That famous game in 1981, some names I'd forgot

Tony Towner
Rodney Fern
Bobby Horn
Ian Alexander
18,000 there, I would guess in the away end (Railway end) we had about 6,000
What memories of real football!
Apologies to those too young to remember this but special days to us old uns, don't forget you're watching your dads and grandads as they were being fanatical Reds fans in 1981 This might not work as a link so if not I'll try again in a minute

 

Ok seems to work, get your kids to watch a real football match here lol!

 

And Ronnie Moore. Inevitably, with his hat.

 

Attacking football for the entire 90 minutes, despite being the away team.

Wingers who can beat a man (sometimes more than one) and cross a ball.

Midfielders who can pass and shoot accurately - and score over 20 goals a season (and another who scored about 15, including that hat trick).

Forwards who can control a ball and hold off an opponent.

Defenders who can defend. And don’t dick about.

Thank the Lord we don’t have to watch stuff like that these days………

 

I always wondered why Rodney Fern didn't just shave it off and have done with it. Great player though

 

Stuart Barrowclough - wow, what a game. I loved watching him play.

What a game that was.

 

Thanks for this.
I was there behind the goal.
Brings back memories of a brilliant game.
Rotherham were a tough side for us in those days.
Convinced Ronnie Moore was put off by the relentless baiting by the Barnsley supporters.
He was no mug btw.
What a fantastic third from Banks.
But the Glavin fourth ... from behind the goal you could see it coming all the way.
Everybody went totally mental.
Ronnie Glavin, without doubt the most exciting player I've ever seen for us.
Those were the days my friends (for some of us!).

 

Barrowclough, I used to love watching him fly down the wing, and he had a proper 80s tache too

 

Fantastic game...but to this day I never thought Joe Joyce should have been booked.

 

One of my favourite away days. Banger with a hat-trick, but MOTM was Barrowclough. Unplayable. And whilst this team was the best Barnsley side I’ve seen, Rotherham fans of my age say the same about theirs. We finished 2nd in Division 3, followed by 6th in Division 2, but Rotherham were Division 3 Champions and then finished 5th in Division 2. In Stancliffe, Forrest, Fern, Towner and Moore they had some great players. But Ronnie Moore has said in the past that he would have loved to have been in that Barnsley team, and I can’t help but wonder what would have happened had we brought him in as replacement for Trevor Aylott.

 

Stood on the railway end as a 14 year old watching my heroes beat the millers then walking up that alleyway at the back of the side stand getting bricks and bottles chucked at us from the rovrum fans on the other side of the wall ahhhh those were the days. We used to go to matches expecting to win and fearing no one, not even later that season the then European Champions Liverpool on a foggy night at Anfield and a week later back at Oakwell. Those were the days Macca, Banksy, king Ronnie, Parker and Aylott what a bloody team.

 

One of my all time fave awaydays!
We must have had half the ground numbers wise. Railway End was rammed! We had three quarters of the seats to the right, and a good quarter of the main stand seats and terraces. Atmosphere was amazing!
Superb game of football.. it had everything.
Our next away game was the 2-2:draw at Hillsborough. Another action packed game.
What an era that was.

 

Rammed? It was unsafe! I lost a shoe in the surge when that 4th went in. No safer getting away down that alleyway at FT either. Probably the best awayday in my 50+ years watching tarn.

 

What a great day that was, watched it on YouTube many times since, great memories.

 

What you mean Pep didn't invent football that can't be right. I was there moment from my childhood 12yr old me loud and proud. Might have been that game definitely a Rotherham game our coach got bricked at Cottage of content probably oddest thing ever, no one hurt and not far to travel in chilly conditions but proper weird.

 

Thanks for sharing this ,I was there loving the best moments of watching BFC.
I didn't miss many games as it was brilliant watching them.

 

Was a right old carry on in the bus station afterwards. Gangs of lads running up and down, lobbing missiles at each other etc.

 

Still the best game I've ever been at. I lived in Cambridge back then and the next day I watched the Anglia TV Sunday highlights program which showed this game despite there being no connection to the region.

Probably Stewart Barrowclough's best game for Barnsley.

 

Mel sterland still wakes up in a sweat dreaming about Stuart giving him a tough night at Hillsborough.