MANCHESTER UNITED 0 LEEDS UNITED 0 – FA Cup Semi Final – Hillsborough 27 March 1965

Leeds United were back on the BBC just a week after beating Everton on Match of the Day but this time were on the main channel as their FA Cup Semi-Final clash with Manchester United was part of BBC 1’s Saturday Night Sports Special.

Kenneth Wolstenholme presented the show but he was at the other semi final between Liverpool and Chelsea at Villa Park with Alan Weeks despatched to Sheffield for this War of the Roses.

And War is a suitable word to describe a brutal match which was the pre-cursor to battles between these two sides over the next few years as the United’s of Leeds and Manchester began a fight for pre-eminence in the English game.

Manchester United had the pedigree at that time and particularly in the FA Cup which they had won on three previous occasions including a 3-1 win over Leicester City just three years before. Leeds on the other hand were contesting the first FA Cup semi-final in the clubs history, but were certainly not overawed by either the opponent or the occasion.

The two sides were placed in 2nd and 3rd in the First Division, and were due to meet in a pivotal clash three weeks later. Leeds had had the upper hand in the first league meeting of the season, winning at Old Trafford in early December so certainly went into the game with nothing to fear from their illustrious opponents.

No footage of the game can be found but if there was any, the highlights would surely be only brief ones. On a churned up Hillsborough pitch, made even worse by overnight rain, the two sides served up a running battle rather than a football match which seemed always destined to finish goalless.

What was more remarkable was that the game ended with 11 players from each side left on the field. From the opening moments when Billy Bremner chopped down Bobby Charlton, earning himself a finger wagging from the Manchester United man, the match was littered with fouls which were allowed to continue throughout thanks to a lenient refereeing display from Mr Windle of Chesterfield who was “in control” of the game.

With the pitch resembling a ploughed field both sides tried to use the wings to create opportunities, but the flair players fared no better and both George Best and Albert Johanneson suffered rough treatment that left them as virtual passengers.

Mr Windle did book Nobby Stiles and Denis Law for challenges that even he considered to be excessive, but remarkably allowed Law to remain on the pitch following the games biggest talking point. The Scotsman reacted to a shirt pull from Jack Charlton by squaring up the Leeds centre half and provoking a bout of fisticuffs which saw players from both sides pile in. Law’s shirt was ripped in the brawl but incredibly no player was booked form either side with Leeds simply being awarded a free kick.

Manchester United had the better of the play but with neither goal seriously threatened, both sides prepared for Round Two at the City Ground the following Wednesday.

FA Cup Semi Final	Saturday 27th March 1965
MANCHESTER UNITED 0 LEEDS UNITED 0
Coverage by BBC	Sports Special Presented by Kenneth Wolstenholme
Commentator: Alan Weeks
MANCHESTER UNITED (Red Shirts, White Shorts)	LEEDS UNITED (White Shirts, White Shorts)
1. Pat DUNNE	1. Gary SPRAKE
2. Shay BRENNAN	2. Paul REANEY
3. Tony DUNNE	3. Willie BELL
4. Bill FOULKES	4. Billy BREMNER
5. Paddy CRERAND	5. Jack CHARLTON
6. Nobby STILES	6. Norman HUNTER
7. George BEST	7. Johnny GILES
8. Bobby CHARLTON	8. Jim STORRIE
9. David HERD	9. Alan PEACOCK
10. John CONNELLY	10. Bobby COLLONS
11. Denis LAW	11. Albert JOHANNESON
MANAGER: Matt BUSBY	MANAGER: Don REVIE

Featured

ARSENAL 1 LEEDS UNITED 2 – First Division 13th February 1965

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Football League 1st Division	Saturday 13th February
ARSENAL 1 LEEDS UNITED 2
Coverage by BBC	Match of the Day Presented by Walley Barnes
Commentator: Walley Barnes
ARSENAL (Red Shirts with White Sleeves, White Shorts)	LEEDS UNITED (White Shirts, White Shorts)
1. Tony BURNS	1, Gary SPRAKE
2. Don HOWE	2. Paul REANEY
3. Freddie CLARKE	3. Willie BELL
4. Terry NEILL	4. Billy BREMNER
5. Ian URE	5. Jack CHARLTON
6. David COURT	6. Norman HUNTER
8. John RADFORD	8. Don WESTON
10. George EASTHAM	10. Bobby COLLINS
7. Terry ANDERSON	7.Johnny GILES
9. Joe BAKER	9. Jim STORRIE
11. George ARMSTRONG	11. Terry COOPER
MANAGER: Billy BREMNER	MANAGER: Don REVIE
GOALS
GILES	ARSENAL 0 LEEDS UTD 1
EASTHAM pen	ARSENAL 1 LEEDS UTD 1
WESTON	ARSENAL 1 LEEDS UTD 2

Leeds United had bounced back from defeat at Chelsea to maintain a push for the title, and had done so by embracing the “Dirty Leeds” tag with which they had been labelled. The moniker first appeared after a match at Everton in November, but ironically Leeds were more sinned against than being the sinners. In a match littered with tough challenges it was Everton’s Sandy Brown who was sent off for punching Johnny Giles enraging the home supporters. When Leeds went ahead the game was halted after missiles were thrown on the field and both teams were taken off the field to allow things to cool down. Despite this it was Leeds that earned the ire of the press and a reputation was born that still lives on to this day.

