s come in, that’s the Josh we knew we were signing at the start of the season. Obviously, the fans haven’t seen enough of that because of the injuries, but he’s made a massive difference. He’s made us look so much more solid, more competitive, so it was made up he got that award. It wasn’t anything bad today, he’s just not felt great coming into the game and obviously on a hot day, he was just feeling a bit tired and a bit dehydrated. So, yes, no concerns for him for next week.” Dave then gave special praise to the fans for their support during todays match “They were phenomenal again. They started the singing even earlier today; I think we were only halfway through the warm-up, and they’d already started. It makes a massive difference; it makes a huge difference both for our players and for the opposition as well. It was really positive throughout today, which is great. We had a couple of tough five-minute spells in the game and the fans noticed that and started. It works both ways, you’ve got to get them up and make them enjoy it. I think the noise and the volume that they can bring is just massive to the players. The message is to keep it open. We’ve got two tough away games now, so come on your numbers, bring that drum, keep your noise up and hopefully we can pick up some more points.” To finish the interview Dave looked ahead to next weeks clash vs FC St Helens with him saying “It’s going to be a really tough game. I went and watched them last Friday when they played Ramy. I thought they were excellent. I thought they were a little bit unlucky to be 2-0 down. I thought Ramy were really good in the transitions, and they took the two chances well. Then St Helens were outstanding after that. I think they’ve been beat well today by a lower break, but I think Darren was there, so I believe that up until the second goal, they were very much in the game. We know it’s going to be a tough game. They’re obviously going to want to try and pick up those three points. Very competitive, really good group of lads in terms of the team spirit they’ve got. We’re going to have to be at our best to get anything from the game.” View the full article

Our stunning 7-0 victory against Litherland REMYCA in front of 3,315 extended our fantastic winning run to eight games and extending the gap at the top of the table. We were given a lift even before the kick-off when Ramsbottom lost at home to FC St Helens on Friday night. And the big margin of victory more than made up for the result in the reverse fixture at Litherland in December. Five goals before half time and seven separate scorers demonstrated the terrific attacking mindset in the team. And it was great to see Nicky Adams back in action as a sub following his hamstring injury. The Shakers 4-1 victory at Barnoldswick on January 18 launched our winning run, so we’ll be looking to extend it before two away fixtures at FC St Helens and Pilkington. We’re now on 88 points from 39 games – 10 in front of Rammy, who lost again on Tuesday. Lower Breck also remain a threat, in second place after a midweek home win against West Didsbury and Chorlton. They’ve won five of their last six matches and are on 79 points from 37 games. If we win every match, we win the league. We’ve seen how a big, noisy crowd helps the team. So…be there, be part of it, be loud and be proud! and make some noise!!!! Up The Shakers!!! View the post match media from last weekend’s win vs Litherland REMYCA including interviews with Dave McNabb & Mitch Allen. In Opposition – Barnoldswick Town Since we beat them, Barlick have made something of a recovery. They’ve lost only one of their last six games – won three and drawn two. That leaves them in 14th position, with 54 points from 39 games. They’re an ambitious club with a good set-up. They will be looking to achieve 10th place at least by the end of the season, so we can expect them to come to Gigg looking for a good result. On the Day & In the Ground Our Matchday @ Gigg guide is available to read to find out everything you need to know going on in and around the ground. Tickets are on sale now, via our ticketing page on our website. Pay on the day is also available in the Main & South Stands. Ian Hughes will be our guest for the afternoon, hear them in Starkies from 1:20pm. We also have new catering offering available for this game, click here for more information. Starkies Bar Before kick-off: Starkies will be open at the normal time of 12.30pm for supporters to access from the Manchester Road End entrance before kick-off. This will be on a first-come, first-served basis up to capacity, which will be managed on the door. Supporters will only be able to gain entry by presenting their online ticket purchased in advance, and no re-entry will be allowed once supporters leave to take their seat ahead of kick-off. Starkies Pass ticket holders will be permitted access at any time in line with their purchase. During the game: After kick-off, the bar can be accessed by anyone situated in the Main Stand (via the door linked to the concourse) or in the South Stand (via the front of the Manchester Road End). The bar is open throughout the game, including at half-time. Post-match: Starkies will be open to all, again up to capacity, with last orders at 7.30pm. 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: An international stream will be available, for this fixture. Not available in the UK Live stream tickets will be available to purchase from Friday evening, on our ticket webpage HERE. 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 half time and full time 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! #ShakersTogether | #BuryFC | #PartOfIt View the full article

