The Exiled Files ia basically anything I can get hold of from the NET, local papers or even a story you heard down the pub.  I will put absolutely anything on these pages, as long as the main story is about Bury FC.  Also you can still pull up the old pages by following the links below


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Sunday, 02 May 1999
D'jaffo's Tough Goal Luck - The Pink (Mike Waring):
The Shakers' top scorer Laurent D'Jaffo knows if Bury go down this season because of goals scored, he will have to take some responsibility. "My first season here has been difficult," said the 28-year-old forward. "It's been up and down and I do feel bad because I haven't scored enough goals." After one season at Gigg Lane since his free transfer from Ayr United, the Montpelier-born Frenchman knows nine goals is a disappointing return. "I was out with an Achilles injury for about two months which didn't help but that's no excuse. I haven't had a good season." Before today's game at West Brom, the club sat inside the dreaded bottom three because their goals scored tally was inferior to QPR, Port Vale and Crewe. All four clubs were on 44 points. The team know if they win both their games they will stay up, and next weeks six-pointer against Port Vale will be crucial to survival. "There are four teams on the same points as us but we need to win both games because our goals scored average is so low. It's like having a point less at this stage and we'll probably go in to the Port Vale game having to win. But we should be aiming to win every game anyway." * Bury's physiotherapist Alan Raw has moved his sports injuries clinic to Bolton Road West in Ramsbottom. The physiotherapist practice is open to anybody with sports injuries. Ring 01706 825727 for more details. * Bury want a full house next week against Port Vale in the hope that fan power can give them the extra push they need to avoid relegation. The atmosphere in the last two home games against Bolton and Sunderland was magnificent and the club is hoping for the same next week in what will be Bury's biggest game of the season. Ticket office manager Peter Cullen said: "I'd advise fans to get their tickets soon because we are expecting a rush if this game turns out to be crucial." Tickets are on open sale, priced £14(£8) in the south Stand, £16(£9) in the Main Stand and £14 for an adult and child(£5 for each additional child) in the Family Stand.

Psyched - The Pink (Mike Waring):
Shakers explore cyber tactics Bury have turned to a mind game guru in a last-ditch effort to avoid relegation. Psycho-cybernetics expert Tony Cohen has spoken exclusively to M.E.N. Sport about his quest to turn the Shakers' squad into world beaters in time to beat the drop. His record so far of two wins, two draws and one defeat seems to speak for itself. "Psycho-cybernetics is to the brain what programming is to a computer," he said. "When I first came here the lads had gone so long getting draws and not scoring they were going out half-expecting it. They were lacking in confidence. "But in the first game after I came here we beat Oxford 1-0 and we've only lost once since then. That was against Sunderland but they scored two goals that game and played well." There was a mixed reaction from the players to Cohen when he first began his work but they, and boss Neil Warnock have been won over. "About 30 people wrote to me offering this sort of thing before I spoke to Tony," said the boss. "I had to check him out first because there are so many cranks, but I thought he could offer us something." French striker Laurent D'Jaffo was not so sure. "I don't go in for the psychologists, it's not my thing," he said. "But some of the lads needed to be a little more positive and he is helping us to focus more. "In this country you need this type of thing because you wake up in the morning and it's always raining - it gets you down." Striker any Preece said he went through the same sort of thing when he was at Blackpool. "We had a psychologist at Bloomfield Road when we were top of the league. "I don't think it helped but you never know with these things. I keep an open mind and you can rest assured if he had anything to do with that Bolton win he'll be around for a while." Goalkeeper Dean Kiely added: "Managers try all sorts of different things to improve moral when things are a bit rough. It's just a case of trying something a bit different. The lads generally want these things to work, and if it does then we can't complain." Cohen's tactics include getting the players to write a word that makes them feel good on a piece of paper and putting it in their pockets so they can get it out and read it when they are low. He also makes the players shout 'I feel great' when they come in for training in the morning. "It's about putting the right ideas in their mind instead of letting just anything in there," said Cohen, who reckons he is one of only three or four people in the world who practices psycho-cybernetics. "we're surrounded by negatives, but I show them how they can pick themselves up at any moment. You can literally switch yourself on and what I'm teaching can be used when they wake up tomorrow morning, next week or even in ten years time." "If I leave tomorrow and those players never see me again, there are still things I've taught them that can be used in years to come, whenever they need it." Bury is the first football club in Britain Cohen has worked at, but he has been with soccer stars in Canada, south-east Asia, Vietnam and Cambodia. "The work is pretty much the same whatever business I'm working in. People are people whatever they do for a job," said Cohen, who is Manchester-born and went to Bury Grammar School. "The great thing about working with football clubs is that you can see the results immediately. In business, it can take a while for the results to show." Cohen now has eyes on bigger things. "I could make a difference at Old Trafford," he said. "Alex Ferguson needs me, he just doesn't know it yet!"

