ANDY Morrell came off the bench to breath some fresh life into the Shakers’ play-off push in 2010 – and end a nightmare run without a goal in open play.
Alan Knill’s side hadn’t scored from open play in their previous 10 outings and were still smarting from a 5-0 defeat against promotion-bound Notts County on Easter Saturday.
By Monday they faced Burton Albion at Gigg Lane with Knill admitting he was feeling the pressure of the club’s faltering form.
Tony James put through his own goal to give the Shakers a little bit of breathing space before Morrell came on as a second-half substitute and made the headlines his own, grabbing two goals before the end in a comfortable 3-0 win that had Knill breathing a sigh of relief.
“The first goal was exactly what we needed – a little bit of luck,” said Knill. “Then Mozza came on and scored two good goals.
“Full credit to the players for standing up to be counted.
“We said some things to the players after the Notts County game but they did well against Burton and all of a sudden we have gone from zero to hero again.
“I still believe the top three is attainable because there are six cup finals left for us.”
Flashback photo
The 1986/87 season wasn’t a vintage one for Bury but the arrival of ex-Manchester United man Sammy McIlroy – via a short spell at City – gave the Gigg Lane regulars something to cheer about. Liam Robinson’s goal against Bristol Rovers lifted the side to 12th but it was only on the penultimate game of the season that relegation was avoided with a 2-1 victory at Notts County, meaning the Shakers avoided the new play-off system.
This week in Shakers history
1961 Don Watson scored the Shakers’ 1,000th league goal in a home victory against Grimsby Town, en route to promotion that season.
1983 Bury kept up their promotion chase with a double-header victory over the Easter weekend. Steve Johnson scored the only goal in a 1-0 win at Hartlepool, followed by a brace for Craig Madden as York City were beaten at Gigg.
1989 A bombshell was dropped at Gigg Lane as with the club sitting eighth, Martin Dobson was sacked as manager.
“I had been made aware by Martin and other people that he would not be at the club next season,” said chairman Terry Robinson. “The resulting uncertainty emanating from newspaper articles where it appeared the manager was touting for a job, coupled with the information that he had contacted other clubs, led to the decision from the board that now was the time to part company with Martin.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here