Barrow AFC.net

mickmike wilson wrote: ↑Sun Jan 01, 2023 6:07 pm

mall wrote: ↑Sun Jan 01, 2023 9:39 am The entrance to the Barrow Steelworks, which was once a major iron and steel producer between 1859 and 1963 and at one time the largest steel mill in the world. It later became the British Steel Corporation (BSC) which later suffered drastically like so many other industries at the hands of the Tories. It finally closed in 1983.

30/35 yrs ago I was part of the team that dismantled this entrance & it was rebuilt in Brady s yard where the bus depot is now, behind the Wilkie rd stand area, Is it still there?

I think so Mike, not really sure,should imagine it will be.

mall wrote: ↑Mon Jan 02, 2023 8:47 am

mickmike wilson wrote: ↑Sun Jan 01, 2023 6:07 pm

30/35 yrs ago I was part of the team that dismantled this entrance & it was rebuilt in Brady s yard where the bus depot is now, behind the Wilkie rd stand area, Is it still there?

I think so Mike, not really sure,should imagine it will be.

It was placed to the left of the offices on the Walney Rd entrance a few hundred feet back.

Found an article on Little Park- Roose, with a map of the ground location.....


BARROW Little Park
by Graham | Feb 28, 2019 | North West England Tracks

Little Park, Roose, Barrow-in-Furness

Another of the less established Greyhound Racing venues in the northwest was the one that operated on the outskirts of Barrow-in-Furness. It was known as Little Park, a venue found in the district of Roose, an area situated two miles east of Barrow town centre.
Up until 1909 Little Park had been the home to Barrow Football Club for just one season only, as it was a basic football pitch with just changing rooms only and poor accessibility, and then from 1914 up until 1931 had been used by the towns Rugby League club. After the Rugby club had left the venue, it became home to Greyhound Racing for a number of months before the venue closed in 1932.
The venue itself had a 66 yards long main stand which had been opened in September 1921, and another wooden stand which would be eventually transported to the rugby club’s new stadium at Craven Park once Little Park had closed. Grass track Speedway also took place in 1928, and in 1931 a cinder speedway track was laid during the summer months before dog racing took its place.
The venue was demolished soon after, yet the site lay undeveloped until 1957 and by 1961 new housing had taken its place. Today, the site of Little Park is covered by housing adjacent to Yarlside Road, with nearby streets named after castle’s, all located on the opposite side of the road northeast of The Ship Inn, which incidentally acted as the changing rooms for the old rugby club.


OS map from 1931

Now find the Ainslie Street ground

The website https://thebeautifulhistory.wordpress.com/clubs/barrow/ says “There was a Barrow club in existence in the 1880’s. They staged their matches on the Old Racecourse, now the site of the Furness Cricket Club. Later they played on the Parade Ground, now the site of Barrow’s fire station. Organized football ceased to function in 1894".

I have made significant inroads this morning as I headed to the library to look through the "Barrow News" on microfilm from September 1892. The report of the first match of that 1892-93 season, at home to Blackpool, confirmed the match was indeed played on the Parade Ground near Ramsden Square with a "Keith-street goal". Obviously, Parade Street was still to be built and was named after the ground on which it stood.

Here is that match report in full- which makes interesting reading!

Tuesday 6th September "Barrow News" report of Barrow FC v Blackpool, Saturday 3rd September 1892

This match was advertised to commence at three o'clock, the Blackpool team intending to make the journey by boat. Unfortunately the weather would not allow of this, and the visitors had to make the best of their way to the train, and come all round the bay instead of across it. Copies of a telegram received were posted outside the Parade Ground, and large numbers turned away disappointed, and in many cases did not return again to witness the kick-off at 5.30 (the train being half an hour late).

Nevertheless, taking all these things into consideration, there was a very fair gate to witness the opening match of the season. The ground, as was to be expected after the deluge of rain experienced last week, was in a very sodden condition, but every care had been taken to get it into as good an order as possible, and people who know what the Parade Ground is in wet weather, were surprised to see it in so good a condition. Ashes had been carted round the ropes to afford a dry standing for the spectators, and other little improvements made which were much appreciated.

