Adam Hammill is hoping his former club Barnsley get promotion this season but believes new side Scunthorpe United can join them – especially if they continue their excellent recent form at Oakwell tomorrow.
The 30-year-old winger played 200 games for the Reds in three spells and is a fans’ favourite after scoring from long-range in both Wembley finals in 2016. He was released following relegation at the end of last season then came close to re-signing but the club decided against it.
Hammill then spent the first half of this season at St Mirren in the Scottish Premier League, scoring four goals in 13 appearances, before moving to Scunthorpe last month.Hammill told the Chronicle: “I am really looking forward to the game.
“I didn’t really get the send-off and the chance to say goodbye that I would have liked with it all happening so quickly last summer. So it will be great to see all my friends at Oakwell and all the fans.
“Everyone knows it is a club that means a huge amount to me but, when I cross that white line, I will be there to beat them. Myself and the Barnsley fans have always had a really good relationship but, between 3pm and 4.45pm on Saturday, we will be both be wanting different clubs to win.
“Hopefully I will still get a good reception after the game. It will be strange being in the away dressing room. I have done it before but that was before I came back for the second spell which was very special. Liverpool and Barnsley are still the two teams’ results I look for and I will always support them.”
After signing for the Iron, Hammill was an unused substitute for two games then scored a stunning late equaliser against Barnsley’s promotion rivals Sunderland after coming off his bench for his debut.
He said: “At the time I was just delighted to score on my debut and help Scunthorpe but then, in the dressing room, I was getting loads of texts and tweets from Barnsley fans thanking me and calling me ‘agent Hammill.’ I was really happy to help Barnsley as well.”
Even when he saw his family that evening, they were focused on the Reds who had won 4-1 at AFC Wimbledon. Hammill said: “I live on the same street as Mamadou Thiam. I still see him quite a lot and he knows all my family.
“When I came back from scoring for Scunthorpe, my two-year-old son ran up to me saying ‘Mama scored! Mama scored!’ and I said: ‘Daddy scored as well.’”
Hammill hosted chief executive Gauthier Ganaye and head coach Daniel Stendel at his house last summer when the Reds were considering re-signing him.
He said: “We were in talks for a few weeks but they decided I had no sell-on value. That is the way they want to go as a club and I respect that. I went up to St Mirren and really enjoyed it but it was vitally important to get back to near where my family live.”
Scunthorpe have won five out of six after being in the relegation zone. He said: “I keep looking back to what happened last time with Barnsley when we came from last place to go up and I hope it happens again.
“It should be a really good game against Barnsley who are doing really well this season. I still know most of their players and they are a great group of lads. They are playing some great football and they’re on a really good run.
“We will be looking to stop that on Saturday but, after that, I hope they go unbeaten all season and get in the top two.”
Ganaye has previously said that Hammill would be welcomed back in the future, possibly as a coach in the Oakwell academy.
“I would love to give something back to the club which has given me so much. I am doing my badges and I wouldn’t rule out coming back to the club at some point.”