This week’s Treasureline Winners for Week 41 – 5th March 2025 are in! The rollover this week was £1000 and remember it can reach up to a life-changing £10,000!! Want to be part of it? Join here Prize Draw No. Members Name £1,000 Rollover LJ1699 NO WINNER £1000 BD6470 I GILL £100 HB4527 C JONES £50 HA2576 M JORDAN £50 BK6700 S BROWN £25 HC6732 D VARLEY £25 RS3213 G COLLINGE £10 SA1355 J KENNY £10 BR5009 J COOPER £10 HA2011 J BUCKTIN £10 NF3929 G WILTON £10 BB5303 C PRESTWICH £10 HL6099 R WELLS £10 PD2948 L SINDLE £10 HJ6493 D WOODHOUSE £10 WK1149 R HOGARTH £10 HL2851 C DICKSON Bury FC is a partner of NYCDA and a beneficiary of the NYCDA Weekly Draw. Gambling Commission account number 5166. Registered Office: 1-2 Frecheville Court, Bury, BL9 0UF. Responsible Person: Mr M Brocklehurst. For more information, please visit www.nycdaweeklydraw.co.uk/treasureline. View the full article

After listening to the feedback from the fans, we are pleased to bring some new food outlets at Gigg Lane on Saturday for our match against Barnoldswick Town. Two new catering vans will be in the car park, in front of the main stand and will be open from 12.30pm, as will Starkies bar. You can choose from new jacket potato van, ‘Get Stuffed’ or a traditional burger van. We are currently working on development plans for a fan zone, which is likely to open in the new season, as well as a kids zone, to keep youngsters entertained prior to the match. It is evident that we are getting more families and youngsters watching the match and our school engagement programme, youth teams and community football developments are all clearly helping to increase and diversify our fan base. View the full article

Bury FC is proud to announce a new affiliation with Unsworth Juniors FC, a highly respected and long-standing grassroots club in Bury, with teams ranging from Under-6s to Under-17s. This partnership marks an exciting step forward for both clubs, fostering development opportunities for young footballers and strengthening local football connections. The collaboration offers the chance to identify, nurture and develop emerging talent in the local area. Beyond player development, the partnership also brings practical benefits, including shared experiences, facilities, professional development and coaching sessions. By working together, both clubs can provide more opportunities for young players to grow, compete and thrive within a structured and supportive environment. This affiliation represents Bury Football Club’s commitment to investing in the future of local football, ensuring that talented young players in the region have the best possible opportunities to succeed. Bury FC and Unsworth Juniors FC look forward to a bright future together, united by a passion for the game and a dedication to developing the next generation of footballers. View the full article

Bury blitzed past Litherland REMYCA with a 7-0 victory defender Bebeto Gomes spoke to the club to give us his thoughts on the game Bebeto Gomes: “I thought we came in quite strong, set the tone for minute one, went 5-0 at half-time. Yeah, the second half, we just saw it through. Going in 5-0 at half-time, that only comes around every so often in football, it doesn’t happen every week.” He then spoke about what the message was at half time with him saying “Just to come back with the same energy, the same energy, the same principles and keep pushing. Eventually, we get more goals. We were hoping for double digits, but it didn’t happen, but the 7-0 is still good.” Bebeto then spoke about what its like playing in his new role “Obviously, I like attacking, I love attacking but first defending and then attacking after. I love defending now.” He then spoke about whether it’s annoying to not get on the score sheet today, he said: “Most definitely. I was hoping for a goal or two, but hey, I take that one assist.” Bebeto then looked ahead to next weeks game with him saying “Yes, of course, keep the momentum going, for sure. Keep stacking the wins, taking them off, seven to go, right?” View the full article

