I don’t think that any supporter of either side when City and Barnsley played out a 1-1 draw on the opening day of the season six months ago could have foreseen just how much their clubs would struggle. City were generally considered likely to be top half material even if a Play Off spot was beyond them, but our struggles are as nothing compared to Barnsley’s.
I think it was always likely that, having lost an inspirational manager and their best player, they might not be able to repeat their Play Off exploits of 20/21, but, from the outside, it’s hard to figure out how it has gone wrong to the extent that they find themselves almost needing snookers to stay up with three months of the season left.
Anyway, on to the quiz, the usual seven questions about our next opponents from each decade back to the sixties – I’ll post the answers on here on Thursday.
60s. What is the connection between the murderer in a Hitchcock classic, a club from close by and a Barnsley goalkeeper from this decade?
70s. Not really remembered for his time at Barnsley, this former miner was off further north, almost before his Oakwell career had begun and it was at his second club, while wearing stark colours, that he first came to prominence. A move to the capital and a club whose most famous supporters hardly lived up to his surname followed and this was the first step on a journey of more than ten years which saw him swapping clubs on a regular basis while spending all of his time in the top flight – I remember him particularly for a spectacular altercation with a former City player, but who is he?
80s. Sharing a surname with a Welsh location that was the base for a, now closed, major employer in the area, this tough defender had to drop into non league football after failing to make the grade at Leicester, but did well enough to earn a second chance which he took with both hands as he played a prominent part in the best days in the history of the club he was representing (a club that would have ceased to exist if its owner at the time had his way). From there, he played for five more clubs without ever hitting his earlier heights – this included two spells at Barnsley with stays in Humberside and Scotland, where he earned an honest living, in between – name him.
90s. It’s load harming that is responsible for ex Man United and Barnsley man (7,6).
00s. Apart from a spell in yellow for some bachelors, this Scottish midfielder wore different combinations of red and white throughout a pretty nondescript playing career which included two clubs in his native land and Barnsley where he made more than a hundred league appearances during a four year stay – the colour yellow is also associated with what are probably the best days of his career in the game so far, but who am I describing?
10s. He lost on his only appearance against us for Barnsley and has, evidently, finished painting!
20s. Bombay bid a fortune for former Barnsley man (5,5)?
Answers to follow: