In a tale of two Burys, a non-league footballer's travel mishap has become a source of amusement and a testament to dedication. Lewis White, a 24-year-old defender for Spalding United, inadvertently added a 200-mile diversion to his journey to a Southern League Premier Division Central match against Bury Town on Tuesday night.

White, driving himself from his home in Leicestershire, mistook Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk for Bury in Greater Manchester. The defender drove all the way to Gigg Lane, the home of Bury FC, before realizing his error. Instead of giving up, White made the roughly 200-mile trek back down the A14 to Getaway Cars Stadium, home of Bury Town.

Despite the detour, White arrived in time to play the final two minutes of Spalding's match against Bury Town. With Spalding clinging to a 2-1 lead and down to 10 men, White entered the pitch and helped his team secure the victory. Spalding United won the match, moving up to fourth in the league.

Spalding United manager Jimmy Dean found humor in the situation. Dean said, "I actually asked the people at Bury if it had ever happened before, and they said it hadn't". He added, "He must have been in a world of his own, but he's come and helped see the game out for us, and it's always a fantastic feeling to win a midweek match".

The planned trip to Bury St Edmunds would have taken just over two hours and covered around 115 miles. Instead, White spent seven hours on his round trip, all for seven minutes of playing time.

The club spokesperson stated that they would like to focus on preparing for their FA Cup qualifying round fixture against Dagenham & Redbridge on Saturday.

The story of White's navigational mishap has spread quickly, highlighting the often-unseen dedication of non-league players and the occasional absurdities of football travel.