Sheffield United vs Millwall

UTB 59
R Cyrille
Regis’s
team for Len
Cantello’s
testimonial.
Ian pictured
back row, first
on the left
“It was £138,000 and at that time
it was the highest fee paid for a
teenager. I think two or three weeks
later Steve MacKenzie went from Palace
to Manchester City for £250,000
and beat it.”
But how much did Ian’s presence in
the now much talked about testimonial
at The Hawthorns have on his arrival at
West Brom? And, looking back now on
the game and the idea behind it, what
did he think at the time?
“I walked into the dressing room
and there was Cyrille Regis, Lawrie
Cunningham, Brendan Batson, Garth
Crooks etc,” Ian, who went on to play for
the likes of Peterborough, Northampton
and Southend, said.
“I saw everyone was black, I hadn’t
been told what it was all about. It was
then explained to me, but the attitude of
everyone in that room was we wanted
firstly to make it a good evening for Len,
but also, we wanted to win the game and
that’s all I thought about it at that time.
We just thought, lets win the game which
we did. I was surprised how it turned out,
because I don’t think any of us realised
how big it would become and that we
would be talking about it now.
“In terms of my involvement, looking
back now, I think it was an opportunity
for Ron Atkinson (West Brom manager)
to take another look at me because
a few months later I was a West Brom
player. There must have been something
like that in it. I was only a young lad, so
I think there was something else to it and
I believe Ron wanted someone to get
me involved in that game so he could
have a close look.
“Leaving United was tough, I really
loved my time in Sheffield, and I would
have loved to have played more games,
but that’s football.
“I really enjoyed my career, and I’m
still involved in the game. I’ve always
stuck to my principles, and I think that’s
why I’ve stayed involved so long, it’s
been great.”
SHEFFIELD UNITED vs MILLWALL