Position : Midfield
Played : 1996-97 to 1997-98
Appearances : 66
Goals : 8
Andy was signed on a free from Blackpool for whom he'd made 148 appearances since his debut in 1990.
Andy had loads of energy but no finesse. He was a typical Barrow midfield man who won the ball then ballooned it forwards. As a friend said to me "he's the sort you want when you're 1-0 up at Burnley". He was christened "Fat Bob" in reference to his resemblance to John Thompson. In his first season he was something of an understudy to John Deary making a lot of substitute appearances but after Deary's departure he had a regular place and started scoring more often including both goals in a 2-0 win over Cambridge in February 1998. Why he was released and Mark Bailey retained in May 1998 is unfathomable.
Andy's League career was over but he had a long stint in the Conference first with Southport then Morecambe and Accrington combining football with a new career as a social worker. He had a moment of glory in the FA Cup for Accrington in 2003 when he scored a late winner with a fabulous volley in a televised game against Huddersfield. This was soon followed by a driving ban for DU I. He left Accrington in 2004 and played for Fleetwood for a couple more seasons. He still plays for Bloomfield Veterans who are managed by his father.
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