Retro: Leeds United boos and beginning of the end for Howard Wilkinson, Tomas Brolin and Tony Yeboah - 30 years on

Granted, no gongs would appear in the trophy cabinet, but it would represent a major achievement for a newly-promoted club all the same, given recent history which is so weighted against them.

As for actual cup finals? Well, you have to go back three decades for United's last appearance in the showpiece of a domestic knock-out competition.

It proved a thoroughly humbling and unsatisfactory experience, across town from the Hammers’ London Stadium home at Wembley.

It is a place that has not treated Leeds kindly, as everyone well knows. As it didn’t on March 24, 1996.

Leeds start their FA Cup journey in 2025-26 against a Midlands outfit in old seventies rivals Derby County on Sunday.

It was against the region’s biggest club in Aston Villa where Leeds endured an excruciating afternoon just shy of 30 years ago in the League Cup final.

There was Savo Milosevic-inspired pain as the Whites - who eased Villa's second-city rivals Birmingham City in a one-sided semi-final - succumbed to a tepid 3-0 loss; a game which provided the beginning of the end for Howard Wilkinson, in terms of his epic stewardship.

It also had ramifications for the club’s two big-name forwards in Tony Yeboah and Tomas Brolin.

In United’s first major final for 23 years, they were turned over big style, with Milosevic, Ian Taylor and Dwight Yorke netting for Villa. Wilkinson was left to pick up the pieces afterwards following a day when he was barracked by United's furious supporters amid chants of ‘Wilko out.’

On that damning chorus, Wilkinson, speaking at the time, said: "Of course it hurt.

"It seemed very personal to me and I don’t think that anybody was left in any doubt about what they wanted.

"I’m the one who has to take the responsibilities when we win and when we lose, but the biggest disappointment of the day was a massive one; we just didn’t take enough responsibility out on the field.

"They say that your first time at Wembley passes very quickly, but it didn’t for me.

"I don’t think I will ever be able to look back and say I enjoyed it."

Wilkinson’s pre-match calls had been controversial ones, with teenager Andy Gray preferred to Brolin.

On the day, the youngster’s performance was actually one of the few redeeming features in truth.

United's side also included another youngster in midfielder Mark Ford, then 20. After finishing his career in football, Ford later became a train driver.

The Leeds line-up was also notable for the inclusion of Gary Speed at left-back, with Tony Dorigo out injured.

The omission of Brolin angered Leeds followers in particular, with a chorus of ‘Why is Brolin on the bench?’ doing the rounds at an early juncture. He did arrive later, but the game was over as a competitive entity by then.

After the game, Brolin quickly made overtures to the press that he wanted out, while Yeboah jetted out to Brazil on a promotional trip for the Football Association of Ghana.

As for Wilkinson? He remained in charge until that September.

Thankfully, Leeds fans have much, much happier days under 'Sgt Wilko' to remember than that wretched March day.