I would like to have ended my career at Barnsley – Neil Redfearn

When Neil Redfearn joined Barnsley as a “headstrong” 26-year-old, it was his seventh club so it speaks volumes that he wishes he stayed longer than his seven years. Sold to Charlton Athletic for £1m after Premier League relegation, he had hoped to return to the top-flight, retire and go into coaching at Oakwell.

Instead, Redfearn came back to Yorkshire with another club excited by the novelty of the Premier League. Bradford City had been in the top division before, but not since 1922.

“I was that driven at that age, I was desperate to play and didn’t see the bigger picture,” says Redfearn of his early years.

In part one of his exclusive The Yorkshire Post interview, he spoke of obsessing about scoring at Doncaster Rovers. If it became a feature of the midfielder’s career, so did transfers.

From Doncaster he joined Crystal Palace, scoring their first Wembley goal in the Mercantile Credit Trophy. When they just missed the Division Two play-offs, he was sold to Watford.

“At Palace I played a lot of games and scored a lot of goals but I felt like I was wasted in a wide area and I was always the one subbed,” he reflects. “I joined Watford in mid-season but it wasn’t always a given I’d play. I was a bit hot-headed but there were always managers who wanted me because they knew I had ability.

“I was at Oldham Athletic two-and-a-bit seasons, we played two FA Cup semi-finals, really (they took Manchester United to a replay in 1990), a League Cup final and won Division Two. We played some great football and the plastic pitch used to suit me because it was very difficult to close players down, flat and fast. You could trust the bounce and if, like me, you could shoot from distance it was like shooting fish in a barrel some days.”

Cup-tied for the 1990 League Cup final, Redfearn hit the crossbar in extra-time against Manchester United, as Nick Henry did in the replay. “It must have dropped a foot over the line,” protests Redfearn.

“A little bit of a fall-out” with Joe Royle saw him join Barnsley.

“We drew 1-1 with Derby in my first game (the Reds’ seventh) and doubled our points tally!” he recalls. “We finished safe (16th) but it was a struggle. The season after, Mel Machin got the sack.”

Redfearn believes that was pivotal, less for the arrival of player-manager Viv Anderson, more the man he brought with him from Sheffield Wednesday.

“Danny Wilson was brilliant for Barnsley,” says Redfearn. “His biggest influence was probably as player-coach. He was a strong personality with a real determination. When Viv went (in 1994), we were delighted Danny got the job because we could see what a leader he was. He was a good people-person, someone you wanted to play for, and we loved his positivity.

“Every now and again you play in a side with a great way about it. Before a game you’d have a really good feeling and if you lost, you’d just move on. We had a good confidence, we played some great football and it was a proud moment getting the club into the Premier League.”

Redfearn was a central figure, scoring 17 league goals from the middle of midfield and 14 in the top-flight – including the club’s first at that level, at West Ham United. Cavalier Barnsley had 10 wins but only five draws and a minus 45 goal difference.

“I think initially there was a bit of sympathy,” he recalls. “But when we won at Anfield (1-0 in November 1997) I think people started to appreciate our football. We knocked Bolton, Tottenham and Manchester United out of the FA Cup and went toe-to-toe. We got more and more confident and determined as the season went on and were unlucky to go down. Bradford only won one point more when they stayed up.

“I was thinking we would breeze back up because we were miles better than anyone in the division below but at 32 the powers-that-be thought they could get £1m for me.

“I would have liked to have finished my career and become part of the coaching staff.

“At Barnsley we had three men in midfield and it was geared for me to be in and around the box. Charlton stuck me in a 4-4-2. It’s much harder to get goals, you have different responsibilities.”

Joining Bradford 12 months later was more enjoyable, although he had gone when David Wetherall famously kept the Bantams up.

“We were really formidable at Valley Parade, a tight ground with a great atmosphere,” reflects Redfearn. “We had some really good players – Stuart McCall, Peter Beagrie, Robbie Blake, Dean Saunders, Andy O’Brien – a mix of experience and youth, and a good way of playing. I’d been involved in games where we toughed it out in the winter so I definitely felt I’d contributed.

“Paul Jewell recruited really well before that season but once Geoffrey Richmond (the chairman) brought in the likes of (Dan) Petrescu, (Benito) Carbone and (Stan) Collymore, Paul didn’t seem to have the same control.”

By then Redfearn was at ambitious third-tier Wigan.

“We got to the play-off final and were beaten by Gillingham,” he explains. “Dave Whelan the chairman played with my dad (Brian) at Blackburn. He had the money and the know-how and got them to the Premier League.”

It was another fairytale Redfearn missed, by then in transition from player to coach, but he had already had his fair share at Barnsley.