Brian Arrowsmith

Brian Arrowsmith (2 July 1940 – 12 April 2020) was an English footballer and manager. Born in Barrow-in-Furness, he spent his entire professional career at his hometown club Barrow.[2] He made 512 appearances for Barrow, including 378 in the Football League, the most at that level for the club.[2][1]

Brian Arrowsmith
Personal information
Full name Brian Arrowsmith
Date of birth (1940-07-02)2 July 1940
Place of birth Barrow-in-Furness, Lancashire, England
Date of death 12 April 2020(2020-04-12) (aged 79)
Playing position(s) Defender
Youth career
Vickers Sports Club
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1961–1971 Barrow 378[1] (3)
1971–1974 Netherfield ? (?)
1974–1978 Barrow 134 (?)
Teams managed
1974–1975 Barrow
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Arrowsmith started his career as a right back, but played across the defence when required.[2] He captained Barrow during the 1966–67 season in which they won promotion from the Fourth Division,[3][4] and stayed with the club for a total of eleven seasons.[2] After leaving Barrow in 1971 Arrowsmith joined Northern Premier League club Netherfield,[5][6] but returned to Barrow – who by then had been voted out of the Football League and placed in the Northern Premier League themselves – in 1974 as player-manager.[2] He resigned as manager in November 1975, but continued playing for the club until 1978.[5]

After retiring from football, Arrowsmith ran a DIY shop in Barrow, regularly attending Barrow matches as a fan. His son, Mark, made six appearances for Barrow in the 1980s.[5] In January 2017, the main stand at Barrow's Holker Street stadium was renamed the Brian Arrowsmith Stand in his honour.[7]

Arrowsmith died in hospital on Easter Sunday in 2020 having contracted COVID-19.[8]

References
  1. "Brian Arrowsmith". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  2. "Barrow's Greatest Ever Player". The Football Voice. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  3. Yelland, Phil. "A Brief History of Barrow AFC". Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  4. "Holker Street Newsletter 552 – 2nd February 2000". Barrowfc.com. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  5. "Holker Street Newsletter 242 – 21st December 1998". Barrowfc.com. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  6. "Dads and lads who have played for Barrow AFC". North-West Evening Mail. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  7. "Barrow AFC honour Football League great by renaming Holker Street Main Stand". North-West Evening Mail. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  8. Cuddy, Alice. "Coronavirus: The lives lost in a single day". BBC News.
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