25 MAY, A DAY TO FORGET AND A DAY TO REMEMBER

Brian Stock (left) and Adam Lockwood hold the League One play-off trophy aloft following the 1-0 victory over Leeds United

Today, 25 May, holds so many different emotions for me and my family. In context of my life it has to be the worst day that I have ever been through, however, in sporting terms it is also one of the best experiences that I have had.

Nine years ago today, I lost my grandad.

I keen golfer and a generous man that would do anything for his family no matter what they asked. Like me, he was seriously into his sport and he could have watched anything that involved a ball for hours or days.

After four years of suffering heartbreak on the same day every year my life was significantly turned upside down by a football fixture that took place on the fourth anniversary of my late grandfather’s passing.

As many football supporters will recall, Yorkshire was deserted on 25 May 2008 when over 75,000 supporters travelled down to the capital to cheer on their respective sides, either Leeds United or Doncaster Rovers.

Yorkshire rivals Leeds and Doncaster collided at Wembley for a place in the Championship

Just 13 months on from the historic day in Cardiff where Rovers picked up their first major trophy they were in line for a return to the Championship and the second tier of English football, a division they had not played in since the 1950s.

Sean O’Driscoll’s side beat Bristol Rovers 3-2 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff in April 2007 and then the following season they defied the odds by seeing off a strong Leeds United at Wembley.

This day in 2008 started in the same way that every other one for the past four years had done. With the feeling that my grandad was no longer around to see such an event like this, because no doubt he would have joined us on the 322 mile round trip from Doncaster to Wembley.

As we started our journey down the M1 all the family that were on board the coach had a sneaky suspicion that it was written in the stars for ‘my’ club to win the match in the memory of my grandad even though his connections to the club were limited, as after all he was a rugby league supporter more than anything.

Arriving at, what has to be one of the best stadiums in the world, Wembley the crew of around 30 of us were ready to welcome our home town club into the second tier of English football, even though kick-off was still over an hour away.

The sweepstakes had taken place for the correct score and who would score first. I got extremely unlucky as not only did I pick out a player who was an unused substitute but I also got the goalkeeper, Ben Smith, who was never going to come on.

So my hopes of winning a little bit of cash were dashed but nothing was going to dampen the mood of being in the top tier at Wembley.

That is when things started to take a down turn at Wembley and then I started to think that this date would be one that would haunt me for the rest of my life.

Me (left) and Ryan Kisby – the Doncaster Drummer – prior to kick-off

Nine words dominated the next half an hour as me and the infamous Doncaster Drummer looked for places to put up Rovers decorated flags.

“You cannot put that there, its health and safety.”

That is all we got from the “over-powerful” Wembley stewards. It seemed like they had a vendetta against the supporters of little Doncaster Rovers showing their support for their team.

Fair enough Leeds United did not have any flags to put up but they did sell in excess of 40,000 tickets and some of their fans ended up buying tickets through our allocation.

The flag was up finally in a place where the nearest steward agreed, just in time for kick-off and now it was time to stand, not sit – always stand where you can at a game – and cheer on the 11 lads wearing the red and white hoops.

From what I recall the opening exchanges of the match were dominated by the underdogs, Rovers, with them coming rather close several times in the opening 20 minutes. At half time the match was goalless and the 24,000 or so Doncaster fans were content with how the many was going whilst the remaining Leeds contingent continued to sing the only three words they knew that afternoon “Marching on Together”.

Just as the second half was about to start, I got a tap on the shoulder. It was another steward. There was a problem with where we had put the flag, bearing in mind it had not been moved since prior to kick-off.

The flag needed to be moved again because of health and safety. So here I was messing about with a flag that was fine 45 minutes ago for no apparent reason.

Now, every fan who was at the game knows what happens next.

That’s right, I missed the goal. That crucial goal that sent Doncaster into the Championship.

I recall us having a corner, which would be taken by Brian Stock and thinking that nothing would come of it, as that has been the case throughout the first half of the match.

How wrong could I be?

The spectacular view I had of the Wembley pitch even though it felt like you was up in the heavens

Thankfully, the great guys who designed Wembley put two massive television screens behind each goal so as soon as I knew the ball was in the back of the net and we were all going delirious in the North London heavens I focused on the one surrounding the silent Leeds supporters to watch the numerous replays.

