When I nipped into John Fantham’s for my usual “just a nice trim sir” back in August, I discovered that Steve Baydala was only three days away from retirement. I’ve been going into JF’s for longer than I care to remember mainly because the chat in general and from Steve in particular was always about football and more often than not about Wednesday.

For those who didn’t feel it a Wednesday obligation to get their short back and sides in a shop with the name of a 60’s legend over the door, they will probably still know Steve from that picture that occasionally gets run in The Star of him cutting Bobby Moore’s barnet during the 1966 World Cup.

More recently Fantham’s was one of the places visited by the telly prior to the ’93 Cup semi with United. Unfortunately the only customers in there at the time were a couple of bemused students who followed Rugby Union, but at least it gave John the Blade a chance to hold up a cut-throat razor and go “Up the Blades”.

Steve, a Ukranian by birth, first visited Hillsborough just after the Second World War. He was in a camp at Redmires at the time and Wednesday offered them 50 free tickets. No-one was particularly keen to go, Steve recalls, but in the end 50 people agreed to clamber into a truck and be delivered to Sheffield 6. Steve remembers the occasion well. “Wednesday were playing Stoke and won 3-1. When we scored we threw our caps in the air and never got them back, so we got into some trouble when we got home.”

Back in the truck after the match Wednesdayites kept coming up and giving them cigs and chocolate, and so despite their initial reluctance the 50 volunteers were suddenly very keen to come back again. “We agreed to tell the others it was rubbish, so no-one else would volunteer except us” remembers Steve.

So began an enduring love affair with the blue and white stripes. Pressed to name the best Wednesday team he ever saw, Steve names the side that finished second to Spurs the year they won the double. In a fantastic match Wednesday beat the then mighty Tottenham 2-1. John Fantham gave Steve a fascinating insight of how the Manager at the time, the great Harry Catterick, used to operate.

The night before the Spurs match Catterick told the team that they must all be in bed by 11.30. All said they would, but then Catterick went round to each of their houses after half eleven to check that his orders had been obeyed. Only John Fantham and Ron Springett were in and obediently tucked up. After their great victory the players were celebrating in the bath when Catterick announced that all except Fantham and Springett were to play the next day for the reserves. The reserves went on to beat Liverpool’s second string 7-0.

Over the years, all the barbers working in the shop have been asked if they were John Fantham himself. Steve remebers one man who, every time he came in, and despite being repeatedly told otherwise, remained convinced that Steve himself was the fantastic Fantham. Each time he kept telling Steve how fondly he remembered his dribbling skills. On one occasion he asked Steve what he had said to Billy Bremner after the Ginger Gorilla had thrown mud in his face.

“Sir”said Steve “I am not John Fantham, although I can tell you that he told Bremner he was a f****** c***.

But now, well in his seventies, Steve’s decided it’s time to call it a day. I for one will certainly miss my six-weekly mutterings about what’s wrong with Wednesday, always rounded off with an agreement about how much worse it is to be a Unitedite.

Enjoy your retirement Steve, although the one place you’ll never retire from is that famous old stadium on Penistone Road – we’ll probably see you there.