Why was Leeds United cult hero Vinnie Jones wearing a dress?

It's an image far removed from his hardman persona.

Vinnie Jones posed for this photo for your Yorkshire Evening Post back in May 1990 ahead of the final league game of a clash against Bournemouth on the south coast.

The idea behind the photocall was to promote fans entering into a sense of occasion by donning fancy dress for the last away match of the season.

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Sadly serious violence marred what should have been a wholly proud day in the club’s history.

It was a day when a Lee Chapman booked a return to Division One for Howard Wilkinson’s Whites, but that 1-0 victory at Dean Court was hardly the only talking point.

Thousands upon thousands of Leeds fans headed to Dorset during that infamous Bank Holiday weekend.

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Venues included Roundhay’s Astoria Ballroom, the Colosseum on Cookridge Street, Leeds University’s Refectory, and Armley Sports Centre, while others had a closer ring-side seat to the action. Serious trouble the night before with police added to the tinder-box conditions and environment with pre-match clashes involving Leeds fans increasing the tensions and receiving unwelcome national news headlines.

Scores of Leeds fans were positioned around the ground with an official allocation of 1,700 in the away end.

A cross from Sky Sports presenter Chris Kamara was headed past Cherries keeper Gerry Peyton by Chapman, with Leeds then negotiating the final 41 minutes before referee Roger Gifford blew the final whistle, with hordes of ecstatic United fans invading the pitch to celebrate.

It was party time that evening in the middle of Leeds and, after travelling back from the south coast, Jones was more than ready to join the celebrations.

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“There was me, Batts and Speedy and we were driving round and round by the Queens Hotel,” he recalled.

“We were hanging out the windows, Speedy was out the sunroof, people were just going nuts. We kept on driving round and you didn’t want it to end, you just didn’t want it to end.”

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