On the anniversary of a London derby that was overtaken by a tragic event, we look back on the day in 1996 when Stamford Bridge grieved for Chelsea-fan-turned-director Matthew Harding as we remember him this week…
If anything, the pain was even greater than three-and-a-half days earlier when news began to break that Chelsea vice-chairman Matthew Harding had lost his life, with four other people, in a helicopter crash when returning from a midweek cup-tie.
From that Wednesday morning onwards, fans had been building a tribute at Stamford Bridge, laying flowers, photos and other Chelsea items along the side of the forecourt. Supporters from other clubs also paid their respects. The Matthew Harding story had captured the imagination widely.
The memorial area spread on the Thursday, grew hugely on the Friday, and when matchday was upon us on the Saturday it was massive. And it was not any old matchday either – it was a home London derby against Tottenham Hotspur.
Chelsea’s managing director at the time, Colin Hutchinson, wrote in the programme for the game: ‘Right now today’s result does not seem important. Matthew would not agree. Guinness in hand he would tell me the one game, more than any other, the Chelsea fans want to win is against Tottenham.’
Our opponents from north London had offered to postpone the fixture given the circumstances, but that was not taken up. No match being played is certainly not what Matthew would have wanted.
In the pubs around Stamford Bridge there were black armbands worn and inside the stadium, it was really hitting home.
The lifelong Chelsea fan’s exuberant presence would no longer be there in the directors’ box or at the front of the North Stand where he had relocated during very public disharmony with chairman Ken Bates. The two had reached a degree of accord prior to the tragedy, and Chelsea’s future was looking bright.
Against Tottenham, the stand whose construction Matthew played a major part in financing now bore his name along the front of the upper tier.
A company run by one of the club’s supporters had worked tirelessly to produce the sign in time after a Chelsea board meeting held on the Wednesday agreed to rename the North Stand the Matthew Harding Stand.
Before kick-off and with the stadium full, a symbolic pint of Guinness was placed on the centre-spot and captain Dennis Wise and senior players Steve Clarke and Kevin Hitchcock carried out a floral wreath, and then the team stood hand in hand for a minute’s silence (held at the other Premier League games too).
In observing it the Spurs supporters were impeccable, as they were throughout the day. Chelsea thanked them. Huge emotion all round.
The football that followed was not incidental. The team wanted to put on a show for Matthew – and this was a good Chelsea team.
In the top six ahead of kick-off, we had summer signing Gianluca Vialli paired with Mark Hughes up front but on this occasion, it felt highly appropriate that player/manager Ruud Gullit opened the scoring. As cool-headed as ever, he swept the ball home after Hughes headed against the post.
‘A minute is really a very long time, it hits you,’ reflected Gullit on the pre-match silence. ‘When we kicked off the game, then we really started to play on the back of our reflections. But it really cuts into you. I think the whole crowd felt exactly the same as we players. We were one.’
Tottenham levelled by half-time before a homegrown Blues player, David Lee, restored the lead from the penalty spot, although his season suddenly and sadly ended when he suffered a broken leg in a challenge with Sol Campbell.
However, this Chelsea display was on another level and a scoreline to reflect that was established 10 minutes from time when another Italian playing in his first game against Spurs, Roberto Di Matteo, combined with Vialli for a 3-1 final score.
The win Matthew wanted most and the performance to make him proud had been achieved, as had been a day of poignant tribute.
‘Matthew Harding’s Blue and White Army’ rang around the ground, and certainly not for the last time.
https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/article/the-crowd-and-players-were-as-one-a-game-of-heartfelt-tribute-recalled
