Blackburn Rovers player celebrate winning The Premier League title. (Image: PA)
Blackburn Rovers player celebrate winning The Premier League title. (Image: PA)
Blackburn Rovers title-winning hero, Colin Hendry, says relief was the biggest emotion after they secured the Premier League trophy at Anfield.
It was 30 years since that famous day on Merseyside when Jack Walker realised his dream of helping his boyhood club become English champions again. After an 81-year drought, this was the sweetest moment as they beat Manchester United to the title on the final day.
As is typical, Rovers put their fans through the wringer but despite Jamie Redknapp's last-minute free-kick, Blackburn players were left celebrating.
The adrenalin and dramatic finale at Anfield make details a blur for Hendry. What he won't forget is the outpouring of relief.
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"Honestly, there is only one memory to think about and it was the final whistle when we realised we had won the Premiership because other than that, there were no great memories, I can assure you," Hendry told The Lancashire Telegraph on behalf of Coin Poker.
"In the lead-up to it, we were in a hotel for the whole day. You’re thinking about what might happen, of course.
"Overall, it was crazy. It was surreal. It was just one of these days in football that I can hardly remember, but I can remember stupid little things - all the painful things!
"When Liverpool scored their equaliser, when they scored a second goal to go in front. When Chris Sutton missed his chance in front of the Kop, I'm thinking that's the game done and dusted because to be fair to Liverpool, they are professionals and they go and they apply themselves correctly to try and win a game of football.
"It was a no-lose game for a Liverpool fan. If Blackburn won the title, they would have been happy because it was Kenny’s team, and at the same time, they wouldn’t have wanted Manchester United to win the title.
"Kenny leading Blackburn to the title, at the great expense of Manchester United, that’s almost as good as a win for Liverpool fans! Kenny prevented Manchester United from winning the league. It's all good from a Liverpool perspective. Although, that being said, they made life extremely difficult for us on that day!"
Recounting the title win, Alan Shearer jokingly declared his love for Luděk Mikloško. The West Ham goalkeeper produced a game-of-his-career performance which kept Man United at bay.
When Hendry watched back the highlights, it brought a sense of fate about the title triumph.
"The day itself, it wasn't a comfortable day. We’re going into the last few minutes and we need to score twice," he continued.
"We need to win the game because we don't know what's going on at Upton Park.
"When that match finished, it did filter through to the players quite quickly, but it was a strange way to win a title. I watched the United highlights and how they did not manage to win, I don’t know.
"The amount of attempts that Manchester United had on goal, the ricochets, the blocks…The margins were so fine.
"The difference between Blackburn winning the title and losing it were wafer-thin. Fortunately, we were on the right side of fate that day.
"The relief at the end was just something else. It was. For the whole summer, I just celebrated everywhere I went. It was crazy, man. It was really mad."