SutekhFrom Despair To Where? Aldershot in 92 would be the last time it happened on the league. But that was two thirds of the way through the season.
I seem to remember Newport County finishing a season using youth players to fulfil fixtures before folding but I've never seen a club starting the season with half a first team or being unable to fulfil fixtures from the start of the season.
I can't see either club surviving. The bloke at Bury is clearly manufacturing this situation and the time for a white knight to ride into Bolton was 5 years ago.
Think 92 also saw Maidstone go under just before the season started. Reading got a bye in the league cup as a result.
Looking into it, Maidstone postponed their opening league fixture prior to resigning from the league. Their position was worse than Bury's though. They had no ground, no fans and 2 players.