It has been a dismal season at Gigg Lane, the home of Bury FC, with relegation to League Two looking a certainty and two managers having already been sacked during the 2017/18 campaign.
With two major powers on the doorstep and a thriving Non-League scene underneath, keeping the Shakers afloat in the Football League and as a source of local pride may be getting harder and harder each year.
It is of huge credit then that not only have the club’s youngsters made it into the Fifth Round of the FA Youth Cup but that they have outlasted both Manchester City and Manchester United in the process.
Birmingham City come to Gigg Lane on Friday 16 February for a 7pm kick-off, hoping to avoid the fate of Aston Villa in the previous round. Tickets are priced at £5 Adults, £2 Concessions.
Manchester City’s demise, after three successive appearances in the final, came at the hands of Plymouth Argyle in Round 3, a huge surprise given the disparity in resources available to the respective clubs.
The Pilgrims’ youngsters then defeated Burnley at Turf Moor and now face Fulham on Wednesday 7 February, kick-off 7pm, at Home Park.
Tickets are priced at £5 Adults, £3 Over 65's and £1 for Under 18's.
Other ties coming up in February include Norwich City versus Newcastle at Carrow Road on Wednesday 7 February (7pm kick-off, £3 tickets) and Blackburn Rovers against Nottingham Forest at Ewood Park the previous evening (7pm, £4 Adults, £2 Concessions).
Tuesday, 30 January 2018
Sunday, 28 January 2018
Manchester United v Spurs For Free On Monday
The Under-23 clash between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, in Premier League 2, on Monday evening (29th Jan) is free entry for all spectators.
Having made his first senior start against Yeovil in the FA Cup on Friday evening, Angel Gomes could be in line to play in the game.
Kick-off is at 7pm.
United Under-23's return to Leigh Sports Village on Friday 16th February with free admission to the game against Chelsea which kicks off at 7.05pm.
Having made his first senior start against Yeovil in the FA Cup on Friday evening, Angel Gomes could be in line to play in the game.
Kick-off is at 7pm.
United Under-23's return to Leigh Sports Village on Friday 16th February with free admission to the game against Chelsea which kicks off at 7.05pm.
Saturday, 27 January 2018
UEFA European Under-17 Championship
The Proact Stadium, home of Chesterfield FC, will be one of the venues for this summer's European Under-17 Championship which takes between from Friday 4th to Sunday 20th of May.
England, reigning world champions at this age group, will be joined by 15 other countries and the FA are making a big push for the tournament to be as accessible as possible to schools and youngsters.
10 matches, including games at Chesterfield, Walsall, Burton Albion and the New York Stadium in Rotherham, will kick-off at 1pm during the week with school parties encouraged to attend.
School tickets are priced at £2 each with accompanying adults/teachers going free.
There are also other opportunities to get involved, such as adopting a nation and a Champions Flag competition.
More details are available on the dedicated competition pages on the FA website.
Wednesday, 24 January 2018
Football For A Fiver At Charlton Athletic
I've updated the links tab at the top of the page to include the superb Game of the People website where in-depth articles such as this one on Charlton Athletic can be found alongside a host of other interesting pieces on the game at home and abroad.
This season's Football for a Fiver game at The Valley is quite a tasty-looking fixture as the Addicks, currently just outside the play-off places, take on promotion-chasing Shrewsbury Town.
This season's Football for a Fiver game at The Valley is quite a tasty-looking fixture as the Addicks, currently just outside the play-off places, take on promotion-chasing Shrewsbury Town.
Tuesday, 23 January 2018
Links
The following sites have been invaluable to me in writing this blog and are well worth a visit.
The London Football Guide - James Doe is the man behind Non-League Day and set up TLFG to provide a comprehensive guide to football (at all levels) in the capital and its suburbs. On a weekly basis he runs through all of the fixtures of note and is also happy to answer queries from anyone coming to London and looking to catch a match.
