WHEN: 1969

WHERE: Holker Street

BRIAN Arrowsmith was the man of the moment again at Holker Street last Saturday when the main stand was re-named after the 1960s hero.

Barrow AFC’s Football League record appearance holder was interviewed on BBC’s Football Focus and received a rapturous reception from the sell-out 4,414 crowd, who saw the Bluebirds exit the FA Cup third round 2-0 at the hands of Rochdale.

Unfortunately, AFC’s present-day players failed to better the efforts of the 11 other Barrow teams who have reached that stage of the competition – including Arrowsmith and Co. back in the club’s 1960s heyday.

Despite the defeat against Dale it was a great day for the club, and especially for the 76-year-old from Walney.

Arrowsmith was in the footballing spotlight for an entirely different reason back in December 1969 when he was captured on camera clattering into the Holker Street hoardings following a full-blooded challenge with an opponent.

The Football League Review – a popular magazine of the day – printed a picture taken by their own snapper of Arrowsmith on the floor next to then North West Evening Mail photographer Eddie Tweedie, who, camera in hand, was looking in a completely different direction.

Alongside the picture, the magazine asked the question: ‘Did the man with the camera miss the picture?’

The assertion ended up being entirely incorrect and resulted in a later edition of the Football League Review printing several pictures of the collision taken by the Tweedie by way of apology.

The sequence – sent to the national magazine by Tweedie – proved that not only had the Mail man taken snaps before, during and after the collision, he also got a photo of a policeman reporting to the referee that some “sharp language” had been used by Arrowsmith and his accomplice after they collided.

Consequently, The Football League Review admitted Tweedie had managed to tell the whole story – unlike their publication – and concluded by saying: ‘Next time we’ll keep our mouth shut too’

It was clearly a case of Evening Mail 1 Football League Review 0. Goalscorer Eddie Tweedie!

Thanks go to eagle-eyed former Evening Mail sports reporter Graham Dixon, who spotted the photos in the Football League Review (stapled inside an Ipswich Town versus West Brom programme) when he was sorting out some of his old football memorabilia.

And here’s a challenge to Barrow fans of a certain vintage. Can anyone tell us who AFC were playing when the incident took place?

We don’t know the answer because it doesn’t say in the article, so we hope someone can help.

The prize will be the glory of having your name appear in print in the Evening Mail!