WHERE: Holker Street

WHEN: July1977

AFTER Micky Moore was relieved of his duties just 11 games into his reign at Barrow AFC, fans wondered whether his was the shortest stint as permanent manager in club history.

But that dubious accolade instead goes to David Hughes, who spent a meagre two days in the post during the summer of 1977.

Barrow were left managerless in February that year when Ron Yeats resigned as Bluebirds player/manager.

Aberdeen-born Yeats was best-known as a title-winning Liverpool captain in the 1960s, before joining Barrow in the autumn of his career.

But Yeats decided to swap the Furness Peninsula for sunnier climes, moving to Southern California to play for the Santa Barbara Condors in the fledgling American Soccer League.

A four-month search for a manager ensued, as caretakers Alan Coglan and Billy McAdams steadied the ship towards the end of the 1976/77 Northern Premier League season.

As pre-season work for the 1977/78 season began, the club felt they had finally identified the right man for the job in former Preston North End player Hughes.

Then aged 28, the forward accepted an offer to become player/manager at Holker Street on Wednesday, July 13.

On the Thursday evening he led his first training session, reviewing the facilities and meeting the staff and playing squad.

However, by the evening of Friday, July 15, he had called chairman Bill McCullough to inform him that he would not, after all, be leading Barrow into the upcoming season.

Hughes' shock decision was made after the training session, deeming the squad to have “too few players of Northern Premier League standard” – despite only training with a handful of the players who appeared at first-team level in the previous season.

The news left Barrow's McCullough “too upset to talk”, leaving vice-chairman Max Rattray to provide comment for the Evening Mail.

“What Hughes has put forward is an extremely harsh assessment, to say the least,” he said.

“One is bound to ask how a person can form an opinion based on first appearances.”

That week's national headlines were dominated by a more high-profile, though equally unexpected, managerial resignation.

England boss Don Revie spectacularly quit his post, claiming the job was “no longer worth all the aggravation”.

Revie revealed his decision in an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, leaving the FA to learn of his decision in the newspapers.

The former Leeds manager would then sign a lucrative contract to take over the United Arab Emirates national team, and never managed in England again.

Barrow sought to recover from their own shock managerial exit as quickly as possible – soon promoting Brian McManus to player/manager.