I enjoyed Richard Williams’ excellent piece about my older brother Barry Hines’ football novel The Blinder (Sport, 26 March), and I can confirm Barry did play for Barnsley A team. He also played one game for Barnsley reserves – away from home against Stoke. His only memory of that game was being booed by the Stoke fans for a reckless tackle.
Barry did not have a trial for Manchester United, as suggested in Williams’ piece, but he was invited to take part in one. I was 11 when a United scout, who wore an overcoat and trilby, knocked on our door, and I recall how my pride turned to dismay when Barry turned down the offer of a trial because he wanted to become a PE teacher. When he taught in London, Barry played semi-professional football for Crawley Town before he returned to teach in Yorkshire, where he played for Stocksbridge, the former team of the Leicester and England player Jamie Vardy.
Richard Hines
Sheffield
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