Former Walsall and Notts County manager John Barnwell will be the special guest of our hosts as Walsall travel to Meadow Lane on 25th January.After a successful playing career which saw him play for Arsenal, Nottingham Forest and Sheffield United, he joined Peterborough United as a coach helping the club to promotion to the old Third Division. John was appointed manager of in May 1977, the club narrowly missed out on reaching the Second Division in his only full season in-charge. He left United in 1978 after a dispute with the club's board he immediately joined Wolverhampton Wanderers January 1981.
He took the club to an FA Cup semi-final against his old club Arsenal in 1979, and then victory in the 1980 League Cup final against Forest. Wolves finished 6th in the League in 1979-80. This was despite Barnwell being involved in a horrific car accident, in which he fractured his skull.
However, Wolves could not maintain their form at the turn of the decade, finishing 18th in 1980-81, although they did reach the FA Cup semi-finals for the second time in three seasons. With the club bottom of the First Division in January 1982, Barnwell resigned.
He moved abroad, coaching in Saudi Arabia and later managing Greek side AEK Athens (1983–1984). He then returned to England where was appointed manager by Notts County in the summer of 1987 and was responsible for bringing some big name players to the club, including Andy Gray and Garry Birtles.
After managing the club for eighteen months and seventy-four games, he left the East-Midlands outfit and arrived at Fellows Park in January 1989 following the departure of Tommy Coakley, however he couldn't prevent the clubs relegation back to the third division.
John left the club after a little over a year and was subsequently appointed manager of Northampton Town.