On Blackpool stepping on to the field they were heartily applauded. The visitors brought their full team, the one which had defeated Accrington League team on Thursday by four goals to two, and Barrow were exceptionally well represented for their first match, as it was well-known the calibre of the men opposing them.

Steel won the toss for Barrow and elected to play with a strong wind towards the Keith-street goal. The homesters at once went away, and slightly pressed the Blackpudlians for some time, till the visitors got away, and gaining hands scored the first goal. The game continued even, if anything Barrow having somewhat the best of matters, and Peacock just missed with a high shot, and then from a pass by Macfarlane, Saddington shot over. Still applying pressure, Saddington and Glen got into Blackpool's goal, and Peacock won a corner, which was put outside. Then hands against the visitors, and Peacock gave Wright a stinger. Morrison, Marshall, and Saddington each had shots, but the Blackpool custodian was equal to anything from the Barrow forwards, and knocked the ball away each time. Blackpool then got down and forced Purvis to give a corner, Fenton being cheered for a grand save in goal. Saddington took a corner and put the ball between the posts, but no-one touched it. Then Barrow had extremely hard lines, and were pressing round goal for some time. Half-time- Blackpool one, Barrow none.

Soon after the restart Barrow were awarded hands. Sherliker took the kick, and placing the ball to Peacock, that player headed through and equalised amidst cheers (1-1). The game was fast, the Barrow defence, Kennedy, Steel and Fenton, having to work hard. After the Barrow front rank had given Wright several handfuls, the visitors got away and won a corner, from which they scored their second goal, after Kennedy had saved well. Blackpool were now playing a fine game, their forwards doing some beautiful passing. A long shot came in to Kennedy who entirely misjudged the ball, and Blackpool was credited with another- though lucky- goal. Barrow tried hard to retrieve their loss, and made Wright exert himself on several occasions, but all to no purpose, their forward play lacking that finish which so marked that of their opponents. Blackpool scored again, and won by four goals to one.

The game was a very good one, and although the home team lost they deserve credit for playing so good a game, and with a little combination amongst the forwards (their display of Saturday appearing to us to have a shade of selfishness attached to it), they should be heard of to great advantage this coming season.

The teams were as follows:-
Barrow: Goal, Kennedy; backs, Steel and Fenton; halves: Purvis, Sherliker and McFarlane; forwards Morrison, Marshall, Peacock, Glen, and Saddington.
Blackpool: Goal, Wright; backs, Morgan and H.Parr; halves, F.Parr, Davey and Candlish; forwards, Parkinson, Tyrer, Marsden, Parkinson and Pittaway,

Thanks, Barrow Lad, that is a fascinating read. With housing on that Parade Street area for as long as any of us has known, we are left to the ghosts of our imagination to try and visualise the Barrow team playing a match there way back in 1892. But some things just do not change . . . the following excerpt from that 1892 report could easily apply to the recent rain-battered Holker Street surface, along with the careful attention (just like Gareth and co today) to get the pitch into a playable condition. In recent matches people might have been similarly "surprised" to see how the current ground-staff performed minor miracles to get matches on. But we shouldn't be overly surprised as we know how well they do to prepare the H.S. pitch.

Barrow Lad New wrote: ↑Thu Jan 05, 2023 4:12 pm The ground, as was to be expected after the deluge of rain experienced last week, was in a very sodden condition, but every care had been taken to get it into as good an order as possible, and people who know what the Parade Ground is in wet weather, were surprised to see it in so good a condition.

Excellent. I've sent on a copy to my mate. a long-standing Blackpool supporter, to ease the pain he feels from our victory earlier this season.

Barrow Lad New wrote: ↑Thu Jan 05, 2023 4:12 pm Organized football ceased to function in 1894".....

..... and a few times in more recent history

Yes, needs to be read in conjunction with the rest of the article! Surprising that it took 7 or 8 years after the end of Barrow FC to constitute Barrow AFC in 1901. Low crowds were given as a reason for demise of that original Barrow club, but it is also likely that the Parade Ground ceased to be with the building of Parade Street around that time.

pjdaly wrote: ↑Thu Jan 05, 2023 4:47 pm Thanks, Barrow Lad, that is a fascinating read. With housing on that Parade Street area for as long as any of us has known, we are left to the ghosts of our imagination to try and visualise the Barrow team playing a match there way back in 1892. But some things just do not change . . . the following excerpt from that 1892 report could easily apply to the recent rain-battered Holker Street surface, along with the careful attention (just like Gareth and co today) to get the pitch into a playable condition. In recent matches people might have been similarly "surprised" to see how the current ground-staff performed minor miracles to get matches on. But we shouldn't be overly surprised as we know how well they do to prepare the H.S. pitch.

