21-04-2025
The toothless striker who helped fire Bury FC to glory
After helping fire Bury FC to promotion ace striker DJ Pedro was all smiles.
Or at least he would have been had his two front teeth not been knocked out in a match last month. DJ, who bagged 24 goals in 30 games as he helped the reformed Shakers to the North West Counties Premier Division title, lost his pearly whites after catching a stray elbow during a 7-0 victory against Liverland REMYCA.
"It happened in the first five minutes," said the 21-year-old. "It was a pretty hard knock.
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"I carried on playing for a bit, but I lost a lot of blood and got subbed off. After the game I went to the emergency dentist and they were like you need implants and to get it done in the UK it'll be around £2,500 each."
DJ had temporary implants fitted so he could carry on playing and wore a gum shield for the rest of the season. But he says the injury left him in a lot of pain and discomfort.
"I have to be very careful," he said. "I can only eat certain foods and and it's only a temporary fix so it could break."
But it didn't stop him banging in the goals as Bury clocked up as remarkable run of 15 straight wins to take the title. DJ described Saturday's historic victory, which saw almost 9,000 fans turn up at Gigg Lane six years after the club was kicked out of the league and almost went out of existence, as 'absolutely incredible'.
"You wouldn't get 9,000 fans at some league clubs," he said "I knew it was going to be packed but seeing it in person was just mental, especially when we lifted the trophy.
"I'm not from Bury, but coming here and playing in front of these fans you quickly realise how much it means to them."
And now he's finished celebrating he's trying to the raise the £5,000 needed to have dental implants fitted in time for the new season.
"When it first happened all the lads were taking the Mick saying I was better-looking without them, but it's football - you can't bite back, you just have to take it," he said. "But I'm hoping to get to fixed so I can get my smile back in time for next season."
You can donate to 'DJ's dental disaster' crowdfunder here.
