Football hero saluted for devoting time to a terminally ill Wigan man and his family

When Barry Brown, from Atherton was placed on end-of-life care on October 21, his grandaughter Nicole Jenkins wanted to make his time the most special that it could possibly be.

In response to being asked what he wanted to do before he died, the 50-year-old lifelong Bolton Wanderers fan and employee for many years said that he wanted to meet John McGinlay

Preferred to be known as Baz, he would collect money from fans who wished to enter the lottery and had followed them since their Burnden Park days.

Nicole initially thought that it would be impossible to arrange such a meeting, but messaged a Facebook profile in the hopes that she could make Baz’s dream a reality.

Upon receiving the message, John asked if he could meet with Baz and even cancelled a meeting to spend a number of hours with him.

They discussed various times from his five years at the club, and signed one of Barry’s retro Bolton shirts that they wore in the mid-1990s.

After Barry sadly died on October 28, John continued to support the family and donated a flag to be draped over Barry’s coffin and scattered his ashes at the University of Bolton Stadium.

Nicole said: “It was overwhelming, it gave him something to remember. We’re still in contact with John and he messages us to see how we’re getting on. When they met it wasn’t all about John either, he let Barry lead the conversation and discuss what he wanted to.”

“I just think it’s important for John to be recognised for what he’s done!”