Watford O Bury O

"Get about as oiled as a diesel train,

Gonna set the stands alight;

Saturday night's the night I like,

Saturday night's alright."

When Bernie Taupin penned those words for newly-installed Watford chairman Elton John twenty-odd years ago it's a fair bet he didn't have Bury Football Club and the penultimate Saturday of the 1996-97 soccer season in mind!

Nevertheless those lyrics could hardly have been more relevant than when the curtain came down on this thrilling Vicarage Road showdown.

For, as Stan Ternent's battlers secured the precious point they needed to assure promotion for the second successive season the outpouring of emotion and adulation from the 1500-strong Shakers' faithful certainly set alight the stand that contained them, while on their triumphant return home there would undoubtedly have been a fair degree of tonsil lubrication in the town's hostelries - and rightly so.

In their 112-year history the Shakers have spent more seasons in what was the Second Division (and still is in the eyes of many people) than any other and the end of this twenty-eight year exile has been long overdue.

Cause for celebration indeed, and all that's now left is for Ternent's men to sign off a marvellous campaign by clinching the championship in Saturday's final home game against Millwall - it's as easy as that!

Not even Watford General Manager Graham Taylor's pre-match announcement that Elton John's new consortium had taken control of the Hornets was allowed to upstage the Shakers' promotion party.

It was business as usual with another powerful all-round display capped by a dramatic 87th minute penalty save by Dean Kiely.

But the day didn't start on a good note for Ternent, surely a candidate for Manager of the Year after back to back promotions.

Utility man Ian Hughes was taken ill with a gastric bug on the coach journey to Hertfordshire and was in no fit state to play a part in the game.

Consequently veteran Nicky Reid slipped into the left-back slot with Gordon Armstrong joining skipper Chris Lucketti and Paul Butler in the centre of defence while Adrian Randall was recalled to the side in a three man midfield.

And it didn't take former Burnley and York City act Randall long to make a mark when, after a good third minute run down the left flank, he slid the ball into the path of Ronnie Jepson who directed his first time effort from eight yards narrowly wide.

Seventeen minutes into the game the Bury boss repeated the move he made at Luton four days earlier and replaced Reid with striker David Johnson, reverting to a four man defence, once again it was to prove an astute decision.

Johnson's pace and strength was a constant worry to the home defence and he almost broke the deadlock after 25 minutes with a left foot shot on the turn that hit the side-netting.

The marvellous Shakers contingent, accompanied by a bugler and drummer, kept up a cacophony of noise for almost all of the ninety minutes and they were rewarded with a good spell of pressure midway through the first period when the Watford goal led a charmed life. After 26 minutes an Armstrong free-kick was met at the far post by Lucketti, he directed the ball across goal to Jepson whose powerful header was superbly palmed over by Watford's stand-in 'keeper Alec Chamberlain.

Four minutes later, the Shakers thought they had legitimate claims for a penalty when Johnson's progress was unceremoniously halted by his namesake Richard Johnson just inside the box, but referee Rob Harris confounded everyone by awarding an indirect free-kick.

Jepson slid the ball into the path of Randall whose stinging drive was blocked on the line by Steve Palmer who also hacked clear Lenny Johnrose's follow-up effort.

In the 38th minute it was the turn of the Bury goal to be threatened when Nick Daws did superbly to tackle 17-year-old England youth player Gifton Noel-Williams as the beanpole striker looked to get in a close range shot on the turn.

Watford, who still harboured hopes of a play-off place, had the Shakers on the back foot early in the second period.

Lucketti had to be at his best to halt Noel-Williams when he steamed into the box following a quick break and Kiely had to dive full-length to brilliantly punch away a vicious 35-yard drive from Johnson just before the hour mark.

Paul Butler saw a 62nd minute header agonisingly cleared off the line by Darren Bazeley after Lucketti had flicked on a Dean West corner kick and Tony Battersby rose high to direct another West cross goalwards but Chamberlain did well to fingertip it over the bar at full stretch.

Tommy Mooney and substitute Kevin Phillips both fired narrowly wide as the home side finished with a flourish and it looked as though the Shakers' celebrations might have to be put on hold four minutes from time when Johnson raced onto Clint Easton's chip over the Bury defence only to be impeded by Armstrong as he lined up a shot.

It was hard to imagine a more harrowing climax to a game but the Gigg Lane men weren't to be denied their glory day as Kiely spring to his left and blocked Mooney's powerfully struck spot kick to send the Shakers fans (and bench) ecstatic, a feeling that was multiplied tenfold minutes later when the final whistle blew.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.