Five years ago today - an unexpected surprise

[1973Blade]

I'd resigned myself that United were going to be in the play offs. On Good Friday we beat Forest 2-0. When I got home I saw that Leeds were beating ten man Wigan 1-0. I stopped following the game, assuming Leeds would easily win. Leeds' defeat turned our fortunes round and made us favourites for promotion.

 

[billyblademan]

I'd resigned myself that United were going to be in the play offs. On Good Friday we beat Forest 2-0. When I got home I saw that Leeds were beating ten man Wigan 1-0. I stopped following the game, assuming Leeds would easily win. Leeds' defeat turned our fortunes round and made us favourites for promotion.

That was an amazing Easter wasn't it, as did we not win again on Monday (Hull?), and they lost to Brentford?

Leeds were well and truly falling apart...

 

[Davalon]

I'd resigned myself that United were going to be in the play offs. On Good Friday we beat Forest 2-0. When I got home I saw that Leeds were beating ten man Wigan 1-0. I stopped following the game, assuming Leeds would easily win. Leeds' defeat turned our fortunes round and made us favourites for promotion.

We were in the Beer Engine post match and like you, saw it was 1-0 and just assumed they'd win so stopped looking.

Then out of the blue a mate came in from outside all excited saying have you seen the score.

None of us in the back room had and then a buzz went round the place and you could feel the belief rise about finishing in the autos.

I think that was the first time I truly started to believe which was then enforced even more after Hull.

 

[Stockholm]

Didn’t Leon Clarke score for Wigan too?

 

[ISZA ⚔️]

Leeds gonna Leeds.

 

[sufc323]

Didn’t Leon Clarke score for Wigan too?

No, Gavin Massey scored twice but Leon assisted the winner

 

[sufc323]

The match stats are brilliant, I think we'd have overtaken Leeds anyway due to their run in (still had Brentford away and Villa at home) but this didn't half help

 

[Bladesman]

View attachment 182251

The match stats are brilliant, I think we'd have overtaken Leeds anyway due to their run in (still had Brentford away and Villa at home) but this didn't half help

I caught the end of the match and was confused as at how Leeds didn't win the game.

 

[Gimli]

This meme was born…

 

[Ned the Donkey]

I'd resigned myself that United were going to be in the play offs. On Good Friday we beat Forest 2-0. When I got home I saw that Leeds were beating ten man Wigan 1-0. I stopped following the game, assuming Leeds would easily win. Leeds' defeat turned our fortunes round and made us favourites for promotion.

From memory, L***s were top and Wigan were bottom(?). And L***s had missed a penalty before they scored. Once they'd gone 1-0 up it was only ever going to be a landslide.

Not if Leon had anything to say about it

 

[Selly]

Quite possibly the biggest turnaround across the space of 9 days in my thoughts.

95 mins into the home game against Millwall - we hadn`t been great, we were down to 10 men and they had missed a penalty - I started thinking we'd got away with one - but that's what teams who get promotion tend to do. Then Millwall scored and we were relying on the unclean to do us a favour that evening - they didn`t. At that point it really looked like we were headed for the playoffs with 4 games left - and given how well Leeds were playing you couldn`t see them dropping points - nor us winning all 4 remaining games.

Good Friday - we beat Forest - as we were expected to - but Leeds had a home game against Wigan and were not expected to drop points there so we had at least done our bit and made them have to beat Wigan.

Then they went 1 up - and Wigan were down to 10 men. Well that's that - need Brentford to do us a favour now. then suddenly Wigan were winning - and holding on. All of a sudden we were back in the driving seat.

Sh*t - now the pressure is on us - a tricky away game at Hull on Easter Monday. 45 mins into the game the pressure was completely off as we were 3-0 up and just needed to avoid doing something dumb in the second half.

Now the pressure is really on Leeds - they have to get something - and realistically a win - at Brentford, as SUFC have already relegated Ipswich at home the following week. I didn`t check the score in that game until full time deciding instead it would be far less stressful - and a Brentford win was the best of surprises.

We were (realistically - "forget the maths") a win away from promotion - from complete despondency just 9 days earlier walking out after Millwall.

A remarkable turnaround

(the only other similar SUFC supporting example I can think of is in the opposite direction in 1994 - from thinking we were probably safe when we beat Newcastle to despondency a week later)

 

[Gimli]

I’ve never been more confident going into a game than I was the Ipswich one.