Leeds United’s taste for chaos means supporting the club can be stressful at the best of times. But it also means that when the chaos gets cranked, no club is better equipped at strapping themselves in and enjoying the ride.

Saturday’s win at Wolves was the perfect example. On one side Julen Lopetegui was crying into his unwritten book on refereeing conspiracy theories and Matheus Nunes was being pacified by Diego Costa, a man who has been sent off for headbutting and biting opponents. On the other, Luke Ayling was practising cartwheels, Wilf Gnonto was living his best life, and Leeds fan Jaden Marshall was — as usual — celebrating in the away end with his top off.

Marshall, 21, follows Leeds home and away every week. “It costs a small fortune, I can tell you,” he says during a short break from his full-time job, working in a warehouse to fund his adventures up and down the country. As Wolves threatened a comeback, scoring two quickfire goals as Leeds went from cruising with a 3-0 lead to hanging on at 3-2, Marshall wasn’t immune to the stress.

“I thought we were going to bottle it,” he says. “Once it went to 3-2 you could see us doing it.”

But when the ball bounced out of play in front of him in the stands with Wolves on the attack, Marshall stayed as composed as Max Wöber making a clearing header or Rodrigo gently finishing in stoppage time for Leeds’ fourth. Marshall bent down to collect the ball, calmly dropping it on his side of the advertising hoardings. He kept a straight face throughout, holding his hands in the air to prove his innocence, while Wolves forward Matheus Cunha and a steward clambered over the hoardings, their legs dangling in the air, trying to get the ball back.

“The ball came out and they were trying to take a quick throw, so I thought I’d seize this opportunity. Straight away I thought, ‘You’ve got to slow the game down otherwise they’re going to get something.’

“The stewards were coming over and screaming in my face, ‘What are you doing?’ I just said, ‘You’d have done the same.’ [Cunha] came screaming over. I thought, ‘I’ll put my hands up and act as if it wasn’t me.’ He was screaming, just screaming for no reason.

“[The stewards] were saying they hope we lose now and if we lose it’s all down to me because of those extra ten seconds. They were just screaming, I’d have liked to have seen what they’d have done if I’d have thrown it over my head. I walked away thinking, ‘I aren’t getting involved here. I’ve done my part.’

“Leeds fans were shaking my hand. I thought, ‘We’d have all done the same.’ The stewards were shouting for the next twenty minutes — ‘You’ve ruined the game, that’s why Leeds should go down.’ I was like, Jesus, you’re a grown man shouting at a young lad. It’s a bit of fun, but I love the fact that so many people got so het up about it. Everyone’s on strings — ‘This is why Leeds should go down, they’re a disgrace.’ Obviously Leeds was never made for them if they don’t understand it. They’ve not taken it well at all.”

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With the game not being televised in the UK, Marshall didn’t think much of it. He occasionally gets spotted on TV thanks to his habit of taking his top off whenever Leeds score, but presumed his contribution to Wolves’ mental collapse went unnoticed.

“I didn’t have any signal so I came out after, turned my phone on in the car, and everyone is messaging me. The amount of people that are tagging me in it, then they’re tagging me on Instagram, then they’re putting it on their TikTok as well. Then the next day Phil Hay is trying to identify me saying, ‘It doesn’t surprise me.’ I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Marshall has previous with Phil, who has given Jaden the moniker ‘the Malibu Man’.

“About a year ago we were going down to Norwich on the train. I was walking down to the toilet and Phil Hay was on the same train and I was trying to offer him some Malibu. It was about 10am. Ever since then it’s just stuck. I had one at the weekend after the match. I’m still yet to give Phil one. He won’t accept one.”

Former Leeds left-back and LUTV commentator Ben Parker was more than happy to make the most of Marshall’s hospitality on the train home from Nottingham Forest last month.

“A couple of years ago I happened to see him in a pub in Selby, where I live, then I bumped into him on the train and I was just eating my kebab. Next minute him and his mate are wanting some kebab off me and I’m feeding them kebab. I give him one bit, then he was offering his mate some. I was thinking, ‘Fucking hell, this is my kebab. I want it.’”

Jaden was at Molineux for last year’s madness, but this weekend has entered his top three away days, just behind Crysencio Summerville’s last-minute winner at Anfield and the final day escape from relegation at Brentford. Marshall has been a Leeds fan all his life and a season ticket holder for ten years — ”I’m in the South Stand with all the other lunatics so I fit in there.” All the money he’s spent, miles he’s travelled, and miserable defeats he’s endured just make days like Saturday even more special.

“It keeps me going,” he says. “Then you think, right, onto the next one.”

Did he take his top off for all four goals on Saturday?

“Yeah. Luckily that wasn’t televised. I did get a bit carried away.” ⬢