Memories from 1983

I was watching The Match Revisited on tv this morning and due to Ellend Road being waterlogged the featured game was between Barnsley and top of the league Wolves.Great to see the brewery stand and ponty full and around 200 Wolves fans on the Co-op end.After going a goal behind the reds came back to win 2-1 with Banks and Parker scoring.Younger fans should try and watch it just to see Ronnie Glavin in action.

A few points from the day.February 5th 1983.Biggest crowd of the day 26.000 at Maine Road,Reading only had 1.800 at Elm Park and only 14.000 at Goodison Park.One more thing 40 arrests and 28 fans took to hospital after fighting at the game between Middlesboro and Newcastle.Those were the days.

 

Think there's a video of that game knocking about on youtube somewhere

 

Fond memories.

How things change attendance wise.
Pre the miner's strike we were one of the better supported teams in the division.

 

Are we still blaming the strike for our poor attendances?

Not saying you are btw JP.

 

Was this on ITV4?

 

Of course the economic after effects of the pit closure programme continue to have an impact on attendances to this day.

 

30 years on? Fair enough.

 

Some still do.

 

I think the strike effected our attendances right up to promotion to the Premier League in 97 after which we got a whole new set of fans.

But you could argue it still has some effect on our attendances now. We didn't just lose the miners and those whose business and work relied on the mining industry in '84, but we lost their children too because dads could no longer afford to take their kids. Those lads and lasses never got interested as they never went to the games and since they've had their own families they don't take their own kids. The fallout now is probably minimal, but we did lose a whole generation of Barnsley supporters and that must still be having some effect. We were a very well supported club before the strike and it took us 13 years to recover.

 

I'm surprised you can think that far back, seeing you're getting on a bit. Do you fancy a this coming Sunday afternoon?

 

Definitely a drop coinciding with the minor's strike, as you'd expect I suppose - can anyone explain the almost 100% increase in attendance from 1978 to 1979?

When you think of how much more it costs to go these days, relatively speaking, I don't think we are doing that bad, it is a shame that the new fans who came when we were in the Prem aren't showing an interest now, looking at the stats it seemed that many of them kept coming despite relegation but people dropped off year on year.

I'd say last year we were at the bare minimum in terms of our league crowds, surely they can only go up. Be interesting to see what the new chairman and chief exec do to win people back who haven't been regularly for years.

For me the club should be giving a few thousand tickets to schools almost every game, the only reason I got into watching us is because I attended several times, for free, with my school in the mid/late 80's...hardly any of my family was really into football so if it wasn't for this I would probably be one of these folk who turns up for games like Chelsea in the cup only.

 

Appointment of Allan Clarke and promotion

 

exactly,no other reason.

 

Plus rising wages

 

Funnily enough there just happened to be a major recruitment by the ncb in the Barnsley area from 1978 to about 1982

 

yes but it didn't stop the crowd for the last game of the season in 1977/78 against Wimbledon being about 3K. (I was one- reight fan)

I think it was more to do with the longest sustained period of excitement and achievement in my time of watching them. Also it cost next to f all to get in as well.

The gates jumped in 97/98 and that was sustained for the next couple of years including the play off year. I don't think that there was any major recruitment in that period.

 

Alistair Millar scored a couple of goals (one a penalty in the second half) in a 3-2 win. I'm not a reight fan. I'm just old.

 

Not as old as me though Kev.

 

There's hardly any difference Dave, old mate. Although alongside your maturity you're very clever, whilst I'm a thicko.

 

After a certain age its called wisdom.