Friday, 30 April 1999
Who fills the gap? - The Bury Times:
SHAKERS boss Neil Warnock has a defensive conundrum to unravel before tomorrow's crucial West Bromwich Albion clash at the Hawthorns. With influential skipper Chris Lucketti suspended for one game the Bury chief has to decide who will partner Chris Swailes at the heart of the Shakers defence. Andy Woodward and Carl Serrant are the candidates for the role but Warnock will leave it to the last minute before deciding whether to forfeit Serrant's undoubted quality down the left flank for such an important game. "Carl played as a central defender for England B when I was at Oldham so I'd have no qualms about putting him in there. "Alternatively I can play "Woody" as we do have options at full-back with Paul Williams or Dean West able to fill in. "It's the lesser of the two evils and I've got one or two options that I'm keeping open for now." One piece of good news for Warnock is that striker Paul Barnes, who came off the substitutes bench against Bolton last Friday, felt no reaction to the hamstring strain that has kept him sidelined. "Paul is better for another week's training and I didn't risk him in the reserve game this week because he is too important to us," he said. It might be the Bury boss will opt to keep the former Huddersfield Town man on the bench tomorrow after Andy Preece and Laurent D'Jaffo's superb performances against Bolton. That would ensure Barnes was 100 per cent okay for what's looking more and more like an all-or-nothing clash against Port Vale in the final game of the season on Sunday week. And there's an additional bonus in that loan star Derek Lilley is back in light training and even he has an outside chance of being fit for the Vale match after making a better than anticipated recovery. But Warnock isn't looking any further than tomorrow's game at The Hawthorns and he also adds Lutel James to the squad after he scored four goals in three outings for St Kitts in an international tournament. Although Port Vale were defeated 2-1 at home by Watford on Tuesday evening Crewe saw off Bristol City 1-0 at Gresty Road, a result that dumped the Shakers back into the bottom three, but Warnock isn't downhearted. "We now know where we stand after those midweek results," he said. "We'll be safe with four points, it might even be less but we just have to remain positive and carry on as we have been doing." West Brom's prolific striker Lee Hughes was selected in the PFA First Division team at the players' union's awards evening on Sunday. Former Shaker Paul Butler was also honoured and was one of five Sunderland players to make the team. The Shakers are hoping to take a big following to tomorrow's final away game of the season at The Hawthorns. Coach bookings can be made by calling at the club shop (9am-5pm) or over the phone with a credit card. Coaches will leave Gigg Lane at 12 noon. The game is not all-ticket for Shakers supporters and they can pay cash at the turnstiles (£14 adults, £7.50 concessions).

