Great piece on the BBC website

Terry Nutkins · May 25, 2006

<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="629" border="0"><tbody><tr><td colspan="3"><div class="mxb"><div class="sh">Tyke's Tardis trip to Dreamland </div></div></td></tr><tr><td valign="top" width="416"><font size="2"><div class="mvb"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="416" border="0"><tbody><tr><td valign="bottom" width="55"><br clear="all" /></td><td> </td><td valign="bottom" width="351"><div class="mvb"><span class="byl">By Paul Grunill </span>
<span class="byd">BBC Sport website cricket editor and Barnsley fan </span></div></td></tr></tbody></table>
</div>If Dr Who were to offer me a one-off ride in the Tardis, I would have no hesitation in asking him to take me to Bramall Lane, Sheffield on 24 April, 1912.

Not for me the excitement of a pitched battle against the Daleks or the Cybermen, instead I would be content just to stand and watch as Harry Tufnell scores the goal to win the FA Cup for Barnsley. </p>

In reality, however, I'll settle for any Barnsley player netting the winner in this season's League One play-off final against Swansea. </p>

I once wrote a piece called This Time It's Personal for another BBC website. </p>

<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="203" align="right" border="0"><tbody><tr><td><div> <div class="cap">A section of Barnsley's red and white river</div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></p>

It was unashamedly sentimental and described a football journey which began at the door of my paternal grandfather's house in the mid-1960s and took me to Oakwell, the home of Barnsley FC, for the first time. </p>

At the time of writing the piece, that journey was about to take me to Wembley where the team were to meet Ipswich in the 2000 Championship play-off final. </p>

Club poet, Ian McMillan, created a poem for the same website which began: 'There's a red and white river down the wide M1, and everyone from Barnsley's gone." </p>

And although the match ended in a 4-2 defeat, it scarcely seemed to matter amidst the euphoria of seeing the team play at the home of football for the first time. </p>

That red and white river will flow again on Saturday, this time to the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. </p>

It will be another emotional occasion for Barnsley fans who during the past five years have witnessed their club reach the brink of extinction. </p>

Instability off the field was mirrored by instability on it as managers came and went, all a far cry from my boyhood when Johnny Steele was a reassuringly permanent figure on the touchline. </p>

While other boys worshipped George Best, Bobby Charlton and Jimmy Greaves, my heroes were players like Barrie Thomas, Johnny Evans and Eric Winstanley. </p>

But my interest doubled with the arrival in the first team of defender Pat Howard, later to play for Arsenal and Newcastle, and the revelation that he was a distant cousin of some sort. </p>

Suddenly I had a vested interest - every tackle he made, every goal he scored offered me the chance of reflected glory. </p>

<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="203" align="right" border="0"><tbody><tr><td><div> <div class="cap">Howard made supporting Barnsley even more of a family affair</div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></p>

Over the years which followed there were few opportunities for celebration until two promotions in the space of three years as the 70s became the 80s under former Leeds and England stars Allan Clarke and Norman Hunter. </p>

The club then became entrenched in the second tier of English football before Danny Wilson and Neil Redfearn - my choice for the little known Best Barnsley Player in my Lifetime award - led the team into the Premiership in 1996-97. </p>

Despite the feelings of pride at seeing the team take on the big boys - with a fantastic win over Manchester United in the FA Cup an unexpected bonus - I still hankered after my ultimate dream of seeing the The Reds win a showpiece final. </p>

Victory in the League One play-off final might not be the same as lifting the FA Cup or League Cup, but it will do for me. </p>

Four generations of my family have supported Barnsley - I'll be living the dream in Cardiff for all of them. </p>

And as the current version of Dr Who is filmed there, maybe he'll give me a lift home afterwards. </p></font>
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