Ey up lads and ladettes. Yorkshire people are a proud lot – and aren’t shy about letting you about it. Let’s indulge them then with five of the best players from that part of the world to feature for Boro’. Now, have a peep at a map and you’ll see that the three ridings (whatever they are) combine to make a bloody big place. So, we’ve got a few to choose from. And that only includes those who we have birthplace information for.
Let’s get crackin’ then…
Boro’s Reet Gradely Yorkshiremen…
1. Danny Rose
It was a shame to see him go in summer 2023, all told. Rosey helped us win promotion from League Two and did his bit in the famous cup win over Aston Villa. The striker hails from the South Yorkshire town of Barnsley and had only ventured as far south as Northampton Town in his career before us. In search of moving back up, he signed for Grimsby Town – although choosing the Lincolnshire side of the Humber? Oooh, controversial…
2. Darryn Stamp
A genuine unsung hero of the mid-2000s, Stampy calls the North Yorkshire town of Beverley home. He arrived here midway through the 2004-5 campaign; scoring twice on debut. In just half a season, he chipped in with eight goals from 20 appearances. It pushed us towards the playoff final and cemented him as an integral part of our attack. He was then our top scorer the following season, but together we couldn’t quite reach the same heights as May 2005.
3. Kirk Jackson
It’s another striker and another one that emerged from the streets of Barnsley. He came to us in early 2002 and immediately set about bangin’ them in. And this was no mean feat at a time when Boro’ weren’t exactly a vintage team. Jacko helped us get to the 2001-2 FA Trophy Final and continued to find the net even after Wayne Turner took over from Cloughie – and had us hurtling towards the bottom of the table.
He didn’t last a year at Broadhall Way, however. Jacko had been commuting to training and matches from his home in Sheffield. Yeovil Town came in with the lure of full-time football and, let’s face it, a chance of winning the Conference title. It was a no brainer.
4. Tony Battersby
What – another striker? Yes. Doncaster-born Tony Battersby arrived in March 2003; one of a raft of players brought in after Graham Westley came in with the job of saving our bacon in the Conference. Battersby didn’t steal the spotlight in a way such as Anthony Elding or Dino Maamria. Don’t let that fool you into downplaying his impact here, though. In 16 starts and seven sub outings, he netted six times – before departing in early 2004.
5. Michael Warner
We found a defender! If only for balance, we’ve chucked in Mickey Warner and – to be fair – he was a solid performer for us. From Harrogate, the right back started nearly 100 times (15 sub appearances on top meant he did reach a ton). He was a mainstay of our backline for a long time under Graham Westley Mk I. He never scored, sadly. But he bloody should have – mentioning no Conference playoff finals. Of all the players to be put through one-on-one…
To all players pre-Internet days, we apologise for omitting you if you have Yorkshire blood. Back then, the place of your birth wasn’t considered important knowledge for football fans. Now we need to know everything. But we certainly concede that it’s highly likely there must have been some prominent players during the 1990s and 1980s who hailed from oop north.
