BURY chairman Terry Robinson says his club will always owe a big debt of gratitude to Accrington Stanley for holding the fund-raising game which raised £8,000 for the cash-strapped Second Division club.

"I will always be grateful to Stanley. It is something I will never forget.

"It is great to see all these former Bury players coming back to support the club and it has been a good night.

"The crowd have been very responsive, everyone here wants the club to go on and it is just so pleasing to see them and hear them."

His Stanley counterpart Eric Whalley said: "Hopefully, someone else will now take note of clubs like Bury's plight and do something like we did.

"The money we have raised from this will hardly pay the wages, but will give them a good start.

"We don't want to see a League club go the same way as we did in 1962."

Bury manager Andy Preece was also pleased Accrington helped to bring the Gigg Lane club's off-field problems to everyone's attention.

"It is not a situation to be taken lightly and this has raised the profile.

"There could be a few other clubs in our position in a few years and it needs somebody to notice, or else a club could go out of business.

"It has been a brilliant night -- although cold! The Bury fans have been excellent. They're the ones who come in week in week out and will battle to make sure we survive."

Stanley boss John Coleman took time to reflect on his own club's situation.

"I personally think it should be the bigger clubs who come and help although we were pleased to do it on this occasion.

"I also do not think the bigger clubs support the non-League enough.

"We are a breeding ground, they could use us as nursery clubs and give people experience, toughen them up.

"If you took non-League away people would realise how important we are."

Blackburn Rovers' David Dunn was one of the faces in the crowd at the Crown Ground.

"I come here quite regularly, I also go to Great Harwood and watch them when I can.

"I think it is great what Accrington are doing for a club like Bury.

"It is not right that a professional club should come to this."

Meanwhile, former Burnley striker Paul Barnes, who played the first half of the game for his current club Bury said: "We were worried that Bury getting some money for David Johnson (£380,000 in a sell on clause following his sale from Ipswich to Nottingham Forest) might take some gloss of this game but it hasn't happened.

"It hasn't stopped the fans coming and everybody wanting to help. It was great."

And former Shakers defender Chris Lucketti, now captain of Huddersfield, also accompanied his dad to watch his old side.

"I only live in Rochdale so it was ideal for me to come over.

"I've come to support my old team-mates.

"Obviously Bury means a lot to me, I spent six happy years there. It is tremendous what Accrington are doing."

And another former Shakers favourite Nigel Greenwood, now at UniBond side Bamber Bridge, also took time out to support Andy Preece's side.

"I did not realise how bad the situation was until I heard Terry Robinson had been shaking a bucket outside the ground.

"With playing I don't get a chance to see Bury much but even though I am a Preston lad, I always look for Bury's score first."