28- Barnsley Revisited and Massive Attack
I didn't make the cut for tickets for Anfield on New Years Day 1991, I didn't miss much as Leeds were beaten 3-0 with goals from John Barnes, Ronny Rosenthal, who at the time was frequently linked with Leeds and Ian Rush, who did come to Leeds and need not have bothered.
But Leeds were still going strong on the cup front, having reached the quarter-finals of both the Rumblelows and Zenith Data Systems Cup, as well as the FA Cup 3rd round which saw us drawn away at Barnsley on Sunday 6th January 1991.
Barnsley were of course the only side to have done the double over us during the 1989/90 promotion season. I'd never been to Barnsley before and dressed appropriately for the occasion by wearing my full new Leeds tracksuit, combined with the classic yellow away shirt of the era. It was windy and absolutely pissing it down when we arrived at Oakwell. Back then, the three sides that were developed when the Tykes had a short-lived stay in the top-flight were still in their original state. We were housed on the open Kop end. The stand to our left with the words John Smith painted atop looked like the wind was going to bring it down, as did the opposite end to us where the nosiest of the home support gathered. The Main Stand to the right is over 100 years old and still intact today.
The pitch was a pudding too. But this of course was the so-called romance of the FA Cup. The PA system streamed out brass band music, famous Tykes fans Michael Parkinson and little Dicky Bird must have been rubbing their hands in anticipation of putting yet another one over on the braggarts from up the M1. Leeds was of course a city growing in chic and sophistication; Harry Enfield's "Yorkshireman" told us this after all, meanwhile the "Tahns-folk" seemed overly eager to keep the traditional, proper Yorkshire thing going whilst Leeds sold it's soul to cosmopolitanism (if such a thing exists!). For christ sake even their matchday programme featured someone called "Tommy Tyke" who wrote his column in Barnsley dialect, bemoaning the cost of "gooin t'match" and "by the time yous ad sommat t'ate n drink..." I seem to remember he had a dig at big-spending Leeds, maybe Paul Heckinbottom ghost wrote it?
Predictably Leeds faced a first-half onslaught with the hosts kicking with the wind towards us shivering in the freezing cold rain. John Lukic was in magnificent form, keeping amongst others our old mates Brendan O'Connell and Owen Archdeacon at bay. Barnsley also had a goal disallowed. Having weathered the storm and seen Gary McAllister hit the post after a magnificent run, we edged in front on 81 minutes thanks to a Mel Sterland header. Zico celebrated in front of us by gyrating his groin, he'd earned another nickname "The Fonz" having told The Square Ball fanzine during a Q&A session that his favourite pastime was "love making". Younger readers should note that "The Fonz" was a character in an American show called "Happy Days" screened in the 70's, but based on the 1950's with actor Henry Winkler playing Arthur Fonzarelli, the slick, womanizing, cool star of the show.
However a somewhat unwanted replay was confirmed just minutes later when somehow, one of the last of the old guard refs Mr George Courtney of Spennymoor missed a deliberate handball in the build up allowing veteran John Deehan to equalise. A contingency plan had been put in place whereby tickets for the replay went straight on sale later that afternoon. The game would be played just three-days later, nowadays even if there is a replay normally 10-days have to lapse. However Leeds eased through to a fourth round encounter with George Graham's Arsenal at Highbury by beating Barnsley 4-0.
Following a 2-0 loss at Norwich, next up was the visit of Aston Villa in the League Cup on Wednesday January 16th 1991. Leeds were magnificent on the night, breathtaking even and on the second Wednesday running put four past their visitors, although Villa pulled one back thanks to lanky striker Ian Ormondroyd on as sub. Leeds would face Manchester United in a two-legged semi-final and ironically this news was followed that conflict in the Middle East had broken out.
I'd rushed home and put the TV on, desperate to relive our sparkling win over Villa but there was wall-to-wall coverage of the start of "Operation Desert Storm". Baghdad was lit up as allied forces pounded it, no doubt it resembled Barnsley by the time they'd finished bombing it.
Saturday January 19th 1991, we were at home to Luton Town. Obviously the news was dominated with events in the Middle East as the allied-forces attempted to rid the world of Saddam. I remember catching a bus from Elland Road into town after the WM branch coach pulled in, sometimes I fancied a quick meander around the city-centre and catch one of the green 'Yorkshire Rider Football Specials" back from Neville Street outside the train-station. Leeds fans, who largely are patriotic where Queen, country and the armed-forces are concerned were in a defiant mood on the journey to the stadium. I sat downstairs whilst upstairs the songs rang out: "What do you think of Saddam? Shit! What do you think of shit?...." accompanied by the pounding of stamping feet which reverberated so hard I actually though the cream-coloured panelling above my head was going to fall upon me.
We saw off Luton 2-1 and just three-nights later I was back at Elland Road with around 6000 others for the Zenith Data Systems Northern area quarter-final against Derby County. This was actually televised live on Sky TV, back then the Murdoch-owned giant was still limbering up to monopolise live football coverage, so they'd have to be content with a pretty meaningless affair on a Tuesday night. Derek from Swad persuaded me to drive up there in my little Fiesta, which by now was showing it's 11 years in age. The branch were not running a coach that evening. We parked in Holbeck and wandered the deserted streets, eventually stumbling on a tiny chip shop which looked like the old woman who served us was running it out of her front-room. I wish I could remember where it was because the chips were excellent, it was in the back streets of Holbeck and not the chippy on Top Moor side which I think had not bothered to even open that night given the insignificance of the game! If some of the more sensationalist elements of the press were to be believed, we were on the cusp of World War III and this may have well been the last opportunity ever to watch our beloved Leeds before the planet melted into oblivion. Clearly this panic had not gripped the fan base, even reduced admission prices, our prime seats in the West Stand cost tenner that night, couldn't tempt many out into the freezing cold particularly those with satellite dishes.
Derby were having their own local issues with their very own dictator in Robert Maxwell, their increasingly unpopular Chairman. In his latest savage act, he'd banned the stalwart BBC Radio broadcaster Graham Richards from the Baseball and the handful of Rams fans who journeyed north on that icy evening made their disgust known. Leeds ran out comfortable winners and the 2-1 scoreline flattered the visitors, Shutt and Chapman on target for us and a late consolation for them from Dean Saunders. So it was a worthwhile trip after all and even though the Fiesta overheated twice on the way home, my mind had the night off from worrying about the future of humanity.
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