With its focus on a similar patch geographically, The Cold End combines news and match previews with reports, highlights and some great photographs of Non-League football in London, Hertfordshire & Beyond.
If there is anything you need to know about football in Oxfordshire then the Oxon Football blog covers everything from Oxford United downwards while Football in Bracknell is an excellent not for profit site that doesn't leave a stone unturned when reporting on football at all levels in the Berkshire town.
Women’s football features regularly on these pages and the excellent She Kicks website has features, stats and regular fixture updates covering all levels of the game in the UK with Scottish Women's Football performing a similar function in its area.
The official FA WSL site also has an easy-to-navigate fixture list with ticket info and links.
Non-League Matters is a good resource for fixtures, tables and stats from all levels of the game below the Football League and the Forum part of the site has a section where special ticket offers, free and reduced admission and ‘Pay What You Want’ fixtures can be publicised.
The Northern Counties East Football League is my local Step 5 league and the home of Hallam FC who have featured regularly on the site. The NCEFL website is an excellent resource for results and fixtures while many of the clubs in the league feature on the Non League Yorkshire website which has a wealth of news, match reports and opinion from across the county.
North of the border, Scottish Football Fixtures does exactly what it says in the title with day-by-day fixtures from all levels of the Scottish game and regular Twitter updates.
I've always enjoyed Neil Jensen's writings in the Non-League Paper (the print edition of which is a great source for upcoming fixtures) but they are just the tip of the iceberg of his wonderful Game of the People website which has features and views on football in all corners of the globe.
And a quick word for Partizan Bristle and it's cracking tales of groundhopping in the West County and beyond.
The London Football Guide - James Doe is the man behind Non-League Day and set up TLFG to provide a comprehensive guide to football (at all levels) in the capital and its suburbs. On a weekly basis he runs through all of the fixtures of note and is also happy to answer queries from anyone coming to London and looking to catch a match.
With its focus on a similar patch geographically, The Cold End combines news and match previews with reports, highlights and some great photographs of Non-League football in London, Hertfordshire & Beyond.
If there is anything you need to know about football in Oxfordshire then the Oxon Football blog covers everything from Oxford United downwards while Football in Bracknell is an excellent not for profit site that doesn't leave a stone unturned when reporting on football at all levels in the Berkshire town.
Women’s football features regularly on these pages and the excellent She Kicks website has features, stats and regular fixture updates covering all levels of the game in the UK with Scottish Women's Football performing a similar function in its area.
The official FA WSL site also has an easy-to-navigate fixture list with ticket info and links.
Non-League Matters is a good resource for fixtures, tables and stats from all levels of the game below the Football League and the Forum part of the site has a section where special ticket offers, free and reduced admission and ‘Pay What You Want’ fixtures can be publicised.
The Northern Counties East Football League is my local Step 5 league and the home of Hallam FC who have featured regularly on the site. The NCEFL website is an excellent resource for results and fixtures while many of the clubs in the league feature on the Non League Yorkshire website which has a wealth of news, match reports and opinion from across the county.
North of the border, Scottish Football Fixtures does exactly what it says in the title with day-by-day fixtures from all levels of the Scottish game and regular Twitter updates.
I've always enjoyed Neil Jensen's writings in the Non-League Paper (the print edition of which is a great source for upcoming fixtures) but they are just the tip of the iceberg of his wonderful Game of the People website which has features and views on football in all corners of the globe.
And a quick word for Partizan Bristle and it's cracking tales of groundhopping in the West County and beyond.
Monday, 22 January 2018
International Football In Yorkshire
Despite my 16 years (and counting) in the county I don’t think I will ever be accepted as even an honorary Yorkshireman but I’m happy to give a plug to a slightly unusual fixture taking place this coming Sunday (Jan 28).
The newly-formed Yorkshire International Football Association (YIFA), having been recognised by CONIFA, the football association that represents regions and states not part of FIFA, play their first fixture against Ellan Vannin, the national team of the Isle of Man.
