Scars of derby loss to Owls still felt by Leeds lad

WHATEVER it takes – just win. That is Tony Kenworthy’s message to Sheffield United ahead of Sunday’s Steel City derby.

Kenworthy, who rarely took any prisoners as a Blades defender, is as desperate to keep Sheffield Wednesday quiet now as he was 30 years ago.

Still hurting from the pain of the 1979 game dubbed the ‘Boxing Day Massacre’ – when the Owls recorded a 4-0 victory at Hillsborough – he says the current crop of United players should be aiming to ‘win at all costs’ this weekend.

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Leeds-born Kenworthy, now 52, spent over two decades at Bramall Lane but played in only five derbies as the two clubs were often in different divisions.

His one and only success came in a Sheffield and Hallamshire County Cup final at Hillsborough – which was shunned by the majority of supporters.

Speaking ahead of Sunday’s game, the first Sheffield derby at third tier level since 1980, Kenworthy stressed the importance of what is at stake.

“If I was playing now, I would want to kick lumps out of Wednesday. As a player in a derby, you have got to want to win at all costs,” he said. “Even now, I think about the Boxing Day defeat. What happened, especially in the second half, still sticks in my throat.”

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Goals from Ian Mellor, Terry Curran, Jeff King and Mark Smith gave the Owls victory over a Blades side that was top of the table after 24 games yet finished 12th at the end of the season.

“It took a long to time to get that result out of our system,” Kenworthy reflected. “It was such a massive game for the supporters and the scoreline was disappointing for everyone.

“There were players fighting before the game even started. It was the first time that we had walked onto the field together and there was a scuffle behind me between John McPhail and John Lowe in the tunnel. A few words had been exchanged.

“To be fair, we had a couple of foreign players – Alex Sabella and Len De Goey – and I don’t think they really understood the importance of it all. How could it mean as much to them as it did a player like me who had come through the ranks? Sabella wanted a nice surface to play on but, that day, the pitch was covered in a thin layer of ice.

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“I am a Leeds lad but I have got red-and-white blood running through my veins. I had come through the ranks from the age of 14 and it was my first derby so I wanted to win more than anything.

“The score could have been so different if we had only equalised just before half-time,” he said. “Jeff Bourne hit a shot that came back off the crossbar. John McPhail volleyed the rebound and Bob Bolder (the Owls goalkeeper) was still getting up off the floor. Somehow, the ball hit him in the chest and was scrambled away. That would have made it 1-1.”

Shortly after the break, a crunching challenge by Owls midfielder Jeff King left Blades captain Mick Speight with damaged ribs. Speight was stretchered off the pitch and the Owls took full advantage.

Recalling Curran’s celebrations after scoring the second goal, Kenworthy said: “He was being pelted with coins by our supporters – and I was hoping that one of them was going to hit him!”

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Kenworthy is now based in the north east and works for the Premier League as a ‘floor manager’ in the tunnels at Newcastle United and Sunderland games. He also works for SIS, the company which provides data and video coverage for the betting industry.

According to Kenworthy, the Steel City derby has no place in League One football and is better than any north-east derby.

“I often say to people, ‘you can’t call this a derby because your clubs are too far apart.’ They won’t have it,” he laughed. “But they will never compare to the fans in Sheffield. Not for me anyway.

“Right now, it’s a massive disappointment for Sheffield to have both clubs down in the Third Division but no one has a divine right to be in the top division. Just look at Leeds, the club I supported as a boy. But it doesn’t have to take long for us to get back up the league. In fact, I expect both of them to be up there at the end of the season. It would be fantastic if they both get promoted, albeit with United winning the title.

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“Funnily enough, Wednesday came to Bramall Lane for my testimonial game. I launched Brian Marwood into the South Stand and he was not very happy about it. He said ‘Hey, this is only a friendly.’ I said ‘There is no such thing as a friendly where United and Wednesday are involved.”

The Blades still have a limited number of tickets available for Sunday’s game (kick-off noon) but there are no more tickets available in the away end. The Owls are staging a live beamback of the game at Hillsborough and are also producing their own limited edition match programme.

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