A Cult Hero Is Something To Be: Article 4

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Another cult hero. This player was a Goalkeeper who played only 56 times for Manchester United but became a hero to their support.

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Across an eventful career, Sealey played as a goalkeeper for, among others, Coventry City, Luton Town, Manchester United, Aston Villa and West Ham United. 

In December 1989, Sealey was loaned to Manchester United and made two league appearances during the final weeks of the season.

1990 FA Cup Final

 He was named as goalkeeper for the 1990 FA Cup Final replay against Crystal Palace after a poor display from Jim Leighton in the preceding 3–3 draw, and made several saves to help his side win 1–0.

 He later offered his winner's medal to Leighton, who had played throughout the cup run, but the FA subsequently granted medals to both players, who remained friends after both had left the club.

United signed Sealey on a permanent basis, and he was their regular goalkeeper throughout the 1990–91 season, playing in goal during their League Cup Final defeat to Sheffield Wednesday (a game where he got injured, but refused to leave the field) and the Cup Winners' Cup Final victory over Barcelona the following month He became a cult hero with United fans and got a standing ovation whenever he returned to Old Trafford. 

He was hoping to get a two-year contract but was offered just a one-year deal and turned it down in favour of a transfer, and was signed by Aston Villa. For much of the first half of 1991–92, Sealey was Villa's first-choice goalkeeper, but then lost his place to long-serving Nigel Spink and never played for the club again.

He returned to Old Trafford in January 1993 to act as backup for  Peter Schmeichel.

In his second spell at Old Trafford, he made just two first-team appearances – once as a substitute when Schmeichel was sent off in the FA Cup Quarter-final against Charlton and the other in the League Cup final for which Schmeichel was suspended, which United lost 3–1 to his old club, Aston Villa

 It meant his last four appearances for United were a Cup Winners Cup Final, two League Cup Finals and an FA Cup Quarter-final. He had, however, been an unused substitute for most of United's matches since his return to the club, though Gary Walsh was selected as substitute goalkeeper for the 1994 FA Cup Final.

Sealey left Old Trafford during the summer of 1994 and finished his time there with an Fa Cup Winners medal alongside one for the European Cup Winners Cup and two Charity Shield's. 

At the end of the season he was given a free transfer and joined Blackpool, but within six months he had left Bloomfield Road and returned to the Premiership with West Ham

Due to an injury crisis, Sealey made his Hammers debut as an outfield player, coming on as an attacking substitute against Arsenal in the autumn of 95. During his 18-month spell at the Boleyn Ground, he was back up to Ludek Miklosko.

He then joined Third Division club Leyton Orient in 1996, and was their first-choice goalkeeper from the start of 1996–97.

In December 96, the 39-year-old Sealey returned to West Ham in an exchange deal for 47-year-old Peter Shilton. 

He made his last first-team appearance on the final day of the 1996–97 season, fittingly against Manchester United at Old Trafford. He had come on as a substitute for Ludek Miklosko, West Ham's regular first-choice goalkeeper.

Sealey was employed as West Ham's goalkeeper coach when he died of a heart attack on 19 August 2001 at the age of 43. He is still missed by everyone who met him.

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