Saturday's FA Cup showdown will be something quite special for at least two of the Bury players. Central defensive partners Colin Woodthorpe and Dave Challinor both have ties with Ellesmere Port as the former was born and bred in the town and the latter still lives here. Pioneer sports editor Christopher Beesley spoke to both men about their thoughts on the big game against their hometown club.
BURY'S central defensive duo Colin Woodthorpe and Dave Challinor admit they are in a no-win situation in Saturday's FA Cup showdown with Vauxhall.
Lose and they will incur the wrath of the Gigg Lane faithful; win and they won't be heading back to Ellesmere Port in a hurry.
Woodthorpe is a former Stanney High School pupil who turned out for Birkett Rovers as a youngster, while Challinor, who played his part in numerous cup upsets with Tranmere Rovers, still lives in the Great Sutton area of the town and attended Whitby High as a youngster.
The pair travel to training together each day and line up alongside each other as part of Bury's three-man central defensive system.
And they are well aware that they can expect stick whatever happens at the weekend.
Challinor said: 'If Bury go through, all the neighbours will not like me because we've knocked Vauxhall out. But if we lose, they're all going to give me loads of stick.'
Challinor arrived at Gigg Lane on loan last season and was snapped up permanently by Graham Barrow over the summer.
And the 29-year-old hopes to finish off the Motormen in one game as he is well aware of the attention the tie would get if it went to a replay.
He said: 'If we have to play them at Rivacre Park then I'll really get to know about it.
'We know what can happen with Vauxhall in the FA Cup after seeing what they did to QPR two years ago. If I hadn't have been playing myself, I'd have probably gone over and cheered them on.
'I used to know more of their players a few years ago as I'd played with some of them at Brom-borough Pool, but my old pal Carl Nesbitt is still there and I was with James Olsen at Tranmere.'
Woodthorpe has played more than 500 professional games, turning out for Norwich against the likes of Bayern Munich and Inter Milan, but the 35-year-old has never before faced a team from his home town.
Woodthorpe said: 'I live in Northwich now and was surprised when I saw that Vauxhall had beaten Vics. But by all accounts, they thoroughly deserved their victory.
'I've been away from the Port for a long time but my mum, Elsa, still lives on Birkett Avenue and I told her about the draw the next day.
'In my early days with Chester, I remember being the victim of an FA Cup upset against Runcorn. It's not a nice feeling so I don't want to go through that again.
'If we play to our potential then we should win, but that's the thing about the FA Cup, anything can happen and can make heroes and villains.'
'I feel as fit as I've ever been and any young striker who thinks they've got the beating of this old head because of my age is in for a shock.
'The financial problems at Bury have been well-documented and with us being out of the LDV Vans Trophy and the Carling Cup, we could do with a run in the FA Cup.'
In his long career, Woodthorpe's has averaged less than one goal a season, so what are the odds he nicks one against his hometown team?
He said: 'It's funny really because I'm a big Evertonian and my only goal in the top division came for Norwich against Liverpool. A few years later, I heard they were examining a Norwich goal in the Bruce Grobbelaar trials. I worried that they might take my moment of glory away from me but it turned out to be a different game.'
