Bury A.F.C.

Bury Association Football Club is a fan-owned English association football club representing the town of Bury and based in Rawtenstall, Lancashire. It was established in December 2019 as a phoenix of Bury FC, which had been expelled from the English Football League (EFL). Bury is currently a member of the North West Counties Football League Division One North and the team play their home games at Stainton Park in nearby Radcliffe through a groundshare agreement with Radcliffe.

This article is about the phoenix football club from Bury, Greater Manchester. For the original club also from Bury, Greater Manchester, see Bury F.C. For the club from Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, see Bury Town F.C.
Bury A.F.C.
Full nameBury Association Football Club
Nickname(s)The Shakers
FoundedDecember 2019
GroundStainton Park, Radcliffe
Capacity4,000 (350 seated)
OwnerThe Shakers Community
ChairmanChris Murray
ManagerAndy Welsh
LeagueNorth West Counties League Division One North
WebsiteClub website

Foundation

Crippled by mounting debts, Bury FC was expelled from the English Football League (EFL) on 27 August 2019 because of its inability to furnish proof of its financial viability.[1][2] Although the club continued to exist,[lower-alpha 1] fears grew that it would be liquidated and, in December 2019, a group of supporters resolved to form a phoenix club which they named Bury Association Football Club (Bury AFC).[3][4]

Some 300 Bury FC fans came forward to help[4] and they formed a company registered as Bury Football Club (2019) Ltd (trading as Bury AFC), with its office in Rawtenstall.[5] The club is fan-owned on the basis of one member one vote. Their motto is: "By the fans. For the fans".[4] The new club immediately applied to the North West Counties Football League, the tenth tier of the English football league system, for membership in the 2020–21 season.[6][7] The league approved the application on 21 February 2020.[8][9] The club then also applied to play in the FA Vase.[10] Membership increased and had exceeded 650 by early August 2020.[4] It reached 1,000 in October, when the team started playing, with each member paying £5 per month.[3]

Ground

In 2020, there has been no possibility of the new club playing its matches at Gigg Lane, home of Bury FC, and so a groundshare has been agreed with Radcliffe FC for the 2020–21 NWCFL season.[3] The team is playing its home games at Stainton Park (currently called the Neuven Stadium for sponsorship reasons) in Radcliffe, which is about 2.5 miles (4 km) south-west of Bury. The ground has a capacity of 4,000 with 350 seats.[11][12]

2020–21 season

Pre-season events

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, English football league competitions below the top flights were cancelled, but Bury AFC anticipated a September 2020 restart and advertised for a team manager, receiving some 750 applications.[4][13] On 29 July, Ossett United manager and former Sunderland, Leicester City and Blackpool midfielder Andy Welsh was appointed as the club's first team manager.[3][14] On 10 August, the club announced its first signing, Scottish midfielder Adam McWilliam, aged 25, who had spent the previous season with AFC Totton in the Southern League.[3] The next day, Bury signed forward Liam MacDevitt, also aged 25, from Stalybridge Celtic.[3] The draw for the first qualifying round of the 2020–21 FA Vase was completed on 19 August and Bury were drawn away against NWCFL Division One South side West Didsbury & Chorlton at Brookburn Road.[15] On 26 August, Bury AFC played its first-ever match, a pre-season friendly at Daisy Hill, and won 5–0.[16]

Season review

The 2020–21 season is the club's inaugural season. The FA Vase tie, played on 19 September, was the team's first competitive game, but they lost 2–1.[3] The club's first competitive goal was a penalty scored by Greg Daniels.[17] On 3 October, they played their first league game, at home against Steeton, and won 3–2 having being 1–2 down at the end of normal time.[3] Tony Whitehead had scored in the first half and the match was won after Tom Greaves scored two goals in injury time.[18]

Bury's next two matches were postponed because of local COVID-19 restrictions affecting their intended opponents, Holker Old Boys (based in Barrow-in-Furness) and Pilkington FC (based in St Helens). They played another phoenix club AFC Darwen (the successor to Darwen FC) at home on 17 October and won 6–2 after two goals by Aidan Chippendale and four by Tom Greaves.[19] They took four points from the next three games to go second in the table but then the season was postponed for six weeks in November and December because of the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions then in force.[20] It was hoped that matches could recommence on Saturday, 19 December, when Bury were due to play a home game against Garstang.[21]

