Early Career
Barnes was born in the Small Heath area of Birmingham, in the shadow of St Andrews, the home stadium of Birmingham City. Support for Birmingham City ran in the family; his uncle played for the club in the 1920s. In 1943, aged 14, he began work at the Post Office. He played football for the works team, and quickly received an invitation to play for Moor Green, one of the strongest amateur teams in the area. His performances for Moor Green resulted in interest from Birmingham City, and Barnes became part of their junior team, Birmingham City Colts. Barnes worked at the Post office during the day, trained with Moor Green in the evening, and played for Birmingham City Colts at the weekend. However, the Colts stopped selecting Barnes after a clash of matches, in which Barnes chose to play for a local team instead of the Colts. Barnes then resumed playing for Moor Green.
After a few months Barnes gained a second opportunity with a professional club, joining the youth ranks at Bolton Wanderers. As with when he played for Birmingham, he trained with Moor Green and played for Bolton's youth team at the weekend. Upon turning 18, Barnes was called up for national service, and was based with the RAF at Stafford. He continued to play for Bolton when circumstances permitted it, but when the club made a formal request for his services the RAF refused. Upon completion of his national service Barnes joined semi-pro Stafford Rangers. He made his debut against Newport County on 14 June 1947, and continued to play for the club for the next three years.
Read more about this topic: Ken Barnes (footballer)
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