A Stanley hero has been honoured with a stand in his name at his favourite stadium.
The late Jack Barrett was the man credited with saving the Reds when he stood up and spoke out at a crucial meeting of club officials and fans in 1968.
His death earlier this year at the age of 88 was met with great sadness and tributes flooded in from supporters, friends and family.
The stand and a tribute plaque were unveiled at Stanley’s game against Burton Albion at the Store First Stadium.
The crowd at Saturday’s game included Jack’s son Stephen who was delighted with the fans’ reception.
He said: “The plaque and stand are wonderful, we are so grateful to the fans, the supporters club and the football club for the kind gesture.
“My dad would be very flattered by the honour, he would be absolutely overwhelmed.”
It was Jack’s intervention at the Accrington Town Hall meeting that set the ball rolling on the reformation of the club, which now plays in League Two. The club had been facing the prospect of extinction after the club was disbanded in 1966.
University lecturer Stephen, 55, who now lives in Northumberland, said the emotion last weekend took him back to those early Stanley days when his dad was greatly involved in bringing back the club. He said: “It just brought back so many memories of the seventies when I was a school boy, it made me think about those days going to games with my dad and seeing him build up the club.”
Neil McGuinness, chairman of Accrington Stanley Official Supporters Club, said Mr Barrett was ‘fundamental’ in rescuing the club.
He said: “He left one massive legacy and that was the football club itself. He was its saviour. Legend is a word banded around quite a lot for high profile sports stars but he was a working man who had a dream and brought it to reality.”
