Bury v Sunderland
Gigg Lane
Friday 7 July
KO 7.30pm
The Simon Grayson era begins this evening as the curtain lifts to make way for a new season of football to get underway.
The Black Cats returned from Austria on yesterday afternoon after a high-intensity five-day training camp alongside Elliott Dickman’s under-23s side.
And with the hard graft put in across the continent, Grayson’s men head to Bury for the first of eight pre-season friendlies before the 2017-18 Sky Bet Championship official gets underway next month.
‘The Grayson factor’
The Ripon-born manager joined the Black Cats from Preston North End last Thursday and has already gone some way to installing a feel-good factor around the place.
Grayson brought with him an air of optimism and that appears to have galvanised the squad during their European training camp which included three fitness-fuelled sessions a day.
However, it is still only early days in pre-season and the former Leeds boss has already admitted that his side won’t be the finished article at Bury.
That said, the games start to come thick and fast for Grayson now with Hibernian on Sunday, so very quickly the fitness will build ahead of the Lads’ season opener against Derby County.
‘A summer of change for Bury’
Managed by Lee Clark, League One club Bury have experienced a summer of change so far with nine new faces through the door.
Former Preston striker Jermaine Beckford is a player Grayson will know all about following his release from Deepdale at the end of last season.
Clark acted quickly to snap up his goalscoring services on a two-year deal which will see Beckford be 35 at least by the time he leaves Gigg Lane.
Elsewhere, 28-year-old Jay O’Shea has joined from Chesterfield and will add a creative presence in the behind the forward line, having scored 36 times in 176 appearances for them.
The Bury boss has also snapped up the services of Phil Edwards, Stephen Dawson, Callum Reilly, Joe Skarz, Adam Thompson, Eoghan O'Connell and Chris Humphrey’s in what appears to be a major overhaul in personnel.
Ticket and travel
Fans without a ticket for tonight’s game can still gain entry via cash turnstiles at Gigg Lane. Adults tickets are £10 while entry for under 23s and over 65s is just £5. For children under five years of age are free of charge and supporters are reminded that proof of eligibility for concession prices is required.
How to keep up to date
Unlike last pre-season, safc.com will no longer be offering a free streaming service for those wishing to tune in and watch the matches.
Fans can, however, keep up-to-date with all the action through our live audio service with commentators Nick Barnes and Gary Bennett.
There will be a minute-by-minute analysis of the action on safc.com and various updates on the club’s Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook.
Ha’way the Lads!
