With Barnsley supporters looking for a late assault on this season's play-offs, some of our younger fans may not realise that 15-years ago, the Tykes were playing Premier League football. Even though they finished second-bottom during the 1997-98 season, they earned a famous victory at Anfield, beating Liverpool 1-0 and also knocked Manchester United out of the FA Cup with a 3-2 win at Oakwell.
Here is a reminder of the starting line-up from that glorious Saturday 22 November 1997 at Anfield and a look at what became of those players.
Goalkeeper – Lars Leese
The German goalkeeper traded being third choice at Bayer Leverkusen for second choice at Oakwell but made nine appearances in the Premier League. He played just eight times the following season on the club's return to the first division before and returned to Germany in 2000. He played out the remainder of his career in relative obscurity and has been in charge of SV Bergisch Gladbach since 2005. They were recently relegated to the sixth tier of German football.
Defender – Nicky Eaden
Eaden, a product of the Barnsley youth system, made almost 300 league appearances in almost a decade playing for the Tykes. He made 35 Premier League appearances and went on to play a further two seasons for the club in division one before joining Birmingham City on a free transfer. At City, he played in the 2001 League Cup final and joined Wigan Athletic in 2002 for whom he made over 100 league appearances. An unsuccessful spell at Nottingham Forest followed and Eaden drifted into non league football. He joined the coaching staff at Rotherham United in 2011, linking up with former Barnsley team mate Andy Liddell and is now assistant manager at Kettering Town.
Defender – Adie Moses
Like Eaden, Moses was a junior at Barnsley and played over 150 league matches for the club, including 35 in the Premier League. He joined Huddersfield Town for £250,000 in 2000 and then moved on to Crewe Alexandra on a free transfer in 2003. He arrived at Mansfield Town via Lincoln City and in December 2008 and was named caretaker manager. He graduated from Staffordshire University with a free in Professional Sports Broadcasting and Writing in 2008 and since retiring from the game in 2009 due to persistent injury problems, he now works as a financial consultant.
Defender – Arjan De Zeeuw
Dutch defender De Zeeuw joined Barnsley at the start of the 1995-96 season in a £250,000 deal from Telstar and went on to play almost 140 league matches for the club, 26 of those in the Premier League. He went on to play for Wigan Athletic where he won Player of the Year in 2001 and 2002 and then joined Porsmouth where he was a key player in the team that won promotion to the Premier League. In 2005 and at the age of 35, he returned to Wigan in a move unpopular with Portsmouth fans and performed so well he even received praise from then-Prime Minister Tony Blair. In 2006, he played in the League Cup final and was voted by Latics fans as the best player of all time for Wigan. Spells at Coventry City and ADO'20 followed, before he retired in 2009 to pursue as a forensic detective.
Defender – Peter Markstedt
The Swedish defender arrived in a £250,000 transfer from Vasteraas and made his debut in the Liverpool match but went on to play just six more times in the Premier League for Barnsley. He left the club in 1999 for Helsingborg before rejoining Vasteraas in 2000. He went on to play for Hammarby and then Lyn Oslo in Norway before returning to Vasteraas for a third time in 2005. He was appointed the club's assistant manager in 2011.
Defender – Darren Barnard
Wing back Barnard joined Barnsley from Bristol City for £750,000 ahead of their Premier League campaign and went on to make over 200 league appearances in five seasons at the club, including 35 in the top flight. He left for Grimsby Town for the start of the 2002-03 season and then went on to make over 100 appearances for Aldershot after joining them in 2004. Barnard joined non-league Camberley Town in 2007 where he is now the club's manager.
Midfielder – Neil Redfearn
Following a playing career spanning almost 800 league matches over 24 years, Redfearn arguably had his best playing days at Oakwell. He played 37 out of 38 matches in the Premier League and was the top scorer with 10 goals. After almost 300 league games for Barnsley and over 70 goals, he left for Charlton Athletic in 1998 in a £1 million move. He remained in London for just one season before returning to his native Yorkshire with Bradford City in 1999, before moving onto Wigan Athletic a year later. He moved to Halifax Town in 2001 and had two spells as caretaker manager before joining Boston United for two seasons and ended his Football League career at Rochdale in 2004. Following a spell as Scarborough manager in 2005, he played non-league football in between managerial spells at Northwich Victoria and caretaker at York City. In February 2012 he was appointed caretaker manager at Leeds United following the sacking of Simon Grayson and fans of free bets can back him as the current bookmakers favourite to take over permanently at Elland Road.
