All you need to know ahead of second round FA Cup tie
Bury v Luton Town
FA Cup second round
Saturday 6th December 2014, kick-off 3pm
Live commentary on Hatters Player, DiverseFM, BBC3CR and lutontown.co.uk
• Hatters lost twice in last 15 games in all competitions
• Shakers lost their last four matches in all competitions
• Head2Head: Town wins: 18, Bury wins: 13, Draws: 9
WHO? and currently lie in seventh place in League 2. They booked their place in round two by beating Hemel Hempstead Town. After an encouraging start to the campaign the bookies’ title favourites have lost their last four matches in all competitions, with three of those coming on home turf.Dave Flitcroft’s side drew 1-1 at Kenilworth Road this seasonBury, aka the Shakers, from Gigg Lane, are the Town’s next opponents in Saturday’s FA Cup second round tie.
WHERE?The Town make their first trip to Gigg Lane in six years and the Hatters faithful have a 360-mile round-trip to negotiate to get there and back. Once you get there it is pay on the day at Gigg Lane, with seating only behind the goal in the Ratio Law Stand, which holds 2,000. It’s seating on a bank of former terracing, but don’t worry the view’s okay (unless it’s full and you’re behind a pillar). At the opposite end of the pitch, home supporters have to sit in the Cemetery End, where the can contemplate their mortality.
.Click here for the admission prices. Not doing anything with your Saturday? Then go to the game. TICKET NEWS
HOW TO GET THERE?Take the M1 north, M6 and M66, and leave the M66 at Junction 3. Take the left hand exit at the junction and follow this road until you come to the junction with the A56 Manchester Road. At this T-junction which has traffic lights, turn right towards Bury. At the end of the playing fields just before the traffic lights and a couple of pubs, turn right into Gigg Lane for the ground. Please note that Gigg Lane itself is normally closed on matchdays. For the sat-nav savvy, the postcode isBL9 9HR.
UP FOR THE CUP.It will only be the second time that the clubs have met in the FA Cup, the previous cup tie was won by Bury at Gigg Lane back in 1923.
Who ever wins, or if it's a draw of course, will be the hat for Monday's third round draw with the big boys. The Town or Bury will be ball number 46.AND THE WINNERS...
HAVEN’T WE MET BEFORE?The Hatters edge the overall head-to-head records between the two clubs with the Town winning 18 to Bury’s 13 in the 40 previous meetings. Nine have ended all square. Interestingly enough, seven of those nine draws have come in the last 11 fixtures. Fancy a replay then?
In recent times, goals in games between to the clubs have been very thin on the ground: in the last 12 meetings, only 21 goals have been scored. Four of those 12 matches have finished goalless.
The last time the Hatters beat the Shakers came at Gigg Lane in the minus 30 season of 2008/09. The Town ran out 2-1 winners in October that season thanks to goals from striker Tom Craddock and cult hero defender Ian Roper.
TOWN CONNECTIONS.There have been a number of players who have worn the shirts of both the Town and Bury down the years, none more notable than our very own Mark Tyler, who played 11 games on-loan with the Shakers in 2009.
Another hugely popular goalkeeper, Dean Kiely, has also played for both clubs. It was whilst with the Shakers that the stopper really shot to prominence. He made 137 Football League appearances whilst at Gigg Lane before a £1m move to Charlton in the summer of 1999. Kiely arrived on-loan at Kenilworth Road in November 2006. He made his debut in 2-1 defeat at Southampton and played 11 times for the Town in the Championship.
Current Town striker Mark Cullen will also be familiar to Shakers fans. The forward had two loans spells at Gigg Lane, scoring just once in 16 appearances in 2011 and 2012.
One of the most familiar faces in football in recent history, Efe Sodje, became a cult hero at Gigg Lane having previously been on the Town’s books. Sodje originally signed for the Hatters from Macclesfield in August 1999 but failed to hold down a regular first team place and after just nine league appearances he left for Crewe. He joined Bury in February 2008, initially on-loan before signing permanently. Overall Sodje played 212 times for Shakers and scored 18 goals – not bad for a cente-half.
Those supporters who can cast their minds back to 1984 will remember striker Steve Elliott, a £95,000 signing by David Pleat from Preston North End. Having scoring over 70 times for Preston, Elliott could only manage three league goals in an injury-affected spell at Kenilworth Road. After spells at Walsall and Bolton he joined Bury in 1988 and scored 11 times in 31 Football League appearances.
DO MENTION. The FA Cup. Why? Well because they’ve won it. Twice. The Shakers first lifted the famous old trophy in 1900, beating Southampton 4-0. Three years later the team went one (well two) better, beating Derby 6-0. It remains the largest margin of victory in any cup final. Good, eh?
DON’T MENTION. Manchester. The club and the town is not in Manchester. Bury is a town in its own right. A number of settlements in the surrounding area form to make up the Metropolitan Borough of Bury.
REF WATCH. Nigel Miller. The Durham-based whistler has dished out just 36 yellow cards in 14 matches this season and has yet to brandish a red card. He took charge of the Town’s opening game of the season at Carlisle
TOWN TEAM NEWS..Read more about it by clicking here The Hatters welcome back centre-half Luke Wilkinson from suspension for the trip to Gigg Lane but manager John Still has a number of injury problems, with a host of players unavailable. Unfortunately there are so many we’ve got a separate article about it.
LIVE AND ONLINE..Click here to read more about the advantages of Player is the only place to listen to online commentary of the Hatters this season and once again the DiverseFM team will be bringing subscribers all the action from Gigg Lane. What’s more there will be a full report, reaction and photographs post-match and live text updates during the match itself. Hatters Player
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