Derby joy for Shakers - The Bury Times:
IT doesn't get much better than this! Revenge for a drubbing, three vital points against relegation, a first home win for over four months all on national television and against deadly derby rivals - what a night! The pre-match script, which had Bolton's artists near certainties to turn over Bury's plucky artisans and send them a massive step nearer Division Two, was ripped up and scattered to the winds as Neil Warnock's men showed the kind of fighting spirit that bosses of their drop zone rivals can only dream of. From one to eleven there were white-shirted heroes all over the park as the traumatic 4-0 mauling at the Reebok back in November became a distant memory. That result had clearly stung the players just as much as the fans and they were never going to allow a repetition on this St George's Day to remember. "We knew we had to battle," said Shakers' keeper and man-of-the-match Dean Kiely after the game. "They are the big boys up the road, with everthing laid on for them, but we knew if we got in their faces and competed we had a chance and that's just what we did." In a nutshell the Wanderers' just didn't have the wherewithal to match a side that seems to be relishing the fight for First Division survival and they were left still searching for their first league win at Gigg Lane since 1929. True enough their slick, incisive passing style caught the eye on a number of occasions but time after time it fell apart when confronted by Chris Lucketti and Chris Swailes who were giants at the centre of the Shakers' back line. And on the odd occasion they did breach the Bury rearguard the profligate Wanderers either failed to hit the target or found Kiely in unbeatable form despite wet, skiddy conditions that made it a horrendous night for goalkeepers. Quality balls into the Bolton box were a constant cause of concern to the Trotters' rocky rearguard and it's no surprise that both Bury's goals arrived that way. As early as they third minute a Nicky Daws cross from the right almost got Dean West in but frustratingly the ball just wouldn't fall for the Bury man and the danger was cleared. At the other end Kiely was called into serious action in the 17th minute when Danish World Cup star Per Frandsen worked his way into the box and fired in a powerful drive that the Eire B international palmed away for a corner. Without both first choice strikers Derek Lilley and Paul Barnes in the starting line-up Warnock paired Andy Preece with leading scorer Laurent D'Jaffo and both put in impressive performances. They consistently won more than their fair share of high balls over South African international Mark Fish and Andy Todd and ran themselves into the ground for the cause. In the 28th minute Daws sent D'Jaffo racing through on goal but his shot on the run was blocked by Neil Cox for a corner. Two minutes later the Shakers crucially broke the deadlock when Carl Serrant's right wing cross was only weakly punched clear by Banks, under pressure from the impressive Darren Bullock, and West was on hand to fire home low past Fish on the line. While the highly-rated Banks will have been disappointed with his attempted clearance he will no doubt point to a notable absence of protection from his defenders, an occurrence that accounted for the Shakers second goal in first half stoppage time. A right wing run by D'Jaffo was abruptly ended by a foul by Cox and when Nick Daws' firmly struck free-kick was delivered into the danger zone Swailes reacted first to powerfully head down past a bemused Banks. It was the big defender's third goal of the campaign and the Shakers still haven't been defeated when he's been on the scoresheet. "That must be my the most vital I've scored and it makes me third leading scorer at the club," said Swailes. "It was vital we got the three points but everyone in the team won their personal battles and Dean pulled off some superb saves. "We know we've still got a hard task ahead of us but this result will do us a world of good!" As might have been expected Bolton enjoyed the lions share of possession in the second period but never looked capable of breaking down a resolute Shakers rearguard that defended as though their lives depended on it. Highlight of the half was a marvellous double save from Kiely who palmed away a fizzing free-kick from Jensen, then when Ricardo Gardner's cross found Bob Taylor, the Shakers' custodian recovered quickly to block the second attempt. When Kiely was eventually beaten in the second minute of injury time it was a wicked deflection off Swailes that diverted Cox's 20-yard effort past him. And the only downer on a great night for the Bury keeper was a booking after he clashed with the Wanderers goalscorer when both raced into the back of the net to claim the ball. However even that was soon forgotten with a smile and a handshake when the whistle went a minute later. Delighted Shakers boss Neil Warnock understandably had nothing but praise for his battling charges: "On paper we didn't stand a chance against Bolton with their £1 million players but sometimes it's what's under your shirt that matters," he said. "Anybody who saw that performance would have to be impressed because we've had to work four times harder than them. "All you can ask for is commitment and we've rolled our sleeves up and tried to go out with a bang. "We tried to do it against Sunderland but made mistakes at the back but this time we were magnificent throughout the team and I'm proud of them."

I'm no shirker - Preece - The Bury Times:
IT'S taken nearly a year, but Shakers striker Andy Preece finally won over the 'hate-mob' in the 2-1 victory over Bolton. And after producing his best performance yet in a Bury jersey, the out-of-favour marksman declared: ÔI don't know why the fans dislike me!Õ The 32-year-old, who had not started in nine matches, took his chance with both hands and rolled back the years with a workaholic display. Much to his surprise, he even received a standing ovation when walking to the touchline for treatment. "I think the stick I have had has been a little bit unjust. Crowds take to some people and don't take to others," he said. "I don't know why the Bury fans haven't taken to me. In my first 10 games here I played as well as I ever have. I just can't put my finger on it." The fact that Preece has found the net only four times this campaign - the last in September - might well be the reason, but the former Blackpool star is adamant he has always given his best. "Every one has struggled to score goals this year," he added. "Sometimes it is the way we play. You look at the likes of Tony Ellis, who didn't score that many at Bury and is now knocking them in for Stockport. "At clubs like Crystal Palace the fans really took to me, but I didn't score that many goals for them - in fact we were relegated - but I still get a fantastic response when I go there. "At Blackpool they took to me, eventually. I have two years left at Bury to do the same here. I will sacrifice the personal things for the right results. "The position we are in, you have to put the work in, although I felt I was doing that at the start of the season." Preece was widely regarded as one of Bury's star men in last week's derby victory. After running himself into the ground, he crashed to the ground in the second half with cramp. "It was only my second game since Christmas and I think I was getting a bit tired," he said. "I didn't expect to be sitting on the sidelines for so long this year. To be fair, I am not used to playing reserve team football, I am used to 40 first team matches a season. You have to maintain your fitness or you let yourself down when you get the chance. "I enjoyed the game and think myself and Laurent D'Jaffo worked well together." Preece is now determined to make his mark in the remaining two games of the season against West Brom tomorrow and Port Vale a week on Sunday to keep the Shakers in Division One. "We wanted to have it in the bag before Port Vale, but that isn't going to happen," he said. "It is vital we win at West Brom. Losing Chris Lucketti is a massive blow and upsets the balance of the team but we will put 11 players out there and give everything for three points."