Bury won 7-0 over Litherland REMYCA to extend their lead at the top of the NWCFL Defender Aiden Walker gave us his thoughts on the game. Aiden Walker: “Yeah, no, perfect, I think putting seven past them, I think in recent weeks we’ve all been winning by one or two goals, so it’s nice to win convincingly today. Obviously clean sheet, same again last week, it’s always nice adding a goal to it too, I think I probably should have got two or three really, with some missed chances, but yeah, buzzing, great win. Clean sheets seem to be really important for yourself especially, at 4-0 you’ve gone and added the fourth, and then a minute later you’re making a last-ditch block to stop them from making it 4-1.” He then spoke about how nice it is to keep a clean sheet today, he said “Yeah, it is massive keeping clean sheets, that’s what I’m here to do. Keep clean sheets, I think that’s free now but keep clean sheets with the players we’ve got up top, we’re always going to score goals, the lads in there are absolutely brilliant. So yeah, that’s what we’re here to do, and I think in the first half we were a bit sloppy, they could have got one or two, but we ended up, Mitch made a couple of good saves, a couple of good blocks, but it’s always nice to get a clean sheet.” Aiden then spoke about how the team kept their composure whilst knowing about Ramsbottom slip up last night “Yeah, obviously we had an eye on that and they obviously lost, but all focus is on us, if we win every game, we win the league, so we’re taking it a game at a time, on to next week, seven left, we win every game, we win the league. So, the lads are just focusing on game by game, and I think today was superb.” He then spoke about what it’s been like fitting into Dave’s system since joining “Yeah, it’s brilliant, obviously playing here, it’s superb, in front of the fans, they’re brilliant, 3,500 every time we’re here at this level, it’s absolutely superb. The gaffer and his staff, the training sessions, they’re intense, they are top draw on the facilities, you can’t moan, it’s a great place to be, and the lads love it, thriving from it, so yeah, it’s great.” Aiden then spoke about whether the main goal is to win every game left “Yeah, obviously we want to win the league, we want to win the next seven games. Definitely.” View the full article

Highlights are brought to you by Autosave Ltd, Proud sponsors of Bury Football Club. Thank you for your continued support of the club. Bury FC is a community, fan-owned football club competing in the North West Counties Football League Premier Division. #BuryFC | #partofit

