BURY FC have been handed a 14-day extension after a winding up petition brought by HMRC was adjourned at the High Court yesterday morning.

Fears that the end was in sight for The Shakers have temporarily been assuaged thanks to an eleventh hour reprieve from what could have been a devastating end to the club’s illustrious 134 year history.

The club has now been given two weeks to save Gigg Lane with the additional time also being granted to enable the club to pay back smaller businesses, it has been reported.

But Bury are nowhere near out of the woods and the latest adjournment could turn out to be little more than a stay of execution.

If no investment or takeover from owner Steve Dale is found the Shakers could still be liquidated by the end of the month.

The Leader of Bury Council Cllr David Jones said that he was pleased that the club had been given an extra 14 days, but added: “I was taken by surprise by the news as I had almost resigned myself to the fact that the club was going to be made bankrupt this morning.

“However there is still a glimmer of hope and from the council’s point of view we will continue to do all that we can to support and encourage talks with interested people in relation to the purchase of the club.”

Wednesday saw Bury FC’s eighth appearance before the court in 18 months, but earlier this week there had been indications that no defence would be put forward at the proceedings.

However when the case came up the club made an offer of payment to Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs who have been behind the winding up actions which relate to unpaid tax bills.

In light of the move, Judge Mark Mullen, one of the country’s senior insolvency judges, adjourned the hearing for a fortnight to give time for the payment to be made.

However the amount offered is not known and the case will return before the court on October 30.

Nonetheless, sources outside the court hinted after the hearing that this may not be the end of the matter.

This speculation follows a Companies Voluntary Agreement ­— made between an insolvent company and its creditors ­— put in place during the summer.

This has resulted in smaller businesses not being paid, a representative of the traders says, as they indicated that further winding up proceedings may now be brought on behalf of other debtors after the hearing at the end of the month.

Following confirmation of Bury’s expulsion from the EFL, meetings were held with the FA last week, led by a rescue board headed up by Bury North MP James Frith, to put plans in place for a phoenix club which could play in non-league next season.

Where the Shakers end up is dependent on a number of factors, including where home games would be played, and it is possible they may drop as low as tier nine ­— the North West Counties League.

The future of Gigg Lane is therefore vital to the prospects of the club, although it is not the end of the story as offers of help have been extended by neighbours at Radcliffe Boro and Bolton Wanderers ­— see page 64.