AN ENTHRALLING 90 minutes of nostalgia was replayed to celebrate the centenary of Bury FC's record-breaking Cup Final victory.

Around 400 townsfolk turned out to witness the blue and white carpet being rolled out in the club's honour to mark its 6-0 defeat of Derby County in 1903.

The celebration parade 100 years ago was retraced as the current squad and VIPs travelled on the East Lancashire Railway from Ramsbottom to the Bolton Street Station on a steam engine bearing a special FA Cup Winners 1903 plate.

The platform guard got in on the act as the clock ticked close to the 6.50pm "kick-off", telling the assembled mix of youngsters, middle-aged and more elderly supporters in time-honoured fashion: "The train's coming; it's coming."

The Pullman was cheered into the station, followed by laughter as rows and rows of empty seats passed by until the occupied compartments rumbled into view.

A friendly sabotage attempt by Radcliffe Borough fans who had hung their team's banner onto the last coach added to the joviality and created a sense of what it was all about -- a few good natured football chants and off they went to discuss all things Unibond.

Nothing was going to sway the Gigg Lane club from honouring the day it secured its place in the history books.

The platform was packed with the town's dignitaries including council chief executive Mark Sanders, council leader John Byrne, the Mayor and Mayoress of Bury, Councillors John and Stella Smith, and Bury North MP David Chaytor.

Mr Chaytor said: "This is one of the main reasons why everyone in the country with a knowledge about sport knows about Bury FC.

"It was a great achievement and it is right we should make the most of it.

"A lot of credit must go to the people who have thought this event up and organised it, and people have responded with a very good turnout."

Some of the players seemed quite overawed with the reception as they stepped off the train, and the FA Cup was paraded along the platform.

Paul Perry (65), a Shakers fan for 41 seasons, said: "It's been a great day, and I felt really proud to have had my photograph taken with the cup earlier in the day.

"To hold a record for a whole 100 years is brilliant. It keeps Bury on the map.

"To me there is no other club like it. I was a Bolton councillor in my younger days, but there was no way I was going to watch Bolton, only when Bury were playing there," he said.

As dark clouds hovered overhead, the open top bus finally set off for a town hall reception with manager Andy Preece at the front taking grip of the coveted trophy -- the original silverware held aloft 100 years before.

And while the bus would not have had to stop at a pelican crossing all those years ago, as it did on Monday, the players and officials made the short untroubled journey to the Elizabethan Suite where, amongst the memorabilia, the original match ball was put on display.

Manager Andy Preece said of the occasion: "It is an honour to be involved to mark a record that has never been beaten, and I doubt very much doubt will be beaten.

"It shows how we were once part of the big time, yet it is going to be very difficult for Bury to get back there."

As a packed crowd gathered inside the town hall -- among whom were descendants of players who had been in the Derby County side -- Bury had earlier celebrated a link with their cup final heroes.

During the half-time interval of the game against Scunthorpe in the afternoon, which Bury drew 0-0 , 10-year-old Samantha Crane, from Bury, paraded the cup around the ground after it was learned that her great, great, great uncle was the trainer of the 1903 team.

Club press officer Gordon Sorfleet said it had been a "fantastic day".

"It was also the first time the cup has been paraded on the ground because all those years ago, the club's offices were not at the ground, so it never actually got to be shown off there."

As the speeches flowed in the last 20 minutes, there were plenty of cheers from the terraces.

Chairman Fred Mason pointed out to a rapturous applause: "You know, we won this cup twice before a smaller club down the road did."

The mayor gave a rallying call to supporters to get behind the side for its final home league game of the season against Wrexham on May 3, which could secure a place in the play-offs.

But council leader John Byrne put one in the top corner in the dying minutes when he announced Bury Council will continue to sponsor the club next season.

The final whistle was then blown at 8.20pm, with handshakes all round, and a piece of local history fondly remembered.