Leeds though were not to be put off their stride and continued to march up the table, even winning at Old Trafford thanks to a goal by Giles and a magnificent goalkeeping performance from Gary Sprake. They had signalled their intentions that they were not going to exit the title race quietly.

At the turn of the year, Leeds were level at the top with their cross Pennine rivals, behind only on goal average and went top of the table as the calendar flicked over to 1965 with a 2-1 win over Sunderland.

By the time of their next apperance on Match of the Day in February they were involved in a three way battle for the title. Chelsea were top on goal average with Leeds second and Manchester United 3 points behind in third. Those three sides were seven points clear of the field and ready for the final push.

As the Whites took to the field at Highbury in front of the BBC cameras they were in a rich vein of form on the road. They had won four and drawn two of their last six away games. Match of the Day that evening was presented by Wally Barnes, a former Arsenal legend who had captained Wales in his playing days. Resplendent in a sheepskin coat and pork pie hat he introduced us to the teams before commentating on the game. Leeds line up was beginning to take it’s familiar shape with Sprake, Paul Reaney, Jack Charlton and Norman Hunter all now regulars in the defence. In midfield a trio of diminutive Celts ran the show with Billy Bremner, Bobby Collins and Giles all pulling the strings. Terry Cooper was on the left wing in front of Willie Bell whilst up front Don Weston partnered Jim Storrie. Arsenal were struggling in mid table but a couple of players were coming through who would play a part in their glory of the early Seventies, John Radford and George Armstrong. They also featured a couple of future managers in Don Howe and Terry Neill.

Highbury with it’s art deco main stand looking exactly as it would before the ground would eventually be demolished was treated to an early goal as the visitors took the lead. A lovely ball from the left hand side picked out Giles on the right hand side of the box and he looped a header over Tony Barnes in the Arsenal goal. Barnes in the commentary box was as caught out as the cameraman who failed to track the ball clearly stating “And the first one, well my goodness me.” Back in those days instant replay was still a thing of the future so there was no chance for another look at what exactly had happened.

Arsenal tried to hit back quickly, Radford hitting a shot on the volley into the “side rigging” but were struggling to find any rhythm with a misplaced pass by Ian Ure bringing groans from the Highbury crowd and Barnes to observe “Arsenal’s passing leaving a fair bit to be desired.”

Arsenal though were handed a lifeline back into the game through the award of a very soft penalty. A ball into the box was well behind Joe Baker but he went over under pressure from Willie Bell and incredibly the referee pointed to the spot. “I would have thought that was a very harsh decision” said Barnes. George Eastham stepped up to take the kick and “curled it into the bottom corner” very casually with Gary Sprake barely moving on the line.

The goal gave Arsenal a spark and they should have been ahead moments later. A break started by a long ball over the top by Don Howe sent Baker away in behind the Leeds defence but as he went round Sprake his effort on goal was high and wide of the empty net.

Then came the moment which would spark controversy in the press the following day. Billy Bremner clashed in midfield with Eastham, leaving a boot in which caused Barnes to comment that it was “a very wild kick by Bremner” adding that the challenge would leave Eastham “very sore for a few minutes” . The challenge earned Bremner a talking to from the referee and led to the rest of the game becoming niggly, which when coupled with a high wind and a very hard bumpy pitch made it a pretty poor spectacle for those in attendance and those enjoying the game on TV later.

Leeds were retaking control of the game. Johnny Giles fired an effort from the edge of the box just over the bar. That was one effort that the cameras managed to catch, but the primitive camera work left a lot to be desired. Efforts from distance would be seen leaving the boot of the player but, and in particular at the North Bank end of the ground, TV viewers would have no idea where the ball was travelling to and the director not cutting quickly enough to the camera at pitch level which may have given a better shot.

The half ended to boos, in part for the poor performance from the home team, but in the main for Billy Bremner, whose challenge on Eastham had left the Arsenal midfielder as a passenger, although as Barnes noted “I don’t think the booing of the crowd is going to worry young Bremner one bit.”

Barnes was full of praise for Leeds at half time, commenting that they were “a very compact side and very sincere in everything they do” slightly undermining the written press who of course thought that everything Leeds did was done so cynically to ensure a victory. He added that they “certainly deserve to be sharing the leadership of the First Division with Chelsea, certainly on the showing of the first half anyway.”

Arsenal kicked off the second half with the strong wind at their back, but at the disadvantage of Eastham only capable of filling a gap on the wing, with no substitutes available to replace him.