Skipper ban angers Warnock - Bolton Evening News:
NEIL Warnock is fuming that Bury will be without inspirational skipper Chris Lucketti at West Brom tomorrow. The Shakers go to the Hawthorns in search of at least a point to keep their hopes of avoiding relegation high. And they must do it without key defender Lucketti who Warnock believes should not have to miss the match through suspension. "We all know the importance of tomorrow's game and I think the system totally stinks when it can allow other players on 14 bookings to get a warning. "But we have to forget about it. We haven't got Chris although he will be there with us encouraging the players as a good captain does." Warnock's side goes into the final two matches in a relegation place but on the same points as three other clubs who are in the safety zone for the moment. Bury's awful goals-scored record means they must be looking for four points from their final two matches - their last game being against one of those three relegation rivals on equal points, Port Vale. Lucketti's replacement is likely to be the only change from the side which beat Bolton Wanderers 2-1 in the last game seven days ago. And Warnock will wait before deciding who gets the nod. Andy Woodward and Carl Serrant look favourites although Serrant's class down the left flank may make Warnock decide against switching the on-loan Newcastle player. The manager adds: "Carl played as a central defender for England B when I was at Oldham so I'd have no qualms about putting him in there. "Alternatively I can play Woody there as we do have options at full-back with Paul Williams or Dean West able to fill in. "It's the lesser of the two evils and I've got one or two options that I'm keeping open for now."

Suspended Lucketti Misses Vital Clash - Nationwide Web Site:
Bury will be without experienced defender Chris Lucketti for the crucial trip to Port Vale through suspension after he collected five yellow cards. Manager Neil Warnock has blasted the decision to ban a key member of his side at such a crucial stage of the season. He said: "It's a disgrace. There are all these players getting 11 and 14 bookings and getting let-off. For Chris to be suspended for five bookings is a disgrace." Striker Paul Barnes trained this week after a hamstring injury and should be fit to return, while Lutel James and Paul Williams are also added to the squad. Derek Lilley (hamstring) is once again ruled out but has an outside chance of playing in the last game of the season. Warnock added: "Four points will guarantee safety for us. "If you look at West Brom's team and how many goals they have scored we know it's going to be difficult, but the lads are very positive at the moment."

Sunday, 25 April 1999
Patterson's Battle - The Pink: (Mike Waring).
Mark Patterson's playing career is hanging in the balance. A surgeon will decide whether the combative 34-year-old is forced to hang up his boots after two stints with the Shakers. Patterson suffered damage to his right knee during a rare outing for bury a couple of months ago and the injury has got no better despite two months on loan at second division Blackpool. He will see a specialist early next week and the outcome of the consultation could determine his next move. "I'll see what he has to say and take it from there," says Patterson. "If he says I can have an operation and make a full recovery then I will carry on playing but if he says it is an injury that may re-occur then I will have to think seriously about packing it in. I have a landscaping business and a property development company so I have something on which to fall back on but I'd ideally like to go into the coaching side of the game. I am in the process of earning my badges at the moment." Patterson who always wears his heart on his sleeve when he pulls on a football shirt is as combative off the pitch as he is on it. He didn't get any pleasure from his second spell at Gigg Lane and is not shy to say so. "I didn't enjoy my time under Neil Warnock," he said. "We don't see eye to eye on how the game should be played. From the turn of the year I became totally disillusioned with football and the way the manager wanted to play the game. I disagree totally with his tactics and it was good to get off to Blackpool on loan. I enjoyed my sting with them and it was great to be involved with a side that played the way I like to. It was there that Patterson teamed up with ex-Shaker Ian Hughes who, he said, was playing better than any time in his career. "Hughsie was top class during the time I was there. He looked to be enjoying his football as we all were. I am just sorry that injury and suspension prevented me from playing more than one game in the second of my two months." After his spell at the seaside Patterson went to Southend but injury meant that he couldn't play for them so he returned home to Darwen. "I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll be able to play again but even if I cannot I am determined that I keep in contact to find a job somewhere in the game.

