IT'S all for one and one for all as today's Wanderers revive memories of a golden era when pride, passion and team spirit carried them all the way to FA Cup glory.
They used to say of the 1958 Wembley winners: "if you kicked one, you kicked them all" and, as Chelsea's all-star cast discovered to their cost, the same can be said of the 96 vintage.
Welsh Dragon Mark Hughes was surrounded and subjected to a severe tongue lashing by angry Bolton players the other night after his spiteful challenge almost sent little Michael Johansen into orbit. Then Steve Clarke got the hard word for whacking John McGinlay in the back.
There's just something about the current Burnden squad that suggests they'll stand shoulder to shoulder, whatever is thrown at them - like the unsporting jibe from one of Chelsea's highly paid foreigners who boasted about the size of his wage packet. Came the reply: "You'll have plenty time to spend it now that you're out of the cup!"
Nat Lofthouse, who captained the 1958 crew, sees distinct similarities, despite the generation gap. He recalls: "In terms of pure footballing talent, the 1953 Cup Final line-up was the better side but the 1958 lads had something special - and it counted.
"They had a great team spirit and you always felt you were with your mates. We were a real team in those days and we still see each other regularly. I can see the same sort of spirit in these lads now. They're all working for each other." Colin Todd, who has repeatedly preached the value of team spirit since he became sole manager in January, would never advocate the extremes of the Crazy Gang but he is happy enough to talk of Wanderers in the same breath as Wimbledon.
The Burnden chief, whose vast experience at the highest level has taught him to guard against exaggerating, reckons: "I've never seen a spirit like it."
Todd is slowly but surely transforming Wanderers from a crestfallen relegation outfit into a supremely confident, highly respected promotion force.
Tuesday gave them the opportunity to test their rehabilitation against Ruud Gullit's multi-talented Chelsea set and, despite admittedly being outclassed for 20 minutes, they triumphed through a combination of spirit, total commitment and no small measure of class.
The manager is reluctant to go over the top but says: "The ability is there, we know that. But you need other things as well, such as togetherness and a willingness to work hard for each other and we have those qualities in abundance.
"I know there are one or two who are unhappy at not being in the team but that's understandable. They are still made to feel valued members of the squad, which they are.
"A lot has been said and written about the first team players, and rightly so, but players like David Lee, Scott Taylor and Andy Todd have been part of it too. So has Steve McAnespie, Gavin Ward, Scott Green, Bryan Small and Simon Coleman.
"They are never forgotten and they deserve credit for the support they have given the regulars."
Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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