53 Barry Diamond

Position : Forward

Played : 1984-5 to 1985-6

Appearances : 52

Goals : 16

Not the worst but probably the most unpopular player in our survey, Barry would still get booed if he showed his face at Spotland today. Barry came to Rochdale with Vic Halom from Barrow having scored an impressive 36 goals in 55 appearances in his second spell with them.

He took quite a while to adjust to League football and didn't score a league goal until October but he improved once he had Steve Taylor alongside him and just pipped him to be leading scorer with 15. In the summer of 1985 we signed Ronnie Moore and Barry played on the right wing while Dave Thompson was trying to impress at Old Trafford but when Tommo returned he was out in the cold. Halom took the fateful decision to loan him to Stockport and then crazily we allowed him to take the field against us on Boxing Day 1985. Barry comprehensively burned his bridges by getting Joe Cooke sent off, diving for their two penalties and laughing at the fans. It's notable that Stockport didn't let him take either penalty and in fact he didn't score in his six games for them. When his loan expired with Stockport no longer interested a transfer to Halifax was quickly arranged; it's doubtful if he ever set foot in Spotland again.

He scored 3 in 12 for them that season but those turned out to be his last league goals.
After 10 more goalless games in 1986-7 , he went on loan to Wrexham and played 4 more barren games there before dropping back into non-league with Gainsborough Trinity. Thereafter he became a serious nomad having spells at Colne, Morecambe, Mossley (twice), Hyde, Altrincham, Chorley, Horwich and Rossendale before finally finishing up at Castleton Gabriels where he played into his forties. Maybe he sometimes wondered how long he could have stayed up the road if he hadn't been such a silly boy ?