The moment of pure elation overcame everything, including the previous torrid memories that had always been associated with this day. It was a proud moment for my family and friends, yet alone the thousands of supporters that had followed Rovers, who had spent many a year in the lower divisions and non-league, all their lives.

As Leeds pushed forward for an equaliser Neil Sullivan and the Rovers defence held as strong as what they had done all season.

Like all those intense situations every second seemed to be like a minutes but when the fourth official put up his board for added time, I can’t remember what it was – probably four minutes after all it is the unwritten rule in football, time went even slower.

Leeds overloaded the Rovers penalty box hoping that they would be able to take the match into extra time but when a cross delivered into the box came into the grasp of Sullivan and he laid on the floor I knew that this day would not be as miserable as what it had been for the past four years.

Referee Andy D’Urso blew the full time whistle to signal Doncaster’s superiority over Leeds and the small Rovers following, compared with that of Leeds, went absolutely mental.

The promotion party continued for days if not weeks as only five years prior to winning at Wembley Doncaster were battling it out with the likes of Leigh RMI who have subsequently dissolved.

One of the Wembley big screens shows the score with just seconds of normal time left to play

As we returned up the M1, we stopped off at a service station which had been taken over by the bitter opposition support. Rovers shirts were being burnt outside the doorway and it was like a scene from the Football Factory as you walked inside.

Immaturely I erupted into singing the song Rovers fans had created about James Hayter, who scored the winning goal that date. I ended up being chased back to my bus by three or four less than impressed Leeds fans.

That certainly gave me a fright, but in fairness it only halted the celebrations.

It is hard to put into words what that day and result meant to me personally but it definitely made me look at that date with contrasting memories.

Obviously sport has been my life – and so was my grandad when he was around. We’d be up at 6am, something I very rarely achieve nowadays, and on the golf course by seven. Therefore in a day of serious emotions I will always look back at this day being not only one of the worst days of my life on a personal note, yet one of the best I have experienced as a football supporter.

Words: Adam Grice

Header Photo: South Yorkshire Times

 

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL PREVIEW: Bayern Munich v Borussia Dortmund

Jerseys of German football clubs Bayern Munich (L) and Borussia Dortmund are pictured with an UEFA Champions League 2013 final official ball ahead of the UEFA Champions League 2013 final on May 25.

On Saturday evening Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, the two best teams in Germany, fight it out on the hallowed turf at Wembley for the right to be crowned the UEFA Champions League winners.

The first all-German final will kick off at Wembley at 19.45 (BST) and it will be the penultimate match of Jupp Heynckes’ third spell as Munich manager before he follows Sir Alex Ferguson and retires from the game.

That means the 68-year-old, who will be replaced by former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola, could bow out of football as a European champion for the second time as a manager or in despair with a second successive final defeat after they lost on penalties to Chelsea in last season’s final.

It has been well documented that Munich coach Heynckes and his Dortmund counterpart Jurgen Klopp do not get on, so with a fiery contest expected on the Wembley pitch, it could also a tense affair between the two dugouts.

Dortmund on the other hand are aiming for their first Champions League title since 1997 and their fifth trophy under manager Klopp who has been at the club’s helm since 2008.

The Black Yellows, or Die Schwarzgelben as they are referred to in their native country, were crowned Bundesliga champions in 2011 and 2012 before finishing second to Saturday’s opponents Munich.

Distraught Bayern players following their loss in the 2012 Champions League final to Chelsea at the Allianz Arena

Four-time winners Munich reached the final, that is being held at Wembley for the second time in three seasons, after comfortably seeing off FC Barcelona over the two-legged semi-final.

Munich demolished Barcelona 4-0 in the first leg at the Allianz Arena before comfortably winning 3-0 at the Nou Camp two-weeks later.

Bayern are aiming to win their first European title since 2001 and just 12 months after the disappointment of missing out on the championship in their own back yard last season.

Arjen Robben, Philipp Lahm, Manuel Neuer, Franck Ribery, Mario Gomez and Bastian Schweinsteiger – all of whom played in last season’s penalty shoot-out loss to Chelsea will be looking to win their first European title with the German super club.

Dortmund, who have received in excess of 500,000 ticket applications for the final, also came up against Spanish opposition in their semi-final. They face nine-times champions Real Madrid and they scraped through to the final after winning 4-3 on aggregate.

