June 2010-We’re All In This Together

After all the euphoria and the dramatic promotion back to the Championship I, like a lot of Leeds fans, finally afforded myself the luxury of enjoying our fantastic FA Cup win at Old Trafford back in January. This historic victory, of course, signalled a few jitters in the United camp over the following months and I wouldn’t allow myself to celebrate properly until we were safely back in the Championship. Although we got the better of our rivals from the Salford area of Lancashire, during the 1990’s at Elland Road, and earning many well deserved draws away, the last time we recorded a victory at Old Trafford was on February 28th 1981, when Brian Flynn scored Leeds’ winner and sent thousands of travelling Leeds fans delirious.

Now, 28 hours, 10 months, 6 days and 3 hours later, 9,000 Leeds fans were at Old Trafford to witness Jermaine Beckfords winner and send 3rd Division Leeds United into the fourth round of the FA Cup. Much has been said about the manner of the victory, and the heroics from the Leeds team, which was absolutely magnificent. Casper Ankergren was outstanding that afternoon. He came to the club when we were in serious trouble, and the fans should acknowledge his contribution and best wishes go to him for the future. He will surely remember that afternoon for the rest of his life.

With the Leeds fans chanting ‘Fergie Time’ as the game entered the 23rd minute of injury time, the final whistle was greeted by unbelievable scenes. What stood out for me at the end was, despite the fact that we had knocked them out of the FA Cup, Leeds fans were chanting, ‘Leeds are going up!’ – which implied to the home fans trudging out of the ground that we were weren’t that bothered about the Cup, but we’ll take it – thanks very much.

During an after match interview with the Yorkshire Evening Post, I was asked who I fancied in the next round? I said, “They can bring anyone on now, even a big team.”

Simon Grayson dedicated the triumph to the Leeds fans, who he said had ‘stuck with the club during its fall from the Premiership to League One, the third tier of English football’.

He added, “Our fans deserve this result and not just because we’ve taken 9,000 fans to Old Trafford. We take 4,000 to Bristol Rovers on a wet Tuesday night and sell out every single allocation we are given. We regularly get 25,000 at Elland Road and our fans have backed us when sometimes they didn’t have to. They could quite easily have downed tools and decided that football is an expensive business and followed the club from home. But they have followed us the length and breadth of the country and this result is for them more than anyone else.’

This praise from the manager, for me, is mutual.

He started to get some stick from some fans during the rocky period of February, March and into April, but he always stuck to his guns that we would go up. Some obvious in fighting between certain players didn’t help the cause, and it was good to see them finally pulling together at the end to finally come through and banish this division, hopefully for ever.

Graysons decision to keep Beckford at the club until the end of the season was the right one – and his awarding of the captain’s armband to him for the final game of the season was pure genius.

Good luck Beckford, you felt you had to move on – so do Leeds United.

Come on Leeds.