Barrow AFC.net

There's been a bit of a discussion going on in the thread "Tranmere Rovers" about the book "Barrow AFC: 100 Post-War Holker Street Greats" (yes, incongruous I realise, off topic I know!).

I raised a bit of heat in that thread about the astonishing omission from the book of some of our greatest ever performers, luminaries such as Jim Mulholland and George Smith . Then it dawned on me that there is also no place in the book for one David Storf! Impossible to believe, that's for sure! It led me to thinking that, in my opinion, what Dave Storf did in season 1967-68 (our first in the old 3rd Division) represents the greatest ever single-season performance-level I have ever witnessed by any Barrow player. If there was an award for the greatest one-season performance by any player ever in AFC's history then my vote goes to Storf for 1967-68. I would say John Rooney made a good claim in our promotion a few years ago, with all those goals from midfield and the assists, but there's no getting away from the fact that that was two levels below the one Storf was operating at.

Dave Storf signed for us in the summer of 1967 as we prepared for life in the 3rd flight following our historic promotion. He cost us a then-record fee and he was brought in to replace the retiring former England international, Brian Pilkington. I emphasised "single season performance level" because whilst Storf stayed with us for five seasons until we dropped out of the FL in 1972 and remained, very obviously, a quality footballer, I don't feel he ever again got near to the heights he hit in that first season, 1967-68. He played out wide on the left flank and ended up as top scorer with (I think from the top of my head) 16 league goals. Of course he also got our goal when he slotted past Peter Shilton at The Steelworks End in our FA Cup Third round tie against Leicester in January 1968. No disrespect intended to any of our current wingers but can we imagine any of them finishing as our top scorer with 16 goals (and at the level above)?

I repeat, I have never before or since witnessed one season by one player to surpass the level that Storf reached in that year. And of course 1967-68 saw us reach the highest ever place we have ever attained in the football pyramid (8th in the old 3rd Division).

The omission of Storf from Barrow's 100 greatest is so wild that I am sure I must have got it wrong! Maybe there's a page missing from my copy of the book!

Storf is 81 now and, to the best of my understanding, he lives back in his home city of Sheffield. Of course he is one of Barrow's all-time greats even if it defies all sense that he isn't in that book!

I remember the night think it was Colchester he got a hatrick!, he was my favourite player after Mick Hartland!

Barry Diamond 1983-84. Barrow had been relegated from the Alliance Premier the previous season but bounced back by winning the Northern Premier League by 20 points losing only 3 games all season . Barry Diamond played in all 42 league games and scored an incredible 35 goals! Nearly as many as Cowps and Frank Gamble (18 each) combined. An incredible achievement by Barry in an incredible season.

Very much agree with that, El Chas. When I set up this thread I did think of that Barry Diamond season under Vic Halom in 1983-84. A bit like Storf in 1967-68, it was probably the one outstanding season of Diamond's career. He followed Halom to Rochdale in 1984 but he never again had anything remotely approaching the sort of success he achieved in 83-84. He was just dynamite as we strolled to the NPL title.

I remember what was possibly Diamond's debut for us at Easter Time in 1978 when we beat Northwich Vics 4-2 and he was a precocious youngster, only 18 years old I think at that time. He scored the most spectacular goal, catching a volley as the ball rose up and dispatching it into the top corner from 25 yards out at the Holker Street end. I just remember being shocked at the technical quality of the strike! However, despite that demonstration of striking ability, Diamond featured in midfield in his earlier spell(s) with us before somebody (Halom presumably) had the bright idea of playing him as a striker instead. Diamond played for a lot of clubs but I don't believe he ever had anything even close to that 1983-84 season again.

I fully realise that that Diamond season was at a lower level and that it wouldn't necessarily transfer to a higher stage but, in this past season when we have been concerned about firepower, can you imagine what it would have done for us if we had had that type of relentless finishing prowess this term! Nothing within a 25-yard radius of goal was safe from Barry Diamond in 1983-84!

I would hazard a guess,no prior knowledge,that the decision to switch Barry from the ratting midfielder with a propensity for collecting bookings to a striker was born from Haloms own desire to switch from striker to midfield general.It certainly paid off.I worked with a lad from Rochdale who lived near and new Barry. He told me of the moment his days at 'Dale were numbered. He was loaned to Stockport and unbelievably allowed to play for them against Rochdale. He apparently 'dived' to win two penalties one of them resulting in a Rochdale player being sent off.Returning from the loan he never played at Spotland again and was quickly shipped out to another club. He was still playing in his forties for Castleton Gabriels in the NW Counties. Certainly one of the never to be forgotten characters to have worn the shirt.