COMPLAINTS, problems, crowd illnesses are all taken in the stride of Deputy Ground Safety Officer Barry Dilworth.

Barry loves his job almost as much as he loves Preston North End - and although he is supposed to only work 20 hours a week he finds himself working longer.

"This season we will be in charge of over 180 staff on a match day. Last year was busy, but with the new kop we expect to take on more stewards.'

Barry works as an assistant to the Ground Safety Officer Nigel Webster and the two of them work together with the police on match days.

He said: "We have a really good relationship with the police, unlike other clubs who struggle with them. It's very important for us to work closely with the police and we are proud of our links with them."

Although working on match days, Barry very rarely gets to see the match.

He admits: "Unfortunately I don't get to see as much of the game as possible. However I try to catch a quick ten minutes when I can, but I must concentrate on my role as a ground safety officer."

The role as safety officer became more important after the soccer disasters of Heysel, Bradford and Hillsborough.

Barry is assisted with the help of two CCTV cameras which can circulate around the ground in three seconds and focus in clearly on a seat number. "They are magnificent because they help us in our bid to police the stadium. Additional cameras in the Tom Finney stand also help us and are a tremendous asset."

Born and bred in Preston, 55-year-old Barry has always enjoyed football - both watching and playing it.

"I played amateur football for PNE in the sixties and then at lower level for teams such as Horwich and Fleetwood. I love being involved with football and in particular PNE."

Barry also has a history in security and worked for Rock Steady Security firm for a couple of years when they had a contract with PNE.

However, three years ago, when the club decided to run their own security system, Barry was offered the opportunity to join the staff and is now enjoying his job more than ever.

"It's wonderful to see how much the ground has improved over the years. I can't wait for Deepdale to become all-seater."

If that does happen then it will mean more work for dedicated Barry, but it's a small price to pay for the success of his favourite team.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.