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Earlier in his career Barry Venison had been the youngest ever captain
of Sunderland, leading the team out in the Milk Cup final at Wembley
aged only 20. He then went on to great success as part of the fabulous
Liverpool side of the late 80s, before joining Kevin Keegan's Newcastle
United revolution in the summer of 1992 for a fee of £250, 000. Venison
made his Newcastle debut alongside fellow new signings John Beresford
and Paul Bracewell in the team that beat Southend 3-2 on the opening day
of the 1992-93 season. A good performance that day was the catalyst for
a great start to the season, as the Magpies won their first eleven
league games.
This set a pace that would see them promoted to the
Premier League as Champions, their total of 96 points 8 clear of nearest
challengers West Ham United. Venison was almost an ever-present that
season, featuring in 44 of 46 league games. Barry's form continued the
following season, playing in all but one league game as Newcastle
enjoyed a terrific return to the top flight with a third place finish.
In the Magpies' splendid 2-0 victory at Anfield, both Venison and fellow
ex-Liverpool man Peter Beardsley were withdrawn late in the game, and
left the field to a standing ovation from all four sides of the ground.
While in his first season he played almost solely as a right-back,
Venison found himself filling a hole in central defence the following
year, to accommodate the improving Steve Watson's return to the side. He
later went on to play most of his football for Newcastle in a midfield
anchor role. Venison was so successful in this role that he won belated
England recognition under Terry Venables, his first cap coming at the
age of 30 against the United States.
Later, in the 1994-95 season, Barry
notched the only goal of his Newcastle career, a superb 20-yard strike
in a 3-1 victory over Aston Villa at St James' Park. Newcastle's form
slipped slightly by the end of 1994-95, and Venison was allowed to leave
St James' that summer for Turkish side Galatasary, as Kevin Keegan
freshened his squad. After a season in Turkey, Barry returned to England
with Southampton, but was forced to retire through injury after only 29
games for the Saints. In his Newcastle career, Venison made 130
appearances and scored just that one goal gaainst Villa. He was a solid
and reliable presence in both defence and midfield, and remained a
popular figure with the Newcastle fans throughout his time on Tyneside. (Martin Rowntree)
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