THIS WEEKEND’S MATCH PREVIEW – BURY TOWN (AWAY)

Dulwich head for the Suffolk and the historic town of Bury St Edmunds as they look to return to winning ways against the rock bottom hosts.

The historic market town of Bury St Edmunds is known for the ruined abbey near the town centre. Bury is the seat of the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, with the episcopal see at St Edmundsbury Cathedral. The town, originally called Beodericsworth, is known for brewing and malting and for a British Sugar processing factory, where Silver Spoon sugar, one of Britain's biggest brands, is produced. The nation's largest British-owned brewery, Greene King, is situated in Bury, as is the smaller Old Cannon Brewery. Just outside the town, on the site of RAF Bury St Edmunds, is Bartrums Brewery, originally based in Thurston. Another beer-related landmark is Britain's smallest public house, The Nutshell, which is on The Traverse, just off the marketplace. It is allegedly the smallest pub in Britain and also believed to be haunted.

As historic as the town itself Bury Town Football Club, founded in 1872, is the fourth oldest nonleague Football Club in the country and has a proud history dating back over 130 years. However It has been turbulent time for manager Ben Chenery and his cash-strapped Suffolk side, currently six points adrift of nearest rivals VCD in 24th spot in the table and eight points from the port of safety currently occupied by AFC Hornchurch. However the Blues have proved themselves doughty battlers in recent weeks even if the rewards have been paltry.

A goalless draw with promotion hopefuls Leiston in the Boxing Day derby was followed by a rare, and much awaited, victory on the road at Canvey Island. Quick out of the blocks, the Blues roared into a two goal inside the first quarter hour but it looked as that electric start would come to naught as Taylor Tombides gave the Seagulls a 3-2 lead with an hour on the clock. However Bury rallied again and, after Connor Hall had banged home a penalty to level the scores Remi Garrett popped up with the winner ten minutes to give the Blues their first league victory of the season away from Ram Meadow. That much needed win was followed up with a hard-earned draw away to Bognor Regis to take the club’s unbeaten run to four games.

However with both Maidstone and Margate in the pipeline, chances of extending that run must have seemed slim and so it proved. At home to Kingstonian the dismissals of first John Sands then John Kennedy in the space of ten second half minutes did little to aid the cause of survival though by this time the visitors were already two goals to the good before adding a third against the nine men in the latter stages.

At home to top of the table Maidstone United the Blues looked to be on course for a sensational upset when Joe Whight’s sweet strike on 51 shocked the league leaders. The Blues’ cause was further aided with the Stones’ Billy Bricknall earned himself an early bath with injudicious words to the match official but the lack of the numbers seemed to strengthen rather than weaken the visitors. Maidstone levelled on 71 minutes when Jack Parkinson poached an equaliser and two minutes substitute Frannie Collins broke Suffolk valiant hearts with a breath-taking free kick into the top corner.

Last Saturday’s long trip down to Margate proved similarly pointless but it two late goals from the Kent side to make their league superiority tell. After a poor first half Freddie Lapado’s goal four minutes before the break was all that separated two clubs with vastly differing ambitions, promotion versus survival. The tale of the second half was much the same and it took a penalty for Margate to extend their lead with 18 minutes left through Lewis Taylor before Margate added a third goal late in injury time as Lapado bagged his second.

This afternoon’s game kicks off at 3.00 pm at Ram Meadow, Cotton Lane, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk IP33 1XT. Directions to the ground can be found on the Bury Town website by clicking here

Ticket prices:

• Adult: £10
• Concession: £5 (Concession prices apply to spectators aged 60+ and children under 16.)
• Junior: £2 (Junior prices apply to spectators aged 10
• and under.)