Mugged by Lawrie Sanchez – Again!

I warned the wife before England’s football World Cup qualifier that Northern Ireland wouldn’t be a pushover, especially with Lawrie Sanchez in charge. How right I was!

Back in 1987, when I first became a Wimbledon supporter, Sanchez was a regular first team player. He came from a strange background (Irish mother, Ecuadorian father, but born in London) and was already a Wimbledon favourite, especially as it was a Sanchez goal that had taken Wimbledon into the First Division a year earlier.

He had come to Wimbledon on a £30,000 transfer from Reading where his main claim to fame was as the first footballer in the English league to be sent off for a professional foul.

In 1988 I was fortunate enough to be at Wembley to watch unfancied Wimbledon’s notable FA Cup Final victory against Liverpool. On that occasion, of course, the only goal was scored by Lawrie Sanchez.

Thirteen years later in 2001 the boot was on the other foot. I was still a Wimbledon supporter but Sanchez was now manager of lowly Wycombe Wanderers – very undistinguished performers from the Second Division.

I remember being at Selhurst Park on the bleak February evening when Wycombe played for a place in the Quarter Finals of the FA Cup. The Wycombe underdogs famously beat Wimbledon in a penalty shoot-out, and then Sanchez’s team went on to beat Leicester at Filbert Street in the next round before losing to Liverpool (just) in the Semi-Finals.

John Motson was with the Northern Ireland team on Tuesday when they were training for the match against England (on a “player identification” mission before doing his BBC TV commentary). "Lawrie's team talk was magnificent, stirring and made the hair stand on the back of my neck" said Motty. "It was a real battle cry to the troops."

So beware the underdog, particularly if a man of Irish-Ecuadorian parentage is in any way involved.