Leeds though looked the more likely team to score and had a goal disallowed early in the second half. A storming run forward by Charlton, which saw him ride a wild challenge by Howe, ended with him sliding the ball to Storrie to tap home, but the linesman flag was up to rule out the goal. And in a throwback to when the commentators job was purely to inform us what was happening on the pitch and not force their opinions on what they believed had happened down our throats (I’m talking to you Jonathan Pearce), Barnes simply said “I can offer no opinion from this angle so I’m not in a position to say” in regards to the correctness of the decision.

Leeds did not need much longer though to go back in front. Norman Hunter started the move with a run forwards from his centre half position. He fed the ball to Bobby Collins 20 yards from goal, the Leeds skipper fooling the Arsenal defence by shaping to shoot and then sliding the ball across the box to Don Weston who barely broke stride before stroking the ball into the net. “And that’s a second for Leeds” is how Barnes greeted the goal, barely showing any excitement, a technique he employed for the entirety of the game.

Leeds were now pretty much in control of the game, and the only shouts that could be heard from the crowd were those who had travelled south “Leeds, Leeds, Leeds” ringing out from the terraces. It could have been three, when Storrie beat the offside trap down the right hand side and rolled his shot past the onrushing keeper only to see it tap off the base of the post allowing Arsenal to hack the ball clear.

All that was left was for Barnes to finally perfect the pronunciation of the Leeds United right back correctly, after mangling his way through the afternoon calling him Rennie then Rene before finally settling on Reaney, I imagine much to the delight of Paul’s family back at home.

Barnes ended the programme with a brief summary of the game, coming to the conclusion that Leeds were the “most compact side this afternoon” before running down some of the scores, advising that “Chelsea were 3 up (at Blackburn) to stay top”

The win was not greeted with great joy by the written press. “Leeds United may have won the game but in the process lost many a friend” whined The Times. It was the challenge on Eastham that had raised the hackles and was seen as an assault on “one of the gentlest and most philosophical of footballers (who) was cut down unashamedly by a flagrant unprofessional tackle on the part of Bremner.”

Leeds were being portrayed as artisans rather than artists and their pursuit of victory appeared to have been as slightly distasteful. “Physical strength took over from intellect and revenge and retaliation seemed uppermost in the minds of some.”

Make your own minds up, but we can see how Leeds became tired of the London based press and it’s criticism of Revie’s side. Especially when you compare it to Leeds last appearance on Match of the Day which had seen United cut down to nine fully fit men thanks to some of the tackles by Chelsea players which had barely been commented upon.

The Leeds manager had heard enough and could not resist a snipe in his post match comments: “Clearly we have enemies in the press box…our faults have been exaggerated. We are not a dirty team…but we are a very hard playing team and we make occasional mistakes of judgement…I wonder what would have been written if Arsenal had crippled Collins or Bremner and once or twice it wasn’t for the lack of trying.”

The viewers at home would be able to make their own minds up, as with the the season coming to a climax, Leeds were still in the hunt for both League and Cup and would become regular protagonists on television.

Title Decider – Leeds United 0 Manchester United 1 – April 17 1965

LEEDS UNITED 0 MANCHESTER UNITED 1
Coverage by BBC	Match of the Day
Commentator: Kenneth Wolstenholme
LEEDS UNITED (White Shirts, White Shorts)	MANCHESTER UNITED (Red Shirts, White Shorts)
1. Gary SPRAKE	1. Pat DUNNE
2. Paul REANEY	2. Shay BRENNAN
3. Willie BELL	3. Tony DUNNE
4. Jimmy GREENHOFF	4. Bill FOULKES
5. Jack CHARLTON	5. Paddy CRERAND
6. Norman HUNTER	6. Nobby STILES
7. Johnny GILES	7. George BEST
8. Don WESTON	8. Bobby CHARLTON
9. Alan PEACOCK	9. David HERD
10. Bobby COLLONS	10. John CONNELLY
11. Terry COOPER	11. Denis LAW
MANAGER: Don REVIE	MANAGER: Matt BUSBY
GOALS
14:00 CONNELLY

Less than a year after their return to the top flight of English football, Leeds United were on the verge of “The Double” of League Championship and FA Cup. Having already secured a place in the FA Cup Final, they found themselves 3 points clear at the top of the table, ahead of Chelsea and their opponents on this Easter Saturday, Manchester United.

The two sides had just met in a couple of epic FA Cup Semi-Finals so both were familiar with each others line ups. But whilst the United of Manchester were unchanged from the Semi-Final replay at the City Ground, Leeds crucially were forced into a change with the suspension of Billy Bremner. Jimmy Greenhoff stepped into his shoes, with Don Weston also coming into the side in place of the injured Jim Storrie.

Leeds were on a superb run, 18 games unbeaten in the league and had in Alan Peacock a striker on the top of his game, having bagged seven goals in his last eight games. A win in this match and the Whites looked set fair for the title.

The game took place on a blustery afternoon, and with a bone hard pitch underfoot, Leeds struggled to get into any rhythm. It was the visitors who settled best and took the lead on 14 minutes, John Connelly scoring with a bobbling effort which went through the legs of Norman Hunter before finding the bottom corner of the net. Matt Busby’s men showed their experience and would not let Leeds into the game, stifling the passing of soon to be named Footballer of the Year Bobby Collins and snuffing out any threat from the Whites, despite the backing of a crowd of over 52,000 inside Elland Road.

