Southport Central

Graham Barrow

Full Name: Graham Barrow
Normal Position: Midfielder
Height: 6'2
Born: 13/06/1954 (Chorley)

Graham BarrowBarrow first entered the Football League at the relatively late age of 27 in 1981 when he signed for Wigan Athletic from Altrincham, having earlier played for Chorley and Southport. He became a vital part of manager Larry Lloyd\'s promotion winning side, playing as a hard man in midfield, and further endeared himself to Wigan fans by putting in a man of the match performance in the Freight Rover Trophy final at Wembley Stadium in 1985 despite playing in the unfamiliar position of forward. He left the club for Chester City in 1986 for £6,000, after 212 appearances in all competitions for the Latics (179 games, 36 goals in the League).

Barrow had a difficult start at Chester, suffering five bookings in his first seven games, and in November 1986 he considered a move to Blackpool. But he opted to stay with the Blues and went on to make 298 first team appearances over the next eight years, mainly as captain. He combined his playing role with an assistant manager position to Harry McNally from 1988/89 onwards. On the final day of the 1991/92 season, Barrow scored a late winner in Chester\'s final home game at Moss Rose against Leyton Orient to seal Division Three survival for the club.

Barrow began his managerial career with Chester City in 1992 (as player/manager), after collecting seven points from four games in caretaker charge. Although the team was relegated to the Football League Third Division in 1993, Barrow inspired the Blues to bounce back the next season and gain promotion, but he resigned in the summer of 1994 amid frustration at key players leaving and a lack of financial backing from the board.[5] He retired from playing following his departure, with his final appearance being in Chester\'s win 3-2 win over Preston North End on 2 April 1994, just two months before his 40th birthday.

He returned to Wigan as manager early in 1994/95 and rescued the Latics from relegation to the Football Conference. He was in charge of Rochdale from 1996 to 1999, although the club failed to gain any success and he left after a third successive bottom half placing. A spell as assistant-manager at Notts County followed before returning to Chester as manager on 31 May 2000, shortly after their relegation to the Nationwide Conference. Barrow was forced to work in difficult circumstances under American owner Terry Smith, who suspended Barrow\'s assistant Paul Beesley from playing for failing to stand in the correct position at a set piece and banned Barrow from speaking to the press without his permission. Although Chester finished well out of the promotion race in eighth position, Barrow managed to guide Chester to an FA Cup third round tie with Blackburn Rovers after eliminating Football League sides Plymouth Argyle and Oxford United. He also led them to the FA Trophy semi-finals and victory in the final of the Nationwide Variety Club Trophy, with the players saying he had \"single-handedly put Chester back on the football map\". Despite his cup successes, Barrow was sacked in June 2001, a move largely unpopular with supporters.

He was manager of Bury, from January 2004 after a spell as assistant-manager to Andy Preece. However the club did not progress satisfactorily and as a result Barrow was dismissed in September 2005. He returned to Chester at the end of the season, becoming assistant to manager Mark Wright. They were sacked together on 29 April 2007. He returned to working in football the following January, when he continued his trend of going back to former clubs in north-west England by becoming assistant-manager to Graham Heathcote at Altrincham.

Barrow is scheduled to have a testimonial at Chester in the near-future, as a reward for his long service to the club. This came after he rejected an approach to become assistant manager at Swansea City in February 2007.
Player Profile reproduced with Permission from:
The Complete Non-League History of Southport Football Club 1978 - 2008, by Trust in Yellow (Legends Publishing, 2008). ISBN 978-1-906796-01-3



Transfers

Season Date From To Value
1978/1979 25/07/1978 CHORLEY Southport


Player Match Stats


Statistics include the following competitions
Cambrian Cup, Conference League Cup, English Jubilee Fund, FA Cup , FA Trophy , Football League Cup, Lancashire Floodlit Trophy, Lancashire Junior Cup, Lancashire League Medal Competition, Lancashire Senior Cup, League, Liverpool Senior Cup, Northern Premier League Cup, Northern Premier League Shield, PLAY OFFS , President's Cup, President's Inter League, Third Division (North) Cup, Welsh Cup,