Midfielder – Eric Tinkler
It was seen as something of a coup to sign South Africa international midfielder Tinkler in a £650,000 transfer from Serie A side Cagliari ahead of the Premier League season. He played 25 matches in the top flight, scoring twice and spent a further three seasons at Oakwell before moving to Uniao de Tomar in Portugal in 2002. He finished his playing career in Johannesburg-based club Wits and became their caretaker manager in 2006 before being replaced by Roger De Sa as manager.
Midfielder – Martin Bullock
Bullock was another great servant to the club who made 185 league appearances over an eight year period, including 33 in the Premier League. He found himself out of favour during the 1999-00 season and spent time on loan at Port Vale in 2001. That September, he joined Blackpool on a free transfer and went on to make over 150 league appearances for the club. During his time at Blackpool he was named in the PFA Second Dvision Team of the Year for 2003 and won the Football League Trophy in both 2002 and 2004. A two year spell at Macclesfield Town followed before he went on to play for Wycombe Wanderers and New Zealand side Waitakere United. Down under, he won the New Zealand Football Championship for the 2010-11 season.
Striker – Andy Liddell
Liddell began his career at Oakwell and played just shy of 200 league matches, including 26 during the Premier League campaign which yielded one goal. He was heavily involved in the build-up to the winning goal at Liverpool – he could have gone for a penalty after being fouled by goalkeeper David James in the area, but persisted and set-up strike partner Ashley Ward via a deflection off Patrick Berger. Liddell left Barnsley in October 1998 for Wigan Athletic in a £350,000 move and went on to play over 200 league matches for the club, scoring 70 goals in the process which positioned him as the club's all-time top goalscorer. After one season at Sheffield United, he went on to make 125 league appearances for Oldham Athletic before ending his playing career at Rotherham United. He had a spell as caretaker manager at the Don Valley Stadium until the end of last season.
Striker – Ashley Ward
A journeyman footballer with transfer fees totalling almost £8.5 million, Barnsley was club number eight for Ward when he arrived in a £1.3 million transfer from Derby County ahead of the Premier League campaign. Ward was the hero at Anfield that afternoon, scoring one of his eight top flight goals in 32 appearances for Barnsley. He scored 13 goals before December the following season in Division One which persuaded Blackburn Rovers to spend £4.5 million on him in December 2008. Ward was not as prolific at Ewood Park, scoring just 13 goals in 52 league appearances and was allowed to join Bradford City for £1.5 million in August 2000. Three years at Valley Parade produced just 17 goals in 75 league appearances and Ward ended his playing career at Sheffield United, retiring in 2005. He now runs a number of businesses with his wife, including commercial and luxury residential property development.
Here is a reminder of the starting line-up from that glorious Saturday 22 November 1997 at Anfield and a look at what became of those players.
Goalkeeper – Lars Leese
The German goalkeeper traded being third choice at Bayer Leverkusen for second choice at Oakwell but made nine appearances in the Premier League. He played just eight times the following season on the club's return to the first division before and returned to Germany in 2000. He played out the remainder of his career in relative obscurity and has been in charge of SV Bergisch Gladbach since 2005. They were recently relegated to the sixth tier of German football.
Defender – Nicky Eaden
Eaden, a product of the Barnsley youth system, made almost 300 league appearances in almost a decade playing for the Tykes. He made 35 Premier League appearances and went on to play a further two seasons for the club in division one before joining Birmingham City on a free transfer. At City, he played in the 2001 League Cup final and joined Wigan Athletic in 2002 for whom he made over 100 league appearances. An unsuccessful spell at Nottingham Forest followed and Eaden drifted into non league football. He joined the coaching staff at Rotherham United in 2011, linking up with former Barnsley team mate Andy Liddell and is now assistant manager at Kettering Town.
Defender – Adie Moses
Like Eaden, Moses was a junior at Barnsley and played over 150 league matches for the club, including 35 in the Premier League. He joined Huddersfield Town for £250,000 in 2000 and then moved on to Crewe Alexandra on a free transfer in 2003. He arrived at Mansfield Town via Lincoln City and in December 2008 and was named caretaker manager. He graduated from Staffordshire University with a free in Professional Sports Broadcasting and Writing in 2008 and since retiring from the game in 2009 due to persistent injury problems, he now works as a financial consultant.
Defender – Arjan De Zeeuw
Dutch defender De Zeeuw joined Barnsley at the start of the 1995-96 season in a £250,000 deal from Telstar and went on to play almost 140 league matches for the club, 26 of those in the Premier League. He went on to play for Wigan Athletic where he won Player of the Year in 2001 and 2002 and then joined Porsmouth where he was a key player in the team that won promotion to the Premier League. In 2005 and at the age of 35, he returned to Wigan in a move unpopular with Portsmouth fans and performed so well he even received praise from then-Prime Minister Tony Blair. In 2006, he played in the League Cup final and was voted by Latics fans as the best player of all time for Wigan. Spells at Coventry City and ADO'20 followed, before he retired in 2009 to pursue as a forensic detective.
