Members Memories: When Roy Barry Met Stanley Matthews

Roy in his Sky Blue heyday

Thanks to CCFPA’s vice Chairman Billy Bell for a memory from his great friend Roy Barry a stalwart former seventies Sky Blue defender. It concerns one of the greatest English players ever to stride the footballing stage Stanley Matthews.

Scottish born Roy, now well into his seventies, came up against the former England international not long after starting out his career. Roy was discovered by top Scottish club Heart of Midlothian playing with junior side Musselburgh and signed on professional forms with Hearts aged 18 in close season 1960. Well before he transferred to Dunfermline Athletic in late 1966, the club from whom the Sky Blues bought him in October 1969, Roy faced Stanley Matthews in a pre season friendly. 

Famously Stanley was the oldest player ever to represent England (42 years and 104 days) as well as the oldest ever to play top flight football in the UK (50 years and 5 days). 

The tricky winger was already over 45 when he played in this friendly and back with first club Stoke (1932-47) having returned from a long stint with Blackpool FC (1947-61).

Roy, who featured in over 90 Sky Blue games between 1969-73 when he moved to Crystal Palace has supplied us with a dressing room photo of the Hearts v Stoke game featuring the great man (below):-

Stanley Matthews is being congratulated by a Hearts official with their team surrounding him in the early sixties game. Roy Barry is the young man second left on the back row next to the ‘keeper! Stanley finally retired in 1965 after a short loan spell in Canada and was knighted for his services to football.

Billy asked Roy, “did you get stuck into him?” The combative former Sky Blues’ defender told Billy, “the closest I got to him was when the photo was taken!“

Roy Barry with Billy Bell

A world famous soccer star and football ambassador, Stanley passed away aged 85 on 23rd February 2000 having played in over 800 professional club games and scored 80 goals. He was also capped by England 54 times in a more than twenty year international career (1934-57) netting 11 times.

Billy tells us that both Roy and his wife Jane are keeping well in snowy Dunfermline where they still live. Billy reports that Roy has also had his Covid Jab recently so jokes that he’s rung Sky Blues ‘gaffer’ Mark Robins to tell him that Roy is available for selection (age 78)! 

Thanks Roy and Billy for the story and photo.