Jermaine Beckford recalls start of Leeds United love affair and what it meant beating Manchester United

Upon joining the club in March 2006 from non-league Wealdstone, the Londoner knew within one week that from then on he would always support the Whites.

It did, though, take a little longer for the forward to realise the exact extent of the club’s rivalry with Manchester United.

Yet Beckford new exactly what it meant by January 2010 with the striker relishing the opportunity to relive past glories this week and raise a glass to a “dream come true” in the Red Devils’ own back yard.

Attempting to provide some form of Tuesday night entertainment amidst the suspension of football due to the battle with COVID-19, the FA held an online poll via their Emirates FA Cup Twitter page asking for fans to vote for which ‘giant-killing’ fixture they wished to watch in full.

In reality, there was only ever going to be one winner once United’s third round triumph at Old Trafford from January 2010 was listed as an option and eventually taking 55 per cent of the vote.

Three other shocks were left firmly in the shade with Bradford City’s 4-2 win at Chelsea in the fourth round of 2015 taking 30 per cent followed by Wigan Athletic’s 1-0 success at home to Manchester City in the fifth round of 2018 with eight per cent.

Lincoln City’s 1-0 verdict at Burnley from the fifth round of 2017 was last in the vote with seven per cent - and even Beckford did his bit to help sway the vote in United’s favour.

“Cheers for the heads up, I’m going to be putting in a couple of votes,” laughed Beckford, informed about the online poll on Monday.

“That is top drawer. I’m all over it.”

Rather like the striker was also all over the Red Devils defence in the 2010 FA Cup tie with Beckford beaming from ear to ear when reflecting just what that now cherished Leeds United memory meant.

“That game and that goal was massive,” Beckford tells the YEP.

“But after I had first signed I didn’t realise the magnitude of the rivalry between the two sides, I didn’t realise how big it was.

“I knew it was a huge rivalry, don’t get me wrong for a second.

“But when you hear about rivalries you hear about the local derbies, you hear about teams that have had massive clashes in the past ie Leeds Millwall for example, Chelsea that sort of stuff.

“Every week I used to walk through Leeds city centre and just get a feel of the vibe from fans et cetera and the city, just to see what the next game was going to be like.

“It didn’t change the way I approached that game, I approached every game the same.

“But the energy around the place was completely different.

“People wouldn’t stop and say good luck this weekend, make sure you score a goal, have fun, enjoy it.

“They would be like this is the one you cannot mess up, this is what it is and you take these ones seriously.

“Any little thing you get up. If you get half a chance to smash them, you smash them, that kind of thing.

“You could tell that something different was in the air and that made me take it a little more personal.

“There was a personal vendetta against those guys.

"It didn’t hurt us either that they had just come off the back of winning the Premier League.

"They are flying high, their confidence is sky high, they have got nothing to lose, they are coming up against a team that they have not come up against for a few years and there is no expectation on our part to come away with anything in their eyes, from their perspective. But we knew differently.

"We knew all the pressure was going to be on them and as long as we got in their faces, they are not going to be able to live with us the way that we can play and the energy that we had as well and I think they were quite surprised in our approach to the game as well which was quite pleasing if I’m honest.”

That approach led to Leeds enjoying 54 per cent of possession in a game in which the Whites had only one less shot on target than Sir Alex Ferguson's Red Devils.

Heroic defending at the other end of the pitch ensured that Beckford’s strike after 19 minutes proved the only goal of the game with the forward latching on to Jonny Howson’s through ball and escaping Wes Brown before coolly sliding the ball past Tomas Kuszczak.

“It was incredible as from the first week I had been a Leeds fan,” said Beckford.

“I started doing a little bit of research on players that had played before, not only no 9s but all of the guys that I had encountered, Eddie Gray and Peter Lorimer and all these guys.

“Just to know that they had played in games against Man United and they had done really well and scored goals and been man of the match and stuff, I had always wanted to feel that feeling and get that feeling that they had managed to enjoy.

“Fortunately I was able to and honestly, when the ball hit the back of the net, I ran off to the corner flag, slid on my back and I thought to myself, ‘no way has this just happened! No way!’ It was a moment and a dream come true moment.”

It was, says Beckford, a moment that also proved hugely influential to his future and ultimately the switch to Premier League football at Everton in the summer after firing the Whites to promotion to the Championship from League One.

It is, though, admits the striker, his Old Trafford effort that had the most longevity throughout the rest of his career.

“Every club that I signed for said ‘I tell you what, one of the reasons we signed you was that goal against Man U’,” said Beckford.

“I was like ‘great, I will have to score more!’”

A year with Everton followed before the switch to Leicester City and a loan spell at Huddersfield Town before another move to Bolton Wanderers.

After an initial loan spell, a switch to Preston North End came next before the forward ended his career at Bury.

Beckford the goalscorer has since become Beckford the businessman with the former footballer and his wife Laura making waves with their Super Nova protein supplement brand that is now sold in the likes of Selfridges.

Amidst the current social distancing measures, home schooling is also on the agenda for dad of three Beckford who has also been spending this week landscaping his garden.

Until the recent suspension of football, the 36-year-old had also been impressing as a pundit though the former striker is determined to also allow himself time to actually enjoy the beautiful game as a fan; a fan of the Whites that is.

“I’m a Leeds fan through and through,” Beckford admitted.

“I said that from the first week that I signed at Thorp Arch. I said to myself ‘wow this is crazy, I can’t support anybody else.’

“Don’t get me wrong, I’ve played for some amazing clubs since with some amazing history et cetera.

"I follow those clubs and they will always have a place in my heart but Leeds is just my team.”