Barrow Lad New wrote: ↑Thu Jan 05, 2023 4:12 pm The ground, as was to be expected after the deluge of rain experienced last week, was in a very sodden condition, but every care had been taken to get it into as good an order as possible, and people who know what the Parade Ground is in wet weather, were surprised to see it in so good a condition.

Thanks. I have more 1892 match reports by Tam o'Shanter" ready for transcribing, I suppose he was the "Barrow Lad" of his day! Reading the original newspaper reports brings home in vivid detail how things have changed (e.g telegrams, boats to matches) and how much has not changed (e.g. condition of the pitch, critiques of the crowd and players).

Excellent work Barrow Lad - makes a great read - when I was a child it seemed the only sport that had a history was cricket.

I think it may have been an article I read on this forum about a club publication in the 1950s that included an interview with a supporter at the time who was in his 90s and he was talking about watching the club in the early days when it had just been formed. Does anyone have a copy of that article or have I dreamt the whole thing up ?

Some more things which haven't changed- complaints about referees, goals given or denied through the offside rule, and awaydays enjoyed in spite of this!

ASSOCIATION- Barrow News, 15th October 1892.

Our Tam o'Shanter writes:-

The following, in all probability, will be the team to represent Barrow Association in their English cup tie on the Parade Ground on Saturday against Fairfield:- Kennedy, goal; Fenton and Batty, backs; Conway, Whitehead, and Sherliker, half-backs; Rankin, Marshall, Peacock, Linton, and Saddington, forwards. Referee, Mr. R. Smalley, Preston.

I suppose, "Mr. Referee", we shall have to put down another loss on our card as the result of last week's match with Southport Central. It goes against the grain, to use a slang expression, to have to chalk up defeats, but when you are just defeated honestly and squarely, the doubly so. However, we lost, and so down it goes: Southport Central, 3 goals; Barrow 1. Having done that unpleasant task I will try to explain to my readers my hesitation in dotting down the scorings. Well, we all know that referees are only mortal, and in some cases (especially when it is a guarantee match and you don't handle the "yellow boys" till after the game is over) very one-sided mortals. I am not one that usually falls out with that much-abused person who handles the whistle (I was a referee myself on one occasion, and I have cause to remember it), but when I feel confident the gentleman in authority is giving away the game, then I go with the majority and boot- awful thing to do, but I was near doing it on Saturday.

Well, as regards this particular gentleman's decisions. The game had been proceeding some six minutes when the Southport centre gave a pass to his left wing, Pendergast, who if he was standing one yard off-side was standing ten, and naturally he put the ball through, the Barrow men (and here they were to blame) only making a half-hearted attempt to stop him, feeling confident the referee would award off-side. But in that everyone was mistaken, and number one went up. I can't describe my feelings, Mr. Referee. I went to the Southport reporters and asked the name of the referee, but forgot it in the next minute.

More to follow. Barrow had been playing very moderately up to then, but that goal would not digest properly, and the forwards went away in line and Peacock gave Taylor a nice pass, from which he banged the leather inside the net. I was jubilant, for it was as pretty and as good a goal as I have seen scored this season. However, the referee and myself must have widely different views of football, for he gave it in "off-side". Disgust! and other things followed, and I fancied I heard someone from behind remarking that the Barrow people should journey away with the team and then they would understand the referees we have away from home. But then it was a guarantee match, and "the only occasion this season Southport had their own referee." The last quotation, Mr. Referee, I heard a Southport enthusiast make use of on the stand.

