While I was enjoying our last season's
football U11s presentation afternoon at Far Lane-the Hepworth United
FC “stadium”-newly mown, spiked and seeded (the ground that is,
not the club), my other and better half was listening to Ian
Mcmillan, the Bard of Barnsley and the Tykes' self-styled poet in
residence, reading and talking about his life at the Penistone
Literary Festival.
Ian, born on the eastern fringe of
Barnsley, in Darfield, where he has lived all his life, has written
about Barnsley FC on many an occasion and revelled in their success,
when they had it, especially during the heady days of the Premier
League.
He generously signed my copy of the
History of Barnsley FC, even though Mrs B had not bought one of his
poetry books! “Brazil, its just like watching Brazil, Barnsley 1
Chelsea 0”. Generous man.
After Barnsley had beaten Manchester
United 3-2 in the FA Cup Fifth Round replay at Oakwell, on 25th
February 1998, Ian was approached by an enthusiastic fan and told;
“Tha'll not write a poem abaht that, tha'll write a bloody sonnet!”
And while I have the book in my hand,
why not get a copy of Alan Hodkinson's book “Life at the Top”-Queen
Anne Press and have a jolly good read about Barnsley and their
venture into the unknown.
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