26th April 1997, Barnsley 2 Bradford City 0 - A grey afternoon with the brightest of endings

“Clint Marcelle, goes for the glory, and gets it!”.

I never really rated John Helm as a commentator, but those nine words are perfect. Promotion to the Premier League on 26th April 1997 was exactly that. Glory. Not about financial reward. And apt that it was achieved at the club where Danny Blanchflower made his name in English football, a club then managed by another Danny. Barnsley, in 1996/97, basically delivered the essence of Blanchflower’s famous quote, "The game is about glory. It's about doing things in style, with a flourish, about going out and beating the other lot, not waiting for them to die of boredom.". Not just on 26th April 1997, but in the majority of the 46 league games.

I started the day working at BDGH, and the game was all that anyone was talking about, staff and patients alike. Finished work, bite to eat at home, and then parked up in the old Jones’s Jet garage that’s now housing, and into the ground for 2.00pm. Radio 5 sports programme was pretty much wall to wall good wishes for Barnsley from those in the game and callers whose loyalties were with other clubs.

I know its a Liverpool anthem, but You’ll Never Walk Alone won’t often have sounded much better than it did at 2.50pm that afternoon. Goosebumps. Everywhere. And the Ode to Mark McGhee got plenty of airtime.

I can remember most of the game, we could have been out of sight by half time had it not been for the woodwork and Aiden Davison having a blinder in the Bradford goal, and with better finishing, just a header from Paul Wilkinson to show for our dominance.

Second half unbearably tense, Bradford should have scored on three counter attacks, the one where Sungot hit the post is arguably a history changer. And then Clint did his stuff, celebrations starting early. Almost topped off by Neil Thompson cracking a 30 yarder against the post.

How can you describe the immediate feeling on the full time whistle? 18,000 people all with very personal and individual reflections I’m sure.

After the immediate jubilation at full time, my eyes welling up, I spent pretty much the next hour or so just stood in front of my seat in the Ponty End with the lads I’ve now been going to Oakwell with for 30 years, taking in the sight and the meaning of the celebrations on the pitch, reflecting on the magnitude of what our fantastic, honourable and proud club had just achieved. I also remember giving a thought to Robert Hardy, my Grandad who’d passed away in 1992 having never seen this dream realised. And thoughts for my Dad, the one who’d brought me to Oakwell in 1980/81 and got me hooked on Barnsley, but who himself abandoned football in the Machin era and has never returned.

Night in town probably one that will never be repeated. Favourite memory is the screen in The Ticket Office having the Ceefax page with the top half of the Nationwide Division One showing, on “Hold” all night. Has the town centre ever been more friendly on a Saturday night? I know from my work that there was a distinct lack of facial fractures and related knuckle injuries that weekend. Everyone was everybody’s friend. The players were out too and I doubt any of them bought their own drinks that night, or that week, something Oxford took advantage of in the last match of the season. If the now late James Alexander Gordon had been given the correct details for the classified check on the final day, his wonderful tones would have confirmed “Oxford United 5, Barnsley pi$$ed”.

The town, reflected through its football club and supporters, achieved a sporting glory. It’s certainly my overwhelming personal feeling. The knocks our town had taken in the previous 20 years, the changes in the game that in so many ways go against our working class principles of a fair reward for all, injustices on and off the field, these were all thrown into the mix and came out as a result that is still the stuff of dreams.

If I may indulge one final time. We lost Norman Rimmington in the 20th anniversary season. I want to let another long time club legend, Eric Winstanley, have the last word on the clubs greatest achievement, as it sums up I think how the majority of us felt – a lovely balance between basking in the success whilst not forgetting what it had taken to get there:

“We’ve always had ambitions to do this. And it’s a dream. But dreams can come true. And I’ll tell you what, at the bottom end of it as well, there’s a lot of clubs – your Doncaster’s, your Rotherham’s, your Rochdale’s of this world, we’ve been there. There’s no reason why they can’t get there as well. And I think it’s great for all the smaller clubs, or so called. But we’re not small anymore. We’re Barnsley. We’re Premiership. And we deserve it.”

Glory.



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Great read , brings back lots of memories . Brilliant

 

Superb read, pal.

 

FWIW, for the final home game next weekend we're commemorating that game with it being the anniversary weekend, so if anyone wants to share their thoughts on it so I can include it in the programme, send us a private message on here.

Andy, drop us a message on here or twitter if you don't mind me lifting some of that and using it? Too good to miss.

Let me know.

You Reds.

 

Whitey - feel free to use whatever you want mate, no problem. I'd prepared the original for WSB but the brilliant interviews with Danny Wilson and John Dennis filled it, so I thought I'd share it here.

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I've messaged you.

 

Will never forget that day as long as I live. I was in the East Stand upper tier. Went into Barnsley after the game and it was mental.
People singing and dancing . It was a sea of red and white. What a fantastic night.

 

Cheers. Replied fella.
BW

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I was there and the rain didnt dampen a single thing for us did it. And I think we should give Ole Bjorn Sundgot the freedom of the town because he couldnt hit a cows arse with a banjo thankfully.
It shows how much I supped that night because its one of the few times Ive ever had a hangover the next day lol.

In case anybody hasnt seen it, heres the highlights again and John Helm's famous commentary.

 

I know my wife doesn't log on here so quite simply the best day of my life.