Bury came out 7-0 winners as they eased past Litherland REMYCA, Manager Dave McNabb spoke to the club to give us his thoughts on the game. Dave McNabb: “I thought we were excellent in the first half, a couple of little sloppy moments defensively, the space in between the back line wasn’t quite right, we gave them a couple of chances, but going forward I thought we were frightening in the first half, I thought we were exceptional, we came in 5-0 and deserved. The second half started really well and then we got into a bit of a stop-start game for half an hour, 40 minutes or so, and look, massive, massive respect to REMYCA because it’s always tough when you concede the goals, but they didn’t stop, they didn’t give up, they were working right to the end, obviously he had to finish the game with 10 men as well, so I don’t want to be critical in any way, shape or form, we’ve won the game 7-0, I think we could have maybe been a bit more clinical in the second half, but again, you’re 6-0 up at the time, and it’s like, how much do you want the players to exert themselves, knowing that we’ve got seven massive games left, so all in all, really pleased and we’re prepared now to go ready for next week.” He then spoke about the changes to todays starting 11 with Aaron Chalmers replacing Louis Jeanne on his return to the squad, he said “Yes, a bit of both, I think obviously, we’ve won every game since Louis came to the club, so the impact he’s had in such a short space of time has been really good. I thought it was important to try and get Aaron back on the side again, just a few minutes after he’d been away for a couple of weeks, obviously he had 20 minutes last week, we need to make sure the squad’s fresh, and that people are robust. I thought we needed Aaron’s aggression today on the pitch, he’s a leader and the way he attacks the ball is exceptional, so we thought we needed that today, but we’ve got the beauty of having a really strong squad, and obviously we’ve got lots of options, and I think the team that went out there today did really well.” Dave then spoke about the fact he has used 18 players in his last 6 games with him saying “It is, and I think obviously people will have comments around the number of players used, and I’ve said it before, you don’t get the recruitments 100% right, there are some mistakes that you make, but I think in the squad that we’ve got at the moment, the 18-19 players we’ve got at the club at the moment, who are playing regularly here and playing, I think 12 of them have played over 75% of the games we’ve played this season, so 15 competitive games now under our belt, 12 of them have played at least 75% to 80% of those games, if you add that to your Josh’s [Gregory] and Brad Carroll’s, who’ve been long-term injuries but been here since the start of pre-season, 14 players in and around the squad all season, it’s a big percentage in terms of players played, so you’ve always got to take a bit of stick now and again when players come in and go, but it’s the level we’re at, but like you said, 18 players used over the last six or seven games, I think it shows how strong we are and how robust the current group is.” He then spoke about Nicky Adams return to the side with him saying “Yeah, exactly, I think he’s trained well this week, we probably held him back last week, we probably could have pushed him for the Thursday training and then into the squad for the Saturday, but we held him back another week, he did really well this week in training. The plan was today, get him on for 20 minutes, just sit and bottle the ball about, he must have played about 25 long passes in the first five minutes, so he’s more than tested his hamstring now and come through, so that’s good.” Dave then spoke about the 7 different goal scorers in todays result, he said “Yeah, it’s strange isn’t it, obviously the amount of goals we scored this season is frightening, but to score seven in a game and have seven different scorers, it doesn’t happen too often, but again, it shows that it’s not just all about your strikers, it’s not all about your DJs [Pedro], it’s not all about your Rubens [Jerome] or your Lewis [Bryne], we can share the goals about and some really good goals today, so build on that and we’ll go again next week.” He then praised the fans for their atmosphere from today’s game “Yeah, we know how important they are in every game, obviously as the running comes in, they’re even more important, because REMYCA are a young side, they’ve got some young lads there, some really good players, and they’ve come here and they’ll never experience that, and the fans today were even better than usual. I mean, the noise out of them before we even kicked off, we were finishing the warm-up and they were already singing the songs, going through the normal repertoire, so the massive ask for me is just keep doing that, keep bringing the noise in and we’ll come and give 100 per cent for you.” To finish the interview he then looked ahead to next weeks fixture against Barnoldswick “I think it’ll be a tough game, I think we were very clinical against them last time, they didn’t create a lot against us but we found it hard to break them down, the couple of chances we scored from, we only created maybe a handful more, so we’re very clinical on the day, we’ll have to be the same again next week.” View the full article

Bury returned to winning ways with a 4-0 victory over Colne at a stormy Gigg Lane. Debutant and first-time goal scorer Aaron Chalmers told us what attracted him to the club. Aaron Chalmers: “The ambition of the club and where they’re going forward basically, they want to go up and then go up again. I spoke to Dave and my ambitions matched mine. I didn’t want to leave but this felt like a no-brainer, and I get the opportunity to play in front of thousands of fans every week at home and that pretty much made my mind up.” Aaron then spoke about how the two games he played for Prestwich against Bury made him want to be a part of the club, he said “Yeah, if you look back at last year when I played for Prestwich Bury was the team you wanted to play against. It was always big crowds, and you wanted to perform. We did alright last year Prestwich I mean we got beat twice but it is what it is everyone in this league wants to play against Bury and they want to perform to try and beat them as we are the biggest team in the league and possibly the league above so it was a no brainer and we want to win the league and that’s why I’m here and it’s why I’m here to help.” He then gave us his thoughts on today’s win, with the defender saying “In the first 15 it was a bit scrappy with the weather obviously but as soon as we got that first goal, we picked up momentum and didn’t give them a second, to be honest. I thought we moved the ball side to side very well and we played through the lines, but we should’ve probably tried and got a few more before halftime but the second half we were different we scored a second, third and probably should’ve scored five or six but we’ll take 4-0 and a clean sheet and go into Tuesday now.” To finish the interview Aaron spoke about the need to build on today’s win and continue it into Tuesday’s clash against Irlam. Aaron Chalmers: “Momentum is key if not all the time the best team wins if you get a consistent 11 and a consistent performance everything will come as long as we keep the back door closed and keep those clean sheets going as we can, I mean I’ve been here a few days and the ability is ridiculous and we could win every game this season if we keep the back door shut.” View the full article

