My Greatest Leicester Goal: A memory of Messi-like Millsy (January 1990)
They used to joke on Radio Leicester that The Birch would add on another 5 yards each time he described his famous long range goal against Leeds. Unfortunately for Birchy, this effort is freely available on YouTube (and is indeed included in the pre-match video montage at the KPS).
The same cannot be said about this Gary Mills goal. In fact, I have only ever seen it once, from the vantage point of the family enclosure at Filbert Street. I’ve no doubt there have been better goals during the 36 years I have been following Leicester, but in my mind this goal has always been a bit special. Hearing someone briefly mention it to Ian Stringer a couple of years ago while Radio Leicester were drawing up a shortlist for the greatest Leicester City goal reaffirmed this belief.
Despite his Forest connections, I always thought Millsy was a bit of an unsung hero, a real pro who served the City well in a number of positions. At the time he was a right midfielder but in subsequent seasons he was successfully employed as a wing back.
As I recall it, on this occasion he picked up the ball on the touchline out on the right and then proceeded to slalom past half of the Watford team as he dribbled diagonally towards the far side of the penalty area. He then guided it serenely into the bottom left corner of the net.
Fast forward 25 years and you could probably describe it as Messi-like.
In our congested attic I wasn’t able to locate my box of scrapbooks containing Bill Anderson’s Mercury match report, however I did find my diary in which I declared the goal “a beauty!” in my description. In an early issue of The Fox (RIP), Gary Silke described it as ‘a splendid but overdue equaliser’.
The Watford game came a week after we had surrendered a 4-2 lead to end up losing 5-4 to a Newcastle side containing future villain Mark McGhee. Saint and Greavsie had shown the goals from that game earlier in the day so we had been a subject of national ridicule, as we also were in my university hall of residence.
I was in the second term of my first year and had become friendly with fans of such diverse teams as Crewe, Wrexham, Oldham, Barnsley, Aldershot and Manchester City (back when they were only the 4th biggest club in the North West).
Having searched YouTube with no luck, perhaps it’s for the best that the goal isn’t available. I would love to see it again to see if my recollections were correct, but perhaps it might be a bit of an anti-climax if I saw it now after so many years of cherishing it in my memory.
