I was only 11 at the time. I remember the two sending offs, Morgan for elbowing Owen and didnt Stumpey punch Ince in the crotch? The pitch invader was literally sat in the seat in front of me. East Stand Lower gangway 6. Was the most bizarre game I'd ever witnessed.
I remember thinking at the start of the game that we could beat them because they had hardly pulled any trees up that season. During the game I remember turning to the bloke sat next to me saying Willard had been paid by The FA to screw us over I also thought Graham Poll in a previous game had been paid off too. After the Liverpool game I remember walking past the Yorkshireman (as it was still called) and seeing a Scouser laying in a pool of blood say to me and my mate 'No more please lads I've had enough' Motd that night just proved my point that Willard had been paid to screw us.
Stumpy at the end when he got sent off asking inch if he wanted some... ****ing bambi on ice that Michael Owen.
Re: Even prior to the sendings off Watching the video back it strikes me, how much pleasure Willard seems to be getting from sending the players off. His face is smug as ****. However, it's always bothered me that if he was "paid off" to screw us over, why would he give us a late and relatively soft penalty to equalise? Don't get me wrong, the man's a w**ker. But I think he is just that, and wasn't intentionally trying to make us lose. He just totally lost the plot and with it, any sense of discretion.
Think we played at Blackburn a couple of weeks later. Stumpy was warming up in the corner and we were asking him what he said to Ince. He wouldn't tell us though.
Memories:- 1) Little reported incident of cowardly left-back, Harkness I think he was called, raking his studs all the way down Jan-Aage's shin, early on. Clear as day right in front of Willard and the lino - absolutely nothing was done and I remember thinking we were going to get stitched up and we were. 2) They had a free kick late on and McManaman went into the wall and gave a cowardly rabbit punch/elbow. Again nothing done despite Willard looking directly into the wall. 3) All the other things people have said above, particularly Owen ducking down on the run to head-butt Morgan's elbow. 4) Turning up at Blackburn for the following midweek game and there just being a completely changed atmosphere in the packed away end - it had just hit home to everyone that we weren't wanted and we were being shafted by the refs. Then out walked public enemy number 2, Mike Reed from Birmingham for his umpteenth BFC match that season (I'll never forget him bottling the sending off of Alan Mayberry that let Leeds win at Oakwell - walked up to the incident, yellow in hand, chest puffed out - then got close and realised who it was, that it would be a second yellow, shrivelled up and put the card back in his pocket).
I remember Mike Reed sending Adie Moses off against Spurs in the cup the following season every decision he made that game looked to be staged.