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Wanderers’ new backroom signing can already boast a long and distinguished history with the club.
New physio Matt Barrass is the grandson of former Whites and England defender Malcolm Barrass, who played in the 1953 FA Cup final and featured more than 350 times in a Bolton shirt.
The 36-year-old has a fine football lineage – his great grandfather also played for Blackpool and Manchester City – while he spent several years as an attacking full-back at Bury following his release from Manchester United as a teenager.
Still living locally, Barrass became the newest addition to Phil Parkinson’s staff this week, leaving Valley Parade after four years. And he is pleased to come back to a club where his grandfather was ranked 43rd in the all-time top 50 Wanderers players, as voted by fans in 2005.
“He was a legend back in the day, played in the Matthews Final,” he told The Bolton News. “It’s nice to have that connection – but more so for my dad, he was desperate for me to come across to Bolton when the rest of the coaching staff did. He’s really pleased.
“On a very selfish note it’s a lot closer because I’m a Bury lad and it’s only 20 minutes down the road but it’s a great move for me.
“With the grandad thing it is a bit more special. My great-grandad was a professional and my dad played semi-pro, so I suppose football is in the genes.”
Barrass found his own promising playing career wrecked by injury. He was signed in the days of Stan Ternent and handed a debut against Sunderland in the League Cup.
It wasn’t until Steve Redmond and Andy Preece became joint managers of the Shakers in December 1999 that he became a first team regular, however, and he went on to make nearly 100 appearances despite a huge number of knee problems.
His last appearance was in a 2-0 defeat at Northampton Town – a game which also featured a red card for current Bury boss David Flitcroft – in December, 2004.
Barrass featured for non-league Radcliffe Borough as he trained to become a physio as part of a PFA-led course at Salford University.
“My knees bascialy fell apart,” he said. Looking back on an all-too-brief playing career. “I think at last count I’d had 12 knee ops by the time I was 24, so you can see where my weakness was. I spent more time with the physios than I did on the pitch so that’s what led me into this.
“I think potentially it gives me a different view. Football tends to lean towards former players because you have a more intimate knowledge of what is required but you have to know what you are doing medically, of course.”
Barass joins a staff he knows well from their time at Bradford but recognises the size of the task at hand in turning around Wanderers’ fortunes.
“I think it helps we know each other and hopefully, between the lot of us, we can get things going,” he said.
“No-one is under any illusion that it isn’t a big job here. It might be a gamble but it’s a big club, a great club, and it’ll definitely be worth it.”
Wanderers have had little luck on the injury front in recent years – losing key players such as Max Clayton and Zach Clough at crucial times last season.
Barrass admits he faces a challenge getting up to speed on the players’ medical histories but is confident he has taken on no major problems.
“It’s going to be difficult because I am inheriting a squad that I know very little about medically,” he said. “But in general, with the help of Nick Allenby and the manager, things are very structured so fingers-crossed we can avoid any major problems in pre-season and get the players through it sensibly.
“There’s nothing at the minute that is jumping out at me, hitting panic buttons.
“Obviously they are a very good group of players. If you look at where they are now and where they should be after what happened last season, there are some very good footballers out there.
“If we can wrap them up in cotton wool this pre-season, it should be fine!”
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New physio Matt Barrass is the grandson of former Whites and England defender Malcolm Barrass, who played in the 1953 FA Cup final and featured more than 350 times in a Bolton shirt.
The 36-year-old has a fine football lineage – his great grandfather also played for Blackpool and Manchester City – while he spent several years as an attacking full-back at Bury following his release from Manchester United as a teenager.
Still living locally, Barrass became the newest addition to Phil Parkinson’s staff this week, leaving Valley Parade after four years. And he is pleased to come back to a club where his grandfather was ranked 43rd in the all-time top 50 Wanderers players, as voted by fans in 2005.
“He was a legend back in the day, played in the Matthews Final,” he told The Bolton News. “It’s nice to have that connection – but more so for my dad, he was desperate for me to come across to Bolton when the rest of the coaching staff did. He’s really pleased.
“On a very selfish note it’s a lot closer because I’m a Bury lad and it’s only 20 minutes down the road but it’s a great move for me.
“With the grandad thing it is a bit more special. My great-grandad was a professional and my dad played semi-pro, so I suppose football is in the genes.”
Barrass found his own promising playing career wrecked by injury. He was signed in the days of Stan Ternent and handed a debut against Sunderland in the League Cup.
It wasn’t until Steve Redmond and Andy Preece became joint managers of the Shakers in December 1999 that he became a first team regular, however, and he went on to make nearly 100 appearances despite a huge number of knee problems.
His last appearance was in a 2-0 defeat at Northampton Town – a game which also featured a red card for current Bury boss David Flitcroft – in December, 2004.
Barrass featured for non-league Radcliffe Borough as he trained to become a physio as part of a PFA-led course at Salford University.
“My knees bascialy fell apart,” he said. Looking back on an all-too-brief playing career. “I think at last count I’d had 12 knee ops by the time I was 24, so you can see where my weakness was. I spent more time with the physios than I did on the pitch so that’s what led me into this.
“I think potentially it gives me a different view. Football tends to lean towards former players because you have a more intimate knowledge of what is required but you have to know what you are doing medically, of course.”
Barass joins a staff he knows well from their time at Bradford but recognises the size of the task at hand in turning around Wanderers’ fortunes.
“I think it helps we know each other and hopefully, between the lot of us, we can get things going,” he said.
“No-one is under any illusion that it isn’t a big job here. It might be a gamble but it’s a big club, a great club, and it’ll definitely be worth it.”
Wanderers have had little luck on the injury front in recent years – losing key players such as Max Clayton and Zach Clough at crucial times last season.
Barrass admits he faces a challenge getting up to speed on the players’ medical histories but is confident he has taken on no major problems.
“It’s going to be difficult because I am inheriting a squad that I know very little about medically,” he said. “But in general, with the help of Nick Allenby and the manager, things are very structured so fingers-crossed we can avoid any major problems in pre-season and get the players through it sensibly.
“There’s nothing at the minute that is jumping out at me, hitting panic buttons.
“Obviously they are a very good group of players. If you look at where they are now and where they should be after what happened last season, there are some very good footballers out there.
“If we can wrap them up in cotton wool this pre-season, it should be fine!”
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