DANNY MILLS: Leeds can set the record straight against Cardiff in their FA Cup clash on Sunday
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DANNY MILLS: We were at the top of the league at Leeds when third-tier Cardiff knocked us out of the FA Cup. Perhaps Jesse Marsch’s men can set the record straight when the two teams meet on Sunday.
- Cardiff pulled off one of the great FA Cup upsets when they knocked out Leeds
- It came in 2002, when David O’Leary’s team was top of the Premier League.
- Danny Mills remembers the match as a case of ‘put your head down and run’
- Leeds will have the chance to set the record straight in Sunday’s FA Cup clash
We come to Wales after three consecutive victories and at the top of the Premier League.
It was an exciting young team from Leeds managed by David O’Leary and we had reached the Champions League semi-final the previous season.
Heading into Ninian Park, Cardiff were tenth in the third tier and we may have been a bit complacent.
Danny Mills recalls a ‘hostile atmosphere’ when Cardiff beat Leeds in the 2002 FA Cup
Mark Viduka put us 1-0 up early on, but Rio Ferdinand went off injured, Graham Kavanagh equalized and Alan Smith was sent off before half time.
The atmosphere became increasingly hostile during the match and various objects were thrown onto the pitch, including empty miniature whiskey, gin and vodka bottles.
Referee Andy D’Urso had to stop play at one point because a coin hit him, taking off his head.
During the second half, Cardiff chairman Sam Hammam rounded the back of the goal, sending the crowd into a frenzy. He was running up and down, waving his arms.
The former Leeds midfielder (right) urged Jesse Marsch’s team to “set the record straight”
Cardiff scored a late winner through Scott Young and I remember D’Urso warning us to get off the pitch as quickly as possible once the game was over. It was quite apparent that there was going to be a massive invasion of camp.
We got away unscathed, but it was basically a case of ‘when the whistle blows, put your head down and run for the tunnel.’
Leeds fans never forgot that day and that’s why it was always so intense every time they played in Cardiff.
Having started that year at the top of the Premier League, we finished the season in fifth place and just missed out on qualifying for the Champions League. But that FA Cup loss was not to blame for how the rest of the season played out.
I look at Leeds now and I think it will be a touch and go in terms of Premier League survival because it’s incredibly tight. They get a little carried away with moving on when sometimes they just need to see the result, whether it’s a win or a draw.
Twenty-one years since we lost at Ninian Park, perhaps Leeds can set the record straight on Sunday.