The Family Way: Leeds vs West Ham, 24th November 1997

Frank Lampard senior was born in East Ham, played 551 times for West Ham, and when it came to ending his career in exotic surroundings, he signed for Southend United. He couldn’t move too far; by then he had an eight-year-old son, also named Frank, born in Romford. In 1994 the family, Frank Senior as assistant manager and Frank Junior in the youth team, signed up with West Ham, where Harry Redknapp had just become manager; Harry, from Tower Hamlets, was married to Sandra, twin sister of Frank Senior’s wife Patricia.

All of which would be a reasonable Eastenders sub-plot if only the family tree was not so firmly enshrined in English football lore it even took root in a corner of Elland Road, Leeds, as if claiming it for the Lampard/Redknapp clan.

In April 1980, West Ham and Everton played their FA Cup semi-final replay at Elland Road, going into extra-time level at 0-0. Alan Devonshire put West Ham ahead after four minutes, but with four minutes to go Bob Latchford sparked jubilation on the Gelderd End by heading an equaliser at the front post, all but guaranteeing another replay. All but for Frank Lampard, two minutes later at the other end, winning the game with an absurd header, flinging himself hard at the ball, sending it bouncing softly in off the post.

For reasons best known to himself, Lampard ran to the flag in the south-east corner, grabbed it, and scampered around it in a circle. A few years earlier Gypsy Rose Lee had promised Don Revie she could lift a curse from Elland Road by pissing in all four corners; perhaps a faint aroma remained, sending Lampard round the twist. Whatever the reason, his crazed dance stamped down a West Ham family legend into the Yorkshire turf.

Seventeen years later, nineteen-year-old Frank Junior came to Elland Road to claim his inheritance. He’d made a six minute cameo at the end of Leeds’ 1-0 win in March, back when the West Ham fans were yet to be convinced there was anything more than nepotism behind his place in their team. His uncle had to defend him at a supporters’ club dinner. Now, with a midweek hat-trick against Walsall in the League Cup to his name, Lampard Junior had the teamsheet to himself.

West Ham’s other great hope, Rio Ferdinand, was missing with a calf injury: his England debut had just triggered a wage increase, to a dizzy £3,000 per week, while his manager insisted he couldn’t imagine selling him, not even for £6m. For Leeds, young star Harry Kewell was away with Australia. After three caps as a wing-back, manager Terry Venables was ready to try him up front with Mark Viduka, in search of goals against Iran to qualify for the World Cup. Neither team, whether it was Gunnar Halle or David Robertson for Leeds, or David Unsworth and Tim Breacker for West Ham, had much youth about them.

Attrition was inevitable. Leeds were leaving the boredom of George Graham’s first season behind and had won two games 4-3, but losing 3-2 to Reading in the League Cup had brought his defensive instincts back to the fore. Alfie Haaland was ordered to manage the game’s one creative player, Eyal Berkovic, and the best chance belonged to Halle: Nigel Martyn had to pull off an incredible save to stop him scoring an own goal. Jimmy Hasselbaink tried a header at the other end, then tried not to look too embarrassed by missing it. Not seeing many chances coming, Rod Wallace tried to make one, but the referee wouldn’t give a penalty for his dive.

So when Lampard Junior scored in the 65th minute, firing in from John Hartson’s header, he was entitled to think the game’s first shot on target might also be its last. And he felt entitled to run to the south-east corner and do like his dad did, all those years ago. “It had to be done,” he said later. “I was just having a laugh, to remind dad of the old days.”

The goal, the dance, the curse or all three snapped Leeds back into the present. Ten minutes later Steve Potts fouled Hasselbaink, and Haaland and Lee Bowyer teed up Jimmy for a shot around the wall that found the back of the net and had Harry Redknapp fuming at his goalkeeper. The equaliser gave Leeds new impetus, and with five minutes left Redknapp sent John Moncur on for Berkovic to protect the point. That left Haaland, soon to begin a football dynasty of his own, free to head Bruno Ribeiro’s corner at the back post in the 88th minute on his 25th birthday. Two minutes later Hasselbaink, receiving a rare pinpoint cross from Robertson, headed a third and revelled in his celebratory cartwheel.

“It’s terrific,” said Harry Redknapp afterwards, with bitter sarcasm. “The boys are all singing and dancing and looking forward to a long journey home.” Frank Lampard Junior was also fuming about his moment of family glory being snatched away. “It is schoolboy stuff to go 1-0 up and then hang back,” he said, straying into criticism of his uncle and dad’s tactics. “We should have pressed on at Leeds and maybe nicked another goal and stayed positive.” But the blame couldn’t be left on the family’s shoulders. “We’ve bought players,” said Lampard Junior, “and we’ve got to get our fingers out.”

George Graham had no need to be angry, as his team were now 4th in the Premier League, but he didn’t try to pretend he was pleased. “It would be nice to have the answer to why we suddenly started going forward and playing positive football when we went 1-0 down,” he said. He didn’t feel like the top four place was United’s by right, either. “4th place is much more than I expected at this time of the season. There are a lot of clubs doing well that you might not necessarily think would be up there, so nothing surprises me. But we are not kidding ourselves. We have got a lot of improving to do and a lot of hard work.”

Nobody was going to help Leeds but Leeds, the way it always was. ◉