Beers, birthdays and Stan Boardman: How one Sheffield Wednesday hero remembers the build-up to the 1991 League Cup final
Manchester United’s build-up to the 1991 Rumbelows Cup final was everything you’d expect from a side led by Sir Alex Ferguson; light training, dinner, dignitaries, suits and smiles. Prim and proper.
Sheffield Wednesday took an altogether different approach. Everything you’d expect, perhaps, from a side led by Ron Atkinson.
They trained hard of course, travelling down to Bisham Abbey in the week before heading to London on the Friday ahead of the Sunday final.
But goalkeeper Chris Turner, who made a classy second-half save to deny Brian McClair and keep a well-earned clean sheet, remembers an unorthodox three-day man-management masterclass from Big Ron that he believes went a long way to securing the club’s first cup win since 1935.
They had beers and a meal with wives and girlfriends in London on the Friday night. Nothing too heavy, but enough to relax them. And then on the Saturday, the night before the final, more drinks.
“It was Trevor Francis’ birthday and we’d had a cake made for him,” Turner told The Star. “We were encouraged to have a couple of glasses of champagne.
“It was total relaxation, prepare in the day and relax at night. You can’t be cooped up in a room for 24 hours. And it worked, we went in confident that we could beat them.”
A good night’s rest was had by all and Turner was one of the first to report downstairs on final day, only to find a strangely familiar face pouring juice and giggling.
“I arrived down for breakfast the morning and as an utter surprise, Stan Boardman was there,” Turner laughed. “He was there with us all day, cracking jokes and taking the mick.
“Ron had a lot of showbiz friends and it was a great coup. The game was on our minds and suddenly you’ve got a comedian there, laughing and joking.”
Wednesday, of course, won 1-0 through a goal by self-confessed United fan John Sheridan.
Turner said: “The gameplan went perfectly and they only had a couple of chances. But I remember just having this confidence in what we were doing, playing against Manchester United.
“The whole week leading into that game was genius by Ron. Absolute genius.”