Bury FC

On This Day...24th September

Our delve into the history books on 24th September begins with a friendly game at home to Rawtenstall, though the game in 1887 finished with a 3-1 defeat with Billy Richardson scoring the only goal for Bury.

The first Football League game came in 1898 with Burnley visiting Gigg Lane in the First Division, with 7,000 supporters attending. Bill Evans scored the Bury goal in a 1-1 draw. Evans would only make five appearances for the club, scoring two goals.

1910 saw the Shakers on the road with a trip to Nottingham Forest for a First Division game. Two goals from Billy Hibbert were enough to record a 2-1 Shakers victory with 12,000 supporters watching on.

It would be another 28 years before the Shakers won again on this day. Chesterfield were the visitors to Gigg Lane in 1938 when a crowd of 8,688 watched as goals from Dave Jones and two from Archie Livingstone collected both points in a 3-1 victory.

Southampton made the long trip North in 1949 for a Division Two game with the Shakers. Harold Bodle scored the only Bury goal in a 1-1 draw, with 15,095 attending the game.

Harold Bodle actually gave up on football when he left school, but despite being out of the game for two years, a scout who had remembered his performances at school recommended him to Liverpool. His Anfield trial was not impressive, but a few weeks later he joined Rotherham United as a part-time professional.

After just nine games for the Millers, First Division Birmingham City paid £2,000 for the 18-year-old inside forward. During the War, he worked in the mines and in the 1945/46 season he was part of the Birmingham side as they won the Division Three South and also reached the semi-final of the FA Cup. In the 1947/48 season, he was leading scorer when the Blues won the Second Division Championship.

On transfer deadline day in March 1949, he joined Bury for a fee reported to be in the region of £10,000. His arrival strengthened a first team squad that had in mid-season lost two outstanding players in Eddie Kilshaw (transferred to Sheffield Wednesday), and Reg Halton (to Chesterfield).

Despite operating in a struggling side, Bodle proved to be an inspiring personality and an astute tactician. Ironically, his last season (1951/52) proved to be his best. Despite starting the campaign at left full-back, he was quickly moved to his normal inside left position, and completed 41 League and Cup matches, scoring 20 goals.

His departure to Betteshanger CW of the Kent League came as something of a surprise, but he was quickly back to League action with Stockport County and later Accrington Stanley, where he enjoyed two excellent seasons before ill health ended his career at the age of 37.

For his five league clubs, Harold Bodle scored 91 goals in 345 games. Outside of the game he played cricket and bowls and ran sub offices in Burton and Derby. Harold died in Bournemouth on 1 January 2005 aged 85.

1955 brought West Ham United to Gigg Lane; the Hammers were frequent visitors to Bury for league games in the 40's and 50's. 10,217 supporters watched on as a goal from Johnny Robinson secured a share of the spoils in a 1-1 draw.

The Bury side that day was as follows: -

Chris Conway, Don Wilson, Eric Massey, Gordon Atherton, Vinny Jack, Don May, Johnny Robinson, Peter Tilley (pictured above in action against West Ham's Frank O'Farrell), Walter Kelly, Stan Pearson and Eddie Gleadall

1962 brought League Cup action for the Shakers with Lincoln City visiting Gigg Lane for a second-round tie. Only 4,707 supporters watched the game as it finished 2-2 with Brian Turner and Bill Beaumont scoring the goals to take it to a replay. Bury won the replay 3-2 and would not be knocked out until the semi-final.

Chesterfield were again the visitors in 1994 for a Third Division game. David Pugh and Mark Carter scored the two Bury goals in a 2-1 victory.

The last recorded game on this day was in the 2016/17 season, and it was Chesterfield making a third visit on 24 September, and with a similar result – a 2-1 Bury win thanks to goals from Zeli Ismail and Tom Pope.

The full record for 24th September is: -