Barrie Hole
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Birth name | Barrington Gerard Hole | ||
| Date of birth | 16 September 1942 | ||
| Place of birth | Swansea, Wales | ||
| Date of death | 25 March 2019 (aged 76) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1959–1966 | Cardiff City | 208 | (16) |
| 1966–1968 | Blackburn Rovers | 79 | (13) |
| 1968–1970 | Aston Villa | 47 | (6) |
| 1970–1972 | Swansea City | 78 | (3) |
| Total | 412 | (38) | |
| International career | |||
| 1963–1970 | Wales | 30 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Barrington Gerard Hole (16 September 1942 – 25 March 2019[1]) was a Welsh professional footballer who played as a midfielder. A Wales international, he began his career with Cardiff City and made his professional debut as a teenager.
Career
[edit]Hole's father Billy had been a professional footballer and played for Swansea Town before World War II, making over 400 appearances and playing in the club's first ever fixture in The Football League. His older brothers Colin and Alan had also both played for their hometown club Swansea, although Colin never made a first team appearance.[2] Barrie did not initially follow the family tradition and instead joined their rivals Cardiff City. He made his league debut as a seventeen-year-old during a 4–3 victory over Luton Town in February 1960 during a season when Cardiff gained promotion to the first division.[3] Soon establishing himself in the Bluebirds side, even playing as an emergency striker on occasions, he was a vital member of the side, including being ever present during the 1964–65 season. During his time at Ninian Park, Hole made his debut for the Welsh national team in 1963 in a British Home Championship game against Northern Ireland which Wales won 4–1.[4] Hole had become a regular for the national team when he was signed by Blackburn Rovers in July 1966 for £40,000.
After just two years at Blackburn he moved, this time to Aston Villa under the management of Tommy Cummings for £60,000 in September 1968. In 1969, Hole won the Aston Villa Lions Club Terrace Trophy for the best player at Aston Villa as decided by the fans.[5] In May 1970, Hole was signed to Swansea City by then manager Roy Bentley for £20,000. It was during his time here that Hole played his last match for Wales, a Euros qualifier against Romania which was a 0–0 draw.[6] Hole played for Swansea for two years before fully retiring from football in May 1972.
After retiring from football he ran a newsagents in Swansea before selling it in 2004.[7]
Barrie died in March 2019 aged 76.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ Barrie Hole death notice
- ^ "It's a Family Affair". Swansea City A.F.C. 21 March 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
- ^ Hayes, Dean (2006). The Who's Who of Cardiff City. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 90. ISBN 1-85983-462-0.
- ^ "Barrie Hole, footballer". 12 October 2012. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
- ^ "Special feature: The former Aston Villa and Notts County star showing plenty of pluck". Birmingham Live. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
- ^ "Wales v Romania, 11 November 1970". Retrieved 8 February 2021.
- ^ "Past players" Archived 2008-11-03 at the Wayback Machine Swanseacityafc.co.uk Retrieved on 16 April 2008
- ^ "Barrie Hole: Former Wales international midfielder dies aged 76". BBC. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
- 1942 births
- 2019 deaths
- Footballers from Swansea
- Welsh men's footballers
- Wales men's international footballers
- Wales men's under-23 international footballers
- Cardiff City F.C. players
- Blackburn Rovers F.C. players
- Aston Villa F.C. players
- Swansea City A.F.C. players
- English Football League players
- Men's association football midfielders