Barry Stobart

Barry Henry Stobart (6 June 1938 – 28 August 2013) was an English footballer who played in the Football League as a forward for Wolverhampton Wanderers, Manchester City, Aston Villa and Shrewsbury Town during the 1960s.[2]

Barry Stobart
Personal information
Full name Barry Henry Stobart[1]
Date of birth (1938-06-06)6 June 1938
Place of birth Doncaster, England
Date of death 28 August 2013(2013-08-28) (aged 75)
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Playing position(s) Forward
Youth career
Wath Wanderers
1953–1955 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1955–1964 Wolverhampton Wanderers 49 (20)
1964 Manchester City 14 (1)
1964–1967 Aston Villa 45 (18)
1967–1969 Shrewsbury Town 36 (9)
1969 Durban Spurs
1970 Durban Spurs United 2 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Career

Stobart began his football career at Wath Wanderers, the Yorkshire-based nursery club of Wolverhampton Wanderers, before heading south in 1953 to join them,[3] turning professional in 1955.

With the likes of Peter Broadbent, Dennis Wilshaw and Jimmy Murray already established in the forward line, Stobart was consigned to the reserves in his early years. He finally made his first team debut on 5 March 1960, when he scored in a 2–0 win at Manchester United.

Although he made just four league appearances before the 1960 FA Cup Final, his performance in the final league game at Chelsea saw him earn a surprise place in the Cup Final team, at the expense of Bobby Mason. This allowed Stobart to collect the only medal of his career, as Wolves defeated Blackburn 3–0 in the Wembley showpiece. Barry Stobart was given the nickname "Kangaroo Kid" due to his unique ability to jump and score many goals via headers.

The following two seasons saw him only appear occasionally for the first team,[4][5] and it wasn't until the 1962–63 campaign that he enjoyed a lengthy run in the side, during which he scored 14 goals.[6] The next year saw him again largely relegated to the reserves though,[7] and he left Molineux to join Manchester City in summer 1964.

He failed to settle at Maine Road, and returned to the Midlands within months when he joined Aston Villa in November 1964 for £22,000. He remained at Villa for three years, his best season coming in 1966–67 when he scored 11 times from 20 appearances. He dropped down the divisions in October 1967 to join Shrewsbury Town of the Third Division in a £10,000 deal.[1] After a spell with them, he moved to South Africa to play out his career with Durban Spurs.

His eldest son Sean Stobart was a professional footballer a Scunthorpe United scoring on his first team debut against Rochdale FC.

His youngest son Loy was later also on the professional books at Wolverhampton Wanderers during the early 1990s having signed from Nottingham Forrest on a free transfer. He also played for Cheltenham Town FC and Bidvest Witts in South Africa.

Post Football

Barry went on to coach Willenhall Town FC to an FA vase final in 1981 at Wembley and guided semi-pro footballers, John Muir, Brendan Hackett and Russell Bradley to professional careers in Football. After retirement he worked as a greengrocer and finally as a window cleaner in the Sedgley area.[8]

Vascular dementia

In 2005 it was revealed that Stobart suffered from vascular dementia. He resided in a care home from 2009[9] and died on 28 August 2013.[10]

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References
  1. "Stobart, Barry Henry". Aston Villa Player Database. Jörn Mårtensson. Retrieved 24 November 2009.
  2. "Barry Stobart". UK A–Z Transfers. Neil Brown. Archived from the original on 10 December 2009. Retrieved 24 November 2009.
  3. "Players. A – Z". Wolves Stats. Archived from the original on 1 November 2009. Retrieved 24 November 2009.
  4. "General Stats: 1960 – 1961". Wolves Stats. Archived from the original on 9 October 2011. Retrieved 24 November 2009.
  5. "General Stats: 1961 – 1962". Wolves Stats. Archived from the original on 9 October 2011. Retrieved 24 November 2009.
  6. "General Stats: 1962 – 1963". Wolves Stats. Archived from the original on 9 October 2011. Retrieved 24 November 2009.
  7. "General Stats: 1963 – 1964". Wolves Stats. Archived from the original on 9 October 2011. Retrieved 24 November 2009.
  8. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 27 January 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2012.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. Wolves mourn death of FA Cup hero Barry Stobart, expressandstar.com, August 29, 2013
  • Barry Stobart at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Database
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