Gareth Jelleyman on why Richie Barker's sale was the beginning of the end for Mansfield Town and why Jelleyman didn't want to leave Stags

But former defender Gareth Jelleyman believes Richie barker came pretty close at Mansfield town.

The fans favourite was famously sold against his will in January 2007 to Hartlepool United, in a move which further cranked up the fans’ anger towards owner Keith Haslam.

Just over a year later a Stags side, desperately missing their talisman top goalscorer, crashed out of the Football League.

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And for Jelleyman Barker’s controversial departure was the final nail in the coffin for a club already on the slide.

Speaking to the Mansfield Matters podcast team, Jelleyman said: “I was devastated when Barker left, it was pivotal and we never replaced what he brought,”he said.

“As players we were aware of the rumours, you heard little bits. He did not want to go, he was saying he did not want to go.

“I remember him telling us all when he was going, it was very sad for us all. It was huge for us.”

Barker, who is now assistant manager at Rotherham United, banged in an impressive 23 goals to end the 2005/06 campaign as Mansfield’s top scorer.

And he proved to be almost as good the following season when he scored 21 goals for Mansfield and Hartlepool.

But while Jelleyman knows those goals were crucial to the club’s fortunes, he was quick to point out that Barker offered far more than just being able to find the back of the net.

“For him to go it was just a massive loss. It was not just his goals, he had a great effort on the team,” added Jelleyman.

“He practically managed the team within the dressing room.

“After training he would get everybody down to the gym to do extra sessions, he would organise people on the pitch.

“In the dressing room he was like a manager back then. He was amazing and we really missed it, not just his goals, but the all-round influence that he brought to the team.

“We had a real good dressing room and he loved to be the figure that he was in the dressing room.

“He loved being at Mansfield and would have been there for years. He loved the young players coming through and helping them become the players that they were. He pushed them and he had a massive influence.”

And with nearly 400 Football League appearances under his belt, the loss of Barker’s experience was badly missed in a dressing room full of raw talent.

“When you look back at the team we had that got relegated, on paper, we had a great team,” said Jelleyman.

“A lot of that team went on to play at a higher level in the Premier League and Championship, but we lacked a leader.

“We lacked another really experienced player. Ritchie was probably the most professional player I have played with.

“I thought how he could be a fantastic manager, he pretty much ran the changing room and had a massive influence.

“I took an awful lot from him and his professionalism rubbed off on us.”

Mansfield finished the 2006/07 season in 17th spot, 18 points clear of the drop zone.

But off the field unrest in the stands rapidly grew and the impact on the players was there for all to see as Stags battled for their League survial.

“Billy Dearden tried to shield us from it, but we had a lot of local lads who were aware of the off-field issues,” said Jelleyman.

“He tried to galvanise us and he did not let his feelings known to the players on the Richie Barker deal.

“It (off-field uncertainty) just added to the stresses and the anxiety of the dressing room and I definitely felt it.

“It created a very edgy atmosphere, especially when you’re down at the bottom of the table.

“I always wondered what would happen if I got injured because I was out of contract at the end of the season.

“There were rumours that Haslam was going and someone else is coming in and it did add to the unrest.

“There was turmoil and anxiety, especially with being down the bottom of the table.

“We did not have the experience to see it through. When you are down there and playing you don’t want to be the person to make the mistake and lose the game, because there is so much at stake.

“You do the safe thing and do not play with freedom. People did not play to their full ability and that is where we missed RIchie Barker.

“The attention off the pitch just added to things.”

In March 2008 Dearden was replaced as manager and replaced by caretaker Paul Holland.

After four matches in charge, and a lift in the dressing room, Holland was named permanent manager.

But a 1-0 defeat at home to Rotherham United on 26th April 2008, with the winner coming thanks to a freak goal following a goalkeeping blunder by Jason White, left Mansfield teetering in the bring.

Three days later their sad fate was sealed when Chester City picked up the point they needed to send Mansfield Town down with a 0-0 draw at home to Stockport County.

“You never ever think that’s it,” added Jelleyman. “When Paul Holland came in it felt like there was a lift.

“He understood why we were down there and he said just go out and play.

“But we just didn’t have the experience to see games out or not concede goals at key moments, we conceded some bad goals.

“The last game in the league was not very nice. I didn’t play because I was injured.

“It was horrific, the fans could see what was happening to their club and they didn’t deserve it and I felt I owed them something.

“Each season after Cardiff, players were leaving and the ones being brought in was getting worse.”

And while Mansfield’s fate was heart-breaking, it was to get even worse for Jelleyman who was denied the chance to put things right.

He added: “I wanted to be a part of getting them back up. I had league teams come in for me, but I had already said I wanted to stay.

“We were under the impression that Dutchy (Paul Holland) would be the manager and the club was going to be taken over.

“I had agreed my contract for the first season in the Conference. I turned up for training on the first day and Dutchy was outside the gates and told me he had been sacked.

“He was hard done by and he was someone that the players respected. He spoke really well and I think he could have done really well.

“We went into the dressing room and were told to train and we took the session ourselves.

“Billy McKewan came in and I had a meeting with him. He told me he could get a player in for half of my contract.

“I told him if he could do that I had a family to think about and wished him all the best.

“The offers I had previously had gone and I was left without a club and with a mortgage still to pay.

“I loved my time at Mansfield and wanted to stay. I did not get a chance to say bye to the fans."

The interview forms part of the pledge of three Stags supporters' who are filling the void left by Football by creating new podcast content, including interviews with former players/staff, and much more.

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