Sports Mail nostalgia: When ‘stylish’ Portsmouth cruised to victory at Barnsley

In the build-up to every Pompey first team fixture in 2022/23, Roger Holmes will be looking back at a corresponding match by featuring an archive Sports Mail front cover and an inside page here at portsmouth.co.uk

Roger almost certainly boasts the largest collection of Sports Mails among Pompey fans - he has over 3,000 of them.

He wrote a weekly nostalgia page in the Sports Mail for most of the 21st century, right up until the end of last season.

With the Blues visiting Barnsley on Saturday, Roger looks back to a comfortable victory in south Yorkshire 38 years ago …

*

Mark Hateley’s 21st goal of the season helped power Pompey to an emphatic win at Barnsley on March 17, 1984.

In front of a crowd of 7,030 at Oakwell, Hateley began the Tykes’ downfall by burying Colin Sullivan’s floating cross with a typically clinical header on the half-hour mark.

The home side had a chance to level on 51 minutes after Bobby Doyle brought down Winston Campbell in the area, but Stuart Gray sent a weak penalty a yard wide.

Alan Biley smashed home Neil Webb’s neat chip from the byline in the 64th minute. And when Hateley’s shot bounced off the bar six minutes later, Webb hurled himself at the ball to score with a diving header.

Pompey: Alan Knight, John McLaughlin, Colin Sullivan, Bobby Doyle, Mick Tait, Malcolm Waldron, Neil Webb, Kevin Dillon, Mark Hateley, Alan Biley, Gary Stanley.

In their first season back in the second tier, Pompey finished seventh from bottom, seven points above the relegation zone. Barnsley ended up two places and three points above the Blues.

*

‘I’ll be back,’ vowed Pompey centre-half Steve Aizlewood, who was dropped for the trip to Barnsley by manager Bobby Campbell.

It was the first time that the Welshman had been left out of a team since he was a schoolboy with Newport County 15 years earlier.

*

Manchester United went top of the First Division table after beating Arsenal 4-0 at Old Trafford. Arnold Muhren, whose brace included a penalty, Frank Stapleton and Bryan Robson were on target.

Ron Atkinson’s men overtook Liverpool, who had lost 2-0 against Southampton at The Dell the previous night in a game shown live on the BBC.

Gordon Davies scored four goals in Fulham’s 5-1 drubbing of Manchester City at Craven Cottage in Division Two.

Brighton won 3-0 at Derby in the second tier while AFC Bournemouth lost 1-0 at Plymouth Argyle in Division Three.

Aldershot were beaten 3-0 by Tranmere Rovers at Prenton Park in Division Four.

*

Former Pompey striker Trevor Senior overtook Liverpool’s Ian Rush as the Football League’s leading scorer. He took his tally to 35 when he netted his second goal against Northampton Town in a Division Four fixture.

*

In the Southern League, two Cheltenham goals in six first-half minutes – one a controversial penalty – plunged Gosport Borough back into relegation trouble at Privett Park. The visitors eventually ran out 3-0 winners.

Road Sea beat Canterbury 2-1 at home while Waterlooville claimed a 2-1 win over Crawley at Jubilee Park.

Fareham Town Reserves were beaten 1-0 at home by Newport in the Hampshire League.

*

The 130th University Boat Race was postponed until the next day following an unprecedented accident on the Tideway.

The Cambridge crew were near Putney Bridge warming up when they rowed straight into a tug and their boat virtually snapped in half.

Oxford won the following day’s race by almost four lengths.

*

In rugby Howell Davies, the Welsh full-back, kicked 14 points to set a new season’s record for his country who beat England 24-15 at Twickenham. Scotland, the eventual Grand Slam champions, beat France 21-12 at Murrayfields.