And so to the Neuven Stadium (Stainton Park in a former life), home of Radcliffe FC (Radcliffe Borough in a previous guise) for a North West Counties Football League Division One North clash between Bury AFC and Campion AFC from Bradford - a match moved to Sunday because Radcliffe hosted Carlton Palmer's Grantham Town, The Gingerbreads, the day before.
Bury AFC was formed in 2019 following the expulsion of Bury FC from the English Football League. Created and managed entirely by volunteers with the slogan "By the fans, for the fans" the Club is owned by a Community Benefit Society, the Shakers Community Trust, whose Board is elected by its members. The Shakers joined the NWCFL last term, and led the table with 5 wins, one draw and one defeat before the season was written off.
Bury
FC was established and headquartered at Gigg Lane from 1885. The
Shakers were founder members of the Lancashire League in 1889, and
were crowned champions in the 1890–91 and 1891–92 seasons, before being elected
to The Football League in 1894.
Bury were
champions of the Second Division in 1894–95 and won their test match (an
ancient version of the play offs ?) to secure promotion to the First Division.
They remained in the top flight for 17 seasons, winning the FA Cup in
1900 with a 4–0 victory over Southampton and again in 1903 with
a 6–0 win over Derby County, still a record equalling victory.
After relegation to the Second Division at the end of the 1911–12 season,
Bury secured promotion in 1923–24, before losing their top-flight status in
1928–29, never to return.
After
relegation to the third tier in 1957 the club was promoted in 1961 but then
spiralled downwards to the Fourth Division. Stan Ternent took them back up to
the second tier, with successive promotions in 1996 and 1997 for a brief two
season foray.
Thereafter,
fluctuating between Leagues One and Two, alleged gross overspending by previous
owner Stewart Day and then 'incompetence' from new incumbent Steve Dale saw the
Shakers placed into administration in 2019 and expulsion from the league. Bury
FC still exists as a dormant shell and the phoenix club continues to split
local opinion.
Campion AFC
was established in 1963 by Michael Mahoney, taking players from the St Edmund
Campion Youth Club. By 1975 the club had joined Division 4 of the Bradford
Sunday League and in the following year entered a team into the Red Triangle
League, a Saturday league.
By 1979
Campion had reached the league's Premier Division, before moving up to the West
Riding County Amateur League in 1981. The club dropped out of the league
for one season for the 1985/86 campaign due to financial difficulties but
returned the year after.
As champions of Division 2 in 1990, Division One awaited which was won in 1992/93. The team was also Premier Division Cup winners four times between 2004 and 2008, and West Riding Challenge Cup winners in 2006/07.
Campion applied for promotion to Division One of the Northern Counties East League, and by finishing third, duly went up at the end of the 2015/16 season. In 2020 they sat 5th at the point of curtailment, and last season saw 8 wins and 3 defeats at the time stumps were drawn; a lateral move to the North West Counties ensued in this close season.
Three epic
fails on the numberplate front - R1KCY, M1SOR and RE0 5POT (Red Spot
Security...) before another MetroStink - engineering works allegedly completed
last weekend, but running over to this Sunday, but not advised on station
billboards and no staff on hand. A bruised sky, rain abating temporarily and a
quiet trip to Deansgate Castlefield.
Then tributes to Peterloo, a performance from Fat Cat Brass, a new (for me!) pub in The Lost Dene, and beyond Manahatta and Las Iguanas, then the Mahatma Gandhi statue at the Cathedral and Victoria - and a wholly unnecessary diversion to Turkey Lane and Monsall.
Finally the bus replacement turns up and we meander through the diversity of Cheetham Hill, encompassing The Niu, Irish World Heritage Centre and Lahore Appliances. Then Crumpsall and a tram display that shows 'DELAY, DELAY, 36 mins' (helpful !!). Eventually via Besses o' th' Barn and Pioneer Mills 1905 I arrive in Radcliffe.
Past signs for the Black Pudding Lobbing Contest in Ramsbottom next month, then Mary Kelly's Munchkins, and finally Radcliffe in Bloom, a curious display of part barge, boat and spent flowers. This brings me to the Platinum Care Racecourse (Radcliffe CC), Redbank Fields (Radcliffe Juniors FC) and the PJP Sports Complex, alongside the Neuven Stadium.
£7 admission
and inside a bumper crowd of 1358 plus residents watching from over the wall
(449 for Radcliffe's game yesterday) provides a tremendous atmosphere; the main
stand is up top, bisected by the press box, with the sponsors' lounge in the
left hand corner. A shallow covered terrace is on the near side and an
uncovered one opposite, with a small stand behind the Fell End alongside an
unusual drinking booth 'Raising The Bar'. The ground is festooned in Bury
flags... apparently Beardyman Lives On...
Shakers are in white and blue, Campion in red and black stripes. A hard fought first half sees Bury start brightly, prompted by Aidan Chippendale and the exciting Abimbola Obasota. But Campion are in this game too and take the lead on 38 minutes - an innocuous challenge on Daniel Keane results in a dubious penalty. Captain Aidan Kirby sends the Shakers' sticksman Jack Atkinson the wrong way. No matter as two minutes later Greg Daniels finishes excellently and it's 1-1 at the break.
Six minutes into the second period a quite wonderful ball from Kris Holt sets Tom Greaves free and the GOAT rifles across Liam Lovell to put the Shakers 2-1 up. Greaves has other opportunities to put the game to bed but Campion's defiant rearguard action prevents any further goals. We then see 3 balls kicked out of the ground in 40 seconds.... 'None left'.
Indeed as the match reaches its closing stages the visitors fashion the better chances. Mark Ferguson slashes over and then, from another Ferguson break, Nicky Boshell shoots wide when he should have done better. Late away pressure yields naught, with the Shakers moving joint top on 10 points, Campion joint bottom after three straight defeats.
