Many years ago there used to be a character on the Ponty end referred affectionately to as Zigger Zagger.He used to chant this all the time however it was a long time ago about late 1960s to early 1970s. He was to the Ponty End as Bill Harber, the copper with the handlebar mustache at the junction of Sheffield to Doncaster Road was, a local celebrity.
There was another chacter who I remember but at this moment in time his name alludes me.. I know a couple of years ago we ran a thread on old characters and I found out he lived in Wombwell and was still going strong .. Don't you hate it when you spent many a happy hour surrounded by these folk and your memory let's you down... Lol its an age thing .. I will most likely wake up in the middle of the night... sit up in bed ... and blurt out his name... Scaring the wife half to death .. That's what normally happens when I fail to remember something ... Lol
Remember a goalkeeper called Roy Ironside. He once knelt to pick up a backpass and let the ball roll right between his legs when Danny Blancheflower was commentating. And so think some moan about Adam Davies.
Fudge fudge was his name home and away he never missed can't ever remember him smiling.. Lol told you I'd sit up and blurt out his name... Yes I remember Roy ironside doing that .. Lol can you remember Bob Parker the full back taking a penalty and hitting the west stand ponty end corner flag ..Plus spud Murphy sitting on the wall during the game begging chewing gum lol you don't get characters like spud these days
Happy days...Roy Ironside, Tinribs we used to call him. Game was full o characters back then. I remember a Grimsby keeper, Charlie Wright I think his name, my mate offered him a Spangle and he nipped round and took it. Next minute we score and as hes picking the ball out of the net my mate shouts "Al githi t packet if tha lets another in Charlie"
Were anybody’s member of the "young supporters club" we used to meet weekly in the players dressing room. I can’t remember much about it but I remember going round the ground picking up rubbish. I can also remember being allowed onto the pitch at half time for a kick about if you took your own ball. Then there was the time the pitch was covered in snow and I remember me and my dad helping to clear it for free admission. My brains a bit fuzzy going back this far so I don’t know if I dreamt this
P Bill Harber lived a few doors down from me on Sackville street. He had, to my knowledge, at least 7 kids. A really nice man but one not to mess with which, as a kid, I did. Though only once. Died in 2017.
One vivid memory I have was when Barnsley played away at York City. It was really foggy and the Barnsley fans were singing when York attacked at the opposite end "if we can't see it it doesn't count". Neil Warnock was on the right wing that day for the reds.
There is an interview on YouTube of him by Dave Cherry. As a lad I used to catch the bus up Sheffield road. The bus came through the town centre then and he passed Bill on point duty. He always seemed to be at eye level and controlling the traffic with an air of authority. Years later I dropped on him at a local boxing tournament, he still had the handlebar mustache. I wonder what he would make of Barnsley Towncentre nowadays.
I remember Fudge or Fudgey from the 1970s. He used to go on the away supporters buses regularly. He wore Doc Martins, wide flared jeans and a long Barnsley scarf. He had long lank fair hair. His misfortune was that he had a cleft palette or something similar and nobody could tell what he was saying. This gave others the opening to ridicule him. I believe he's still around but that's only from what I think I've been told ! The bus trips were great, singing tunes like "Every Tom, Dick or Walt, that likes the taste of malt, will love the taste of a Colt 45" from the tv ad of the time. Ah, memories.
He lived next to the nursing home which you accessed from Victoria Road. We used to sneak in to play football on their beautiful lawn when no-one was in. Bill caught us one day and put the fear of God up us. Didn’t stop us though!
Fudge used to work at Perfecta bedding. His job was to go around the factory and collect all the rubbish, which then went into a bailing machine, crushed, strapped and put outside for disposal. One day two lads decided to put Fudge into the machine (not a very clever thing to do) and set it going...you could hear him screaming at Stairfoot