Need I go on any further re that referee, no, I think those two goals would have turned the 3-1 business, so I will leave my readers to fill it in their own cards with a better grace than I do mine. We lost, and there's an end of it. To give the Southport men their due they played a very clever game, and it was no fault of their's that they lost- oh, what have I said- I mean they fully deserved their victory. They put the strongest eleven on the field they have had this season, and their new men put new life into their old ones. It was a very open and fine game, and but for the little circumstances I have already described I should have been able to say I enjoyed it immensely. Our own forwards were in fine feather, especially Peacock (no pun, I assure you), and their passing was heartily applauded. Marshall and Taylor, on the right, hit it well, while Linton have Saddington some clean passes, but Saddington I have seen to greater advantage. The halves were good, especially Conway, but the backs seemed off a little, especially the first ten minutes. It is rarely I have to say that either Fenton or Whitehead were amiss, but what do you think when they were both "off-colour." Such was the case last Saturday. Both were wild with a certain official, and at half time Fenton came to me at the stand and said it was sickening playing against such odds. That accounted for a few of the misslips, I felt confident. Kennedy was safe, and very cool, and the shots that scored were not within his possible reach. Such are my ideas of the Southport defeat, my noble dribblers, and now let's turn to a pleasanter subject.

We had a delightful time of it both going and returning, and at night everyone seemed to have forgot we had lost, and were happy. In Preston we came across old friends and our own "Shel" and "Johnny Green" (whom everyone was pleased to see) revived old memories with their "Poloney Boys" and "John Bull and Paddy Carey." In fact we had a very pleasant outing indeed.


To-day, gentlemen, is THE day! They say every cock can crow on his own dung-heap. Well, I hope that the Parade Ground will not prove much of a dung heap, but I do hope our cock will be able to crow after the match, eh "Pea"-. Well, we won't count our chickens yet, Andy, but if Fairfield mean to get into the second round of the English cup this afternoon they will have to play; yes, and play hard.

Oh! Yes; I had forgotten that! I am just reminded that three weeks ago Fairfield beat Southport Central on a Lancashire League match at Southport by two goals to one, and on that Saturday Southport beat Barrow by three goals to one- also at Southport, which brings us up to the question- How many goals should Fairfield win by to-day ? A friend of mine remarks, "One never knows!".

We are indebted to our Reserves for unearthing a new man, who I am told is a veritable eye-opener. He is to play to-day, when I hope he will do even better than he did against Our Boys last Saturday,


A little joke occurred at the Reserve match last week. On the suggestion of J.Lang a lad named Jamieson was given a trial at half-back against Our Boys. When the players were stripping everyone was enquiring for Jamieson, but he could not be found. On the other hand Jamie Lang's son was observed to be making ready, and when the "coach" was asked where Jamieson was, he remarked (pointing to his son): "There he is, Jamie's son!" However, "Jamieson" played a rattling good game, and proved himself "a chip off the old block."

Secretaries of junior clubs are invited to a meeting at the Adelphi Hotel on Tuesday evening at 7-30 to help forward the movement for the formation of a junior league for Barrow. Will gentlemen willing to act as referees for our young associationists kindly send in their names and addresses at once to this office, as we intend publishing a list in next week's issue.

(The list of referees was published as follows)

Mr. W. Smith, 42, St. Vincent-street
Mr. D. Heron, 4, Earl- street, Barrow Island
Mr. A. Jordan, 2, Walney View, Iron Works Road
Mr. J. McCormick, Barrow
Mr. W. Talbot, 62, Fenton-street
Mr. R. Fleetwood, 4, Barton-street
Mr. J. Wilcock, 82, Ferry-road
Mr. J. Woolley, 22, Marsh-street

Amazing report writing.
Love the use of the language in those days “banged the leather inside the net”

Jonty wrote: ↑Sat Jan 07, 2023 9:24 am Amazing report writing.
Love the use of the language in those days “banged the leather inside the net”

Yes, I can spend hours reading those old papers, but looking for football reports you easily get diverted into reading other stories, such as the 13-year old boy from Parker Street who was whipped, committed to Lancaster for 14 days and to a reformatory for five years. The offence- stealing and pawning his elder brother's trousers! His parents brought him to court as "they say they cannot do any good with him, and want to get him away" - and he had taken other things out of the house too!

Brilliant, Barrow Lad. That second article is hilarious, with all the whingeing about the refereeing! I'll bet none of those folks living today in the houses in and around Parade Street know of the hallowed ground their homes are built upon! I know Darren Gardner virtually emptied the well with his many books about Barrow AFC but maybe there's a chance there for you to write the definitive story of the Barrow FC before Barrow AFC???