Players

Current squad
As of 24 January 2021

Source: [22]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— GK  JAM Abidan Edwards
— GK  ENG Ben Tinkley
— GK  ENG Ed Wilczynski
— DF  ENG Matty Williams
— DF  ENG Bailey Sloane
— DF  ENG James Moore (vice-captain)
— DF  ENG Scott Metcalfe (captain)
— DF  ENG Jordan Downing
— DF  ENG Joe Stanley
— DF  ENG Tommy Lent
— MF  SCO Adam McWilliam
— MF  ENG Lewis Gilboy
— MF  ENG Kristian Holt
— MF  IRL Tony Whitehead
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF  ENG Kieran Nolan
— MF  SCO Callum Bagshaw
— MF  ENG Patrick Carney
— MF  ENG Aidan Chippendale
— MF  ENG Alex O'Keefe
— MF  NED Arthur Feudjio
— MF  ENG Szymon Czubik
— FW  ENG Liam MacDevitt
— FW  ENG Aaron Dwyer
— FW  ENG Mitch Bryant
— FW  ENG Greg Daniels
— FW  ENG Sam Cook
— FW  ENG Tom Greaves
— FW  ENG Kamar Moncrieffe

Officials and staff
As of 21 October 2020
Club officials and contacts[23]
Role Name
Chairman Chris Murray
Secretary Ian Coyle
Matchday and Welfare Gareth Castick
Operations Marcel De Matas
Commercial Jon Wiggans
Head of Media Adam Ingram
Finance Mike Howarth
Staff: team management and coaching[24]
Role Name
Manager Andy Welsh
Assistant manager Phil Carrett
Goalkeeping coach Spencer Harrison
Strength and conditioning coach Alex Lenkowski
Physiotherapist Aidan Bowe

Notes
  1. As of October 2020, the club remains extant but in danger of liquidation unless a takeover can be arranged. It is not a member of any football league and no longer has any coaching or playing staff.

References
  1. "Bury FC: Membership of the League withdrawn". EFL News. Preston: English Football League. 27 August 2019. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  2. "Bury expelled by English Football League after takeover collapses". BBC Sport. London: BBC. 27 August 2019. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  3. "Bury: Bringing Football Back". BBC iPlayer. London: BBC. 15 October 2020. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  4. "Meet Our New Clubs: Bury AFC". The Official Website of the North West Counties Football League. Southport: The North West Counties Football League Limited. 5 August 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  5. "By the fans, for the fans". Bury AFC. Rawtenstall: Bury Football Club (2019) Ltd. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  6. Flanagan, Aaron (18 December 2019). "Bury AFC apply to join tenth tier of football after historic club kicked out of EFL". Daily Mirror. London: MGN Limited. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  7. "Bury FC: Entrepreneur Robert Benwell has no plans to relocate a club to Gigg Lane". BBC Sport. London: BBC. 18 December 2019. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  8. "Bury phoenix club will begin life in 10th tier of English football". The Guardian. London: Guardian News & Media Limited. 21 February 2020. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  9. "Bury AFC among 11 clubs applying for North West Counties League spot". BBC Sport. London: BBC. 21 February 2020. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  10. Tinniswood, Steve (5 March 2020). "Bury AFC phoenix club make FA Vase application". Bury Times. High Wycombe: Newsquest. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  11. "Radcliffe FC". Pitching In – Partners with Northern Premier League. Wakefield: Pitch Hero Ltd. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  12. "About the Neuven Stadium". Radcliffe FC. Wakefield: Pitch Hero Ltd. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  13. Lord, Adam (9 July 2020). "Bury phoenix club narrow down manager hunt to final eight". Bury Times. High Wycombe: Newsquest. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  14. Lord, Adam (29 July 2020). "Bury phoenix club appoint former Premier League winger as first boss". Bury Times. High Wycombe: Newsquest. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  15. Geldard, Suzanne (19 August 2020). "Bury AFC find out their first FA Vase opponents". Bury Times. High Wycombe: Newsquest. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  16. Lord, Adam (27 August 2020). "17 pictures of Bury AFC's historic first match at Daisy Hill". Bury Times. High Wycombe: Newsquest. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  17. Lord, Adam (19 September 2020). "Bury phoenix club bow out of FA Vase in first competitive game". Bury Times. High Wycombe: Newsquest. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  18. Lord, Adam (5 October 2020). "Bury phoenix club chairman's rollercoaster of emotions at league opener". Bury Times. High Wycombe: Newsquest. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  19. "Match Report". Bury AFC. Rawtenstall: Bury Football Club (2019) Ltd. 17 October 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  20. "Bury AFC". The Official Website of the North West Counties Football League. Southport: The North West Counties Football League Limited. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  21. "Weekend Preview: 19 December 2020". The Official Website of the North West Counties Football League. Southport: The North West Counties Football League Limited. 17 December 2020. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  22. "First team". Bury AFC. Rawtenstall: Bury Football Club (2019) Ltd. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  23. "Contacts". Bury AFC. Rawtenstall: Bury Football Club (2019) Ltd. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  24. "Staff". Bury AFC. Rawtenstall: Bury Football Club (2019) Ltd. Retrieved 21 October 2020.

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