Marc Roberts thought his chances of playing for his hometown club had gone when he broke his ankle on the eve of an Oakwell trial at 17 – but he is delighted to have secured a dream move to Barnsley, who chased him for a year.
The 24-year-old centre-back from Penistone – signed on a three-year deal this week – was a free agent after leaving Conference side Halifax, who rejected a Reds bid for him last August as well as another from Championship club Birmingham in January.
The Reds are hoping he will become a mainstay of a defence which currently contains only highly-rated teenagers such as Mason Holgate while Barnsley have been linked with another Conference centre-back in Grimsby's Shaun Pearson and have offered a new deal to Lewin Nyatanga.
Several other clubs in the third and second tiers made offers for free agent Roberts, who has lived in Penistone all his life, but he was swayed by Reds head coach Lee Johnson.
Roberts told the Chronicle: "The main reason I chose Barnsley was the gaffer. The location was a bonus. "I had offers from other clubs further afield and Barnsley came in quite late.
"I went to meet Lee and had a long chat. He told me his ambitions for the club and for me. He really impressed me and that's what got me to sign. But what better place to come than Barnsley?
"I have always kept an eye out for their results. I've never really been a regular fan but I have got a lot of friends who support them and I have been to Oakwell to watch a few games."
Roberts – who was a few years above England international John Stones and current Barnsley left-back George Smith at Penistone Grammar School – was never in a professional club's academy as a youngster.
He played for Barnsley Boys and then Barnsley College where he earned a trial with the Reds as a 17-year-old. But the broken ankle left him heart-broken and forced him to move into non-league football while surviving on money from part-time coaching jobs.
Roberts played for Wakefield, Worksop and Buxton in the Evo-Stik League, the same level as Barnsley club Shaw Lane Aquaforce, until signing for Halifax in 2013. He played 95 games for the Shaymen, in which he netted ten goals, before his contract ran out this month.
Roberts said: "I broke my ankle and I thought my chances with Barnsley might have gone but I kept trying and all my focus has been on becoming a professional fooballer. I am 24 now so I was close to missing the boat. It's been hard work and I've done it the long way round but I have got there in the end. I am delighted to have got my chance and I can't wait to get started."
Describing himself, Roberts said: "I am an old-fashioned centre-half. "I am big, strong and won't lose many headers. I am competitive and I like to chip in with a few goals. I am quite a quiet lad outside of football but I try to be vocal on the pitch. You can't afford to be quiet, you have to be a leader.
"I know it's going to be a big step up to League One but I also know that, if I do the right things, I will get my chance to play. It will be a difficult transition early on but I will benefit from training every day and the gaffer at Barnsley can improve me a lot."