Bury rewrote the wrongs of midweek with a dominating display in a 4-0 victory over Colne FC. Debutant and club captain Nicky Adams spoke to the club he gave us his thoughts on the game. Nicky Adams: “Absolutely fantastic, couldn’t have gone any better really. You know it was fantastic when I came back yesterday but when you come back on a matchday you truly realise how big this football club is and when I walked out there it was goosebumps, to be honest. The fans are unbelievable as they always are and the lads have been great you know I was gutted not to be involved on Wednesday for unforeseen circumstances but the manager was unbelievable and like I said I can’t thank him enough for allowing me to come back on Wednesday and that shows him and the staff are all about and as I said it can’t have gone any better and it’s a privilege to play in this footballing team.” Nicky then added on to his previous answer when he was asked how the game played out, he said “Yeah, as I said there are no easy games in any league and when you play for Bury, you’re a big scalp and everyone wants to beat you. We just needed to make sure we did everything out there we were told to do and start well; I mean we almost started perfectly after just 10 seconds you know Rusty [Stepans] is unlucky not to score after 10 seconds but then for 10 minutes it got a bit cagey as you know teams like that won’t come here and lie down and they had a right go at us for 10 minutes but after that it settled down and we started playing our football it was really good and we got our goal and it was a brilliant goal by the lads and that settled us down. When we went in at half time 1-0 up we said we shouldn’t let our foot off the gas and that’s exactly what we did the goals came in quick succession and as I said it couldn’t get any better for my 4th debut. He than finished the interview by looking ahead to this Tuesday’s clash against Irlam FC. Nicky Adams: “You know I’ve been around a long time and I know when you go to these places you know we’ve got to be up for it and Irlam is a good side, and the staff will do their homework on them so we can go into the game fully prepared but then it’s up to us. So, like I say we’ll go into every game like it’s a tough test but as you know there’s not going to be any easy games until the end of the season so let’s just take it one step at a time and one game at a time.” View the full article

