Anthony Barness began his career as a trainee for Charlton Athletic. After a short while at Charlton he scored their opening goal against Newcastle in one of the top 20 Charlton matches of all time. In 1992 he signed with Chelsea but in his 4 years at the club his chances of league starts were becoming less likely. After just 19 appearances in his time there he went on loan to Middlesborough in August '93 and Southend United in February '96. In August 1996 Barness moved back to Charlton for a fee of 165,000 pounds. He has also played for Bolton Wonderers and has been loaned to West Ham United.