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Sitting on the other side of the Greater Manchester conurbation, and being fellow travellers in the nether regions of the FL, Bury were regular opposition. As I sit writing this in November 2020, I reflect that Bury’s demise could well have been our own. The financial mismanagement apparent at Gigg Lane, as they bought their way out of League 2, was partially mirrored at EP. It was what happened subsequently that marked the difference. County had a Board from 2014 onwards which, even if not to the satisfaction of many Hatters fans, at least maintained the Club on an even keel, and did, in retrospect, provide the basis for moving forwards once an investor arrived.

Quite unlike Bury of course. Looking on from the distance of 10 miles or so, it seems that there were a succession of owners more interested in a personal take rather than the future of a community asset. Sadly, Bury were expelled from the League – but with a phoenix club now formed and operational in the North West Counties League I am sure that all County fans will wish them all the best.

Looking though the games I saw us play against Bury in order to highlight one it would have been simple to choose a 1-0 win at Gigg Lane in March 2006 – simply for the atmosphere that evening especially at the point Liam Dickinson struck the winner. I write in greater detail on this in the post on Gigg Lane.

Rather I return back nearly 40 years to April 1981. It was an important game given the Hatters league standing. They stood fifth from bottom with three games left, only one of which was at home. Their fellow strugglers in the battle against re-election had the same number of games but with home advantage in two. County were weakened by the absence of talisman, Terry Park. Under the misapprehension that the game would be on a Friday night Park had arranged to get married that day. That was one key man short. Nigel Smith, making his first appearance that season, stepped into the breach.

Whispers started to emerge around 45 minutes before kick-off that things were not all well in the Hatters dressing room. Twelve players need in those days, when there was only one substitute. At that point with the shirts laid out only 8 of them could be filled. Word was coming through that the weather on the other side of the Pennines was appalling, and with a fair complement of County players, plus manager Jimmy McGuigan, making their way from that direction a debacle was on the cards. Les Bradd, coming from Nottingham, purportedly had no chance of arriving, and things were compounded when Dave Sunley and Chris Galvin phoned up minutes before the kick-off to say they were stuck behind a snow plough on the M62.

The 8 available men were made up to nine as a call went out to the tea bar. Legend has it that then record signing Tony Coyle was summoned and was only at Gigg Lane as a spectator. Coyle had been injured for over a month and patently wasn’t fit to play. Casting aside a half-eaten pie, (apocryphally anyway), he was told to put the number 11 shirt on.

Eventually a team sheet was handed in by County stalwart Trevor Porteous, in the absence of McGuigan. It had 11 names on it, plus Sunley as sub. Referee Callow of Solihull refused to allow the kick-off to be delayed pending the arrival so out trooped County with nine. What was to unfold we wondered? Bury were unbeaten on home soil for 17 games and a week previously had hammered Scunthorpe 6-1. County near the bottom, Bury comfortably mid-table. There could only be one outcome.

Which is why “bizarre” is the correct description. With Coyle clearly under instructions to run around up front and make a nuisance of himself, the remaining 7, plus keeper Dave Lawson, somehow managed to keep Bury at bay. Which actually suggests that the Shakers had a single clue how to break County down. They simply didn’t. They were hopeless beyond measure. The cavalry arrived after 43 minutes and onto the field strode Sunley and Galvin to bring us up to a full complement. Ideally Bradd would have turned up as well. Perhaps it’s a good job he didn’t. Named in the original 11 he was a case, perhaps unique in football annals, of being substituted without stepping foot in the ground never mind on the pitch. Sunley’s arrival led to this phantom replacement.

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I’ve seen a fair few games where teams have finished with 9, (the Burnley debacle at Wembley thanks to Elleray being one), but certainly never start with that number. Like I say, truly “bizarre”. And those points, (only 2 for a win in those days!) meant that the spectre of yet another cap-in-hand application for re-election was averted.