Klopp’s side took a 4-1 lead from the first leg to the Santiago Bernabeu but Madrid made the German side sweat out the closing stages as a 3-0 home win would have seen Jose Mourinho’s side reach their first final since 2002.

However, Dortmund held on despite an injury time Madrid onslaught to reach the final despite losing the second leg 2-0.

Munich, the favourites to lift the prestigious trophy for the fifth time, will be without defender Holger Badstuber who has been ruled out for 10 months with a knee injury.

The 24-year-old tore the cruciate ligament in his right knee last week, a recurrence of the problem that he initially picked up in December.

Badstuber underwent surgery last Monday and was revealed that he will miss the majority of the 2013-14 season.

Munich’s attacking midfielder Toni Kroos will also miss the first all-German European Cup final at Wembley.

The Champions League final comes a week to early for the 23-year-old who is expected to make his first appearance for Munich in the DFB Pokal Final against Stuttgart in 1 June.

Kroos has been absent from the German champions’ side since he picked up a hip injury in the 2-0 win in the Champions League match against Juventus.

Dortmund’s Mario Gotze will miss the UEFA Champions League final through injury

Dortmund, who topped group D and in the process knocked out Manchester City, will be without star midfielder Mario Gotze. The 20-year-old, who has already signed a deal to join Bayern Munich next season, tore his hamstring in the second leg of the semi-final to Real Madrid.

Defender Mats Hummels is also a doubt for the first all-German European final as he is struggling with an ankle injury. However, he has told the German press that he is confident of being fit for Dortmund’s biggest match of the season.

If Hummels fails to recover in time for the final it is expected that Felipe Santana will come into the team.

Star striker Robert Lewandowski, who scored four times against Real Madrid in the semi-final, is expected to league the line for Dortmund and many pundits see him playing a key role if Dortmund are to condemn Munich to a second successive Champions League final defeat.

The 24-year-old has scored 36 times for Dortmund this season in all competitions.

Munich are odds-on at 8-11 to lift their fifth European title, whilst their fellow German side are ranked outsiders at 15-4 to be crowned UEFA Champions League winners for the first time in 16 years. The draw is priced at 3-1.

As seen in recent weeks it is still possible for ranked outsiders to win major titles as Wigan Athletic secured their place in the Europa League by beating Manchester City 1-0 in the FA Cup final, just days before suffering relegation to the npower Championship.

Munich, who have won 24 of their last 26 matches in all competitions, have the upper hand over Dortmund heading into the final. The South German side head to Wembley with the superior form over their opponents.

Heynckes has led Munich to four wins from their last five matches, the only match that saw them drop points was a 1-1 draw with, you guessed it, Dortmund.

Klopp, however, heads to North London in the worst possible form with his side only winning one of their last five outings. A 2-1 victory away at Fortuna Dusseldorf is all that he has been able to shout about.

Dortmund, who finished 25 points behind Munich in the Bundesliga, salvaged a 3-3 draw with mid-tabled Wolfsburg two weeks ago after Marco Reus scored twice in the closing six minutes.

They then lost their first league home match in three months when they let a one goal lead slip at home to third bottom Hoffenheim.

Polish striker Lewandowski, whose signature is being chased by a host of top European clubs, scored the opener inside six minutes but the visitors scored two penalties in five second half minutes to win the match.

Of the four matches between the two sides this season Munich have won two, in the German Cup and German Super Cup, whilst both league matches have ended in stalemate.

The last time Dortmund got one over their superiors was in last season’s German Cup final which Klopp’s side won 5-2. Last season Dortmund also shocked the Heynckes’ team as they claimed three victories from as many matches.

Bayern Munich lifted the 2001 Champions League trophy after beating Valencia on penalties

Dortmund beat Munich 1-0 at the Allianz Arena in November 2011 before the reverse league match ended in the same score at the Westfalenstadion, which has a capacity of 80,000 – nine thousand more than Munich’s new ground, before they completed the season whitewash with that convincing victory in the cup final.

Out of the 95 competitive meetings between the two German sides Dortmund have accounted for 25 wins, just three of which have come in cup competitions, whilst Munich have 41 victories to their name.

The remaining 29 matches between the two sides have ended in draws.

Munich last won the Champions League in 2001 after they beat Spanish side Valencia on penalties. Gaizka Mendieta gave Valencia the lead inside three minutes from the penalty spot but Steffan Effenberg equalised for Munich six minutes following the restart.

