Witchcraft, Leeds United, Howard Wilkinson and managing from Kenya to Vietnam - the 'Legend' story

Dylan Kerr has taken the road less travelled by since Howard Wilkinson released him from Sheffield Wednesday at 18.

Leeds fans will remember the left-back from a late 1988 to 1993 stint at Elland Road, working under the same man who saw him as surplus to requirements at Hillsborough.

Kerr, now 53 and the head coach of Baroka in South Africa, already had plenty of life experience under his belt by the time he arrived at Leeds United.

“When I got released at 18 my world ended,” he said.

“It was my fault, I was out with all the big boys – I thought I’d made it for life with a pro’ contract at 17 and when it was up, Howard thought I’d not done enough to earn another.

“I wrote 91 letters asking for trials and got seven replies, which I’ve still got, but from each one nothing materialised.

“Michael Hennigan, youth-team coach at Wednesday, had played in South Africa in the 60s. His friend was manager at Arcadia and asked me to go.

“I went against my parents’ wishes. I cried like a baby at the airport and mum gave me her wedding ring. I still wear it.”

Having arrived in South Africa, Kerr got his first taste of ‘muti’ – traditional medicine or witchcraft – in a bath tub.

“In my first game we were 2-0 down at half-time, I scored two goals and we won 3-2,” he said.

“The muti man came in and said there you go, it works.”

The South African season ran from January to November and Kerr would keep fit at Hillsborough in the off season.

In 1988 Wilkinson made the move to Elland Road.

Kerr said: “When my season was over I phoned him up and said ‘gaffer can I come keep fit’ and he said no problem.

“At the time they had a few injuries to the likes of Glynn Snodin, they were struggling at left-back and asked if I would play a couple of reserve games.

“I had no expectation of a contract, just training facilities and working with Howard.

“When it was time to go back to South Africa, I asked Howard how I’d done, he said fantastic but you’ve got a very good reputation in South Africa, you should go back there.

“I thanked him, went in and said my goodbyes to all the players and got my boots.”

But fate would intervene in a way that Kerr himself can still scarcely believe.

“Frickley Athletic asked me if I’d play on the Saturday against Droylsden for £50, cash in hand, and I thought I might as well, that’s my Saturday-night drinks,” he recalled.

“I played, we won 6-2, I scored two and set up four.

“The Green ’Un newspaper came out in Sheffield on Saturday night and Mick saw my name in the headlines.

“He phoned me up and said ‘what the **** are you doing? You could have got injured’.

“Him and Howard had a chat and the gaffer had changed his mind and wanted to offer me an 18-month contract.

“It was surreal. I phoned my club in South Africa, they wished me all the best.

“I had been devastated three years previous, messing up by living the football dream without having made an appearance. I’d blown it. So it was unbelievable to go to Leeds. I would have run to Leeds to sign.”

Kerr made just 20 appearances for Leeds during a time that saw them win the Second Division and First Division.

But at the club’s centenary dinner late last year, the legendary Gordon Strachan namechecked Kerr as one of the players who doesn’t get enough credit for giving his all for Leeds during that glorious era.

Kerr knew his role.

“I was the guy winning all the long distance runs, all the fitness battles, it was always me,” he said.

“I think that’s one of the reasons, although I never asked, why he maybe brought me in. He wanted to get people fit to beat teams in the last 20.

“Vinne Jones came in, he thought he was top dog in long-distance running, Gordon Strachan, Gary Speed, but I used to leave them because I could run.

“I was there for four years, didn’t make that many appearances. I know that Tony Dorigo was a better player than me, I couldn’t kick Dorigo because he was too quick.

“He never got suspended or injured. Gary Speed, when he got his opportunity, he took it. Gary Kelly came as a right winger and ended up as one of the best right-backs Leeds have had.

“I’ll always remember Howard saying, when I was playing week in and week out in the reserves, that I was pushing the first team.”

It was Strachan who advised Kerr to leave Elland Road to get first-team football elsewhere and the Scot helped set up a move to Reading, where he won the Division Two title, before a Scottish Cup with Kilmarnock and a Scottish Third Division title with Hamilton.

“On a playing level those clubs were all very special,” he said.

“But my four years at Leeds were absolutely the best.

“We had togetherness, we had so much fun. No-one in the team thought they were a superstar, not even Cantona, not Chappie, not Strachan, not David Rocastle bless him.

“Vinnie Jones nicknamed me Legend, always called me Ledg. I could get away with things not many could at Leeds.

“We had a social life at Elland Road. We knew the next day we’d have to work our b******* off. We went out as a team, after reserve games we’d go to the Peacock and there’d be 20, 30 people having a pint.

“We were probably the hardest working club. No-one moaned. Everyone respected what we were trying to achieve.

“We all had a job to do. I knew my role, to keep pushing to get in that first team.

“The thing I remember is, love or hate Howard and Michael Hennigan, everyone respected them. When you got called into their room, you knew you were going to be told, whether good or bad and you had to listen. He was the boss. I have the utmost respect for Howard and every player I played with and worked with, on and off the field at Leeds United.

“The people in the offices, in the media, they were part of the family as well. No-one was bigger than anyone.

“I’m just a player who was lucky to play for Leeds, on the field in a small part. I’m so honoured to be talking about it.

“It looks like Leeds have the utmost respect for their manager now and hopefully they’ll get promoted.”

It’s 27 years since Kerr left Elland Road.

Since his playing days ended he has worked at home and abroad, experiencing football in a way most of us never will.

He’s had spells at the SFA as a football development officer, Burton Albion and Chesterfield as a youth coach, he’s worked as a head coach ‘all over the place but in England’.

“For a lad from Mexborough who lived and breathed football I’ve had a good career,” he said.

“I came back to South Africa in 2009 as an assistant coach [Mpumalanga Black Aces], then went to Vietnam where I was an assistant, an academy director, director of football and head coach [Hai Phong] winning the equivalent of the FA Cup in South East Asia.

“I’ve eaten dog, cat, bat, a snake, food you wouldn’t even imagine.

“I went to Tanzania [Simba FC] – that was out of this world, the worst stadiums and pitches you’ve ever played on, driving nine hours to play a game, then I went to Kenya [Gor Mahia FC, replacing Brazilian international Zé Maria] for 18 months, again with terrible facilities and not getting paid for months, but we won the Premier League back to back.

“I came back to South Africa and kept the Black Leopards in the Premier League, but my mum was sick and I knew she was dying so I put family before football for the first time ever.”

After a period spent grieving, Kerr received a call from South Africa and took on the challenge of keeping bottom side Baroka in the top flight.

They’re 13th of 16 now but the league has been suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Everything he has achieved as a coach has been based on what he learned from Wilkinson at Leeds.

He sounds content. But he’s a character. There will be more stories to tell.

“Touch wood it’s been successful,” he said.

“It’s down to getting players to respect you so when you say jump they say how high. That was what Howard did. I’ve taken everything from Howard and put my little twist on it.

“It’s been my dream. I’ve had so many knock downs.

“Howard said to me I’ve got a bedspring in my back because I always bounce straight back up.

“I’m happy. I’ve done it my way.”