The defeat knocked the stuffing out of Leeds, and with a packed Easter programme to come, they had no time to clear their heads. Two days later they crashed to a 3-0 defeat at Sheffield Wednesday but bounced back with a 2-0 win in the reverse fixture just 24 hours later. With Manchester United hammering Liverpool 3-0 the Whites needed a win in the third of a Sheffield trinity and they responded with a 3-0 win over United at Bramall Lane. It left them still a point clear at the top heading into their final match, but the Red Devils had a game in hand and crucially a better goal average.

In those days if two teams were tied on points the tiebreaker was calculated by dividing the number of goals scored by the number conceded, and Leeds were over 0.7 goals behind using that formula before they took on Birmingham City in the last match of the season. Don Revie was left with the quandry of going all out for the title, despite the marginal chance of them winning it, or saving bodies for the up coming FA Cup Final. He hedged his bets by resting a couple of players, Jim Storrie, who had missed games recently through injury, and Willie Bell but otherwise named a strong side. It was a gamble that had appeared to back fire when Leeds found themselves 3-0 down five minutes into the second half, but the Whites dug deep to rescue a point. It was all in vain though as the team from across the Pennines beat Arsenal 3-1 to move level on points, with only the prospect of a calamitous defeat against Aston Villa in the final game preventing them from taking the crown. As it turned out they did lose to Villa, but the 2-1 defeat was not enough for Leeds United to pip them for the title.

It was a huge blow to the Whites, but they did still have their first ever FA Cup Final to look forward to. All eyes turned to Wembley and the showpiece occasion against Liverpool which would be broadcast to the nation.

LEEDS UNITED 1 MANCHESTER UNITED 0 – FA Cup Semi Final Replay – The City Ground, Nottingham – Wednesday 31st March 1965

Bremner v Scum

After a brutal semi-final at Hillsborough had ended goalless, the United’s of Leeds and Manchester resumed hostilites at The City Ground, Nottingham four days later.

There was just one change from the 22 players that had started the first game with Terry Cooper coming in for Leeds in place of Albert Johanneson, the South African winger failing to recover from an injury which had left him a passenger in the game at Hillsborough. The BBC once again had coverage with Kenneth Wolstenholme picking up the microphone to describe the action to the Sportsview audience at home.

A much better surface in Nottingham provided conditions for a much better game and both sides went at each other hammer and tongs for 90 minutes. Manchester United had most of the chances, particularly at the start of the second half, but Leeds hung in and got stronger as the game went on. Denis Law had the best chance for the side from the West of the Pennines, bursting clear in the penalty area to shoot from 10 yards but was denied by a fine block by Gary Sprake in the Leeds goal.

With extra time looming, Leeds were awarded a free kick in the centre circle. Johnny Giles lofted the ball forward, deep into the Manchester United box and just when it seemed to be drifting harmlessly through the area, Billy Bremner arrived with his back to goal to somehow get a head on the ball and divert it into the net for the goal that sent the Whites to Wembley for the first time in the clubs history.

There was pandemonium at the final whistle as fans ran on to the pitch and referee Mr Windle, who had been such a controversial figure in the first game, was knocked over in all the chaos.

So Leeds were on their way to Wembley to meet Liverpool in the final, and were still in pursuit of the League title as well. They would have to face Matt Busby’s men one more time in a match that looked set to be the defining moment in the race for the title.

FA Cup Semi Final Replay	Wednesday 31st March 1965
LEEDS UNITED 1 MANCHESTER UNITED 0
Coverage by BBC	SportsView
Commentator: Kenneth Wolstenholme
LEEDS UNITED (White Shirts, White Shorts)	MANCHESTER UNITED (Red Shirts, White Shorts)
1. Gary SPRAKE	1. Pat DUNNE
2. Paul REANEY	2. Shay BRENNAN
3. Willie BELL	3. Tony DUNNE
4. Billy BREMNER	4. Bill FOULKES
5. Jack CHARLTON	5. Paddy CRERAND
6. Norman HUNTER	6. Nobby STILES
7. Johnny GILES	7. George BEST
8. Jim STORRIE	8. Bobby CHARLTON
9. Alan PEACOCK	9. David HERD
10. Bobby COLLONS	10. John CONNELLY
11. Terry COOPER	11. Denis LAW
MANAGER: Don REVIE	MANAGER: Matt BUSBY
GOALS
89:00 BREMNER

