Home to Wigan this coming Saturday

The first time I saw us play Wigan was during Allan Clarke's promotion season. It was our first ever league meeting with them. We drew 0-0 in a fairly uninspiring match that saw David Speedie make his league debut, replacing the suspended Alan Little in centre midfield. Speedie played all his first team matches for us in midfield without finding the net once.
Wigan had been elected to the Football League that Summer, replacing Southport.
http://www.barnsley-mad.co.uk/results_service/1978_1979/21/oct/index.shtml

 

I remember being very upset Animal was my hero and my shiny giant badge with him on it stated sadly at me throughout the game. I remember saying to my dad. If Animal was playing we would've won ( in reality he was more likely to have kicked owt that moved and got sent off).

 

This was just before I started going to Oakwell. My first game was Worksop Town in the cup must have only been a few weeks later.

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Alan Little was immense that season, getting into the Division 4 Team Of The Year.

 

You're making me feel really old, yer rotten swine!

 

I totally agree, Fiona.

 

My first visit to Wigan was that cup tie. Remember South Riding saying that close season ground improvements at Springfield Park included re-seeding the away end. Steve Cooper's last goal in a Barnsley shirt.

Grandad on my mother's side was from Wigan, played Rugby for the amateur side Wigan St Pat's. Never lost his accent. When he asked for turps, you were never quite sure if he meant the stuff you clean paintbrushes with, or those things you put in a cassette player.

 

He was fantastic my first real footballing hero. I worshipped him. It felt like a death in the family when he left. Though my mam wouldn't let me have time off school cos I was too upset to go. Not that I'm bitter mind.

 

Did he leave us to go to Southend or somewhere similar? He didn't play for us in Division 3 did he? Or is my memory finally conked out?

 

I felt exactly the same when my first hero, Pat Howard, was sold to Newcastle United.

 

We signed him for around £6,000 from Southend United in the Summer of 1977. Alan was then sold to Doncaster Rovers for about £35,000 (which, I think, was a club record for Rovers at the time) in the Autumn of 1979, after playing in the opening games of the 1979/80 season. He was sold after we'd signed Mike Lester from Grimsby Town for £25,000.

 

i know we are all getting on a bit now. Those that can remember the old Wigan days.

But i seem to remember Alan Clarke scoring a penalty???? Was it really nil nil.

I also remember that day that it rained and the away end was on a grassy hill no concrete.

Those were the days.

 

Are you mixing up the goalless draw at Oakwell with the 1-1 draw at Springfield Park later on that season?

 

Definitely my player of the season that year, and more than capable of stepping up to Division 3 the year after. Am I right in thinking that he fell out with Clarkie?

 

I've never heard that, old mate. My recollection of that time is Clarkey had decided to break up the promotion winning ream and start building a squad to take the next step up to the Second Division. Unfortunately, Little was one of those casualties.

 

You're probably right, my memory isn't what it used to be....

I think you said his replacement was Mike Lester, he wasn't too bad either.

 

Mike Lester, although a totally different type of player to Alan Little, was an excellent signing for us. He, too, was then replaced by an even better player in Ray McHale.

 

The Animal was my hero too, unfortunately I modelled my game on his. I hardly finished a game between the age of 15 to 16. A top ref at the time (George Courtney) told me I was the only school boy he had ever booked. Bear in mind this was back in the day when any tackle below chest high was considered Acceptable.