Bury returned to winning ways after a dominant 4-0 win over Colne, Assistant Manager Tim Lees spoke to the club and gave his thoughts on the game. Tim Lees: “It was a real disappointment, the way we played, particularly defensively. I think when we look back, at the number of chances we created, I think we had 21 in the game, so there wasn’t as much going forward really. But if you need to score three or four goals to win games, which out of the last few away games we did, it was an area that we needed to address, really. So, yes, I thought we were excellent today, controlled it right from about ten minutes in, really, once the game settled. I thought we really controlled the game, and dominated it. We were good for the four goals, thought we could have had a few more as well. Dominated in their half, aggressive in terms of our pressing, patient with the ball, so good to see us back to our normal ways.” Tim than spoke on the 4 changes to today’s starting 11, he said “Yes, I think after the other night, it’s an area at the back that we needed. Not so much after the other night, really. I think Maka touched on it in his interview. We were too soft in terms of defending long balls and defending direct play. We know that’s what we’re going to be up against in this league quite a lot, particularly away from home. Especially if we’re going to press the way we press. We’ve got to be good at winning second balls and winning them first contact when we’re in their half and being aggressive in defending the half. First, Aaron came in, and thought he was excellent, excellent. Really calm on the ball, built the game well, slowed it down, and speeded it up at the right times. Then, from a defensive point of view, I think he won most of his headers all game. Really aggressive in the dominant, got us up the pitch, and made a massive difference from that point of view. Then, it was his organisation as well. If you look away from the ball, his leadership. Just the communication all the time to make sure the back line is where they should be and people around him are set up to defend properly. Then, Nicky. Obviously, Nicky’s quality and his experience and his career speak for themselves. I know all the fans are over the moon to have him back, but you could see straight away with him. His calmness on the ball, his ability to always be a free player with his movement, and his angles. The first goal came from it. Just calmness to play through the lines and pick the right passes and make the right decisions. His ability to particularly dictate and control the tempo is going to be massive for us. Obviously, a couple of defeats over the last few games.” Further adding “Obviously, that first defeat coming off the back of an 8-0 win against Longridge. Very similar sort of game to what we saw today. How do you keep the consistency in the results to make sure you don’t have another couple of defeats in maybe two- or three weeks? I think the way we play; the idea is that we play the same way every game. We’re aggressive about the ball. We make teams go long a lot. I think we’re averaging over 70% of the ball and most of it is in the opposition’s half. That doesn’t change. We’re averaging the same number of chances every game, which is over 20 most games. It’s not particularly that. It’s the moments, the half a dozen times when you’ve got to defend those direct long balls. At the half, it’s when we’re in shape. We’ve been very vulnerable recently on crosses and direct long balls. I think the addition of Aaron makes a massive difference. It gives everyone confidence as well. We’ve just got to be more organised. We work on it a lot in training, but it’s an area that we must improve if we’re going to win the league. Bobby Carroll was part of the warm-up this afternoon, which is a positive thing for his recovery.” Tim than gave us an update on Brad Carroll’s injury with him saying “Brilliant to have him back on the field. He’s back doing some fitness work. He’s just started today doing a bit of technical work as well. We think it’ll probably be another three or four weeks before we can get him involved and in contact and close to being ready for games. Again, the fans only saw him for a short period at the start of the season, but he was excellent for us. Again, that leadership and that physicality in the middle, as well as his ability on the ball and his experience. He’s been around the non-league a long time. It’s great to have him back and we don’t want to rush it too much. We’re hoping it can be three or four weeks.” He then also gave us an update on Josh Greggory injury Tim Lees: “Yes. his shoulder, he dislocated it in the home game. He’s been given a bit of good news: he can rehab it without needing an op, which is fantastic for him. I think, again, if you look at the recruitment from pre-season, if you look at the type of player in the middle there from Brad, who’s an aggressor, from Josh, who’s an aggressor, and then to be without Bobby as well, they’re three top players in center midfield. So, yes, the quicker we can get them back, the better. But it’s an area that we’ve got some real depth in now, especially with Nicky coming in.” Tim then finished the interview by looking ahead to the midweek game against Irlam, he said “They’re a very, very good side, Irlam. It’s a difficult place to go. Pitch is difficult. They’ve got really effective players in the final third. One of which, Dirk, was what we had last year, obviously. But they’ve got two or three other lads that are very, very efficient. So, yes, the unfortunate thing is we haven’t got a session in between. But I think there are certain things that, as a group, we wanted to improve on in the last few games that we did well today that we’ll be certainly taking into the game on Tuesday.” View the full article

After a disappointing night on Merseyside midfielder Cam Fogerty spoke to the club to give his thoughts on the game. Cam Fogerty: “It was a poor game of football it was poor on the eye, and we weren’t up to it, we weren’t great and that’s all I’ve got to say.” Cam then spoke about what needs to be put right to stop this run of form with the Shakers conceding a lot of goals, Cam said “I don’t know, first half on Saturday we were unbelievable 4-0 up at half time but in the second half we were terrible, and we conceded 2 unnecessary goals. Lower Breck we conceded too many and tonight we conceded too many, from now on we always look like a threat and we always score but we can’t keep conceding the way we are just making it harder for ourselves but the second half was better than the first we created chances but their keeper had a good game, we had an offside goal in the first half and we hit the post near the end but we shouldn’t have to create so many chances to win a game of football but yeah I’m not too sure how we sort it.” Cam then spoke about what he believed went wrong tonight for the Shakers, he said: “No, I can’t the conditions were the same for both teams in the first half we played the game wrong on that you can’t play myself included I tried to play passes but some were going astray as it was too windy and they just did the basics well, they won the first and second balls and they got it down the channels and that’s where they got a couple of goals from but yeah even on the 3rd they won the ball clipped it long and went through 1 on 1 and it was a goal and they did the basics well and we didn’t but we also didn’t play the conditions.” Cam then gave a message to the fans ahead of this weekend’s game against Colne. Cam Fogerty: “I want to say sorry after tonight but no we’ll make it right on Saturday we’ll be back to our best but I mean we did it a few weeks ago when we drew to Charnock and then on the weekend won 8-0 so hopefully we do put it right but we haven’t loss 2 in a row yet in the league and I’m confident this Saturday we’ll come away with a win.” View the full article