Article on Ray Wilkie

[Stephen Leonard]

Was just searching through some football FB sites and was reading about some NE teams and found a link to this article about Ray Wilkie

Certainly seems like he was appreciated and respected by everyone he played with/managed

https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/ ... -auckland/

[Wintergreen]

Is there are more legendary manager or indeed individual than Ray Wilkie in the club's history? I doubt it.

[Jim]

Thanks Stephen. I was at that Bishop Auckland game. I remember they had a peculiar small building, which couldn't be called a "stand", where the directors etc sat on a balcony. That ground has gone now, of course.

[Hadrian]

I was there, too, Jim with my daughters and we met our then-chairman.

A quaint two and a half sided ground - Kingsway - shared with the local cricket club. They have now relocated to a neat, modern ground on the bypass, called Heritage Park.

[Reginald]

I was there too.
Remember all hell letting loose in a pub before the match-frightening stuff.

[MisterPleasant]

Well, that makes 4 of us who were there for that one.

[Moosehead]

Make that 5 of us LOL
Remember you could see them coming from where the cricket pitch was. Like watching boys going over the trenches to invade the pitch. No barb wire but plenty fell on their way to invade the pitch

[holkerboy]

Best manager we ever had.

Took a set of lads from the North-East, West Cumbria, and the Barrow area and crafted them into a great unit who played for each other with pride for the Barrow shirt, despite them never training together.

Taken from us far too soon.

R.I.P. Ray

[Jeeby]

He was a cracking guy, he presented the medals and trophies at a couple of our end of season presentation nights. Always interested in the local footballing scene, and always had time for anybody that wanted to talk to him. A great adopted Barrovian and an all round nice guy and top manager. What a day that was at Wembley in 1990 with the backbone of local lads playing that a lot of us knew and had played against, cant see that happening again.

[Arvo]

Make that 5 of us LOL
Remember you could see them coming from where the cricket pitch was. Like watching boys going over the trenches to invade the pitch. No barb wire but plenty fell on their way to invade the pitch

Six. I seem to remember that storming over the cricket pitch by the home hoolies. Don't think it came to anything, just fizzled out or they got chased off by the local constabulary.

[Jim]

Make that 5 of us LOL
Remember you could see them coming from where the cricket pitch was. Like watching boys going over the trenches to invade the pitch. No barb wire but plenty fell on their way to invade the pitch

Six. I seem to remember that storming over the cricket pitch by the home hoolies. Don't think it came to anything, just fizzled out or they got chased off by the local constabulary.

Coincidentally, their offspring perhaps were at large yesterday:

https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/ ... -auckland/

[Hadrian]

Eight - my daughters were with me!

[Methuselah]

Ray Wilkie what a guy.He took our club and built it into a club with a never say die attitude using a lot of local players with players from the North East who seemed to love playing for him.Oh for us to have a team with a similar spirit!.I,ll never forget the day we went to Wembley in 1990 and waiting at Barrow station to get on the special and when we arrived getting a police escort from the station to the ground and upon arrival couldn't believe how many people were there from Barrow.To cap it all we ended up winning and I was sat close enough to see Bobby Moore present the trophy.The icing on the cake was reading the following days papers who all had articles about this little known team from the North of England, who had once been in the Football League,what exciting football they played and what a great striker they had on Colin Cowperthwaite.I believe at the time there were a lot of clubs who wanted to sign him,but he wouldn't leave his beloved Barrow.We owe Ray Wilkie a lot.The man was a legend.

[Alhosk]

Make that 5 of us LOL
Remember you could see them coming from where the cricket pitch was. Like watching boys going over the trenches to invade the pitch. No barb wire but plenty fell on their way to invade the pitch

Six. I seem to remember that storming over the cricket pitch by the home hoolies. Don't think it came to anything, just fizzled out or they got chased off by the local constabulary.

+2. My Dad took me, my first away game I think, good excuse to go over and visit some family. Actually, not sure about good excuse..

[tictactoe]

Slightly off topic but I’ve noticed at Kent’s bank station, there are a lot of paintings along the fence. One of them has a man in the corner and what looks like fans round it and I think it is supposed to be Ray Wilkie. I keep meaning to have a proper look every time I pass it but doing my job I’m looking out for other things. Has anyone else seen it?