page revision date :
Barrie loves being involved at the Bridge Meadow
Football has always been Barrie Webb’s first sporting love and after 28 years devoted to being a football referee he now serves Haverfordwest County well as a key member of their back room staff where his main duty is to make sure that security at the ground is good on match days, where he is in charge of the stewards.
Barrie has to brief them about safety issues so everyone knows what their role is and would have to lead the way if an evacuation of the ground was ever needed, not only with reference to the crowd but also the players and match officials – and it is a job that he takes very seriously indeed. He has been particularly busy in recent months because of the extra games that have been played on the Bridge Meadow, especially the international matches that have come about as a result of the club’s growing reputation for hosting games well.
Busy spell for Barrie and Co
This was particularly evident in one recent eight-day spell where Haverfordwest County played host to the Wales versus Belgium ladies’ international in the world cup on a Saturday, then Russia took on Iceland at under 17 level in midweek, followed by the Wales v Russia match in the same age group on the Saturday. All went smoothly and club chairman Rob Summons said of Barry,
“It is nice to know that with the multitude of jobs needed at such matches I can rely on Barrie to carry out his duties quietly and efficiently. We needed extra stewards for these games and Barrie made sure that they all knew what they had to do so the job was well done.”
Last match referee
Coincidentally, Barrie refereed the very last match on the old Bridge Meadow Stadium when Roger Cotterell put out a team as club chairman against a team selected by Bron Price, who use to run the bar. Appropriately called Roger’s Rabbits and Bronwyn’s Bunnies, it was a fun match but Barrie was shocked nonetheless when he spotted his wife Rhiannon coming down the steps onto the pitch in full kit, with a handbag draped neatly over her shoulder to keep her lipstick and cigarettes close at hand!
Barrie had also began his involvement as a referee when he attended a match at the old Bridge Meadow on a freezing cold winter day in 1975 and watched Eddie Oliver in the middle. Barrie had played football for works teams in friendlies but Eddie persuaded him that he could do a good job as a ref and before he knew it Barrie was attending a course organised by Pedr McMullen and taking charge of his first match, a junior game where Narberth beat Johnston 21-1!
Welsh league antics
His first senior match soon followed and by 1988 he was running the line in the Welsh League, with Pedr McMullen and Danny Thomas as the two other Pembrokeshire officials involved. To achieve this position he had to be assessed and then attend a meeting with John Gow in Swansea where the refs’ supremo fired questions at him to test his knowledge of the laws. From then on the Pembrokeshire Trio, as they were known, often went to matches together, with Barrie picking up the other two in Pembroke and then depositing them back there, usually after Danny and Pedr having a pint (or three!) on a stop at Carmarthen Town’s club on the way back.
There was always a great deal of fun and none more so than on the occasion where Pedr was to take charge of a Welsh League match involving South Wales Police, at their sports complex at Waterton Cross in Bridgend. Pedr sent Barrie and Danny into check the police team’s studs, which they duly did, but it was only when they were close to completion that they realised they had checked an awful lot of footwear – and were in fact checking the South Wales Police RUGBY team which was also playing at Waterton Cross that day!
Barrie officiated in five divisional finals in his time as referee and was twice chosen as a linesman for the Senior Cup Final but never managed to officiate at the final. He was, however, chosen as fourth official for a Football League Division Two match between Swansea City and Bury at the old Vetch Field where Eton schoolmaster David Ellery was referee. Rhiannon went with him for his big day and one of the interesting features of the day was trying to keep Frank Burrows, the irrepressible Scot who managed the Swans, from shouting comments which had their share of bad language!
Back with the Bluebirds
Barrie finally hung up his ref’s boots in 2003 and immediately got involved again at Haverfordwest County, where he had been previously on the committee from 1995 to 1998 but had to stop because he was still involved as a referee. He has been heavily involved ever since and as well as his role as Security Officer he is also the secretary of the Supporters’ Association and last season attended every away match with the small group of dedicated supporters who set out in a mini-bus and cheer the Bluebirds on wherever they play. Not content with that little lot, Barrie also helps David Hughes organise the club’s annual presentation dinner and even recruits Rhiannon to do the floral table decorations!
Bowling honours
He and Rhiannon also played bowls for some time and he is naturally proud of the fact that Rhiannon represented Wales in the indoor version of the game when they took on England, Scotland and Ireland at Blackpool, with his better half playing at No 2 in a rink comprising Rita Jones, Janet Ackland and Mary Thomas. Barrie would describe his own play as ‘average’ but he represented the British Civil Service team against New Zealand and Scotland, with Peter Howells as his partner. He and Rhiannon also used to organise bowling tours to the Torquay area for 15 years, which were popular with players from this area.
Book-writing challenge
But undoubtedly his most interesting sporting challenge at the moment is the fact that he is writing a book on Haverfordwest County and some of the older clubs in the county town and has spent a great deal of time researching the necessary information at the records office. He has so far tackled from 1899 to 1947 and has really enjoyed the work involved – and is lucky to have some anecdotal evidence from then on with a couple of stalwarts at the Bridge Meadow. He plans to have the book completed in about 18 months and it will undoubtedly prove a good read for anyone who loves football in general and Haverfordwest County in particular.
It will nicely round off a great deal of dedication to the Bluebirds and he says that he still loves being involved at the club and will continue for as long as he is needed. Club chairman Rob Summons says of Barrie,
“It is great to have someone like Barrie Webb involved because he always carries out a job to completion and can be relied upon because he is always enthusiastic about everything we do. He is an integral part of the backroom team and long may he continue.”
We could pay Barrie no higher tribute and are confident that Barrie will be as busy as ever at the Bridge Meadow Stadium for many years to come!
| 