Leeds 4 Everton 1 1965

Football League 1st Division	Saturday 20th March
LEEDS UNITED 4 EVERTON 1
Coverage by BBC	Match of the Day Presented by Kenneth Wolstenholme
Commentator: Kenneth Wolstenholme
LEEDS UNITED (White Shirts, White Shorts)	EVERTON (Blue Shirts, White Shorts)
1. Gary SPRAKE	1. Gordon WEST
2. Willie BELL	2. Brian LABONE
3. Terry COOPER	3. Ray WILSON
4. Billy BREMNER	4. Tommy WRIGHT
5. Paul MADELEY	5. Colin HARVEY
6. Norman HUNTER	6. Jimmy GABRIEL
7. Johnny GILES	7. Brian HARRIS
8. Jim STORRIE	8. John MORRISSEY
9. Alan PEACOCK	9. Derek TEMPLE
10. Bobby COLLINS	10. Alex SCOTT
11. Albert JOHANNESON	11. Fred PICKERING
MANAGER: Don REVIE	MANAGER: Harry CATTERICK
GOALS
JOHANNESON	1-0
TEMPLE	1-1
BREMNER	2-1
JOHANNESON	3-1
PEACOCK	4-1

After the win over Arsenal, Leeds were unbeaten over their next five games and had progressed through to an FA Cup semi-final. Their last game before facing Manchester United in that semi-final was captured by the Match of the Day cameras as they took on Everton at Elland Road.

The game gave Leeds a chance to go to the top of the first division, with leaders Chelsea having a day off. The Whites were second on just goal average before the game commenced with Kenneth Wolstenholme in the commentary box. Where that commentary box was is unclear, as the game was filmed from the unusual angle of behind one of the goals, at the Kop End of the stadium. I’ve been unable to locate anything other than a 60 second clip taken from “The Glory Years” video produced by the BBC in the late 1980’s.

There were a handful of changes to the Leeds line up from that which had won at Highbury. Paul Reaney and Jack Charlton were missing from the defence, causing a reshuffle which saw Willie Bell move over to right back, Terry Cooper drop back to left back and Paul Madeley slot in seamlessly at centre half. Albert Johanneson came in on the left wing to accomodate Cooper’s move back and up front there was a return for Alan Peacock from injury who replaced Don Weston.

On a heavy pitch it was Leeds that took the lead in the first half. A cross from the left was headed off the post by Jim Storrie but Johanneson was there to knock home the rebound. As for most of the goals on the afternoon, and in line with the BBC commentary of the age, Wolstenholme was very understated in his calls of the goals. “Is it a goal? Yes, scored by Johanneson” greeted the first effort of the afternoon.

Everton were level around the half hour mark as snow began to fall at Elland Road. It was a nice move down Everton’s right which ended with a lovely cross into the box and Derek Temple rising to head home. “That’s a beautiful goal scored by the inside left Temple”

Wolstenholme seemed keen on letting the viewers know in what position each player was playing, sometimes over the player’s name as it was “the right half” who put Leeds back in front before half time as Billy Bremner tucked the ball under Gordon West in the Everton goal.

Leeds added two more in the second half, Johanneson grabbing his second to make it 3-1 with a lovely turn and shot from the corner of the six yard box. Then Peacock made it 4-1 with a lovely glancing finish to a delightful ball in from the right by Johnny Giles.

The result gave Leeds a two point lead at the top of the table, but Chelsea returned to the top with a 3-0 win at Sheffield United the following Monday, maintaining their advantage of goal average. Leeds though were well set for the FA Cup Semi-Final against Manchester United which would take place the following week.

CHELSEA 2 LEEDS UNITED 0 – First Division 19th September 1964

Chelsea v Leeds 1964

Football League 1st Division	Saturday 19th September 1964
CHELSEA 2 LEEDS UNITED 0
Coverage by BBC	Match of the Day Presented by Kenneth Wolstenholme and Danny Blanchflower
Commentator: Kenneth Wolstenholme
CHELSEA (Blue Shirts, Blue Shorts)	LEEDS UNITED (White Shirts, White Shorts)
1. Peter BONETTI	1, Gary SPRAKE
2. Ian WATSON	2. Paul REANEY
3. Eddie McCREADIE	3. Willie BELL
4. John HOLLINS	4. Jimmy GREENHOFF
5. Marvin HINTON	5. Jack CHARLTON
6. Ron HARRIS	6. Norman HUNTER
8. George GRAHAM	8. Billy BREMNER
10. Terry VENABLES (Capt)	10. Bobby COLLINS
7. Bert MURRAY	7.Johnny GILES
9. Barry BRIDGES	9. Jim STORRIE
11. Tommy KNOX	11. Albert JOHANNESON
MANAGER: Tommy DOCHERTY	MANAGER: Don REVIE
GOALS
VENABLES	CHELSEA 1 LEEDS 0
HOLLINS	CHELSEA 2 LEEDS 0

1964 saw a revolution in British television with the launch of BBC2 in April. The channel was to be home to more serious and diverse programming and to that end they launched a weekly football highlights show to be shown on Saturday evenings after that day’s fixtures. It was to be called Match of the Day, and of course is still going strong some 50 plus years later.

Leeds United’s first appearance on the programme would come on the 19th September 1964. The Whites, newly promoted to the top flight, had made an excellent start to the season and sat in 2nd place in the table before their visit to Stamford Bridge, where they would take on the leaders of the First Division, Chelsea.

