RIP Dave Barlow

[ManchesterMagpie]

I am sad to have to report the sudden loss of another member of the Magpie family, my old friend Dave Barlow who passed away last weekend following a heart attack at his home in St Annes, Nottingham.

Dave was a long standing officer in the Boys Brigade and that's how I got to know him as a kid growing up in Clifton in the 1970s/80s where he was based at the 45th Company, Holy Trinity. He was a loyal Notts fan for many, many years and used to travel the length and breadth of the country watching his beloved 'Pies. He actually drove me to my first few away matches in the late 70s / early 80s, once travelling all the way to West Ham in his Reliant Robin three-wheeler! Bloody thing was blowing all over the road every time there was a gust of wind - scared me sh!tless it did!

We also shared our first trip to Wembley a few years later when Notts played Tranmere in the play-off final. Thankfully Dave had progressed to a 4-wheeled vehicle by then and 4 of us squeezed into his new Ford Fiesta for the trip down the M1 and a promotion winning victory for the Pies. By the time Notts played Spurs in that FA Cup Quarter Final in 1991 he had set up his own mini-bus business and drove a load of us to White Hart Lane for the big match. He wasn't the slimmest bloke in the world but for many years he would sometimes cycle to matches and could often be spotted in his lycra and crash helmet, chaining his bike up outside Meadow Lane and even at some fairly distant away grounds.

I think Dave would by now have been in his late 70s or early 80s. He leaves behind is loyal wife Janet - another prominent member of the Nottingham Boys Brigade and long-standing Notts fan. I have no doubt Dave and/or Janet will be known to many fellow Notts fans - at least by sight if not by name.

Funeral details are yet to be announced.

RIP Dave.

[marshall55]

God bless.

[countygump]

God bless.

R.I.P. David.