By Rob Hadgraft

‘AFTER LUTON I WAS ON THE SCRAP HEAP!’

As a kid Barry Fry was a superstar of Bedfordshire youth football. He went on to spend a lifetime in the game, most of it at professional level, but his time on Luton Town’s books proved short and not particularly sweet.

Barry was the only child of Frank and Dora Fry, and grew up in the Elstow area of Bedford. A big Wolves fan in his youth, he regularly played for Elstow Abbey aged 14 against men’s teams. One season he banged in 60 goals and was picked for Beds & District sides and London Schoolboys. Trials for England followed and he won caps at schoolboy and youth level, including at Wembley against Scotland in front of 93,000. Among his teammates was David Pleat.

Luton had their eyes on Barry while he trained under Ronnie Rooke at Bedford Town, but lost out when Manchester United swooped and offered him an apprenticeship. Barry went straight into United’s youth and ‘A’ teams, becoming good friends with George Best. In 1962 he was handed a two-year pro contract by Matt Busby, who told the local press Barry was on his way to becoming Northern England’s answer to Jimmy Greaves. He made the first-team squad for a couple of big games, but when his contract expired in 1964 he was released and joined Bolton on a ‘free’.

Still a teenager, Bolton paid him a £5,000 signing-on fee and off he shot to purchase a brand new Datsun! But things soon turned sour and he fell out with manager Bill Ridding. After just three games and one goal he was released.

By now Luton had sunk from First to Fourth Division and needed new faces. Manager George Martin invited Barry to come home to Bedfordshire on a two-month trial. Barry would recall: “I was going home anyway. There was nowhere else to go.”

Martin told him his five years up north hadn’t amounted to much and he’d have been better off joining Luton straight from school. He handed Baz the Luton No.7 shirt, vacated by long-term injury victim David Pleat, and he debuted at the start of 1965-66 on rain-soaked Kenilworth Road in a 3-1 win over Bradford Park Avenue.

Town wore all-white kit that day and John Moore also made his debut. Baz did well in the unfamiliar role of right-winger, and in one raid was tripped by Kevin Hector, for which the future England star was booked. This was the day substitutes were introduced for the first time in English football, but Luton’s Gordon Riddick was not called upon.

'Baz' failed to secure a regular spot after Graham French came into the side and goalkeeper Tony Read was converted to centre-forward duties. Luton missed promotion on goal average and Barry was again released. In his own words: “I was on the scrap heap. Finished. Caput. Not a single league club wanted me.”

Aged 21, he took a job delivering roller towels for Advance Linen (Kempston) while playing non-league for Gravesend. Things looked up after he was recruited by Leyton Orient, who were so hard up they asked him not only to play, but be ‘bucket and sponge man’ and supervise training. It provided a taste for management and for around 25 years he moved around the non-league circuit building a reputation. His return to the big time came in the early 1990s, managing Barnet, Southend, Birmingham and Peterborough. He became famous throughout British football for his cheeky-chappie public image and lively relationships with owners and administrators.

Barry will be 81 in a few days’ time, has survived two heart attacks, and is as cheerful and approachable as ever. Strange how he has lived in Bedfordshire nearly all his life, yet his time at Luton only amounted to a few months plus a short spell scouting for David Pleat.

Below: All laughs before a friendly against Dunstable Town, October 1975 (L to R: Barry Fry, George Best, Andy King, Peter Anderson, Alan West and Harry Haslam).