Welcome to Bury FC! I drove past this sign on the way in to town, just opposite Gigg Lane.
Below there are a few pictures I took at Gigg Lane, the home of Bury Football Club, on
Saturday November 10th, prior to the League One match against Pompey.
The ground, which holds around 11,500 fans in total but normally sees between 2,000 and 3,000 turn up, is located a ten minute walk from the centre of town in a residential area. I passed a couple of pubs on the way to the ground, that appeared to be getting some decent trade from the travelling Pompey fans.
Those two pubs were closed after the game though. Not sure why as there didn't seem to be any trouble, although I did notice that there were plenty of Greater Manchester police and vehicles around as I made my way back to the car.
Having
driven past Gigg Lane on my way in I parked up in a modern,
multi-storey car park (in Knowlsley Road) and walked back. The car park
was secure and reasonably priced, costing four pounds.
Unfortunately,
the positioning of the ground and the entrances to the stands means it's not really possible to take
pictures of the outside of three of the four the stands; there is
limited / no access. However, I'm not really sure there was that much to see to be frank.
I'm glad I went - another ground 'notched up' on the League One Tour - and I had a good day out, despite Pompey suffering yet another defeat!
I hope the pictures give you a reasonable flavour of the day.
Gigg Lane road sign I
Gigg Lane road sign II - this one has been there a bit longer!
The Main Stand - the entrance to the West Stand, for away fans is at the far end. This view of the stand reminds me a little bit of parts of London Road, home of Peterborough United which I visited last season although it is very different inside.
Entrance to the East Stand - this is at the end of the Main Stand. The stewards were all friendly and helpful.
The Bury FC Sports Bar and Function Room.
The entrances to the Allen Suite and the Tommy Marshall Lounge. I can't seem to find out who these two were, need to do some more investigation.
The Bury FC shop. Note the Surridge Sport sign - Stuart Surridge is a name I normally associate with cricket rather than football. But they are the official kit suppliers for Bury FC as well as Bradford City and some clubs in Scotland. Even more interestingly, Stuart Surridge made a lace-less football in the 1950s called The Surridge Cobbler! Well, you learn something new every day!
There was plenty of pre-match activity going on around the Bury FC Community Trust office which was good to see.
Away fans are located in the West Stand where I took these pictures from. The sight-lines are not the best from some parts of the Stand, there are some large, steel pillars which are difficult to avoid - similar to Fratton Park really so I felt quite at home! Chuckle.
From the far right hand side of the West Stand you can't see the corner flag, so a good place to avoid. Not that it really mattered as Pompey didn't get any corners during the first half when they attacked that end of the ground, sigh.
Pre-Match I/III - the South Stand
Pre-Match II/III - the Main Stand which includes the Director's Box. The dugouts are positioned in front of this stand.
Pre-Match III/III - the East Stand.
Post-Match Pictures From Inside The Ground
I walked down to the very front of the West Stand, which is below the level of the pitch, to take these pictures. The inky blue colour of the sky is amazing don't you think?
Post-Match I/III
Post-Match II/III
Post-Match III/III
Remembrance
November 11th was Remembrance Sunday and there was a parade, a Last Post and a minute's silence before kick-off.
The flag bearers, bugler and members of the armed forces.
The players of the two teams line up in the centre circle before the match.
I hope I've got everything right here, if I haven't please let me know, I'm @PompeyChicken on Twitter.
BlueThruAndThru
