CITY 1 BURY 1
League Division 2
8th February 1964
Attendance 14,698
Scorers
City Dowd
Bury Bell
City Dowd, Betts, Sear, Kennedy, Wood, Oakes, Young, Pardoe, Gray, Kevan, Wagstaffe
Bury Harker, Gallagher, Threlfall, Turner, Bunner, Atherton, Alston, Bell, Yard, Jones, Bartley
The game was memorable for the two goalscorers.
Bury gave a debut to a young 17 year old called Colin Bell and ‘Nijinsky’ as he was to be known to all City fans, scored to put the Shakers 1-0 up.
City’s custodian Harry Dowd, then broke a finger in a challenge and couldn’t continue between the sticks. Blues forward Matt Gray replaced Harry in nets and Harry took up a Centre Forward position.
Amazingly Dowd was the hero as he set Derek Kevan up for a shot which hit the bar, and then Harry, using his cat-like reactions pounced on the rebound to force the ball over the line for City’s equaliser.
My senior debut, ironically, was against Manchester City at Maine Road, I think City had expected an easy win because we were such a small club compared to them. They didn’t have it all their own way though, and I scored the goal that gave us the lead.
It was at the North Stand end and I remember being through on goal with just Harry Dowd to beat. City were hoping I was offside but I kept my nerve, rounded Harry and slotted it in from the angle. It gave me a real boost scoring that goal and I lived on it for quite a while.
There were no substitutes in those days and Harry damaged his shoulder later in the game. I think he ended up with his arm in a sling but he had to carry on playing. He couldn’t stay in goal, so they put him up front as a striker. He caused all sorts of problems, running around all over the place. He caused more panic in our defence than their normal strikers had done, scoring the equaliser, which took the shine off things from my point of view.
I was there
So was I as a Bury supporter. Can you or anyone else clarify Harry Dowd’s injury? Was it his or his shoulder?
That should have said – was it Harry Dowd’s finger or his shoulder that was the problem?
I can’t answer your question, but I do remember Harry Dowd’s energetic contribution and the great cheer when he scored. And strangely, although I knew it was Colin Bell’s league debut, I had forgotten he was Bury’s goalscorer. What I do remember of him is how he went down on his knees and thumped the penalty spot when the ref ignored a clear foul by a City player on a Bury attacker inside City’s box.