It all began with a simple meeting in a local pub. Officials from Bury Wesleyans FC and Bury Unitarians FC met to discuss the merger of their two clubs to form what we now know as Bury Football Club. A chat, over a pint in a local pub. A small meeting with a massive result which was, quite simply, the birth of our passion.
Now, 125 years later, the club is strong, not as strong as we have been during these last 125 years, but in a strong position. Strong in it's presence, strong in it's belief and strong in it's passion. Financially we maybe not quite as strong as we have been in the past, but we are certainly a lot stronger than we were at the start of the millennium.
The years since the formation of Bury Football Club have brought agony and ecstasy, joy and sorrow, happiness and sadness. The emotions that have gathered over a century and a quarter are immense. Thousands upon thousands of Bury supporters have come and gone, maybe even millions, but every supporter that has come and gone and those that remain today have one thing in common - their love for their local football team.
In the early years the club flourished amongst local football becoming a founder member of the Lancashire League. Elected to the Football League in time for the 1894/95 season the club found success winning the Division Two championship at their very first attempt. To supporters nowadays, they are words and stats written in a book, to those who witnessed that first league season - what thoughts and feelings must have gone around, what passion was seen on the then surroundings of Mr Barlow's bottom field.
Today's game at Lincoln City, though disappointingly away from Gigg Lane, marks a very special day for Bury Football Club. 125 years to the day of the birth of our pride, passion and belief.
Success is a key word in football and to quote Alan Knill - 'there are more failures in football than successes' - but the Shakers have been successful and the records show that the club has had many success's over the years, some more notable than others but they are what makes us proud to support this great club. Success will come again - how apt that in the clubs anniversary season the club is once again pushing for promotion. The very phrase 'pushing for promotion' is in itself a success after the events of administration and financial meltdown.
Bury Football Club has the following list of Honours to its name and we are rightly proud of it and we hope to be able to add to this in the coming days, weeks, months and years.
FA Cup - Winners 1900, 1903
FL Cup - Semi Final 1963
FA Youth Cup - Semi Final 1966
Lancashire Cup - Winners 1892, 1899, 1903, 1906, 1926, 1958, 1983, 1987
Manchester Cup - Winners 1894, 1896, 1897, 1900, 1903, 1905, 1925, 1935, 1951, 1952, 1962, 1968
Division One (Tier One)Best finish - 4th - 1925/26
Division Two (Tier Two) Champions - 1895
Division Two (Tier Two) Runners Up - 1924
Division Two (Tier Three) Champions - 1997
Test Match (Play Off) Finalist & Winner - 1895
Division Three (Tier Three) Champions - 1961
Division Three (Tier Three) Runners Up - 1968
Division Three (Tier Three) Promoted - 1996
Division Three (Tier Three) Play Off Semi Finalist - 1990, 1991
Division Four (Tier Four) Promoted - 1974, 1985
Division Three (Tier Three) Play Off Finalist - 1995
Division Three (Tier Three) Play Off Semi Finalist - 1993, 2003, 2009
In total, the first class record stands as follows
Football League Games - over 105 Seasons
Played - 4,435
Won - 1,648
Drawn - 1,086
Lost - 1,801
Goals For - 6,352
Goals Against - 6,422
Points - 4,862
FA Cup Games - 274
League Cup Games - 140
Football League Trophy Games (LDV, JPT etc) - 69
Play Off's/Test Match - 15
Total First Class games played - 4,933 (Including today's game)
Unique to Bury FC
Shortest name in the Football League
The ONLY club to have scored over 1,000 goals in each tier of League Football
The holders of the highest EVER FA Cup Final Score (6-0 v Derby County 1903)
Total Number of Players used from the very first game to today's game with Lincoln City - 1,018
In 2002, David Conn wrote an article on the Shakers demise during administration, in that article were the following lines:-
"The last stand to be completed, behind the goal, was the Cemetery End. Behind it, on quiet, non-match, days Bury's Wesleyan and Unitarian founding fathers can be heard, slowly turning in their graves"
Eight years later, those same founding fathers will be proudly smiling as they settle back down as this great club continues to build on their original ideas. Bury Football Club is strong and ready for the next 125 years.
Happy Birthday Bury Football Club
