Bury owner Steve Dale claims EFL 'treated Bolton differently'

The Shakers were expelled from the league at the end of last August with the EFL claiming Dale had not shown adequate proof of funds for the 2019/20 season.

On the same day, Wanderers’ future hung in the balance as Football Ventures looked to complete their own deal, and the club was issued with a 14-day notice of expulsion.

Appeals to reinstate Bury failed, while FV managed to get their takeover across the line to prevent Bolton going into liquidation.

Dale now claims in an interview with The Sun newspaper that he has appointed a QC to lead a legal claim for damages against the league, which will cost him £250,000.

“We should never have been thrown out,” he said. “The way they treated us, compared to Bolton, is unbelievable.

"I felt the whole time the EFL were against us while they bent over backwards to help Bolton, a former Premier League team.

“When I was trying to rescue the club from the debts run up by Stewart Day, I never realised that not only was I fighting against the creditors but also the EFL.

“I’ve got a QC working on it right now. The case against the EFL will show the real truth what happened to Bury FC.”

Back in August, acting EFL chair Debbie Jevans was challenged on the differences between Bolton and Bury’s situation, at the stage both clubs seemingly had willing buyers, but claimed that they were incomparable.

“The two situations were very different because Bury are owned by an individual whereas Bolton are being run by administrators,” she said.

“We have continued to ask Steve Dale for the financial information that we requested but I stress, what we are asking of him is not different to what we would ask of any other club.

“Bolton came to us with a lot of proof that there was a purchaser ready to complete but we accept there have been some complexities around that – Laurence Bassini going to court, for example. That has delayed things and it is frustrating.

“I want to see that done, now. I really do.”