Leeds United hero Brian Deane has opened up on his lingering frustrations over the disastrous 1996 League Cup final defeat nearly 30 years on.
Howard Wilkinson guided Leeds United to their most recent appearance in a major cup final in the 1995/96 season, as the Whites took on Aston Villa in the League Cup Final.
However, Leeds meekly surrendered at Wembley as the Leeds boss sprang a number of selection surprises, throwing teenage forward Andy Gray, father of Archie and Harry Gray, into the firing line, with Deane and Thomas Brolin relegated to the bench and Rod Wallace excluded entirely.
A Savo Milosevic screamer set Leeds on the road to defeat, as Wilkinson’s experiment with wing-backs failed and saw the Leeds boss booed by his own fans as he walked down the touchline following the defeat.
Now, nearly 30 years after the event, Brian Deane has opened up on his lingering regrets over the manner of Leeds’ defeat.
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Brian Deane opens up on League Cup final defeat with Leeds United
In a post on the social media site Instagram, Deane opened up on the frustration that he still feels over the manner of Leeds’ defeat at Wembley.
Fans were openly critical of Wilkinson’s team selection for the showpiece, chanting for Brolin’s introduction in the ground, and Deane’s post reveals that the players also felt that frustration on the sidelines.
Sharing a picture of the Leeds team lining up ahead of the game, the former Leeds forward wrote: “About to take my place on the bench for our Coca Cola Cup final defeat at Wembley against Aston Villa. 3-0.
“I was frustrated, and after scoring both goals the week before against Everton, I felt it was justified. My frustration was one thing, but there were some very good players who didn’t even make the bench.
“One in particular knows who he is, and he could’ve perhaps had a bigger impact on the game than where I was coming from.
“But instead we had a laugh about it every time I went to warm up, perhaps it was our way of dealing with the situation, and it’s definitely softened the blow over the years. The lesson, I suppose, is always try to find the light in the darkness.”
League Cup final proved to be the beginning of the end for Howard Wilkinson
Wilkinson is arguably one of the most under-appreciated managers in English football, as the last English manager to win the First Division title.
However, what could have been a day of jubilation for Leeds turned into the beginning of the end for the legendary manager, as Leeds’ form fell off a cliff after their League Cup final defeat.
The Whites lost seven of their nine games after their Wembley heartbreak, taking just four points from those games. Although Leeds won two from their opening four games the following season, a four-nil defeat against Manchester United brought about the end of Wilkinson’s reign.
It was a sad end for a man who did so much to transform the club. With the likes of Lee Bowyer, Ian Harte, Harry Kewell and Alan Smith on the verge of breaking into the team, Wilkinson was so close to ushering in another generation of success at Elland Road.
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