THIS Barnsley fan would never have thought that wearing a 20-year-old Reds’ shirt to last weekend’s game would lead to an invite to play for his hero but that is exactly what happened to David Driver.
David was contacted by ex-Reds’ striker, Bruce Dyer, after someone sent him David’s photo wearing the shirt which has Bruce’s name and number on the back.
Bruce shared the picture from last Saturday’s home game against AFC Wimbledon on his Facebook page in the hope that he could track the fan down.
David, of Winfield Road, Wath-upon-Dearne, was ‘flabbergasted’ when he received a message from Bruce asking him if he wanted to play in a legends’ match at Bruce’s Love Life Festival on Monday.
David, 44, said: “I’m a bit flabbergasted that it’s gone as far as it has.
“A close friend of mine drew my attention to the picture, I didn’t kow whether it was true at first that Bruce was trying to contact me, but my other half looked and there were rows and rows of comments trying to help him find this person.”
David said that season 20 years ago was the only one in which he decided to get a shirt with a player’s name and number on the back his choice being Dyer’s number ten.
“All my shirts religiously just have a number three on, because with a name on the back it will be out-of-date as soon as the player leaves,” David said.
“It’s one of a couple I own that are still presentable, so I decided to wear it to the first home game and we won 4-0, so I wore it again last weekend.”
David, who has had in the same seat for ‘nearly 20 years,’ said he had played football before at five-a-side and Sunday league level.
He will take to the pitch alongside a number of former Barnsley players at the Love Life Festival, which will coincide with the re-opening of Grimethorpe Miners’ Welfare Sports Ground.
Bruce recently took over the ground, and money raised on the day will go back into improving the facilities.
“If I can play some small part I’ll be happy, and it is for a great cause,” David said.
“With the way it happened, I can’t imagine it’s something that will ever come about again at any rate.”
Bruce, 43, said he was sent the picture ‘as a laugh,’ before he decided to share it on his page.
He said: “I didn’t think someone would still be wearing my number ten shirt in 2018, 20 years since I played for Barnsley.
“That’s a blessing to me that my talent was appreciated so much.
“We normally give away a spot in the charity match to someone in the community, but we hadn’t done it yet this year so I thought, there’s your person right there.”
The Love Life Festival takes place tomorrow at Grimethorpe Sports Ground from 1pm to 6pm, with the match kicking off at 3pm.