Despite the good start to the season, the previous week had been quite a tumultuous one at Elland Road. Disappointed by his latest contract offer, manager Don Revie had applied for the Sunderland job which had been vacant since Alan Brown had departed for Sheffield Wednesday. The Wearside club at the time were a much bigger club than Leeds and had more financial power. It was felt Revie had used the vacancy to increase the offer from Leeds and it worked. Just when it seemed that he was on the brink of walking out on the club, an increased offer of a 5 year contract at £4500 a year was agreed and Revie remained in charge.

He took the side down to London to take on the league leaders who had made an unbeaten start to the season. It was to be the first of many meetings between the two sides over the coming years which would see Chelsea and Leeds become bitter rivals, both on the pitch and on the terraces. Chelsea were managed by Tommy Docherty and he had put together a youthful side, with two future Leeds United managers controlling the midfield, George Graham and Terry Venables.

Leeds lined up with many of the side that had won promotion the following season and was well on the way to becoming a regular line up. Jimmy Greenhoff came into the side for this game at right half, with Billy Bremner pushing further forward. Jim Storrie led the line with support from Johnny Giles and Albert Johanneson.

“What better match could we pick today” said Kenneth Wolstenholme in his introduction to camera, words that would come to haunt him by the end of the programme as the top two sides in the country produced a dull encounter that was more artisan than artistic and did little to counter the reputation of Leeds as a fairly negative and industrious team.

The action started at the pivotal point of the match in the 27th minute, with Eddie McCreadie clattering into Giles in midfield. It was immediately recognized as a bad injury for the Leeds man and a stretcher was called for. So bad was the injury that Don Revie himself came onto the field to check on his man, with Wolstenholme speculating “this looks like it could be a broken leg.”

With no substitutions in those days, Leeds were left to play the remaining hour with just 10 men on a glorious late summer afternoon which would sap energy from the legs. Leeds tried to strike immediately, Bobby Collins firing the free kick given for the challenge on Giles just over the crossbar.

It would take Chelsea just five minutes to make the man advantage count. A ball into the Leeds area was allowed to bounce around and as Bremner hesitated to clear his lines, Venables nipped in to rifle the ball into the roof of the net, prompting Wolstenholme to state it was “a lovely goal.”

Terry Venables 1964

The venerable BBC commentator wasn’t the only voice we could hear, with his microphone occasionally picking up the sound of the crowd sat around him. When referee Bill Clements gave Leeds a free kick for obstruction against Barry Bridges, one punter could quite clearly be heard berating the official with the cry of “You bald headed git. What’s the matter with ya!!” Unlike today, there were no apologies for any bad language we have heard, the swinging sixties obviously being much more enlightened times.

The Stamford Bridge pitch looked bone hard as the ball was often bouncing around out of control, and was causing problems for players on both sides. Again Leeds failed to cleanly clear a ball bobbling around inside their area allowing Graham to poke the ball towards Venables. The young Chelsea skipper managed to get a shot away but straight at Sprake who fumbled the initial shot and received a whack from a Chelsea player as he dove to gather the loose ball.

Leeds attacks were infrequent, but often featured the pace and skill of Albert Johanneson. Just before the break the Leeds winger intercepted a ball on halfway and raced towards goal, but once he reached the penalty area his composure left him and his effort was a weak cross cum shot that skidded along the ground, too far in front of his team mates and too far wide of the goal to cause Chelsea any great consternation,.

Half time saw some analysis of the first half from recently retired Tottenham and Northern Ireland great Danny Blanchflower. His assessment was that the game was being played between “two well drilled teams giving nothing away” and hoped for a little more in the second half.

He was to be disappointed as the game continued in the same vein with packed defences and two teams seemingly unable to create any real opportunities. Leeds were of course badly hampered by the absence of Giles and as Wolstenholme observed “Chelsea have played eight games and not been beaten by 11 men so Leeds have been given quite a task.” He did report however that Giles had “badly strained knee ligaments and not a break fortunately” something that would perhaps be the reverse these days.

The game was devoid of any real goalmouth action. Leeds had a half chance when Greenhoff over hit a through ball that Peter Bonetti in the Chelsea goal spilled as he slid in to gather. The ball fell straight into the path of Bremner on the right hand side of the area but he rushed his shot and hit it harmlessly wide of the goal. The referee gave a corner and from that, Leeds created an opening for Greenhoff 25 yards out bis his shot was a tame one and rolled straight through to Bonetti.

The Chelsea keeper was tested a little more moments later when Bobby Collins tried his luck from distance and forced him into a sprawling save, but Leeds were being restricted to efforts from distance and the more incisive play was coming from Chelsea. Sprake as worked by a header from Murray after good work on the left from Bobby Knox and the Chelsea left winger had another effort from the corner of the penalty area, hitting a vicious strike straight into the midriff of the Leeds keeper.

With about 15 minutes to go Chelsea doubled their lead and Leeds contributed massively to their own downfall. Uncharacteristically it was the Leeds skipper, Collins, who made the fatal error, miscontrolling the ball on the edge of his own box and allowing the ball to run towards Graham. He poked the ball back to John Hollins and his first time shot seemed to spin off Sprake and trundled into the net. “That was a gift to Chelsea from Bobby Collins” was how Wolstenholme summed up the goal.

