Dek Hogan looks back at a festive fixture that didn't give Alex Ferguson a very Merry Christmas...It's Boxing Day 1989!
It's always a bit of a treat to be at home
the day after Christmas. Home games against United are always a bit
special too and in a way I'm a bit annoyed that the two things have
converged. It seems to me we're sort of getting swizzed out of a
special occasion playing a fixture that guarantees a bumper crowd on
a date that guarantees a bumper crowd.
Pre-match pints are in order and I take some stick for having had turkey sandwiches for breakfast. There's A LOT of turkey left.
Word begins to filter through the pub
that it's starting to look a bit busy outside the Holte End so we
neck our pints and head for the ground. The Hillsborough disaster
back in April had caused tighter ground regulations to come in,
resulting in -amongst other things - a reduced capacity in the Holte End. Get there too late
and you might not get in!
The queues for either side of the Holte
are snaking down both Trinity Road and Witton Lane as we arrive and some of the
chaps glumly join the back of the queue. Those of us with season
tickets desperately attempt not to look too smug as we march past
the growing throng and head for the dedicated, queueless season
ticket turnstiles.
We're in! Some of the lads aren't so
lucky.
Eventually word goes round that a) kick
off is being delayed due to the crowds outside and b) not everyone is
going to get in. The papers will later report that hundreds are
turned away. It's difficult to argue that more could have been let in
as we realise that the crowd is so densely packed that we can only
manage to climb about two thirds of the way in our quest to get to the
back. It also occurs to us that if the lads outside do manage to
get in, they'll never find us.
Having managed to find a good vantage
position, it would be a brave man that would risk losing it by going
in search of a pie. Those turkey sandwiches I had for breakfast don't
seem so silly now. It also soon becomes apparent that it would also
take a brave man to lose his spot by going to the Gents, judging by
the streams of steaming fluid that are starting to flow down the terrace.
I make a mental note to stay upright
should we manage to score. This is not a day to fall over.
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| Gareth Williams' debut match |
United have been struggling of late and
their prospects are not improved by the fact that Captain Marvel
Bryan Robson is unable to play. His replacement is one Clayton
Blackmore and Clayton is not going to have a good afternoon. Taking his bow for us is 22 year old debutant Gareth Williams and Clayton is managing to make him
look like a very promising player.
It's probably fair to say that nothing
Clayton does would have even managed to excite a young David Beckham...
The key feature of a goalless first
half is a truly wonderful display from huge Danish defender Kent Nielsen who keeps an increasingly
frustrated Mark Hughes in his pocket throughout, to the absolute glee
of a taunting Holte End. It's fair to say we have little love for
Hughes and watching him completely shackled by Kent is truly the
highlight of Christmas.
 |
| Kent Nielsen - Superb |
Hughes strike partner is one Brian
McClair who was on Villa's books as a youth player but vanished amidst
talk of home sickness. He doesn't seem too happy to be back this time
either, giving God an easy afternoon as the Villa faithful taunt
Fergie with the sounds of “Thank you very much for Paul McGrath”.
It's probably not lost on the dour
Scots manager that the man running the Villa midfield, one David
Platt, is a United reject too.
Honours may be even at half time but
there's no question that we've been the better side and sure enough
in the second half, the goals start to flow.
On 56 minutes, Sid Cowans puts in a
free kick. Derek Mountfield and Paul McGrath both help the ball on and United's Jim Leighton can only parry Platty's powerful shot. A grateful
Ian Olney makes no mistake and buries it!
The Holte goes mad! And surges.
Inevitably a few poor souls find themselves tumbling into the river
of piss as a human tsunami unfurls. The canny trick when helping them up is
to make sure that you aren't the one pressed up against their urine
soaked coats as they regain their feet and the crowd's density returns.
Now Platt really starts to dazzle as
Tony Daley comes to life.
Daley leaves Mike Phelan trailing in
his wake and slots through to Platt who is right in front of goal.
Platt ghosts past Viv Anderson and Gary Pallister, rounds the keeper
and deftly slots home. More unconfined joy in the Holte and this time
less people topple into the piss river.
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| United reject David Platt scores Villa's second |
The Holte End is now joyously singing
“Fergie, Fergie on the dole”. Even people that aren't joining in
with the regular songs jump on the bandwagon on that one.
Happy Christmas!!!!
 |
| Fan favourite Kevin Gage nets Villa's third as Ince winces |
Tony Daley is now having a wonderful time and scampers again down the right, cuts inside for Platt who lays it
off for the advancing full back Kevin Gage whose low drive evades
Leighton for 3-0 Villa. We're having a disco in the Holte by now.
We Win!!
The crowd will be confirmed as 41,247
which seems a bit low given that people have been turned away and
it's been jam packed where we are. Sceptics mutter something about
“cash turnstiles” and “liberties with the VAT” but they've
probably been watching too much Minder. Who cares? Three points and
we are being talked about as genuine title contenders.
It certainly doesn't get much better
than this.
Back to the pub then. There's certainly
no rush to get home.
It's turkey and chips for tea.
Competition: League Division One
Venue: Villa Park
Attendance: 41,247
Referee: David Elleray
Manchester United: Jim Leighton, Viv Anderson, Gary Pallister, Steve Bruce, Lee A Martin, Clayton Blackmore, Lee Sharpe, Paul Ince, Mike Phelan, Brian McClair, Mark Hughes
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