Bury FC are back at Gigg Lane. Or they were. Today’s penultimate game of the season against Padiham was played at FC United’s Broadhurst Park Stadium. Gigg Lane has taken a battering this season and the grass pitch is due to be ripped up and a state of the art 3G pitch is to be laid in its place.
Bury were supposed to walk this league. Well, they haven’t. They have stuttered and stumbled all season long and look to be finishing in 3rd place- into the lottery of the playoffs. The prize being promoted into the Northern Premier League system.
Before tonight’s debacle against Padiham Bury had everything in their own hands. The message was simple- win your remaining two games and go up as champions.
Tonight shouldn’t have even mattered. Bury should be far out of sight by now. Their budget is a hundred times bigger than most other clubs in the North West Counties Premier League. The amount of late goals and leads Bury have squandered this year has been truly shocking. Three points were even knocked off for fielding an illegible player in the first game against Glossop North End- a game Bury won 5-1.
Despite attendances being on the whole above 3000 for every home game, Bury were subjected to playing behind closed doors for two games as well due to several incidents of poor crowd behaviour. No one can deny this season has been a rollercoaster.
So back to tonight. Just a nice easy win needed against a resurgent Padiham side… nice and easy. Padiham didn’t read the script and slotted home after 12 minutes. Oh dear. After chasing the game for 80 minutes, Bury went further behind- 2-0 with 20 to go… Connor Comber added a consolation goal in injury time but it was too little too late.
Bury, providing a miracle happens on Saturday against local rivals Ramsbottom, can still win the league. However this seems unlikely. Hope I’m wrong.
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