Any chances Leeds had of getting back into the game were severely hampered moments later when Greenhoff had to be carried off injured as well, leaving Leeds with just nine men. Although he would return to the field, it was as a a passenger. Chelsea were in complete command and they almost scored a spectacular third when Graham executed a superb scissor kick volley from the edge of the area that whistled just over the bar. It was the best piece of skill in the game and prompted Wolstenholme to “give that the Oscar for this match.”

All that remained was for the niggle, that would become a feature of these games over the coming years, to begin with Ron “Chopper” Harris earning his name by going through Bremner on halfway, quickly followed by the fiery Scot responding in kind moments later with a feet first challenge into the midriff of the Chelsea man.

At the final whistle Wolstenholme and Blanchflower discussed the game. The commentator described it as “Unfortunately not an over exciting game” with Blanchflower concluding that “They are both very young teams and perhaps it was the tension that provided us with such a dull spectacle.” He also concluded that “Johanneson, the coloured boy at outside left is a very exciting player” and that he didn’t think “Leeds are good enough to be at the top, but I think they will have a reasonable season.”

Blanchflower would have thought he had been proved right in the immediate aftermath of this match. Leeds won just one of the next four in the league to drop to 11th in the table, but then caught fire and by the time of their next appearance on television would be in the thick of the title race.

NORWICH CITY 2 LEEDS UNITED 2 – 8 February 1964

Football League 2nd Division	Saturday 8th February 1964
NORWICH CITY 2 LEEDS UNITED 2
Coverage by Anglia	Match of the Week
Commentator: John Camkin (TBC)
NORWICH CITY (Yellow Shirts, Black Shorts)	LEEDS UNITED (Blue Shirts, Gold Shorts) TBC
	1, Gary SPRAKE
	2. Paul REANEY
	3. Willie BELL
	4. Billy BREMNER
	5. Paul MADELEY
	6. Norman HUNTER
	7. Johnny GILES
	8. Don WESTON
	9. Alan PEACOCK
	10. Bobby COLLINS
	11. Albert JOHANNESON
MANAGER: Ron ASHMAN	MANAGER: Don REVIE
GOALS
PEACOCK & WESTON FOR LEEDS
NORWICH CITY – TBC

Another trip to deepest darkest Norfolk that was shown on Anglia TV but appears to have been lost down a black hole. Once again it was the regions Match of the Week and it is presumed that John Camkin was the commentator (at least according to http://carousel.royalwebhosting.net/itv/ITVfootball55-68.html#Anglia).

Leeds United unveiled new signing Alan Peacock in this game, and he marked his debut in place of Ian Lawson with a goal in a 2-2 draw. Leeds were 2-0 up, Don Weston grabbing the other goal but gave away two late goals to drop another precious point in the race for promotion. Sunderland won away at Cardiff to remain top of the table. However this was an improvement on recent league performances and in the weeks that followed Leeds would lose just one more game on the way to the Second Division title. No longer would they be in the footballing backwaters. The big time was on its way.

Norwich-City-v-Leeds-United-1963-1964

Once again, information for this post gathered from http://www.mightyleeds.co.uk

Making a Mark – Leeds United v Everton – 25th January 1964

FA Cup 4th Round	Saturday 25th January 1964
Leeds United 1 Everton 1
Coverage by BBC	Sports Special Presented by Kenneth Wolstenholme
Commentator: Wally Barnes
LEEDS UNITED (White Shirts, White Shorts)	EVERTON (Blue Shirts, White Shorts)
1. Gary SPRAKE	1, Gordon WEST
2. Paul REANEY	2. Brian LABONE
3. Willie BELL	3. Sandy BROWN
4. Billy BREMNER	4. Tony KAY
5. Paul MADELEY	5. Jimmy GABRIEL
6. Norman HUNTER	6. Brian HARRIS
7. Tommy HENDERSON	7. Derek TEMPLE
8. Johnny GILES	8. Alex SCOTT
9. Ian LAWSON	9. Roy VERNON
10. Bobby COLLINS	10. Alex YOUNG
11. Albert JOHANNESON	11. Dennis STEVENS
MANAGER: Don REVIE	MANAGER: Harry CATTERICK
GOALS
LAWSON	1-0
79 – VERNON pen	1-1

Leeds United’s first TV apperance in the FA Cup came in January 1964 when they faced Everton in a 4th round tie at Elland Road.

After a couple of seasons in charge, Don Revie’s team that would come to be a dominant force in the English game was beginning to take shape, both in terms of personnel and style of play. After finishing 5th in the Second Division the previous year, Leeds were now starting to carve out a reputation as a tough and uncompromising side as they, sometimes quite literally, had fought to the top of the table in the race for promotion. The steel in the side was being provided by it’s youthful core as players such as Billy Bremner, Paul Reaney and Norman Hunter were coming to the fore. The Whites were also introducing some silk to the side as well with the introduction of Johnny Giles who had been brought in from Manchester United at the start of the season, slotting into midfield alongside Bremner and the little Scottish leader of the team, Bobby Collins.

