I really tried to belt out the ‘He comes from Cookstown…’ tune alongside the rest of Elland Road at half-time versus Blackburn, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. Hell, I couldn’t even manage the far more lyrically succinct ‘One Stuart Dallas’. I was too busy choking back tears. And I’d wager that a fair few of you were too.
Tears? Football? Leeds? Isn’t that all a bit Alan Smith? A bit 2004?
Weirdly, the first time I remember crying for reasons tied to the football was also in 2004, but not because of anything Leeds had done (or failed to do). England were playing France in their opening game of Euro 2004 and led 1-0 going into stoppage time. And then Zinedine Zidane scored a free-kick on 90+1, and then Zinedine Zidane scored a penalty to win it on 90+3, and then ten-year-old me ran upstairs and cried. Crying over England? Pathetic. I’ve had a word with ten-year-old me.
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