Man at the Helm put Gordon Strachan’s vital strike for Leeds United into folklore

Thirty years ago today on April 28, 1990, John Helm uttered those immortal seven words to hail a sumptuous late winner from Leeds United captain Gordon Strachan in front of a packed South Stand at Elland Road on an occasion of immense importance against Leicester City.

It was joyously unscripted and off the cuff as the best lines in commentary surely are and it is one which has gone down in Whites folklore.

The genius and talismanic qualities of Strachan came to the fore frequently during Leeds’ Division Two title-winning campaign of 1989-90. Never moreso than on that Spring afternoon in West Yorkshire in front of a crowd of 32,597.

It represented a true ‘I was there’ moment with the highlights relaid the following day on YTV’s Goals on Sunday programme.

Mel Sterland’s goal had given United – stunned at home in midweek in a shock 2-1 loss to Yorkshire rivals Barnsley – the lead in the must-win encounter.

But future Whites midfielder Gary McAllister levelled for Leicester, with the stage beautifully set for Strachan.

Helm told The Yorkshire Post: “It was such an important match. All commentary is instinctive and spontaneous and that was definitely a spontaneous reaction: ‘Have you ever seen a better goal?’

“Basically, it was because of the timing of it as well as Strachan struck it so sweetly with his left foot – probably not his best foot, really.

“The ball had bounced off somebody and pulled back to him and as soon as he hit it, you knew it was arrowing into the top corner. You think: ‘Crikey, he’s won the match’ – even though there were a few minutes to go.

“My next thought was I had never seen one better timed. To this day, people come up to me and quote that line or when I go to dinners. It is amazing and is one of the few commentary lines that stuck.”

On Strachan’s seismic contribution to a special campaign of thrilling renaissance at Elland Road, Helm – who covered five of Leeds’ final eight fixtures in that climatic end to 89-90 – continued: “I remember Gordon when I was at Elland Road one day and doing an interview.

“He was telling me how he went to bed in the afternoon and drank ginseng tea.

“He was quirky and he later did some commentaries with me in a tournament they played at Elland Road when they played a German team and Sampdoria and I got to know him.

“Howard (Wilkinson) very quickly decided he was going to be his second lieutenant in the dressing room and told him things and discussed things he wouldn’t have done with any other player. He really regarded Gordon as his leader.

“Vinnie Jones was another one – as he got them all revved up in the dressing room. But Gordon was the one who kept them calm and was a bit in the mould of Johnny Giles or Bobby Collins.”

A cheer-leader, stirring force of nature and inimitable figure on and off the pitch, it should surprise no-one that Helm has a memorable anecdote surrounding Jones from that day against Leicester.

Jones got his wires crossed in declaring to team-mates at the final whistle that West Ham had won at Newcastle, which would have effectively sealed promotion with a game to spare for Leeds.

It was the other way around as the Londoners, who led 1-0 at the break through a Julian Dicks penalty, lost 2-1 at St James’ Park.

A winner from Mick Quinn had retained the Magpies’ hopes of automatic promotion ahead of their final-day trip to north-east rivals Middlesbrough on May 5.

On that same Bank Holiday weekend, of course, Leeds were due at Bournemouth – fighting to avoid relegation along with Boro – and Sheffield United were at Leicester in the final episode of an absorbing three-way fight for automatic promotion.

Helm said: “Alan Sutton (Leeds physio) came out and I was about to do some touchline interviews. He said: ‘we’re up, we’re up.’

“Vinnie had spread it that Newcastle had lost to West Ham and Leeds had been promoted.

“I said: ‘Alan, Alan – they haven’t, Newcastle have won.’ So he had to go back into the dressing room to tell them to calm down a bit. But then they eventually did clinch it at Bournemouth.

“To be fair, Vinnie was great. If you wanted to do a piece with him fishing or shooting, he’d agree to that. It made it different as Vinnie had so many other interests and was willing to share them with you. A bit like Big Jack, who was fantastic if you needed a quote.

“Vinnie is the only person I know who can get away with the F-word and not sound bad.

“I did a dinner recently at Elland Road and we got him on the stage and he effed and blinded a couple of times and not one woman would possibly have taken exception to it as it was said in such a way that it was humorous without being offensive.”

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