There were no further goals in the rest of the match or in extra-time so the final went all the way to penalties. The two sides were level at three penalties each as the shoot-out went into sudden death but when Mauricio Pellegrino missed his decisive spot kick for Valencia that gave Munich their fourth European title, just two years after coming within touching distance of lifting the trophy only for Manchester United to score twice in stoppage time.

Dortmund last lifted the Champions League in 1997 following a 3-1 win over Juventus

Dortmund beat Juventus 3-1 in the 1997 final at the Olympic Stadium in Munich. The German side scored two first half goals through Karl-Heinz Riedle before Alessandro Del Piero pulled a goal back just before the hour mark.

However, Dortmund bounced back and restored their two goal advantage six minutes later when Lars Ricken found the back of the net.

Words: Adam Grice

Photo: Getty Images, khelnama.com, The Independent

DUFFY TARGETS TOP 48 OF WORLD’S BEST

Sheffield-born Adam Duffy is hoping for a better campaign in 2013/14 as he looks to qualify for his first major finals

Snooker star Adam Duffy is relishing the upcoming season after having an less than impressive 2012/13 campaign.

The 24-year-old from Sheffield has a desire to make further strives this season after he admitted he did not train as hard once he made it into the world’s top 64.

That resulted in Duffy failing to make the final stages of any major tournament last season and he fell at the second hurdle of qualifying for the Betfair World Championship in his home city.

He said: “I would like to really perform this season and try and get into the top 48 before then getting into the top 32. I want to keep working up and going as far as I can.

“I really struggled last season which is really disappointing. I did not work as hard as what I should have done in hindsight. I have learnt a lot from that as well.

“I had an unbelievable season the year before because I got into the top 64 in the world. I thought that I had made it when I got to that ranking, but it came as a reality shock and I recognised that I had to work even harder to progress higher up the rankings.”

Duffy lost 10-6 to Joe Swail during the qualifying stages for the prestigious event at the Crucible Theatre and he admitted he was disappointed with the final outcome after he found himself in the lead after a commanding opening session.

“I was 5-4 up after the first session and I felt rather confident with the way that I was playing. All areas of my game was good, I was potting really well and my safety play was also really good,” Duffy said.

“I went back to the hotel and just chilled out and I just thought it would be the same again in the second session but, Joe changed his game. I was always chasing his game.

“He was playing a really good safety shot and I was only able to play decent safety shots. He was using his experience and that helped him beat me 10-6.”

Duffy feels that his lack of experience in major competitions and his opponents’ vast experience on the big stage has become a major factor on him not being able to make it to the major events.

“I felt short again to experience. Peter Ebdon beat me and he used all of his experience to ensure that he got the better of me.

“They are just class players. I think Joe Swail got to two semi-finals or something like that before so there is so much experience there and then there is Ebdon who is a world champion,” Duffy continued.

“I would like to think I will be able to make it to a finals this year, but like I said earlier once that happens I would like to think more will not be far away.

However, despite not qualifying for a major finals, the Sheffield born cue man is hopeful of making it to an event within the next couple of months as many of the qualifying schemes are changing.

In some cases Duffy will only have to win one match in order to qualify for a major tournament instead of three or four. Nonetheless, the current format will remain in place for next year’s Betfair World Championship, Australian Open and Shanghai Masters.

“I think that new qualifying scheme is going to be rather good. I hope it could benefit me a lot so that I will be able to compete at the major events on a regular basis,” he said.

“I think there are still three tournaments that will have the traditional format. I have heard that some of the tournaments are going to be taking part in big arenas, there are some taking place at like the Barnsley Metro Dome and the Doncaster Dome so it should be decent.”

Duffy, who turned professional in 2011, does have some previous tournament experience after he appeared in the first round of Betfair Snooker Shoot-out in Blackpool where he lost 61-35 to Jack Lisowski.

Despite playing in front of a packed audience for one of the first times in his career, he admitted the occasion and surroundings overcame him slightly.

He said: “I got the experience for a proper tournament when I went to the Snooker Shoot-out and that was a really different experience.

“I could not hear myself think because it was that loud. There were a lot of cameras and I have now played on a few Eurosport channels so I was used to that.

“It was different, not only was it difficult because of the atmosphere but there are lots of new rules that you have to remember – and then you have got the shot clock.”

