FA investigates 'unusual' betting on Bury victory

The Football Association "will look very closely" at Accrington Stanley's 2-0 home defeat to Bury on Saturday after some bookmakers stopped taking bets on the match having seen "an unusual amount of money" being placed.

Both William Hill and Coral closed their book on the League Two game, while the betting exchange Betfair reported action far exceeding similar fixtures. Graham Sharpe, of William Hill, said: "We were seeing substantial money for just one result, Bury to win. We shortened the price four times and we were still seeing people wanting to bet. That was the point at which we decided to close the book. I can't ever recall us taking this action on an English League game."

The FA's director of communications, Adrian Bevington, said: "This was a very unusual betting pattern – if the allegations are true. We were made aware of the situation on Friday. We will look very closely at the information Betfair and other bookmakers provide and take any subsequent action with the Football League and the two clubs concerned."

The Accrington chief executive, Rob Heys, said the club will "investigate fully", adding: "At this moment we have no evidence to suggest any wrongdoing."