BURY PREVIEW
Boxing Day! A traditional football day. A chance to break from the sprouts and the spuds. But this year is different – the Rams are making the very short trip down the A56 to Gigg Lane, where the great and good would head for a Football League post-Christmas fix not that long ago. And what a game this will be – joint leaders, 1st v 2nd, separated by just goal difference.
MATCH: Bury v Ramsbottom United
VENUE: Gigg Lane, Bury
COMPETITION: North West Counties League Premier Division
DATE: Thursday 26th December 2024
KICK-OFF: 3:00pm
ADMISSION: https://buryfc.co.uk/boxing-day-arrangements/
OVERVIEW:
It’s Bury v Ramsbottom United in a top of the table clash. For years and years, you would expect the likes of Burnley or Bolton, Rotherham or Scunthorpe to be the visitors to Gigg Lane on Boxing Day. The fact that, to use the very words on the Bury FC website link above, “ahead of the big Boxing Day clash with Ramsbottom United” … yep, that’s us!
The Black Pudding Derby takes on even more significance. Bury top the table with 60 points from 28 games, the Rams are second with 60 from 27. Just a lesser goal difference is all that splits the two clubs separated by six miles and now the Rams have a game in hand, something that the hosts had in abundance fairly recently.
The Rams make the trip for what is very likely to be the largest Boxing Day crowd to watch the Rams, passing the last time we went to Gigg Lane on 26 December 2006 when we faced FC United of Manchester in front of 2,924, throwing away a two goal lead to go down 3-2 to Bury’s tenants.
Fast forward 18 years and we do it again, but this time, facing the town’s reformed club. If you had said that this would happen 18 years ago, you’d have been laughed all the way back to the HWRS!
Steve Wilkes’ side bring their 14-match unbeaten league run to the table against a Bury side that has collected 11 points from their last seven league matches, despite putting third placed Chadderton to the sword last Friday night 5-2. But defeats to Lower Breck and Litherland and draws with Irlam and Abbey Hey has pegged the free-scoring ‘Shakers’ back and they come into this match 7th in the form table while the Rams are 2nd.
This is the game that everyone has been looking forward to for a long time and, given the respective standing in the table, the anticipation is off the scale. Come one, come all, a lot could be decided on the day of the Feast of St. Stephen (Wilkes)!
HISTORY:
This will be the fifth meeting between the Rams and this Bury FC. In the previous four, there has been three draws and last season’s mudbath of Gigg Lane in April in front of 3,776 which saw Bury claim a 2-1 victory (pictured above). But otherwise, it has been draws all the way – a 2-2 league cup draw (with Bury did win on penalties) and two stalemates at the HWRS, the 0-0 nine days after the previous and 1-1 this season back in September.
That saw Harvey Whyte give the home side the lead on 15 minutes only for Rustam Stepans to equalise 14 minutes from time in an outstanding game of football between two sides who showed then they were certainly amongst the favourites. Last season’s end of season blank rather put paid to Bury’s hopes of automatic promotion and sent them into the lottery of the playoffs.
What will happen this time? It is hard to say but Bury are unbeaten on their artificial pitch, winning 8 and drawing 5 while the Rams go with the best defensive record in the division, having conceded just 20 goals across their 27 games, only 10 of them coming on the road – the best of the 24 teams.
STEVE WILKES SAYS:
“It’s the Bury game and we all know what that means. It has been a game on the horizon for a while and now it’s here and it is the top two sides in the division going head to head.
“We know what this game means. Its massive for everyone, players, supporters, everyone. But we have to go there with the same mentality that we have across the last three months where we have stayed unbeaten in the league and play our game. It will be a serious test but we proved when we played them at our place in September that we were more than a match and we have improved since. As have they.
“We have made some great signings in the last couple of weeks so we go there with confidence.”