Duffy added: “I would have been settling down to play a shot and forget about the clock, then this buzzer would go off and I would just have to play a shot.”

The 24-year-old will make his first appearance for the new season in the qualifying stages of the Wuxi Classic which take place in Gloucester even though  the tournament actually takes place in China.

“I will be going down to Gloucester for the Wuxi Classic qualifiers. Obviously it is in China but that is where the qualifying rounds are. I am hopeful that I will be able to make it there if I continue to work hard. The missus is always telling me to work really hard so this year I will work hard. I am confident and good enough so there is no reason why I should not qualify,” Duffy said.

Duffy says his career highlight came in Germany when he played four-time World Champion Ronnie O’Sullivan in the Paul Hunter Classic.

That event, which took place in 2011, in Furth near Nuremberg saw Duffy make his first appearance on television.

“It would probably be when I made my debut on television against Ronnie O’Sullivan. I lost 4-0 to him at the 2011 Paul Hunter Classic in Germany,” Duffy said.

“I never had that much time to think about it and how I was going to prepare for it. I finished my match against Joe Swail at 7:15 and then I was told that I was going straight back on. I asked who against and he said Ronnie O’Sullivan, so I had 10 minutes to ponder it and he played that day like he has done the last couple of days here.”

He added: “I took a lot of positives out of that match.”

Every time Duffy plays a frame of snooker he admits he learns how he can improve in order to achieve his dream of moving further up the rankings.

He has aspirations of becoming a household name in the game and thinks that will be aided by making his first major finals.

“It is very disappointing that I have never made it to the finals of a tournament. I think I am one of only a small handful of players that have not made it to the finals of a tournament that are ranked inside the top 64 of the world.

“I think once I get to one event then they will just snowball into more. Once I have got a taste for what a major finals is like then I will know what it is all about.”

Duffy added: “I learn a lot from every match because you are always looking to build for your next match that is coming up. To be honest I cannot wait for next season and all of the tournaments that are coming up.”

The South Yorkshire lad got into snooker after playing the game casually with friends and family after playing Sunday league football.

He went on to say that after he quit football he started playing in tournaments put on by the late Malcolm Thorne, the brother of Willie Thorne.

That is where Duffy became friends with one of the four Betfair World Championship semi-finalists, Judd Trump. They both played in the tournaments together and since then have become really good mates.

Despite Trump being the more successful of the two players Duffy says that he likes to play his own way, but he also wants to emulate the current world number three.

Duffy said: “He plays a really attacking game, which is something that I am trying to do. The only thing is, he is playing it on a day-to-day basis whereas I am only ever play it on the practice table. Every time I watch him I learn a lot from him and his game.

“I do not really get to practice with him a lot at all nowadays. The only time that happens is if he comes up to mine or if I go down to his and we will normally practice against each other for about a week.”

Duffy says he has not been an avid watcher of this year’s Betfair World Championship as he did not make the final 32.

Instead he has been on the practice table in preparation for next season and when he has had the chance he has popped down to the Crucible to cheer on his close friend Trump who is in semi-final action against Ronnie O’Sullivan.

He said: “I have not really watched much of it to be honest. I have started watching it a little bit more now that Ronnie and Judd are playing most days. With that many big names dropping out so far in this tournament I cannot really call a winner on this.”

One of the characters of this year’s tournament is Dechawat Poomjaeng, a player that Duffy has only known on the circuit for around a year. However, he says that he is a mental character even away from the television screens.

“Jack is not wired up properly. I know him quite well playing through the academy. I once bought him a pint of Boddingtons so you can imagine what he was like after a pint of that. He is crackers and a great character to have around.”

Duffy continued: “He is just funny, positive and he does not really get down about anything. You look at him and you just laugh, not laugh at him, but just because he is funny. I have only known him about a year. What I find weird is that when he coughs it sounds like he is laughing.

“So I would have played a shocking shot and it sounds like he is laughing so when I turn to him his face is just so serious.”

The Sheffield born star indicated that he gets down when the World Championship comes to his home city when he has not qualified.

He says that coming here regularly as a child made him want to grace the green baize of the Crucible.

“It is annoying me now that I am not here when I am watching Judd and all the rest of the guys. Playing here is something that I have dreamt about for a long time, maybe I do not dream about it as much now. I came here so many times as a child to watch the snooker I only ever wanted to play here,” he said.

Words: Adam Grice

Photo: Sheffield Star