Mention the name of Tony Barras and the vast majority of York City fans will be transported back to a magical night at Old Trafford in September 1995.
Mention the name of Tony Barras and the vast majority of York City fans will be transported back to a magical night at Old Trafford in September 1995.
Stockton-born Barras had joined York from Stockport County the previous year after originally beginning his career at Hartlepool United. He then moved to Edgeley Park in 1990 before four years later arriving at Bootham Crescent. The commanding central defender went on to become a virtual ever-present for the Minstermen over the next five seasons.
He made his York debut in a Football League Cup tie at Burnley in August 1994 and continued to be a solid performer in the heart of their defence. He was duly rewarded for his efforts when being crowned as their ‘Clubman of the Year’ at the end of the 1996-97 season.
Barras was also a genuine threat in the opposition penalty and famously headed York’s third goal during a sensational 3-0 victory at Manchester United in a Coca-Cola Cup second round tie.
After in excess of two hundred senior appearances and fifteen goals for York, he signed for Reading in 1999 before later spells followed with Walsall and Notts County. Barras eventually finished his career at Macclesfield Town in 2005.