Season Apps Subs Goals
1978/1979 3508
1979/1980 1600
Total 51 0 8

Appearances & Goals

Games where player was named on the team sheet

Date Competition Venue Opponents Score
20/10/1979 League / D6A BUXTON 1 - 1
13/10/1979 League / D6H GOOLE TOWN 1 - 1
08/10/1979 League / D6A WITTON ALBION 1 - 0
06/10/1979 League / D6H WORKINGTON 1 - 1
29/09/1979 League / D6A TAMWORTH 1 - 1
22/09/1979 League / D6H WORKSOP TOWN 0 - 1
17/09/1979 League / D6A LANCASTER CITY 1 - 1
15/09/1979 League / D6A RUNCORN 1 - 0
11/09/1979 League / D6H MACCLESFIELD TOWN 0 - 0
08/09/1979 League / D6A GOOLE TOWN 1 - 4
04/09/1979 Northern Premier League Cup / 1RH LANCASTER CITY 1 - 1
01/09/1979 League / D6H FRICKLEY ATHLETIC 0 - 3
27/08/1979 Northern Premier League Cup / 1A LANCASTER CITY 1 - 1
25/08/1979 League / D6H GRANTHAM TOWN 0 - 1
21/08/1979 League / D6H SOUTH LIVERPOOL 2 - 0
18/08/1979 League / D6A FRICKLEY ATHLETIC 2 - 2
14/05/1979 League / D5A RUNCORN 0 - 0
08/05/1979 League / D5H GATESHEAD (1977) 0 - 2
05/05/1979 League / D5H ALTRINCHAM 3 - 1
01/05/1979 League / D5H BANGOR CITY 0 - 0
28/04/1979 League / D5H SCARBOROUGH 1 - 2
18/04/1979 League / D5A MATLOCK TOWN 1 - 1
16/04/1979 League / D5A MORECAMBE 1 - 0
14/04/1979 League / D5H NETHERFIELD 2 - 1
11/04/1979 League / D5A FRICKLEY ATHLETIC 3 - 1
07/04/1979 League / D5A GOOLE TOWN 2 - 0
03/04/1979 League / D5H NORTHWICH VICS 2 - 2
31/03/1979 League / D5H SOUTH LIVERPOOL 2 - 2
11/03/1979 League / D5A GATESHEAD (1977) 1 - 2
10/03/1979 League / D5H MOSSLEY 0 - 1
07/03/1979 Liverpool Senior Cup / 1H LIVERPOOL 0 - 1
03/03/1979 League / D5A MACCLESFIELD TOWN 1 - 1
24/02/1979 League / D5H MATLOCK TOWN 2 - 1
10/02/1979 League / D5H BUXTON 2 - 1
03/02/1979 League / D5A BANGOR CITY 2 - 0
13/01/1979 FA Trophy / 2A BARROW 1 - 2
09/01/1979 Lancashire Junior Cup / 1H DARWEN 1 - 2
01/01/1979 League / D5A STAFFORD RANGERS 1 - 1
30/12/1978 League / D5H WORKSOP TOWN 2 - 0
26/12/1978 League / D5H STAFFORD RANGERS 1 - 2
16/12/1978 League / D5A NORTHWICH VICS 2 - 2
11/11/1978 League / D5H MACCLESFIELD TOWN 3 - 2
07/11/1978 FA Cup / 4QRH NORTHWICH VICS 2 - 0
04/11/1978 FA Cup / 4QA NORTHWICH VICS 0 - 0
28/10/1978 League / D5A BOSTON UNITED 0 - 1
24/10/1978 League / D5A BARROW 2 - 0
21/10/1978 League / D5H MORECAMBE 1 - 0
18/10/1978 League / D5A WORKINGTON 2 - 0
14/10/1978 League / D5A ALTRINCHAM 3 - 1
07/10/1978 League / D5H GOOLE TOWN 1 - 1
03/10/1978 League / D5H LANCASTER CITY 2 - 2

Games where player has scored

Date Competition Venue Opponents Score
07/04/1979League / D5A GOOLE TOWN 2 - 0
03/03/1979League / D5A MACCLESFIELD TOWN 1 - 1
10/02/1979League / D5H BUXTON 2 - 1
13/01/1979FA Trophy / 2A BARROW 1 - 2
09/01/1979Lancashire Junior Cup / 1H DARWEN 1 - 2
16/12/1978League / D5A NORTHWICH VICS 2 - 2
07/11/1978FA Cup / 4QRH NORTHWICH VICS 2 - 0
07/10/1978League / D5H GOOLE TOWN 1 - 1

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