Brian Arrowsmith
English footballer and manager (1940–2020)
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Brian Arrowsmith (2 July 1940 – 12 April 2020) was an English footballer and manager. Born in Barrow-in-Furness, he spent his entire professional career at his hometown club Barrow.[2] He made 512 appearances for Barrow, including 378 in the Football League, the most at that level for the club.[2][1]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Brian Arrowsmith | ||
| Date of birth | 2 July 1940 | ||
| Place of birth | Barrow-in-Furness, Lancashire, England | ||
| Date of death | 12 April 2020 (aged 79) | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Vickers Sports Club | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1961–1971 | Barrow | 378[1] | (3) |
| 1971–1974 | Netherfield | ? | (?) |
| 1974–1978 | Barrow | 134 | (?) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1974–1975 | Barrow | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Arrowsmith started his career as a right back, but played across the defence when required.[2] He captained Barrow during the 1966–67 season in which they won promotion from the Fourth Division,[3][4] and stayed with the club for a total of eleven seasons.[2] After leaving Barrow in 1971 Arrowsmith joined Northern Premier League club Netherfield,[5][6] but returned to Barrow – who by then had been voted out of the Football League and placed in the Northern Premier League themselves – in 1974 as player-manager.[2] He resigned as manager in November 1975, but continued playing for the club until 1978.[5]
After retiring from football, Arrowsmith ran a DIY shop in Barrow, regularly attending Barrow matches as a fan. His son, Mark, made six appearances for Barrow in the 1980s.[5] In January 2017, the main stand at Barrow's Holker Street stadium was renamed the Brian Arrowsmith Stand in his honour.[7]
Arrowsmith died in hospital on Easter Sunday in 2020 having contracted COVID-19.[8]