|
20/08/99
BILLY BOOSTER
Chris set for a return to action
Chris Billy is in line for a recall to the Bury team for tomorrow's (Sat August 21) home game against Brentford - but the big news is that striker Paul Barnes is back in training as the Shakers look for a boost up front. Billy came through a reserve game at Hull in midweek - his first outing for a month and stands by.
Goals proved hard to come by at Wrexham last Saturday as Bury went down 1-0, and free transfer signing Ian Lawson, a big hit with two goals in the first two games of the season, may be struggling for a recognised partner tomorrow.
Andy Preece has trained this week despite a toe injury that needed painkillers to enable him to play at Wrexham. He looks likely to play against Brentford and manager Neil Warnock said: "We don't know yet whether Andy will need painkillers again, but if he can avoid it he will - he hates injections!"
If Preece isn't risked it may be too soon for £65,000 buy Barnes. He's back in training at least a week ahead of schedule, but even a place in the squad for the Brentford game looks beyond him.
Manager Neil Warnock is likely to revert to the 4-4-2 formation that brought success against Gillingham and Notts County, but who he plays as his front two is anybody's guess.
If Preece doesn't make it, Warnock could switch Lutel James or Adrian Littlejohn from wing to central striker and bring in Kosovan flyer Kemajl Avdiu if he still wishes to use wingers on either flank.
Alternatively, last Saturday's 4-3-3 formation could be utilised again. Not as adventurous or attractive, but it would give the manager more options.
One thing Warnock will be guarding against tomorrow is retaliation. Warnock envisages a tough, physical battle and doesn't want any of his players picking up yellow or even red cards that would prove costly later on in the campaign.
"Brentford are very strong and physical and we are going to have to watch our boys. I want to avoid any retaliation," said Warnock.
"It will be a big test for us at the back. There will be some strong challenges and they are also very quick and agile up front."
The Bees danger man is Llyod Owusu, who hit 22 goals for them last season. One plus for Bury, though, is that Icelandic centre back Hermann Hreidarsson is suspended after being sent off in the 0-0 opener at Bristol Rovers.
Meanwhile, a decision will be made on Ghanaian national goalkeeper Simon Addo next week as Warnock continues his search for goalkeeping cover. Addo has been on trial with the Shakers and Warnock says: "He's the best we've had so far."
18/08/99
PREECE INJURY
Bury could be heading for a mini striker crisis if Andy Preece's toe injury doesn't respond to treatment this week.
Preece had to come off six minutes from the end of the game at Wrexham and only played with the help of two pain-killing injections because of a toe injury sustained in training 24 hours before the game.
With Paul Barnes out for another couple of weeks owing to a hamstring injury and Indian Baichung Bhutia not due to play until the end of next month, Preece and Ian Lawson are the only recognised out-and-out strikers available at the moment.
Preece's injury flared up again towards the end of the game at the Racecourse, but physio Alan Raw is hoping to have it under control in time for Saturday's game against Brentford.
"We don't know if there is a break, but even if there is there's not much you can do about it with it being a toe. You just have to leave it to either mend or settle down on it's own.
"It's very bruised and sore and it seized up on him again at Wrexham. The injections only last for 40 minutes or so and he had one before the game and one at half-time," said Raw.
If Preece fails to make it, Bury boss Neil Warnock could switch Adrian Littlejohn or Lutel James inside, but that would disrupt the attractive 4-4-2 formation that Bury did so well with in their first two games of the season. Trialist Carlos Rocha is unlikely to get further than the substitutes bench, so it will be fingers crossed for Preece over the next four days.
Warnock has also declared that Bhutia faces a month of heavy training before he will be ready to play for Bury, but that could change if Preece or Lawson are unfortunate enough to be sidelined for any length of time.
Looking back on the defeat at Wrexham, Warnock said: "I think anybody that went to Wrexham knows we were worth a point, but you don't get one unless you score a goal when you're behind.
"Wrexham will cause trouble for anybody. Big Carey doesn't get many free kicks given against him, but he's pushing and shoving all the time. I'm sure Brian Flynn, the Wrexham manager, will say we gave them their best game of the season so far.
"I thought Carey's sending off was fair. He could have cost them a point, but they employed a bit of professionalism towards the end the way they held things up.
"But we are still going to go for it home and away. I think it's the way we are now.
"We passed it around and performed very well, but if you count the chances we had we didn't hit the target enough. Lawson's header was a great chance, but he put it over the bar."
18/08/99
PADDY GAINS CONFIDENCE
Manager Neil Warnock has thanked Shakers supporters for getting behind rookie keeper Paddy Kenny.
The former Bradford Park Avenue custodian has made an impressive start to his first team career and the Bury boss believes the fans have had a lot to do with it.