Defender – Peter Markstedt
The Swedish defender arrived in a £250,000 transfer from Vasteraas and made his debut in the Liverpool match but went on to play just six more times in the Premier League for Barnsley. He left the club in 1999 for Helsingborg before rejoining Vasteraas in 2000. He went on to play for Hammarby and then Lyn Oslo in Norway before returning to Vasteraas for a third time in 2005. He was appointed the club's assistant manager in 2011.
Defender – Darren Barnard
Wing back Barnard joined Barnsley from Bristol City for £750,000 ahead of their Premier League campaign and went on to make over 200 league appearances in five seasons at the club, including 35 in the top flight. He left for Grimsby Town for the start of the 2002-03 season and then went on to make over 100 appearances for Aldershot after joining them in 2004. Barnard joined non-league Camberley Town in 2007 where he is now the club's manager.
Midfielder – Neil Redfearn
Following a playing career spanning almost 800 league matches over 24 years, Redfearn arguably had his best playing days at Oakwell. He played 37 out of 38 matches in the Premier League and was the top scorer with 10 goals. After almost 300 league games for Barnsley and over 70 goals, he left for Charlton Athletic in 1998 in a £1 million move. He remained in London for just one season before returning to his native Yorkshire with Bradford City in 1999, before moving onto Wigan Athletic a year later. He moved to Halifax Town in 2001 and had two spells as caretaker manager before joining Boston United for two seasons and ended his Football League career at Rochdale in 2004. Following a spell as Scarborough manager in 2005, he played non-league football in between managerial spells at Northwich Victoria and caretaker at York City. In February 2012 he was appointed caretaker manager at Leeds United following the sacking of Simon Grayson and fans of free bets can back him as the current bookmakers favourite to take over permanently at Elland Road.
Midfielder – Eric Tinkler
It was seen as something of a coup to sign South Africa international midfielder Tinkler in a £650,000 transfer from Serie A side Cagliari ahead of the Premier League season. He played 25 matches in the top flight, scoring twice and spent a further three seasons at Oakwell before moving to Uniao de Tomar in Portugal in 2002. He finished his playing career in Johannesburg-based club Wits and became their caretaker manager in 2006 before being replaced by Roger De Sa as manager.
Midfielder – Martin Bullock
Bullock was another great servant to the club who made 185 league appearances over an eight year period, including 33 in the Premier League. He found himself out of favour during the 1999-00 season and spent time on loan at Port Vale in 2001. That September, he joined Blackpool on a free transfer and went on to make over 150 league appearances for the club. During his time at Blackpool he was named in the PFA Second Dvision Team of the Year for 2003 and won the Football League Trophy in both 2002 and 2004. A two year spell at Macclesfield Town followed before he went on to play for Wycombe Wanderers and New Zealand side Waitakere United. Down under, he won the New Zealand Football Championship for the 2010-11 season.
Striker – Andy Liddell
Liddell began his career at Oakwell and played just shy of 200 league matches, including 26 during the Premier League campaign which yielded one goal. He was heavily involved in the build-up to the winning goal at Liverpool – he could have gone for a penalty after being fouled by goalkeeper David James in the area, but persisted and set-up strike partner Ashley Ward via a deflection off Patrick Berger. Liddell left Barnsley in October 1998 for Wigan Athletic in a £350,000 move and went on to play over 200 league matches for the club, scoring 70 goals in the process which positioned him as the club's all-time top goalscorer. After one season at Sheffield United, he went on to make 125 league appearances for Oldham Athletic before ending his playing career at Rotherham United. He had a spell as caretaker manager at the Don Valley Stadium until the end of last season.
Striker – Ashley Ward
A journeyman footballer with transfer fees totalling almost £8.5 million, Barnsley was club number eight for Ward when he arrived in a £1.3 million transfer from Derby County ahead of the Premier League campaign. Ward was the hero at Anfield that afternoon, scoring one of his eight top flight goals in 32 appearances for Barnsley. He scored 13 goals before December the following season in Division One which persuaded Blackburn Rovers to spend £4.5 million on him in December 2008. Ward was not as prolific at Ewood Park, scoring just 13 goals in 52 league appearances and was allowed to join Bradford City for £1.5 million in August 2000. Three years at Valley Parade produced just 17 goals in 75 league appearances and Ward ended his playing career at Sheffield United, retiring in 2005. He now runs a number of businesses with his wife, including commercial and luxury residential property development.
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