Bury

Ground 59

Match 61

Venue Gigg Lane

NPower League 1

Bury 1-2 Preston North End

Founded 1885

Nickname The Shakers

Attendance 5213

Capacity 11,840

Admission £21

Programme Not Obtained

Distance Travelled 29 miles

Bury is in the Greater Manchester area . Main rivals are Bolton and Rochdale .

Preston sold out their ticket allocation for this category 'A' game so Bury made more available on the day . The 'Shakers' made it a category 'C' match for their fans so there was a temptation to go in the Bury end for a cheaper price though i decided to sit with the North End contingent in the Main stand ;  situated past the half way line , close to the away end off  Manchester Road . Indeed , on my last visit to Gigg Lane in 1976 i sat in the same place - this is the oldest part of the ground . There seemed to be an over spill behind the Manchester Road goal but to be fair to Bury 's staff they appeared to handle the situation without taking more of the home 'Shakers' terrace in the Les Hart Stand . A section of  Bury fans could have been moved away from the Preston support situated near the scoreboard as the Les Hart stand was less than half full .
Parking - The main car park was £3 but i drove down Gigg Lane to the mini roundabout and parked up only a couple of minutes walk from the stadium . I did arrive early though .

North End created little in the first half but managed to find the net when Sodje headed home following corner after 29 minutes . Fortunately for PNE  , Bury lacked finishing quality in the final third albeit most of Preston's defensive problems were caused by their own sloppy play . H-T Bury 0-1  PNE

Manchester Road Away Stand

Main Stand Old Entrance

Les Hart Stand - long walk for the Bury fans

Resumption of the second half saw Preston stamping  authority on their opponents , creating far more chances .  No surprise when they increased their lead after  Cansdell-Sherriff  hit the target following a  corner from the scoreboard end . The Shakers had their moments and made it tense for the 3,000 Preston followers with a goal by Skarz in stoppage time . The Lillywhites were ' Shakin'All Over !'  I committed the ultimate sin and was on Gigg Lane when i heard the cheer -  i'd left early as did most of the Bury fans from the Cemetery Road end - many departing fifteen minutes before the final whistle with The Shakers looking dead and buried ! Westley's men will be shake , rattle and rollin' back to Preston .

Looking towards The Cemetery Road Stand

Apart from the obstruction caused by the Grandstand girders the view was fine but this added a little romance from yesteryear when stadiums had more character albeit not as many comforts .

A great day out , friendly staff and place to visit .

More photos  https://picasaweb.google.com/106951314873209777955/BuryFCPhotosSeptember92012?authuser=0&feat=directlink