A squad of players drawn from Non-League clubs across the region, from Bradford Park Avenue to Thackley AFC, has been named and that should ensure a genuinely competitive game at the Fitzwilliam Stadium, home of Hemsworth Miners Welfare.
Kick-off is at 3.30pm and admission is priced at £10 Adults and £5 Concessions.
I won’t be able to make that game but have got my tickets for England Under-21’s against Ukraine in a European Championship qualifier to be held at Bramall Lane on Tuesday 27 March.
Under-21 matches are always good, family occasions and a kick-off of 6pm in the week leading up to Easter should help in that regard.
Tickets are priced at £10 Adults, £5 Concessions and £20 for a Family of 2 Adults and 2 Children.
The newly-formed Yorkshire International Football Association (YIFA), having been recognised by CONIFA, the football association that represents regions and states not part of FIFA, play their first fixture against Ellan Vannin, the national team of the Isle of Man.
A squad of players drawn from Non-League clubs across the region, from Bradford Park Avenue to Thackley AFC, has been named and that should ensure a genuinely competitive game at the Fitzwilliam Stadium, home of Hemsworth Miners Welfare.
Kick-off is at 3.30pm and admission is priced at £10 Adults and £5 Concessions.
I won’t be able to make that game but have got my tickets for England Under-21’s against Ukraine in a European Championship qualifier to be held at Bramall Lane on Tuesday 27 March.
Under-21 matches are always good, family occasions and a kick-off of 6pm in the week leading up to Easter should help in that regard.
Tickets are priced at £10 Adults, £5 Concessions and £20 for a Family of 2 Adults and 2 Children.
Sunday, 21 January 2018
Upwardly Mobile Brighton Face Man City Test
The Fourth Round Proper of the Women's FA Cup takes place on Sunday 4 February and sees the entry to the competition of clubs from the Women's Super League.
Pick of the ties is probably the meeting between Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester City which takes place at Culver Road, kick-off 2pm, with tickets purchased in advance costing £6 Adults and £3 for Under-16's and Over-65's (£10 and £5 on the day).
The upwardly mobile Seagulls will see the game as test of their ambitions ahead of another restructuring of the Women's game next season when they will move into the top tier after a successful licence application.
Former England manager Hope Powell was appointed as head coach in the summer, attracted to the ambitious plans of the club which have perhaps been realised sooner than thought possible after the FA's decision to move to a fully-professional first division with strict criteria laid down for those wanting to be part of it.
City, however, have genuine hopes of winning four trophies as they lead WSL1, are into the final of the Continental Cup and the last eight of the Champions League and will be none too keen to relinquish their hold on the FA Cup.
They triumphed at Wembley last year in front of nearly 40,000 and tickets for the 2018 event, at Wembley on Saturday 5 May, will be priced at £15 Adults, £5 Concessions and free for Children.
Pick of the ties is probably the meeting between Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester City which takes place at Culver Road, kick-off 2pm, with tickets purchased in advance costing £6 Adults and £3 for Under-16's and Over-65's (£10 and £5 on the day).
The upwardly mobile Seagulls will see the game as test of their ambitions ahead of another restructuring of the Women's game next season when they will move into the top tier after a successful licence application.
Former England manager Hope Powell was appointed as head coach in the summer, attracted to the ambitious plans of the club which have perhaps been realised sooner than thought possible after the FA's decision to move to a fully-professional first division with strict criteria laid down for those wanting to be part of it.
City, however, have genuine hopes of winning four trophies as they lead WSL1, are into the final of the Continental Cup and the last eight of the Champions League and will be none too keen to relinquish their hold on the FA Cup.
They triumphed at Wembley last year in front of nearly 40,000 and tickets for the 2018 event, at Wembley on Saturday 5 May, will be priced at £15 Adults, £5 Concessions and free for Children.
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