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The last time Manchester United visited Kenilworth Road was in 1992 and Alex Ferguson had yet to win a league title in England. That day, a Lee Sharpe opener was called off by a Mick Harford header in a disappointing 1-1 draw for the visiting team, the Luton legend pouncing on a rebound after he crashed with a scandalous header in the crossbar.
Fergie pointed to Harford, then a 33-year-old official forward playing for a team that would be relegated from the top flight that season, as one of the main reasons United did not win the title that season, prolonging his 25 years. wait for Leeds to pass them down the stretch. Not only did Harford cost United two points that day in April (deflated from that draw, they would lose three of their last four games when Leeds moved them up to first place), but Fergie had tried to sign Harford that season, only to be rejected. . by Luton.
In her first autobiography, Fergie wrote:
“Our speech [at Old Trafford] it was terrible. That’s why I tried to sign Mick Harford. Trying to play soccer on that field was impossible and I figured if I got Mick we could have played there and let Mick hit the middle halves off the road. That was a mistake. We should have signed it … IIf he had acted as determinedly as he should have, we would have won the league. “
Things have changed since then. The field is better at Kenilworth Road, the stands are empty and United has since won 13 top flight titles. So tonight’s Carabao Cup game should be better for United than in 1992. Still, he suspects Luton has a chance here.
United looked miserable in their loss to Crystal Palace at the weekend and will face a tough trip to Brighton in good shape on Saturday, so Ole Gunnar Solskjær can be cautious with his team selection. If he does, Luton could cause a surprise: They have won all four of their games this season and since Nathan Jones was re-elected as coach in May, Town has lost just once in 13 competitive games. Wow.
What’s more, Harford is still there, as Luton’s director of recruiting, with his summer signing, Jordan Clark, scoring the winner in the last two games, including the most recent one against rising contenders Derby on Saturday. Harford’s spirit lives on! Beware.
Kick off: 8.15 pm BST.
