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Nice-guy Anthony Barness was a surprise addition to Chelsea's squad when
he joined the Blues from Charlton Athletic for £350, 000 in September
1992, to begin what would prove to be a tortuous four-year spell at
Stamford Bridge. The match in which he made his debut for the club might
have given some indication of the rough ride ahead as he took his place
in the Chelsea side which capitulated to a 3-2 defeat at home to
Norwich City after leading 2-0 at half-time. Whilst the following day's
headlines concentrated on a disastrous day for keeper Dave Beasant and
manager Ian Porterfield, Barney's debut was largely overlooked but he
had reason to be pleased with his own performance, if not for the injury
which he picked up in that game which would keep him on the sidelines
for a long spell.
By the time he returned to the side Chelsea had a new
caretaker manager, David Webb, who selected him for his first match in
charge, a 2-0 defeat at Blackburn, after which Webb opted for his more
experienced players and consigned Anthony to the reserves for the
remainder of the campaign. Barney's excitement at the arrival of his
hero, Glenn Hoddle, as player/manager in the summer of 1993 was
eventually tempered by the fact that his new boss failed to select him
at all during his first season in charge but he suddenly, dramatically,
found himself back in favour when Hoddle needed as many English players
as he could muster for deployment in the European Cup Winners Cup
matches, a bizarre FIFA ruling having decreed that Scottish, Welsh and
Irish players must be counted amongst the three permitted foreign
players selected for European matches. Barney's return came in a 0-0
draw in Jablonec against Czech side Viktoria Zizkov, Chelsea progressing
4-2 on aggregate, and his form was such that he kept his place in the
side throughout much of the autumn, playing not only at left-back but
also on the right of the back four and in midfield. Most memorably he
was a member of the young side who memorably fought against the odds in
Vienna to clinch an away goals victory over Austria Vienna.
Sadly for
Barney, though, it was not to last and by Christmas he was back in the
stiffs, making just a single substitute appearance throughout the final
five months of the season. An appearance in a surprise League Cup defeat
at the hands of Stoke City early in the 1995/96 season proved to be
Barney's last game for Chelsea. A brief spell on loan at Southend at
least gave him the opportunity to play some football again and in the
summer of 1996 his frustrations were brought to an end when, having made
less than 20 appearances in four seasons with Chelsea, he returned to
Charlton Athletic for £165, 000. (Kelvin Barker)
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