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Mick McCarthy made his break through into the Barnsley team at just eighteen years of age. Mick was plucked from Worsbrough Bridge Miners' Welfare Athletic where he had been playing in the first team since the age of fifteen.
He turned down the opportunity of becoming an apprentice electrician with the NCB at Barrow Colliery after being heavily influenced by Norman Rimmington. McCarthy thus became an Oakwell apprentice in December 1975 and made his debut on 16 August 1977 in a League Cup match against Chesterfield.
McCarthy was an ever present in his first two full seasons with the club, the second of which saw the Tykes promoted from division 4.
In 1980 Alan Clarke brought in the experienced Ian Evans who was eight years McCarthy's senior, and together they forged an excellent partnership which saw Mick blossom into one of the best young centre-halves in the Football League. In 1981 both these players were instrumental in Barnsley's return to the 2nd division.
Mick played his part in Barnsley's splendid League Cup run of 1981, when he scored with a bullet header against Brighton and gave two terrific displays against Manchester City and Liverpool.
McCarthy was voted Barnsley's Player of the year on three occasions (1978-1979-1981) and into PFA teams on five occasions.
Ironically, it was Manchester City who secured the services of McCarthy after Alan Clarke had left him out of the team in favour of new signing Nicky Law. City were amongst a host of club's chasing his signature at the time.
Mick was voted City's Player of the Year in 193/84 and in the following season captained the side into the old first division.
In 1987 Mick signed for Celtic for a reported £500,00 fee and in his first season won a Premier Division Championship medal and Scottish Cup medal.
Mick represented the Republic of Ireland, making his debut in 1984 against Poland whilst at Manchester city, and he went on to make 36 appearances for Eire, including games in the 1990 World Cup Finals as a result of his father's birthplace of Waterford.
Mick and his family moved to France in 1989 when he signed for Lyon where he played for a further three years.
He made his step into Football management when he took charge of Millwall and and later as coach for the Republic of Ireland. A return to France with Eire for the 1998 World Cup Finals would have been sweet but the Republic lost out in the playoff to Belgium.
Macca is now manager at Sunderland.
Mick McCarthy was a player unbeatable in the air who gave the Barnsley supporters some wonderful memories throughout two marvellous promotion campaigns and one never to be forgotten League Cup run.
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