Gigg Lane, Bury Reviews

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Good Points: Nicely structured stadium for a League 2 side
Couple of decent pubs in the vicinity
Easy to get to by car / bus / tram from Manchester / Bury
Atmosphere (depending on who is playing)
Well managed turnstyles
Excellent value for money

Bad Points: Stadium is only ever at best half full (from my experience)
Refreshments are quite expensive (although this is quite common at a lot of grounds)

General comments: I must stress initially that my experience of Gigg Lane stems from following FC United of Manchester who are currently renting the ground off Bury. As a result I have only been attending from the beginning of the 2005 season and am not fully aware of the differences (if any) when Bury play there.

That being said I have always enjoyed my experiences at Gigg Lane as part of a (usual) 3000 strong crowd. The majority of which cram into the Manchester Road End which normally provides a somewhat electric atmosphere for the full 90 minutes.

The ground is reasonably well maintained and there are various options for a supporter where they can stand / sit. There is also the option whether to head for the noisier parts of the ground or the more subdued areas (if that's your cup of tea). Due to the stadium never reaching capacity there is not normally any restrictions to a particular stand.

The ground is also very easily accessible from just about anywhere in Greater Manchester. It is positioned just off the main road that leads from Manchester to Bury city centres and is located not far from the M60, M62 and M66 motorways. In terms of public transport it is about a 15 minute walk from the Manchester Metrolink (tram) stop in Bury and there are various bus routes which will take you down the main road. The 135 out of Manchester is one that springs immediately to my mind.

For those of you that enjoy a pre / post match drink (i'm sure that there are a couple of people who would fit that description) then there are a couple of nice drinking establishments only a couple of minutes from the ground (often occupied by some of the players also). There is normally a good atmosphere in these places in particular post match. So if you enjoy a bit of a post match sing song then you will enjoy these places. If however your expecting a quiet drink you may be best off going elsewhere.

The ticket prices are also a breath of fresh air. I have always paid just £7 admission (again I am not too sure of the admission for Bury matches) along with £2 for a match programme. Considering the enjoyment I get from the game its well worth the admission fee. The standard of football has always been of good quality also normally with plenty of goals.

The refreshments are a little overpriced however and the queue for these at half time is not much fun in my experience. Although I have come to expect this at any football venue and take this for granted. After all thousands of people all head to the queue at the same time, you have to be prepared for some sort of wait.

I would recommend a game at Gigg Lane to anybody whom it may interest. A beer, a sing song, a pie, another beer and another sing song. What more could you want from a Saturday afternoon? There is also a competitive football match to be enjoyed as part of the bargain.