HAVE you noticed how the significant events in your life remain etched on your memory forever? I’m not talking about something you’ve seen on TV that is replayed over and over. I’m referring to real-life, never-to-be-forgotten, incidents that have not been recorded on camera.
This happened to me when Denis Law came to town in February 1964. I wanted to describe it last year when I wrote about Barnsley’s FA Cup tie against Manchester United, but I ran out of space. So, here it is.
As a nine-year-old I couldn’t wait to see Denis Law – then the most expensive footballer in British history. There was no Match of the Day back then and even fewer live games on TV, so you relied more on newspaper and radio reports to learn about Law’s spectacular goals.
Standing on the Spion Kop, directly behind the Barnsley goal, we knew that The Reds had no real chance of winning, partly because our two star men – goalkeeper, Alan Hill and prolific scorer, Tony Leighton – were absent through injury.
However, we were certainly determined to make some noise, so that by kick-off time 30-odd thousand Barnsley fans had shouted themselves hoarse by repeatedly chanting:
“Denis Law, hear us say, we can beat you any day. Denis Law, hear us say, we can beat you any day.”
What a carnival atmosphere this created!
But King Denis (who was also known as Denis the Menace and The Lawman) had the last laugh, and I’m not talking about his two second half goals. I’m referring to a trick he performed that was completely unforeseen and breathtaking.
Imagine this: There’s a goalmouth scramble, not 10 yards from where me and my dad are standing. It’s a heart-in-the-mouth moment. The Barnsley defenders scramble the ball clear and it’s trickling away from our goal near the penalty spot. We breathe a sigh of relief because the only United player near the ball is Denis Law and he’s chasing it with his back to our goal. There’s little danger. No footballer can score from there – but Law is not any ordinary player.
He sprints to overtake the moving ball and, still with his back to our goal, flicks it backwards with his heel. I’ve seen back-heels many times before, but you can’t get any power in them. Even if you use all your strength you can’t kick a ball very hard using this technique.
However, somehow Law’s flick is so powerful that the orange ball literally shoots towards the Barnsley goal, a yard off the floor, like a cannon ball. Our reserve keeper, Bob Williamson, stands in the middle of his goal, a couple of yards off his line, but before he can blink, the ball strikes him in the middle of the chest and bounces off his green jersey to safety. It’s a fluke save.`
Everyone in the stadium is taken completely by surprise and there follows sustained cheering from both sets of supporters for The Lawman.
And as the crowd continues to roar, my dad puts his mouth close to my ear and shouts above the din, “They can’t stop Denis Law, Ronnie. He’s a genius!”
“He’s a magician, dad! The man’s a magician!” I reply, smiling – but my dad can’t hear me above the racket.
All my adult life I’ve pondered that scintillating effort on goal, which stands out in my memory more than the real bullet that was accidentally fired from a real gun, that once missed me by a whisker – gospel truth!
So, if you ever hear people say, “Denis Law? The King? He wasn’t that good.” Tell them you know someone who was at that game and describe for them the back-heeler that made the Oakwell stadium rock!
You can also mention that United were flattered by the 4 -0 scoreline that day. If Alan Hill and Tony Leighton had been fit it would have been a different story.
Now, 61 years later, I sometimes close my eyes and recall Gareth Owen’s perfect description of the Old Trafford legend:
“He’s a whiplash when he’s in control. He can swivel like an eel
And twist and sprint in such a way
It makes defences reel
And when he’s hurtling for the goal
I know he’s got to score
Defences may stop normal men
They can’t stop Denis Law.”
RIP Denis Law.
