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Next Game - Bury (away)

Last updated : 02 August 2002 By Tony Scholes

Liam George
Bury were under threat of extinction just a few months ago and Clarets Mad bought seats in the stand to give them some help. Stan Ternent also bought some seats and also offered to take the Clarets there to play a fund raising friendly. Supposedly that happens tomorrow although it has now been suggested that the Clarets might be taking some of the gate money.

It is somewhat surprising that we haven’t met in a friendly since Stan moved from them to the Turf particularly because he holds his previous club in such high esteem. Now in the 3rd Division after relegation last April it seems a long time now since Stan took them to 17th in the 1st Division before he took the opportunity to manage the Clarets.

He was initially replaced at Gigg Lane by Neil Warnock, and how that must have hurt him, who was himself replaced by Andy Preece who has been in the job since November 1999. It was Warnock who took them down to Division Two in 1998/99 and then the last relegation came under Preece.

It is not surprising given the financial situation and since the end of last season ten players have left the club either via free transfers or having been released and an eleventh, goalkeeper Paddy Kenny, has gone on loan to Sheffield United.

However there will be new players in the Bury side tomorrow, two in fact both on trial. The first of these is Preston’s Polish striker Pawel Abbott and by tomorrow he will have been joined by Luton’s Liam George.

Pawel Abbott
George was linked with the Clarets a couple of years ago although in the end it was revealed that some web site had decided to make the whole thing up. At the time he was starring for Luton but has certainly dropped down the order there and ended last season on loan at Stevenage Borough. He has spent time recently training with Sheffield United.

Should either or both of them impress they could be offered long term loan deals but it doesn’t appear that Preece will be able to take them on permanently.

The Clarets will go there with two former Bury managers in Stan and Sam although the squad is somewhat depleted of former Shakers, in fact just Dean West and Graham Branch with Gordon Armstrong missing the game through injury.

Stan took them up two divisions in his three years as manager, winning successive promotions in 1995/96 and 1996/97. So popular is he at Gigg Lane that their official web site suggests that there will be a rousing welcome for Uncle Stan when he steps out of the tunnel.

The result doesn’t matter tomorrow, it is just another 90 minutes and the last 90 minutes of practice before we get under way for real in a week’s time. However it is an important game for Bury with the hope of much needed cash. They are a club I’m sure no Burnley supporter would want to see disappear.

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