He didn’t play particularly well, but the waves of Palace attacks had stretched United’s defence to the limit. A mark of the man, he offered his medal to Leighton – who refused – but the FA eventually saw to it that both men received one. With his career and whole identity in ruins, he went into a downward spiral of ill-health and drug addiction, before, with the help of wife Nicole, turning his life around and discovering a new life as a hugely successful serial entrepreneur. Both admit they fell out of love with football after their father died — a shame, because football will always love characters like Les Sealey, who lived for the game and flourished in its unique environment.

Most purchases from business sellers are protected by the Consumer Contract Regulations 2013 which give you the right to cancel the purchase within 14 days after the day you receive the item. Emotional, insightful, beautifully-written book about the 1990 FA Cup final, Les Sealey, Alex Ferguson, Sealey's son Joe and a box full of cassette tapes.Sealey was still employed as West Ham's goalkeeper coach when he died of a heart attack on 19 August 2001 at the age of 43. We got in the car, drove to Southend, went into the hospital, went to reception, and they took us into a side room and told us he’d had a heart attack and died. He was a regular in the team for much of his time at Kenilworth Road, but he missed their 1988 League Cup triumph due to injury, his place being taken by Andy Dibble.

He joined United late in his career, so he enjoyed taking everything he could out of that experience. I imagine I will do at some stage, but I’ve still not listened to the tapes yet – I’m not quite ready. It was cut to the bone but he refused to go off and, after he hobbled through the final 12 minutes, it was stitched in the dressing room. Coventry’s assistant manager Ron Wylie once asked Elaine how she could be married to such a lunatic. In the summer of 2001, aged 18, in the space of two weeks Joe lost first his career to injury, and then his father, at the age of just 43, to a freak cardiac condition.

George, 30, also had shoulder and back injuries, left West Ham, had a trial at Crystal Palace and played briefly for non-League Thurrock.

Maybe I never asked enough, but he was a quiet bloke at home and didn’t say too much about his connection to West Ham, and it was only towards the end that I found out that everyone in that family going back generations supported West Ham, and how he used to be a regular in the Chicken Run. It was a choice between him or Lee Sharpe on the bench, and Sharpe had a future at Manchester United, although as it turned out, not that much of one. But when we moved to Manchester, it was a bit more baseball caps and coats, it was more than ever before - I liked that, I was so proud of my dad. He was sure he’d seen a ghost once,’ smiled Joe, flicking through others, mostly labelled with the names of football teams and occasions, such as ‘ FA Cup final’.

Football was simply part of life for Joe growing up, and all he ever wanted to do - but his dad never pushed him into it. Alex and Martin Edwards both later said that winning that final essentially saved Fergie’s career at the club, and I think it gave my dad a new career at the same time.