Derek Bell, Clarkie and major gates....

Aah! To me the glory days. And 78/79 was the beginning of my love affair darn the well. Having gone through the "Iley Out" era and shouts of "we dont want to go up", life was about to change drastically down at Oakwell.
Enter big name signing Allan Clarke, a major coup at the time, and totally out of the blue. Such was the euphoria that, if memory serves me right, he turned up to watch Brig Bottom - rumour has it he was looking at local scoring big wig Steve Baradell who was in appearance. I cannot confirm; nor say otherwise, but as a 13 year old I listened to the elders. Those with more knowledge and 'in the know'. No internet back then. Just football in all its glorious naivety! And how I loved it.
Gates soared, the winter was harsh, but we had a more stylish disciplined approach on the pitch. It wasnt unusual to have loads of us kids skiving from school to help clear the pitch of snow for the next home game.
The season culminated with 21,000+ for our last home game to secure promotion. They were sights I will never forget; electric atmosphere, great footy, and such a belief in our boys on the pitch.. Summat that will remain with me forever!
Looking back I feel honoured to have been around in that era, and to sample that great time. It was the beginning of something really special in my eye. The support that year was phenomenal... we took over certain grounds with ease and bolstered many other clubs ' income with our following.
The reason for my nostalgia is due to stumbling on some old notes I've chanced upon from that era. I kept a record of our away following... estimates, discussions, official statements.... do here you go. Just thought I'd put them on here for discussion with some of the old school:-

Chesterfield (LC1,L2) 800
Crewe 250
Bradford City 2,500
Scunthorpe 4,500
Doncaster 6,000
Darlington 800
Stockport 4,000
Aldershot 150
Newport 350
York 5,000
Rochdale 1,800
Hartlepool 400
Rotherham (FA2,R) 7,500
Torquay 12
Reading 1,000
Hereford 200
Wigan 3,500
Halifax 4,000
Bournemouth 800
Port Vale 3,500
Grimsby 5,000
Huddersfield 5,000
Portsmouth 400
Wimbledon 2,000

 

A memorable season. I was 14 and like you had known only the Iley out era so the excitement of attracting someone like Allan Clarke was off the scale.
We set off like a house on fire winning the first 5 games. Went to half a dozen of those away games, York being a particularly memorable one even though we could hardly see anything for the fog.
It was the start of what is still my favourite period as a Reds fan.

 

Blooming heck. Torquay 12.
Kel and Ash Blandamore and Fred I’m guessing 3 on em.

 

Yes, the start of a major upturn in our fortunes after years in the bottom two divisions with no prospect of climbing out. I was absolutely stunned when we signed Allan Clarke who had, that season, been a Leeds first teamer and not that long since he had scored goals for England. That first day when he led the team to the half way line and had them all do a 360 degree turn to all sides of the ground, one hand in the air, acknowledging the decent crowd that had turned up for the League Cup game with Chesterfield.

We lost that one 1-2 to a very decent side but you could see the influence Clarkie would have, and did he ever!! What an impact he made and he pulled off some master strokes in the transfer market over the next couple of years - Ronnie Glavin and Norman Hunter to name just two. I still resent the Leeds attitude to all of this though. Any other First Division club would have let a long serving player leave on a free to join a Fourth Division side as their Player/Manager. But no, not Leeds. They took £55,000 off us and that was BIG money for us back then. I just hope that they paid us that in compensation when he foolishly went back there as manager, and flopped.

 

Rochdale away was a great day - Tommy Graham scored and we all walked around the perimeter to "take" the home end at half time ....

 

Walking round Oakwell at half time was normal back then. In the days of the 3 or 4,000 crowds you would see a sparsely populated Ponty End empty at half time as home fans moved around to the Kop for the second half. It seemed that we always played that way in those days, like now we tend to play to the Ponty End in the second half of most games.

 

Hello everyone. I'm a long time reader but I finally signed up and wondered when my first post would be and what would get me to post but reading the opening post brought back memories for me.
1978, I was 8 years old and just starting to play football so my dad (who wasn't into football) took me to the home game against Doncaster with his mate and from then on I was hooked and have been a huge reds fan since.
I remember the sounds (and smells!) of being in the crowd and a few seasons later going to the match with my mates and doing the half time walk from one side of the ground to the other. I remember struggling to get over the wall and the stewards helping me up in the corner to get over before the second half started.
How football has changed since those days and whilst the game may have, the passion to see your / my team win hasn't. It's not just kicking the wind filled bag of leather into the oppositions goal but the days before building up to it, through the week and the discussions with your friends about who should and shouldn't start and why, the day of the match and the pre-match pints then win, lose or draw the autopsy afterwards over a few more beers. Then no matter what the result was next week we can or will be better.
Who could have imagined that the best part of half a century later that wide eyed lad who attended the South Yorkshire Derby on the eve of a new chapter for club and town would still feel exactly the same all these years later?
You reds!

 

Frank was another... it was hastily arranged after the Cup game at Millmoor. From what he said the coach was greeted by a considerable amount of police....... "Is this it? We were told to expect about 500"

 

Great memories mate, and Welcome to the BBS

 

Remember it well. I was there with my two friends Ian and Ken. Both sadly passed. RIP.

 

Thanks mate

 

The wave....dont forget the wave....still causes the hairs on the back of my neck to stand up when I think of it....lol.....

 

Wigan didn't know what had hit them that day, remember it well

 

Is that figure for Torquay a misprint!? Or was the country under 6ft of snow?

Very interesting though, and some great local and localish crowds. Imagine being allowed to have that many at Donny and Rotherham these days!

 

Was at the Rotherham and Huddersfield games...only a 12 year old nipper in my first season going with my dad and next door neighbour....loved it

In the seats v Roth...my dad always insisted, but standing in the Cowshed v Hudds...all the big mesters making sure us little uns at the front could see

 

It was quite a winter that year; I think the Rotherham Cup tie at Millmoor was postponed at least three times. Once they'd played and we had lost , this missing out on a plum tie with Man City, they quickly arranged the Torquay game.
They did the double over us that year and if you think 12 was bad, they had 2 giddy blokes in the seats backing them lol.

 

While a multitude of Barnsley fans of a certain age are reading this I thought I would make a small appeal for information from that seaaon on the off chance that it appears in a homemade scrapbook or something. The Boxing day match against Port Vale was very poorly reported in all the local and national newspapers with the majority of game facts missing. We've managed to piece the scoring sequence together but the times of Allan Clarkes 2nd and Hat trick goal are still illusive. Leading 3-1 at half time they were the next 2 goals scored in a 6-2 victory and so far this is the only fixture since the 1960s we've not been able to assign goal times to.

 

I’ll check. Not long ago, would have been a cert to have it but due to the fascist nature of my domestic arrangements, was forced to bin a load of stuff during a house move.

 

i remember the donny away game, 2-2 ally miller bender
also saw myself on telly eating an apple on the highlights on sunday ;-)

 

Same as pal.... can remember seeing myself on telly Sunday...... fantastic days when Clarkie first got here.... massive crowd sways in Ponty in them days too!