RIMMINGTON, Norman

Norman Rimmington was once introduced to Sir Alex Ferguson. "Of course I know who you are," said Ferguson. "You're more famous than me!"  So, that's official then. The 84-year-old Barnsley stalwart is not just an Oakwell institution - he's bigger than Fergie.

In an incredible 65+ years at the club Rimmo has been a goalkeeper, coach, assistant manager, groundsman, physiotherapist and kit manager.

You can tell that Norman was a goalkeeper. Tom Finney once bagged a hat-trick against him, and he remembers Alf Ramsey scoring his first league goal from the penalty spot. He retired as a player in 1957, somewhat battered and bruised. He says: "I got walloped and hammered. I'd had my finger broken, my thumb, injured my leg, and I dislocated my shoulder."

In the following half-century, he's been with the Tykes through thick and thin. And there's been a lot of thin. In the early 1970s there were four seasons in the bottom half of the old Fourth Division."It was a very bad period," he recalls. "We were desperate for cash, the gates were down and we were having to perform miracles with players we'd got on free transfers. It seemed to be a losing battle. I got offers from other clubs but when you are from Barnsley, you don't want to leave.

The two best periods were in the late 70s under Allan Clarke and when Danny Wilson's exciting team took them into the Premier League for the first and only time in the 90s.

When Rimmo reached retirement, he told the club that he could no longer "belt on to the field" to treat injured players. He was asked to become kit manager and accepted on one condition: "I told them I didn't want to go to away matches. I was pig-sick of hotels. All you do is mooch around killing time. It's deadly."

"I can't stand being at home. I've seen so many great players come through. I remember Mick McCarthy as a 15-year-old. "And I remember drawing against Man United when I was coach. We also drew at Anfield in the League Cup against Dalglish and Rushie's team.

It is clear that Norman Rimmington deserves the title of Mr Barnsley and deserves his place in the Oakwell Hall of Fame