this is up there with my all time best away games - we cut them to pieces in the second half. If next week is half as good as this......
The Sunday Times (London)
August 18, 1991, Sunday
Atkinson's Hillsborough heist
BYLINE: Marin Searby
SHEFFIELD WED 2(4-4-2): Woods; Nilsson, Pearson, Warhurst, King; Wilson, Palmer, Sheridan (sub: Harkes 85min), Worthington; Hirst, Williams (sub: Francis (65min).
ASTON VILLA 3(4-4-2): Spink; McGrath, Mountfield, Richardson, Staunton; Mortimer, Cowans, Teale, Yorke; Regis, Atkinson (sub: Penrice 85min).
Goals: Hirst (3min) 1-0; Wilson (35min)
2-0; Regis (42min) 2-1; Atkinson (51min)
2-2; Staunton (85min) 2-3.
Referee: R G Milford (Bristol).
THE aftermath of a wonderfully vibrant start to the season at Hillsborough left a nasty taste in the mouth, Ron Atkinson, the Villa manager, reserving his comments for local television, and Trevor Francis, the man who replaced him in charge of Sheffield Wednesday, also failing to appear for the post-match press conference.
The managers' churlish behaviour apart, the players and a good-natured crowd graced a super occasion in a stadium which has 6,500 new seats at the Leppings Lane end of the ground.
The pre-match sideshow saw a crowd of some 2,000 awaiting the arrival of the Villa coach and greeting Atkinson with chants of ''Judas'' and ''Traitor''. His tanned features did not look remotely embarrassed at the demonstration caused by his defection in June. It might have passed with minimum comment but for his appearance, again on television, to announce that he had changed his mind and decided not to renege on his three-year contract with Wednesday.
''How could any one desert fans like this?'' he asked, only to shoot himself in the foot by having another change of mind 24 hours later. His excuse was that the drive from his Birmingham home to South Yorkshire was too far.
The reaction from the most dedicated of fans was to be expected. But within three minutes of the new season they were confident revenge would be sweet as Hirst scored the most splendid of goals, quite as good as any of the 30 he registered last season. Palmer won a block tackle and when the ball squirted free Hirst was on it in a flash, turning inside the expensive Richardson and curling a long, left-footed shot into the top right-hand corner of Spink's net.
When, having torn the Villa central defenders apart, he laid on a second for Wilson to side-foot home, the Wednesday supporters' joy knew no bounds and the Pounds 3.84m of talent Atkinson has brought in looked shaky. Well they might. Six of them were making their debuts: Staunton from Liverpool, Teale from Bournemouth, Regis from Coventry, Mortimer from Charlton and Richardson and Dalian Atkinson from Real Sociedad. Not unnaturally it took them time to settle and Villa had only one look at the Wednesday goal during the first half.
It was enough to put them back in the game, however, with Woods, the England goalkeeper who was bought for a club record fee of Pounds 1.2m last week, making a terrible hash of a punched clearance. The ball was still inside the six-yard box when Regis slid it home.
Villa's performance in the scond half could not have been more different with the two strikers, ably assisted by Mortimer, giving the Wednesday defence a tough time.
Wednesday were becoming increasingly ragged and when Mortimer burst through the middle, Woods was able to save his first effort only for Atkinson's speed to carry him first to the rebound and the equaliser.
Wednesday appeared to have lost confidence after their splendid start but they gradually recovered their rhythm for Hirst to give Sheridan the opportunity of a shot on the run. However, the Republic of Ireland international hit the ball over the bar when he should really have scored.
With Wednesday increasingly trapped up field, Regis burst down the left five minutes from time and Staunton, racing forward quite on his own, was able to bang the neat pass into the Wednesday net to deny the home fans the revenge they craved.
Atkinson told television viewers: ''They came zipping at us down the hill and we looked as though we were going to be overrun. They got a great first goal but I was pleased with the way we came back into it and Regis's goal was a really big one for us. With so many new players out there I had less idea how my team would play than Wednesday but you've got to be pleased with a result like that. Staunton is a real gem and his goal was a cracking clincher.''
It has not been an entirely happy week for Francis, who apologised for misleading reporters over the signing of Woods. Having said he had no interest in the player, there was consternation when the announcement appeared the next day in a tabloid newspaper which has been known to pay players and managers for information.
But on the field, if entertainment of this quality is maintained throughout the season, then there really is a memorable winter in store.
