The first week of September will give Barnsley fans the chance to relive the most famous era in the club's history.
Daydream Believers, a feature length film created by GRAFT Agency, is set to be premiered at The Lamproom theatre on September 2, with showings there on September 3, 7 and 8 and DVDs released later in the year. The film – which focuses on the impact the Reds' promotion to the top flight in 1997 had on the town – has almost been completed, with a narration from actor and Barnsley fan Shaun Dooley set to be added. Proceeds from the film will be donated to local charities.
The film-makers interviewed then chairman John Dennis, manager Danny Wilson, assistant Eric Winstanley as well as various players including John Hendrie, Adi Moses, Nicky Eaden, and Arjan De Zeeuw. They also spoke to Ken Loach, the director of Barnsley-based film Kes, football writer Henry Winter, officials from the National Union of Miners and various Reds fans.
Liam Dyson, co-founder of GRAFT and the film's producer, said: "The key principle is what the football club's success did for a town which was really struggling and which hadn't had much joy for a long time. The promotion brought some belief and excitement to a place which had been hit very hard.
"It's the most successful time in the club's history and it will possibly never be repeated. We wanted it to be formally documented especially as there is a new generation of fans coming through who can't remember that period and some weren't even born. We want to put those memories back into the consciousness of Barnsley fans. I was eight or nine years old at that time so those players are all my heroes. It was eye-opening and humbling to speak to them and realise what the club and those memories mean to them."
Dennis, the chairman during the rise to the top flight, believes it is vital that future generations have a documented history of that era to look back on. He said: "The film was a lot of fun to be involved with and I can't wait to see it. The film-makers came up with an exceptional concept and put a huge amount of work into it. It is a must-see for all Barnsley supporters and even for people who don't like football but are interested in the history of the town."
The film-makers could not interview Clint Marcelle, despite making contact with the Trinidadian forward who scored the goal which secured the promotion with a 2-0 win over Bradford City. Dyson said: "We were so close. We were communicating with Clint on Facebook and we had a date confirmed to fly over to Port of Spain but, at the last minute, there was a clash of diaries and we had to cancel it. It was disappointing but we're hoping to rearrange it and release a one-off interview with him. We have plenty of other good interviews and lots of insight."
Another key character in the film is Mark McGhee, the then Wolverhampton Wanderers boss who became a pantomime villain after claiming his side would be a better addition to the top flight than the Reds who he said would be 'thrown to the sharks'.
Dennis, who grew up as a Reds fan when his father Ernest was in charge of the club, said: "Standing on the Town Hall steps, hearing 10,000 people sing 'cheer up Mark McGhee' in the pouring rain, it brought a tear to my eye and a shiver down the spine. That promotion was the first good news for the town in a long, long time. For those of us who were there during that era, it will stay with us until the day that we die."
Tickets for the showings will be on sale via The Lamproom from Monday and DVDs are available to order at www.daydream-believers.co.uk.
