Bury are having another fine season, having finished a close 2nd to Lowestoft Town, last year. Currently they are level on points with league leaders, Felixstowe and Walton, with 13 games left to go.
Bury are managed by former Bristol City, Ipswich Town and Colchester United midfielder Cole Skuse, assisted by former Stowmarket Town boss, Paul Musgrove, who are in their 2nd season in charge.

This is the 9th season the two teams have faced one another in the league. The first meetings were in 2013/14 and 2014/15, when we were both in the Isthmian Premier, subsequent meetings being in Isthmian North. Of the 17 league games played so far, Grays have won 8, Bury 6 and 3 have been drawn. In addition the clubs met in the 3rd Qualifying Round of the FA Trophy in 2013/14, when Bury ran out 5-1 winners.

The reverse fixture this season at the EMR Stadium, saw Bury edge a cagey affair 1-0, with a late goal from expert marksman, Cemal Ramadan. Bury's man of the match that day was their goalkeeper, Charlie Beckwith, which indicates how close the game was.

Bury have won 10 of their 14 home league games this season, with a recent 2-0 win over Felixstowe being the highlight. There have been 3 losses, to the teams currently in 3rd, 4th and 5th place in the table, Brentwood, Waltham Abbey and Brightlingsea Regent.
The cups have been less kind with defeats at the first hurdle (in a replay to Felixstowe in the FAC) in each competition.
Recent form, like rivals Felixstowe, has seen a bit of a dip with 8 points from their last 6 games, but last time out, Bury enjoyed a good 4-2 win at Ipswich Wanderers.

Bury's leading scorer this year is of course, Cemal Ramadan, who has 20 goals so far to add to his 33 last term. By my reckoning that means Ramadan has now scored over 175 goals in his Bury career, a testament to his excellence, consistency and his loyalty to Bury. Grays defence will know that any lapses on Saturday are going to be punished.
However, it would be a mistake to think that Ramadan is the only threat Bury possess. Their performance against Grays at their Ram Meadow ground last year in a 3-1 win was, for my money, the best football I saw played against us last season.

From Grays perspective, a run of just 5 points from the last 10 games makes grim reading, but that tells only part of the story. The single win was away at league leaders, Felixstowe and there were good performances at both Waltham Abbey and Witham. However, less impressive outings have left everyone frustrated. At Haringey last Saturday, on a 3G pitch that should've suited Grays passing game, the team failed to take their chances and made too many individual errors, albeit compounded by some questionable late decisions from the referee.
Yes, there have been a lot of injuries, suspensions and other absences to cope with, but the Felixstowe game showed what can be achieved with full focus and good decision making.

Ahead of the match Darren Manning had this message for supporters making the trip to Bury Town:
"I just wanted to drop you all a quick message around our game on Saturday at Bury Town. Your support has been amazing and so important to us - it would be brilliant if you could all stand together so we know exactly where our 12th man is! after a tough couple of weeks we need you guys more than ever. See you at Bury! Darren"

Match Information.

Bury Town play at the Getaway Cars stadium, Ram Meadow.

For those travelling on the Club Coach, a quick reminder, it will be leaving The Oak at Socketts Heath at 11.00.

For those making their own way by car, the ground is adjacent to the large Ram Meadow pay and display car park. The postcode is IP33 1XP.
The car park gets very busy on match days, so allow some extra time.
The website confirms charges to be £2.50 for up to 3 hours, and £3 for longer. The meters should take both cash and credit cards and if you can get by with a little help from your friends, then you can use the Ring Go app, location code 4483.

Anyone looking to travel by train is advised to check the timetables carefully. The quickest service (1hr 50 mins) is from London King's Cross, changing at Cambridge. Note that return trains can go to Liverpool Street not King's Cross.

A big crowd is guaranteed and the last three season's games between the teams have seen some entertaining football with plenty of goals.

This is a really tough fixture, so we need all our supporters who can make the journey. We look forward to seeing you all at Ram Meadow. Up The Ath!