The Shakers faithful have nicknamed the 21-year-old "Tyrone" due to his striking similarity to the character Tyrone Dobbs on Coronation Street and he's well on the way to cult status on the Gigg Lane terraces.
"They've really taken him under their wing and it's done the lad a world of good," said Warnock.
"Tyrone is just one nickname they have for him and I think he enjoys it.
"He's done really well since the season started and went through the pain barrier for the lads against Gillingham on the first day.
"Even in Saturday's defeat he couldn't be faulted, he punched superbly throughout the game.
"I didn't blame him at all for the goal. He shouted for it and Paul Williams should have left it."
18/08/99
MEET THE NEW BOYS
Bury FC Supporters Association's first event of the new season will be held on Thursday evening.
And it'll be a chance for the fans to meet for the first time, the 'New Faces of 1999', as introduced by new club skipper Nick Daws.
Neil Warnock's close season signings of Paul Reid, Sam Collins and goal hero Ian Lawson will all be present to answer the fans' questions about the up-coming season. Also present will be goalkeeper Paddy Kenny, another new face to the first team action.
The event will be held at Starkies Restaurant, located at Gigg Lane starting at 7pm (doors open 6.45pm).
Entry is free to all Association members, with a small surcharge for non-members, refundable if they join the Association on the night.
The association have also announced a special event for Halloween. There will be a Race Night on Sunday, October 31, at Bury FC Social Club.
If anyone is interested in helping with sponsorship for this popular event, would they please contact Association secretary Joyce Rothwell on .
Matchday safety stewards are required for the Shakers home matches. Applicants can be either male or female, between the ages of 18 and 55 and physically fit. For an application form or further details ring .
18/08/99
HIT MAN IAN SHOWS BURY THE WAY TO GOAL
Gigg old boy Stevens strikes to leave Bury all shook up
Don't panic! That's the message to Shakers fans after Bury's bright start to the season was interrupted by a narrow defeat at the Racecourse.
Undefeated in six pre-season games followed by victories in the League opener against Gillingham and the Worthington Cup against Notts County, Bury looked set for a season of rich promise.
The quality of their play in those two openers justified that early optimism, all that was needed to back it up was goals, and plenty of them.
The shakers should have had a bagful against Notts County, but cam away with only one.
Against Wrexham the chances didn't flow quite as freely and a draw would have left the vast majority of the travelling support happy.
If the truth be told though, despite another performance oozing with quality and control, Wrexham would have been justified in using the age old claim of "We wuz robbed" if Bury had gone back across the border with even a draw under their belts.
Shakers manager Neil Warnock went for safety first and instead o sticking with his winning 4-4-2 formula, drafted in an extra defender in Paul Williams at the expense of right winger Lutel James.
That left the onus on Adrian Littlejohn as far as the main supply line to strikers Ian Lawson and Andy Preece was concerned. He didn't let them down, turning in another lively performance that earned him star billing. Not a bad effort when you consider skipper Nick Daws and centre backs Sam Collins and Chris Swailes also shone again.
But the lack of that second winger told and neither Paul Reid, pushed up into midfield, or Williams, who slotted in a left back, could provide more than an intermittent service to the front men.
And while Bury looked good, on and off the ball, Wrexham, when they were in possession, looked that much sharper and that more hungry for the win.
After two defeats in their opening games, albeit both away from home, the Welshmen were desperate to get a win under their belts, particularly in front of their own partisan fans.
Even so it was Bury who almost drew first blood when Preece, returning to his first club, headed just wide of the near post from a Littlejohn cross.
Wrexham stepped up the pace as the half went on and it was no surprise when they took the lead in the 35th minute.
Goalkeeper Paddy Kenny went to gather the ball on the right hand side of the penalty area, but in an incredible mix-up, he was left grounded as Stevens skipped round him and a couple of other defenders before rifling the ball in from a tricky angle.
Not surprisingly, Bury took up the challenge, forcing four corners in quick succession on the half hour mark. But all they could manage in terms of goal chances were tame efforts from Andy Woodward, Darren Bullock and Ian Lawson.
In sharp contract, Kenny was forced to punch a Gareth Owen corner out from under the bar as Wrexham continued to look dangerous.
Wrexham skipper Brian Carey's 74th minute dismissal should have been the key point of the second half, but quite frankly it made little difference as Bury huffed and puffed around the Wrexham half of the field in a vain bid for an equaliser, Lawson going closest after beating Carey on the dead ball line and swerving a shot just wide of the far post.
Carey deserved to go for tugging Lawson back by his shirt sleeve after he broke through on goal on the left.
But whether Bury would have deserved a point had Lawson scored is open to debate.
14/08/99
LETHAL LAWSON
One goal advantage is scant reward for impressive show
Notts County must have been laughing all the way down the M1 after this Worthington Cup first round first leg clash.
They had just been taken apart by a Bury side that created almost as many chances in 90 minutes than they did in a dozen Gigg Lane outings last season.
