Huddersfield Town icon and ex-Sheffield Wednesday man Jordan Rhodes makes Barnsley FC admission
EFL icon and ex-Huddersfield Town star Jordan Rhodes makes Barnsley admission
EFL icon Jordan Rhodes has conceded it would have been “lovely” to have signed for Barnsley during his senior career.
The 36-year-old called time on his playing career back in September, hanging up his boots after a goal-laden 18 years in the professional game.
Formerly one of the most revered marksmen below Premier League level, Rhodes represented the likes of Huddersfield Town, Sheffield Wednesday and Middlesbrough.
He had started his footballing journey in Barnsley’s academy, later moving into the senior game with Ipswich Town. Rhodes supported the Reds as a child, but never got the chance to represent them as a senior professional.
Jordan Rhodes’ Barnsley admission
When asked by the Barnsley Chronicle if he ever came close to an Oakwell return, he said: “Unfortunately not. It would have been lovely to go full-circle and put on the red jersey but it never really came up in conversations.
“I was a Barnsley fan once upon a time, when I was in the junior ranks from under-9s from under-14s. I had a season ticket and used to go to pretty much every home game. Those were the days when Bruce Dyer, Mike Sheron and Rory Fallon were up front.
“I really enjoyed my time there. The facilities were ahead of their time. Being in a football family, you move around the country a lot and that’s why we left. I watched some of the Blackburn loan lads at Oakwell last season and it’s always a nice club to go back to.”
Rhodes is now employed as the loans manager at Blackburn Rovers, another of his former clubs. He also lives in Barnsley and is an ambassador for local non-league club Penistone Church.
He said: “They are doing well. They had 1,000 fans for a game towards the end of last season which is terrific.
“My role is a figurehead role mainly. My job at Blackburn and having a young family takes up a lot of time but I will do whatever I can to help – whether that’s coaching junior teams or joining in with first-team training sessions.”