Packed fans and beers as Mel Sterland reflects on Leeds United's 1992 title triumph and bus parade

"The only thing I can remember is how the streets of Leeds were packed with the fans and the beers I had,” reasoned the former Whites right-back.

Yet Sterland can remember exactly what made his First Division champions tick in the form of their manager Howard Wilkinson, his signings and a disregard for other sides, whatever the opposition.

Sterland certainly deserved his beverages as part of United’s bus parade celebrations on May 3, 1992 as the defender completed a remarkable journey that began in Division Two on July 1989.

After a short stint at Rangers, the former Sheffield Wednesday stalwart was recruited to Elland Road by his former boss at the Owls in Wilkinson as United’s manager looked to take the Whites out of the second tier.

After a 1-0 win at Bournemouth on May 5, 1990, that mission had been achieved with Sterland having made 42 appearances as part of that title triumph.

Two years later, he also featured 31 times as the Whites became champions of England with the defender admitting he could never envisage toasting such success.

“I just thought we would go up and hold our own,” Sterland told the YEP.

“I never thought we’d bloody win it. But Howard fetched some more players in and once you have got a manager who has done as well as what he has done and fetched the players that he wanted to fetch in then you never know. They were players he could trust.

“I didn’t give a stuff about the rest of the teams, I just wanted to perform for Leeds United and win football games and that’s what we did.

“Unfortunately for me, in the later stages of the season I got injured so I missed out on about 12 games.

“Big Jon Newsome came in and did a fantastic job at right-back and it was just magnificent to win that First Division which is now the Premier League.

“Leeds United were the last club to win it which is great.”

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