Derby defeat puts promotion out of Wanderers hands - Bolton Evening News:
WANDERERS faced up to the fact today that they are no longer in control of their own destiny. Defeat at Bury last night means they can still be overtaken by Wolves and Watford in the final run-in and miss out completely on a play-off place. But the mood at the Reebok remains upbeat with Colin Todd confident his side still has the upper hand and insistent that he has no plans to change their style of play. "We felt we should have come away with something last night but we came away with nothing," the Wanderers boss complained after seeing his attack frustrated by a string of missed chances and an inspired goalkeeper in Dean Kiely. "But I won't change the way we play and when you look at the Bury game, I've got good reason. "Some people might question why I didn't use the substitutes but we had a good momentum going and I felt we could score goals. Sometimes bringing a player on doesn't necessarily have the desired effect. "I have to look at the positives and they were there in an abundance in terms of creating. If you analyse the game, the statistics will show that the chances only came to one team . . . but we lost 2-1 and that's no consolation." Nevertheless, after taking even points from their previous three games and seeming well on course for a top six finish, Wanderers know they now have their work cut out if they are to stave off the joint challenge of Wolves and Watford. Next Friday's Reebok showdown with Wolves is now a vital fixture to both clubs while Watford also pose a major threat. The stark reality is that, if their two rivals can win all their remaining fixtures, Wanderers will miss out. "It's out of our hands now," Todd accepted. "The others have games in hand but I'd prefer the points." Wolves, who are in confident mood after an encouraging sequence of results, won 2-1 at the Reebok in the third round of the FA Cup in January and midfielder Michael Johansen summed up the importance of the fixture when he said: "All we are concentrating on now is beating Wolves, then we'll see what happens. That is the key game.

Positive thinking is the key to Bury promotion hopes - The Bolton Evening News:
NEIL Warnock is playing mind games as he tries to help Bury beat the drop. The Shakers boss, determined to keep his players in a positive frame of mind, has recruited an expert in the little known field of psycho-cybernetics! "He's not another Eileen Drewery," Warnock said of London-based Tony Cohen, who has been working behind the scenes at Gigg Lane. "He just works on positive thinking; getting the players' minds right. And we've shown what motivation can do." Bury turned in a battling performance to beat Wanderers 2-1 in the Gigg Lane derby last night - a result that takes them four points clear of the relegation zone. Dangerous crosses and determined finishing by goalscorers Dean West and Chris Swailes did the damage on the field but Warnock then revealed the identity of the latest recruit to his backroom team. "He's been in for two or three weeks," he explained. "He wrote to me a few weeks ago and I was impressed by the things he said. He gets the lads thinking of the good habits and thinking about the previous good games they've had." Striker Andy Preece said: "If it has an effect of improving the performances of one or two of the lads, it's well worthwhile. It works so, no doubt, he'll be around until the end of the season."

Friday, 23 April 1999
Shakers Survival Hopes Soar - Sporting Life:
Bury boss Neil Warnock saluted his side's fighting spirit after watching them boost their survival hopes with a 2-1 win over promotion-chasing Bolton at Gigg Lane. Dean West and Chris Swailes grabbed the goals which saw the Shakers climb above Port Vale into 18th place, four points above the relegation zone. "All you can ask for is commitment and tonight the commitment was unbelievable," said Warnock. "On paper we haven't got a chance but we've been magnificent and I'm very proud of them. "We've put a little bit more pressure on one or two other clubs tonight but what's the point of that if we slip up against West Brom and Port Vale?" Neil Cox pulled a goal back for Bolton in injury time but it was too little too late and Colin Todd's men remain in fifth place. Wanderers' manager Colin Todd was still upbeat, as his side do look likely to clinch a play-off place. Todd said: "The football we played and the chances we created were tremendous but I felt it wasn't to be our night. "We were punished for the slightest mistake. "I am not disappointed we have to got to look at the positive. On another day some our chances would have gone in. "There is no need to panic."

Stakes Are High In Derby Clash - Football 365:
Bolton Wanderers and Bury clash in a Lancashire derby with very different ambitions. Hosts Bury are battling to avoid the drop from Division One while the visitors need the points to boost their play-off aspirations. Unbeaten for their last three games and having registered a season's best 4-0 win over the Shakers at the Reebok Stadium in November, Bolton boss Colin Todd is hoping that Bolton's good turn of form will continue at Gigg Lane. "It's a derby game and as is always the case with derby games, form goes out of the window," said Bolton boss Colin Todd. "There is a lot of pride and a lot of prestige at stake and we will have to work hard to keep playing in the style we have. "No-one's pretending it is not going to be tough and we cannot afford to take it lightly. Bury are fighting for points too, albeit for entirely different reasons." "But we're doing well at the moment and we have to ensure we keep the character we have shown. A win will also put more pressure on Watford, who play on Saturday." "We still have to earn the right to a place in the play-offs and we are not there just yet. There should be a big following from our end and it's important to me not to let them down either".