Bury FC: The Shakers

It seems everyone is adopting an English Premier League soccer team to follow and cheer for. So here's my team: Bury FC, nicknamed The Shakers.

What? You can't see them in the Premier League table? Look down. Way down. Into what used to be called the Fourth Division but is now, in this age of sponsorship, called SkyBet League Two. ("League Two" sounds so much than "Fourth Division".)

There they are, Bury (pronounced like "berry"), usually hovering around the middle. Sometimes they climb a little higher (yea!, might get promoted into SkyBet League One). Sometimes they sink a little lower (oh no, might be relegated to the Conference).

That's the fun of cheering for a lesser known team. Following their trials and successes is a roller-coaster ride, with bigger highers and lows. And if you have a connection to the team or the town in some way, however tenuous (like I do with Bury), then it's even better - you feel like you have a personal stake in the team's fortunes.

As for the Bury team itself, although they may seem to be small fry now, they have legitimate points to be proud of in their history.

First, they've won the FA cup twice! That's right, the symbol of English football supremacy, the Football Association cup. Although it's lost a little bit of lustre in recent years, clubs - even the top ones - still very much want to win it, and Bury has done it twice! Not only that, they hold the record for the biggest margin of victory in an FA cup final: 6-0.

And they hold (jointly) the record for winning the FA cup without conceding a single goal in any round. They shut out the opposition in every game they played. That's pretty spectacular. Admittedly, this was long ago. But one can still enjoy past glories, and project them into dreams for the future.

Herewith are some of Bury's notable achievements and records.

Club Achievements

• First game: September 12, 1885, a 4-3 win vs. Wigan
• 3rd oldest member of the Football League (from 1894)
• Won Second Division in first year of membership (1894)
• FA Cup Final winner 1900, 4-0 vs. Southampton
• FA Cup Final winner 1903, 6-0 vs. Derby County
• Highest position: 4th. in the First Division (1926)
• First club to score 1000 goals in each of First, Second, Third, and Fourth Divisions

• Biggest FA Cup Final win, 6-0, 1903 vs. Derby County
• Won FA Cup without conceding a goal in any round (1903) (also done by Preston North End (1889)

And it's worth mentioning that they have occupied the same club grounds since their inception in 1885. Which brings us to - where exactly is Bury? It's a few kilometers north of Manchester in Northwest England.

To find out more about the Bury Shakers, visit the club site.