I was there. It was one of the few games I got the chance to see that season. I believe that the belief drained away from the team and supporters after that travesty. However, there has been little change in the Premier League since then. The big clubs still get all the breaks.
Never liked Owen after that day. Just cemented my judgement he was a diving cheat. Even when he scored that goal in world cup a few months later i couldn't cheer him.....
Watched that match on daydream believers with my kids and they couldn't believe it! Still.seems surreal now.
Without a doubt, no football match has made me feel so angry! It’s not good for me! The highlights only tell a bit of the sorry tale - I’ve watched the whole match & seethed! And seethed! And seethed!
That's what I was muddling up. He was a right cheat, I was so disappointed with a lot of the star Premiership players.
Definitely the most hostile I can remember Oakwell being. Definitely the most biased, inept performance by a referee. We weren't relegated mathematically that day but Willard killed our fight and I believe we were relegated psychologically.
Same here BT. He was an out and out cheat that particular day. I recall that Steve McManaman was no saint either. Willard completely lost control and I believe his last Premiership game was in a 4-0 winfor West Ham against Middlesbrough in May 1999. He apparently cited personal reasons for his motivation to call it a day when he retired from refereeing. He went back to his day job as a Tax Inspector. He will probably go down as the most inept referee ever to take a game at Oakwell and he was considerably worse than Andy D'Urso, the referee who had selected vision when he failed to take action against Morgan when he elbowed Hume.
him and Mcmanaman,another cheating tw@t that spent the entire game telling effing willard how to ref i'm not defending him but its little wonder that kid ran on the pitch to lamp willard,willard ought to have been charged with inciting riot. As an aside note,you know you are getting on in life when that game seems like yesterday
Always kinda liked Liverpool until this day. Never been more cheated as barnsley fan on this day or any following it. Hated Liverpool ever since.