The hard-as-nails number nine was as brave as they come, scared many an opposing defender senseless – as celebrated in the famous mid-80s Kop ditty of "Bairdy's going to get you" – and bagged a fair few goals to boot.

Born in Rotherham, Baird moved to Hampshire as a youngster and while the Tudor Rose is dearest to his heart, the White Rose of United will always stir in the 44-year-old, who enjoyed two golden spells at LS11.

Unquenchable commitment and a run-through-brick-walls mentality soon massively endeared the fearless young striker to the Whites faithful he was first acquainted with in early 1985.

Putting his body on the line week in, week out was taken as read with Baird, who now resides on the south coast where he combines working in the motor trade with managing Blue Square South outfit Eastleigh.

Many supporters fondly remember Baird, who has also managed Havant and Waterlooville, putting his head in where the boots were flying to power home a header in the memorable FA Cup fifth-round win over QPR at a packed Elland Road en route to the semi-final in 1987.

But the granite forward acknowledges that an entirely different headstrong moment proved far more fateful for him three years later. Baird insists that the one major regret in his long professional career was calling time on his second stint in West Yorkshire in early 1990 – which ultimately cost him the chance of claiming a Division One title winners' medal.

The impression at the time was that Baird was the fall-guy when boss Howard Wilkinson snapped up Lee Chapman from Nottingham Forest in a £400,000 move and seemingly forced the fans' favourite out of the door to Middlesbrough. But the striker, who started his career at Southampton, insists he only had himself to blame for engineering a move away from Leeds, while in a fit of rage.

Not far short of 19 years on and a much wiser Baird still admits to feeling a sense of "what might have been" at his fateful decision.

The much-loved ex-Whites frontman told the YEP: "As you get older, you look back at things. If I had been a bit more patient, I'd have got a championship medal in the old first division and played in the Champions League, like Shutty (Carl Shutt) and some of the lads who didn't figure around the time I left. But you live and die by your decisions and what's happened has happened.

"Me being the way I was then, which was very impatient, cost me. We had a very good squad with the likes of Vinnie Jones, Chris Fairclough and Gordon Strachan and some great young players such as Speedo (Gary Speed) and Batts (David Batty). Unfortunately for me, I was playing well but not scoring. Bobby Davison was and we felt it was a good partnership.