ENOUGH has been said about Bury’s financial plight over the past week, but Saturday’s events at Gigg Lane provided a telling insight into just how the club has sunk so low.

On the pitch, the players showed great heart and determination yet, ultimately, a late winner from Matt Smith condemned Bury to relegation from League One after two seasons in the third tier.

Yet it was the mismanagement off the pitch on the day that was more symptomatic of the problems facing this proud old club.

Just days after launching an appeal for £1million to save the club from going out of business, chairman Brian Fenton was forced to turn away an estimated crowd of between 300 and 1,000 Oldham supporters, who were locked outside Gigg Lane after their allocated end reached capacity.

The size of Oldham’s travelling support caught Bury on the hop.

They had only sold around 1,000 tickets prior to the game, so put Oldham into the Manchester Road Stand, which holds around 2,000.

When that reached capacity the police rightly refused to allow the remaining Latics supporters into stands earmarked for Bury fans.

Yet two of those stands – the Cemetery End and South Stand – were less-than-half full.

The club have since apologised to Oldham supporters and launched an investigation, but, as with most of the problems Bury have experienced, the solution seemed to have been common sense.

Preston and Sheffield United were given the Cemetery End, which holds 2,500, so why not Oldham?

It may not have been filled, but why risk having to turn supporters away?

Some fans who had bought tickets in advance did not manage to get in to see the game and will now have to be reimbursed, while the club lost up to £17,000 in revenue, which they can ill afford to do.

When Kevin Blackwell arrived as manager last September, he immediately highlighted a lack of professionalism running through the core of the club, and not just on the football side.

Fans also highlighted examples at the recent forum, citing problems ranging from a failure to communicate with supporters right down to practical issues, such as a lack of bar staff on match days.

All of these problems, if solved, could help the club either save or make money.

This lack of professionalism must be addressed in the shake-up now taking place at Gigg Lane. Without it, any plans for survival and growth will come to nothing.