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Memories of trips to Gigg Lane

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THE GAMES

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Where the date is in bold click for highlights of the game

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	Date	Venue	Ground	Competition		F	A	Att:
Fri	19/12/80	h	Edgeley Park	Football League Division 4 (Tier 4)	L	1	2	1,941
Sat	25/04/81	a	Gigg Lane	Football League Division 4 (Tier 4)	W	1	0	2,862
Sat	12/09/81	a	Gigg Lane	Football League Division 4 (Tier 4)	L	0	2	3,077
Sat	06/02/82	h	Edgeley Park	Football League Division 4 (Tier 4)	W	2	1	3,157
Tues	19/10/82	a	Gigg Lane	Football League Division 4 (Tier 4)	L	2	3	2,447
Mon	14/02/83	h	Edgeley Park	Football League Division 4 (Tier 4)	W	2	1	3,058
Tues	01/11/83	a	Gigg Lane	Canon League Division 4 (Tier 4)	L	1	2	2,547
Mon	13/02/84	h	Edgeley Park	Canon League Division 4 (Tier 4)	D	1	1	3,219
Tues	26/03/85	a	Gigg Lane	Canon League Division 4 (Tier 4)	L	1	2	3,740
Sat	06/12/86	a	Gigg Lane	Freight Rover Trophy (Group Round)	L	1	3	1,261
Mon	21/08/89	h	Edgeley Park	Littlewoods Challenge Cup (Round 1 (1st Leg))	W	1	0	2,851
Tues	29/08/89	a	Gigg Lane	Littlewoods Challenge Cup (Round 1 – 2nd Leg)	D	1	1	2,590
Sat	21/09/91	h	Edgeley Park	Barclays League Division 3 (Tier 3)	W	2	0	5,083
Sat	18/04/92	a	Gigg Lane	Barclays League Division 3 (Tier 3)	D	0	0	4,726
Tues	09/11/93	a	Gigg Lane	Autoglass Trophy (Group Round)	W	3	1	1,737
Sat	21/12/96	a	Gigg Lane	Nationwide Football League – Division 2 (Tier 3)	D	0	0	5,069
Tues	11/02/97	a	Gigg Lane	Auto Windscreens Trophy (Northern Quarter-final)	W	2	1	2,497
Sat	08/03/97	h	Edgeley Park	Nationwide Football League – Division 2 (Tier 3)	W	2	1	8,170
Sat	16/08/97	h	Edgeley Park	Nationwide Football League – Division 1 (Tier 2)	D	0	0	7,260
Sun	18/01/98	a	Gigg Lane	Nationwide Football League – Division 1 (Tier 2)	W	1	0	5,699
Sat	17/10/98	a	Gigg Lane	Nationwide Football League – Division 1 (Tier 2)	D	1	1	5,732
Sat	02/01/99	a	Gigg Lane	FA Cup (Round 3)	W	3	0	5,325
Sat	03/04/99	h	Edgeley Park	Nationwide Football League – Division 1 (Tier 2)	D	0	0	7,483
Tue	28/09/04	h	Edgeley Park	LDV Vans Trophy (Northern Round 1)	W	3	1	1,416
Tues	07/03/06	a	Gigg Lane	Coca-Cola Football League – League 2 (Tier 4)	W	1	0	3,116
Sat	01/04/06	h	Edgeley Park	Coca-Cola Football League – League 2 (Tier 4)	L	0	1	6,014
Sat	16/12/06	a	Gigg Lane	Coca-Cola Football League – League 2 (Tier 4)	L	0	2	4,466
Sat	28/04/07	h	Edgeley Park	Coca-Cola Football League – League 2 (Tier 4)	D	0	0	7,246
Tues	05/02/08	a	Gigg Lane	Coca-Cola Football League – League 2 (Tier 4)	W	3	2	3,142
Sat	16/02/08	h	Edgeley Park	Coca-Cola Football League – League 2 (Tier 4)	L	1	2	5,704
Tues	07/10/08	a	Gigg Lane	Johnstones Paints Trophy (Northern Round 2)	L	0	1	2,384
Sat	13/11/10	a	Gigg Lane	npower Football League – League 2 (Tier 4)	W	1	0	4,244
Sat	12/02/11	h	Edgeley Park	npower Football League – League 2 (Tier 4)	W	2	1	4,903

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