Bury fans prepare Gigg Lane for use after four years away

Volunteers have helped transform Gigg Lane for Bury's return to the ground on Saturday, while fans have already got their flags in place

Almost four years have passed since Bury were expelled from the English Football League following significant financial struggles.

In that time the club was torn apart, with some supporters setting up a fan-run phoenix club named Bury AFC.

But AFC and the existing Bury FC have joined together before the new season, with the club to play at Gigg Lane on Saturday for the first time in four years.

BBC Radio Manchester speaks to those who have worked to get the ground ready.

Gigg Lane was brought back under the ownership of Bury fans in February 2022, 15 months after Bury FC entered administration.

Since then it has been a long battle to unify the Shakers, as well as the town.

A vote to merge Bury FC and Bury AFC initially fell short of the required threshold, with £450,000 of council funding dependent on a merger.

That vote was held again and eventually passed in May, paving the way for a return to the ground next season, and a lot of work to bring it back to a useable standard.

'It was like a nature reserve at one point'

Phil Hill has been coming to Gigg Lane since he was six years old and is one of the volunteers who have worked hard to bring football back to the town.

The Shakers will take on Bradford City in Saturday's pre-season friendly before on Sunday hosting Championship side Preston North End, managed by Ryan Lowe - who led Bury to promotion from League Two prior to their collapse in 2019.

"I've been coming down as and when I can, washing seats, sweeping, painting and doing my bit," Hill said.

"It's great to see it looking in a lot better condition now than what it was. The grass was about a foot tall and it was like a nature reserve at one point."

Between the merger passing in May and getting ready for first-team football in August, there has not been much time to get the ground prepared for the pre-season schedule.

David Cheshire, who has led the volunteer effort, charted just how much the club has had to contend with to get ready for Sunday.

"It was an absolute mess. The kids have been in and wrecked most of the doors. Locks have been taken off and all the top concourse was all smashed," he said.

"We started with the pitch, we took all the boards off and then it's slowly got bigger. We've put doors back on, put glass in and plasterboarded. You name it, the volunteers have done it.

"When the players walk out on the pitch, it's everything. You can't put it into words. It's going to be so satisfying to see them walking out."

Bury were expelled by the English Football League on 27 August 2019

'Football clubs are resilient community assets'

Former Manchester United defender and Salford City co-owner Gary Neville is pleased to see football return to his hometown after a lengthy absence.

It is a club close to his heart, despite his ties to the Ammies mere miles away.

"I'm sad about what happened originally. My mum and dad worked there for 30 years and almost lived and breathed the club," Neville told BBC Radio Manchester.

"I spent a lot of my childhood, when Manchester United weren't at home, watching Bury. I'm happy they're back. Football clubs are resilient community assets and it should never have happened.

"The reality is that Bury is a fantastic town, it's where I was born, my mum's got the freedom of the town and I still go back there a lot.

"I wish them all the best and I hope that Bury can be back in the Football League very soon."