Why are Bury called the Shakers? Which Town man was once on-loan at Bury? Find out here...
WHO? Bury FC, aka the Shakers. You’re right to have that puzzled look on your face…after all it’s been five years since the Town and Shakers crossed paths in League 2 during 2008/09. But don’t worry, nothing’s changed much. Bury still play in white, they’re still called the Shakers and they still play at Gigg Lane.SHAKE IT ALL ABOUT. According to their website it’s the most asked question that Bury receive. Why are they called the Shakers? Well, the definitive answer is thus: It was the 1892 Lancashire Cup Final on 23rd April that the clubs nickname of 'The Shakers' first came into being. Mr. J T Ingham was Chairman-cum-manager at the time, and it is this gentleman who is alleged to have been questioned about his team's ability to beat the supposedly stronger opponents that day. It has been recorded down the years since that Mr. Ingham retorted as follows: “We shall shake 'em, in fact, we are the Shakers.” That soundbite was seized upon by the press of the day and since then, the club have been known as 'The Shakers.' So if ever you get talking football down the pub and conversation runs dry you know what fact you can pull from your head…
SINCE WE’VE BEEN GONE…The last time the Town and Bury were in the same division, the Hatters were relegated from League 2 in 2008/09. That year saw the Shakers finish fourth but lost in the Play-Offs to Shrewsbury. The following season, with the Hatters now in the Conference, Bury finished ninth – missing out on the Play-Offs by three points. However, in 2010/11 the Shakers finished second and were promoted to League 1. After a 14th place finish in 2011/12 in the third tier the following campaign, 2012/13 saw them relegated back to the basement division. Last term the Shakers finished in 12th place. And now we’re reunited.
THE LAST TIME. Bury’s last visit to Kenilworth Road was a victorious one. The Shakers won 2-1 in a League 2 fixture in January 2009. Asa Hall netted the Town’s goal but a familiar face was between the sticks for the Shakers that cold winter’s day. Mark Tyler was on-loan at Gigg Lane and his appearance at Kenilworth Road was one of 11 matches the goalkeeper played whilst temporarily with the Shakers.
THIS TIME ROUND. Bury are one of the sides in League 2 tipped to do well this term. Manager David Flitcroft took over last season and led the Shakers away to safety, finishing comfortably in mid-table. Their form towards the back end of last season, together with the signing of a number of new players this summer, has risen expectation at Gigg Lane. Veteran striker Ryan Lowe has returned for a substantial sum whilst former Crawley midfielder Nicky Adams is a coup for a club at League 2 level.
CLUB CONNECTIONS. As well as Mark Tyler, the Town and Bury have had Efe Sodje, Steve Elliot and Dean Kiely on their books. Goalkeeper Kiely was the most recent to play for the Hatters, as recent as 2006 when he played 11 games on-loan from Portsmouth. He came to the fore whilst at Bury in the late 1990s, playing over 150 times before a £1m move to Charlton.
DON’T MENTION IT. The Hatters may have beaten the Shakers six years ago at Gigg Lane but the Town haven’t beat Bury at Kenilworth Road since a 1962 Division 2 (now Championship) 2-1 victory. Since then, in the six following meetings, Bury have won the last two and drawn the other four. Goals have been in short supply, too. The last six meetings at Kenilworth Road between the two clubs read 0-0, 0-0, 0-0, 1-1, 1-2, 1-2.
TOWN TEAMS NEWS. The Town welcome back Luke Rooney to the squad after the midfielder served his one-match ban following his second yellow card against Swindon in the Capital One Cup a week ago. Paul Connolly remains sidelined with a hamstring injury. Alex Lawless, Jonathan Smith, Ricky Miller and Shaun Whalley all remain doubts and are unlikely to be risked as they continue to recover from knocks.
WANNA BET? The Hatters are the 7/5 favourites with our official betting partner Sky Bet to beat Bury. The Shakers, who recorded their first win of the season - at Hartlepool - on Saturday, are 15/8. The draw is a 23/10 chance. The Town won their opening game of the season 1-0 so why not plump for the same scoreline tonight. That's 13/2. Sign-up for your account at www.skybet.com/luton.
LIVE AND ONLINE. Remember Hatters Player is the ONLY place to listen to live online commentary of the Town this season. Sign-up to Player for post-match interviews and full extended highlights of every game. You can purchase Player for as little as 10p if you opt for the seasonal subscription.