Yet Neil Warnock's men will kick off the second leg at Meadow Lane in a fortnight only one goal to the good - the very least they deserved for their evening's endeavours.
There was much to admire about the way the Shakers set about their task on Tuesday evening.
Attacking a fragile-looking County defence with frightening pace it seemed a goal would only be a matter of time in coming.
In the end it took 73 minutes to arrive but when it did it was something to savour.
In between time the Gigg Lane men hit the post three times through skipper Nick Daws, the rejuvenated Andy Preece and second half substitute Kemajl Avdiu but just when it looked like Lady Luck was about to give Bury the cold shoulder they grabbed the winner.
Daws followed up a superb block tackle in the centre circle by sending man-of-the-moment Ian Lawson scampering through on goal.
The speedy striker brushed off a challenge from Ian Richardson before unleashing a vicious low drive across Darren Ward, into the corner.
Lawson always looked the most likely to open the Shakers account and on the first two games of the season's showing there's plenty more to come.
"I could have had three or four goals in the first twenty minutes, but luckily we got one in the end, it could have looked dodgy for the second leg if we hadn't scored after having all that pressure," said Lawson, nicknamed "Sniffer" after Leeds' Allan Clarke by Warnock.
"It's great to score two goals in my first two games and you just have to enjoy it because as a striker there are bad times as well as good.
"But Bury are a nice friendly club and I'm enjoying every minute of it the fans are great from what I've seen so far and it's good to get off on a good footing with them."
On the evidence of this ninety minutes the one goal advantage should be enough to put the Shakers through to the next round.
County looked second best in all departments until a late rally almost earned them a leveller they never deserved.
The old adage about one goal being never enough was almost brought home with a vengeance when Chris Swailes had to be on his mettle to clear a Richard Holmes effort off the line after the County player had rounded 'keeper Paddy Kenny.
But anything other than a Bury victory would have been a travesty and Warnock was well satisfied with the evening's endeavours of his side.
"That was another good training exercise for us," he said.
"Some of the lads, like Sam Collins and Chris Swailes, who has only played two games, are still needing matches so it's a good fitness thing.
"I said at half time that I was disappointed we let Burnley score in the first leg last season so it was pleasing to keep a clean sheet.
"Players are still getting to know each other and it's getting better."
And there was praise for Ian Lawson from the manager.
"Ian will always score goals, he always has since I first saw him as a 14-year-old.
"Nothing's changed he's just getting stronger and more confident, especially as the fans have taken to him."
14/08/99
AU REVOIR D'JAFFO
Leading scorer becomes third player to join the county set
Bury's French ace Laurent D'Jaffo yesterday joined First Division Stockport County in a £100,000 deal.
Last season's leading scorer becomes the third Shakers striker to join the Edgeley Park club in the last twelve months teaming up with Rob Matthews and Tony Ellis who left Gigg Lane midway through the season.
The move comes as no surprise after the Bury Times exclusively revealed two weeks ago that D'Jaffo was unsettled at the club with boss Neil Warnock unhappy with his attitude during the pre-season build up.
With a surfeit of forwards on the clubs books and Indian star Bhaichung Bhutia waiting in the wings, Warnock won't be too perturbed at losing D'Jaffo while the £100,000 windfall looks like good business for a player picked up on a free transfer from Ayr United last summer.
But the whole of the D'Jaffo business has left a bitter taste in the mouth of Chairman Terry Robinson who described the Frenchman's stance as a "Mini Anelka".
"I'm far from happy about the situation," he said.
"He was under contract for another twelve months and we didn't want to sell him, but we were forced into a situation where we had to.
I'd definitely think twice about signing players who were linked to agents like that.
It may look good business as far as the money is concerned, but we'd rather the player stayed with us."
Warnock added: "We only want players who want to play for the club in our dressing room, Andy Preece may be on the list, but at least he wants to play for us and has proved that this week."
As one overseas striker leaves another arrives - or will be doing in a few weeks time.
Indian superstar Bhaichung Bhutia has returned to get a government work permit allowing him to play in the Nationwide League.
The club have agreed a three year contract with the East Bengal striker and hope everything will be sorted out by the middle of September.
The Shakers travel to Wrexham tomorrow with only injury hit victims Chris Billy and Paul Barnes missing.
"It will be our hardest game so far as it's away from home," said Warnock.
"I couldn't have asked any more from the lads from the first two games, people may say we've missed chances, but at least we are creating them."
And there's no change on the goalkeeping front with the manager happy to stick with Paddy Kenny.
"Paddy knows we are looking at other goalkeepers, but there's no need to rush into signing a new one when he's doing as well as he is."
A Bury XI defeated Ramsbottom United 3-0 at Gigg Lane on Wednesday in a fund raiser for the first North Western Trains League Club
|