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Published: July 19th 2010
Billy Bremner
The statue of the Leeds Legend repainted for the promotion chargeWell I have been rather slack in getting the latest blog up as things have just been so busy and now it's down to a matter of weeks until I fly out of the UK and not coming back, at least not in the near future. What a wierd feeling and with the fantastic summer the UK is having, it does make me a little nostalgic. But anyway i'll back up a bit to just after Ireland when I had one of the highlights of my entire OE.
As some may know, I am a huge Leeds United fan, even more so since coming to the UK, and since I have been here they have twice narrowly missed out on a promotion to a higher league, closer to where they belong. This season, they started off amazingly well, and at the turn of the year, they were top of the table with a huge lead and it seemed just a matter of when not if they would clinch promotion. Then things got even better as we beat arch rivals manchester united at their place to knock them out of the FA Cup. After that, as Leeds fans know, we never
The Tunnel
Leading out to the pitch make it easy for ourselves and embarked on a run where we only won 3 times in 17 games and with only 7 games left, we dropped out of the automatic promotion places.
It came down to the last day, where we had a game at Elland Road and the formula was simple, win and we would be going up, anything else and we would be relying on other results. It was a packed house of just under 40,000 who provided an incredible atmosphere as the players walked out. The game started well for Leeds as we dominated but couldn't manage to score the first goal. Then the moment of madness. One of the star players of the later half of the season had a brain freeze and decided to stomp on one of the opposition and was duly sent off. So down to 10 men, but still 0-0, so not too bad. Then just after half time, they scored the goal they had been threatening, so we were 1-0 down with ten men. It didn't look good.
The game floated along for 10 minutes as the crowds depression seemed to sink into the players. Then the manager
Me in the Changing Room
Ready to be picked for the starting XI.... made a substitution. A local lad by the name of Johnny Howson came on, and within minutes turned the game as he scored with a stunning shot from just outside the area, and 4 minutes later, our star striker, top scorer, out of contract, and first time captain popped up with a scuffed shot to make it 2-1. The place went absolutely mental. There have never been such scenes of man love as everyone has hugging and jumping up and down in pure delirium.
Despite a few nervous moments, Leeds managed to hold on and when the final whistle sounded, the roars of ecstasy started up again and the crowds poured onto the pitch, despite warnings not to. There was no trouble though as the players were lifted on to the fans shoulders and carried around before the players themselves carried out thier own celebrations and lap of honour around the pitch. For the fans, like the players, the celebrations continued long into the night and even on the train back, Leeds fans were still singing as we pulled into Kings Cross in London.
So a huge highlight for me and I am still grinning now as I
Giving an interview
About my signing for Leeds.... write this. An experience I will never forget. And I didn't mean to wax so lyrical about the day, but it just poured out so now I believe that deserves a blog of its own. I've also put photos up here from the stadium tour of Elland Road, the home of Leeds United and a photo of me and one of the best players of the season, Robert Snodgrass, a soon-to-be Scotland international.
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stu
non-member comment
I was there too
What a day that was. Still think were doing ok this season for first back in championship -but this is leeds and we are a big club and the fans expect. i'm also back in nz now -stumbled across your site while doing a leeds utd search on google nice -well done - mot