33. Les Sealey

Signed from: Luton Town (free transfer) first time, Aston Villa (free transfer) the second.
Debut: 2-1 win vs Queen’s Park Rangers, April 14th 1990
League Record: 33 games
Sold to: Aston Villa (free transfer) the first time, Blackpool (free transfer) the second.

Our second goalkeeper, at last! Jim Leighton made nearly two entire seasons without missing a single game in league or cup - you can't imagine that happening in these days of squad rotation.

Les Sealey is a classic case of how you can become a huge fan favourite and even enjoy a little iconic status without necessarily being a top-quality footballer. What was perhaps most important was that he “got” what it meant to play for us and revelled in every second he got in the shirt.

When he arrived at United, Les must have thought his best days were well behind him. 33-years-old, he’s had lengthy spells at Coventy City and Luton Town and was now second choice at the latter. Never a likely contender for a move to a big club or international recognition, he’d not had much luck on the trophy front either: when Luton Town had the biggest day of their history in beating Arsenal 3-2 at the 1988 League Cup final, he was out with injury. When they made the final again the next year, he was back in the team but had to make do with a runners-up medal as they lost 3-1 to Nottingham Forest. He hadn't had the best game in that, hence Andy Dibble earning the #1 shirt soon after.

By the Spring of 1990, he was second choice at Luton and it seemed his career was winding down. The typical route from here would have been to sign for someone like Northampton Town and have a few years kicking round the lower divisions. Instead, he wound up on loan at Manchester United and a month later, winning a FA Cup winner’s medal. Ferguson noted that his choice to play him ahead of Leighton in the replay came down to that while Sealey may not have been a technically better keeper, he thought he was. Confidence in a goalie is crucial, and Les had that in spades.

The next season, he started as first choice, barking away at the back four and becoming a firm crowd favourite. His most memorable moment came in the 1991 League Cup final, when he was seriously hurt in a clash with a Sheffield Wednesday player. Our physio, Jim McGregor, wanted to bring him off, such was the worry about the severity of the wound. But these were the days before substitute goalkeepers and Les knew he needed to stay on, looking like he was willing to beat the crap out of Jim and anybody else who insisted differently.

After defeat and on the bus back to the airport, Les passed out. It later transpired that if he’d got on the plane to Manchester, the change in air pressure may have caused very serious damage to his leg.

All was made better when he came back to play in the Cup Winners Cup Final. His joyous celebrations as seen in the pic above made the cover of the legendary (for a certain generation) video game Manchester United Europe.

In the summer, Ferguson correctly noted that to challenge for the top prize, you need a world class keeper (exception to the rule: John Lukic), and the big Dane he signed was as good as they got. Not ready to play second fiddle again, Les was allowed to join Aston Villa on a free. He started out there first choice, but Nigel Spink won his place back and our man was allowed to go out on loan to local rivals Coventry and Birmingham. In the middle of 92/93, we needed some back-up and brought him back: he remained a popular figure and would get a song during the warm-up.

When the aforementioned world class keeper got sent-off against Charlton in a FA Cup quarter final in 1994, Les stepped into the breach, and it was great to see him on the pitch again. He even got to play in the League Cup final a few weeks later due to the Dane’s suspension. We lost 3-1 in a game I watched for the main part in a Motorway service station near Stoke on the way to Milton Keynes. That summer, having become third choice - entry #36 got the nod as sub keeper for the FA Cup final - he went off to Blackpool, later returning to his native London with West Ham. He got a game for them at Old Trafford in the last game of the 1996/97 season and, again, got a warm reception.

Sadly, Les suffered a fatal heart attack in August 2001, making him I hope the only entry who is no longer with us. At our next game after his death, up at Blackburn, reds in the stands went into a loud rendition of "There's only one Les Sealey" in tribute. Top man, sadly missed.