Noble Niall’s spot-on with fair play

GOOD sports . . . Niall Barnes (left) and Sean Kelly

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GRASSROOTS footballer Niall Barnes showed true sportsmanship was alive and kicking when fair play was the winner in a tense local league fixture.

Just as Barcelona megastar Lionel Messi was attracting global cries of disrespect following a controversial two-man penalty routine, a humble local game at Crompton House School this week showed sportsmanship isn’t dead.

Heyside’s second stringers were preparing to play Berry Brow in a Huddersfield League Reserves Division One clash.

When the referee called minutes before kick-off to say he couldn’t officiate, Heyside manager and qualified official Sean Kelly offered to step in with both teams’ agreement.

Almost at full time with the score 3-3 Heyside’s Josh Riley collided with the Berry Brow goalkeeper.

Referee Kelly pointed to the spot... but Heyside penalty taker Niall Barnes couldn’t agree with the decision.

In a show of what he thought was fair play, the 24-year-old player calmly rolled his penalty kick into the arms of the visiting ’keeper!

“I could see it wasn’t a penalty,” said Niall. “Sean didn’t appear to have a great view of the incident, but I could see the goalkeeper didn’t touch our player. I just did what I thought was best.

“If we’d have won the game by scoring from that penalty it would have spoiled it.

“The Berry Brow players thanked me and we all laughed about it later – but that’s just what I felt I had to do.”

Heyside actually went on to win the game courtesy of a late goal.

Kelly, whose Heyside team had already missed one penalty earlier in the game, said: “I gave the penalty as I saw it - though I was trying hard to keep up with the play at the time.

“What true sportsmanship that really was from Niall. Even in local football there can be too much of this ‘win at all costs’ attitude, so it’s brilliant when you see players helping each other out.

“We just want to enjoy the game — what Niall did was truly exceptional.”


It’s all got a bit Messi

THE word “disrespect” engulfed the footballing world following Lionel Messi’s cheeky two-man penalty routine last week.

Barcelona’s world megastar was criticised when he teed-up team-mate Luis Suarez from a penalty kick so the Uruguayan could complete a hat-trick.
But along with the criticism has come plenty of support for the mercurial Argentinian superstar.

Check out the penalty on Youtube.



In good company: some more super sportsmen from the archives

Robbie Fowler

WHEN Liverpool faced Arsenal at Highbury in 1997 Robbie Fowler slipped past the advancing David Seaman, losing his balance in the process before falling to the ground. He turned to referee Gerald Ashby and mouthed “No, no”, waving dismissively that it was not a penalty. Ashby pointed to the spot. Fowler stepped up and saw his tame effort repelled...only for the on-rushing Jason McAteer to knock home the rebound.


Paolo Di Canio

FRESH from pushing referee Paul Alcock to the ground after being sent-off in Sheffield Wednesday’s clash with Arsenal, the mercurial striker, now at West Ham, was a changed man. Di Canio’s unselfish act in deliberately abandoning a distinct scoring opportunity so that injured Everton goalkeeper Paul Gerrard might receive immediate attention won the Italian the FIFA Fair Play award.


Michael Phelps

The then 19-year-old superstar took the swimming pool by storm in the 2004 Athens Games. Victory in the 100 metre butterfly sealed his fourth gold medal of the Games. Phelps had the chance to add another medal to his tally in the 4x100m medley relay but announced he would step aside "to give a team-mate a chance".