After seeing of Cardiff in the 3rd Round, Leeds were drawn at home against the current Champions of England. Everton had won the title by 6 points the previous season and were going strong again this term, eventually finishing third behind their bitter rivals Liverpool and Manchester United. The tie was of sufficent interest to attract the attention of the BBC who selected it to be one of their televised ties on that evenings Sports Special, along with Blackburn’s 2-0 win over Fulham and Carlisle United’s 3-0 win over Non-League Bedford Town. There was also Rugby Union as the touring All Blacks beat Ulster 24-5. Wally Barnes, the former Arsenal and Wales captain, was the commentator at a packed Elland Road, with 48826 in attendance.

Leeds fielded a youthful defence with 19 year old Paul Madeley starting to establish himself in the heart of the back four in the place of the injured Jack Charlton. His partner was 20 year old Norman Hunter, with 19 year old Paul Reaney at right back and 18 year old Gary Sprake behind them in goal. Willie Bell at left back was positively a veteran in comparison at 26!

Everton had the better of most of the game, as was to be expected as one of the best sides in the country, but Leeds showed the tenacity that had garnered plenty of attention in the press already. They were a workmanlike side, sacrificing flair for grit and determination. They also lacked a real threat up front with Ian Lawson leading the line. He had joined the team from Burnley a couple of seasons before but had struggled to make much of an impact but had come into the team following an injury to Jim Storrie.

Despite being under pressure, Leeds took the lead just before half time in fortuitous circumstances. Everton’s Brian Harris attempted to clear the ball from inside the area but only managed to drill the ball against Lawson and the ball ricocheted off the Leeds striker into the net. Lawson then had a gilt edged chance to put Leeds further in front a minute later, but with Everton keeper Gordon West caught out of his goal, the United striker pushed the ball wide of the open goal.

It would prove to be a costly miss as Everton got back into the tie with just 11 minutes left in the game. Billy Bremner, who had fallen foul of the officials on many occasions already during the season and had been forced to serve a suspension for his troubles, was adjudged by the referee to have brought down Alex Scott inside the penalty area. To make matters worse, Sprake saved the original spot kick from Scott, only for the man in black to rule that the Leeds keeper had moved and the kick had to be retaken. Roy Vernon stepped up to take the second attempt and made no mistake to equalise and send the tie to a replay at Goodison Park.

That took place three days later in front of over 66000 fans with Everton running out 2-0 winners. However they would go out of the competition at the next stage, falling to Leeds’s promotion rivals Sunderland.

With Leeds out of the cup, they were left free to concentrate on winning promotion to the top flight. Don Revie recognised that the team needed a more potent threat up front and in February forked out £50000 to Middlesbrough for former England striker Alan Peacock. He would score 7 goals in the 14 games following his signing in which Leeds dropped just six points. A run of eight wins and two draws in the last 10 games saw the Whites not only win promotion but also the second division title and propel them into the top flight. The Glory Days were about to dawn.

Leeds v Everton 1964

Thanks to http://www.mightyleeds.co.uk which provided much of the info for this article.

A Loss to the Mists of Time Norwich City v Leeds United – 23rd March 1963

FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION TWO from Carrow Road – Saturday 23rd March 1963

NORWICH CITY 3 LEEDS UNITED 2

Coverage by Anglia TV

Commentator: John Camkin

Norwich City	Leeds United
	1. Gary SPRAKE
	2. Paul REANEY
	3. Grenville HAIR
	4. Willie BELL
	5. Jack CHARLTON
	6. Norman HUNTER
	7. Don WESTON
	8. Billy BREMNER
	9. Jim STORRIE
	10. Bobby COLLINS
	11. Albert JOHANNESSON
MANGER: Ron ASHMAN	MANAGER: Don REVIE

Football on TV in the early days of the 1960’s was still very much a hit and miss affair. Match of the Day was still to come into existence, and the ITV network of regional channels still covered the sport in a haphazard way. ABC covered most of the North of England but they also were still a couple of years away from having their own weekly highlights show, but bizarrely the relative footballing backwater of East Anglia, perhaps because of the recent success of Ipswich Town, did offer regular football highlights on their show “Match of the Week”. And it is on this programme that Leeds United made their first appearance on ITV.

Unfortunately it does not appear that any footage of the game exists, and in fact even finding any information on the game itself from a Norwich City point of view has proved to be elusive on the web.

Leeds were by now under the stewardship of Don Revie and he was well on his way to building the foundations on which the future success of the club would be built. The club colours had already been changed to all white, based on the all conquering Real Madrid side of the era. Despite now being a second division club, Leeds were seriously looking to make a return to the top flight and were building a team built on youth with a sprinkling of experience. Youngsters such as Gary Sprake, Paul Reaney and Norman Hunter joined Jack Charlton and Billy Bremner as first team regulars. Revie had also delved into the transfer market bringing in goal scorer Jim Storrie and the man who would give the team the drive and ambition to progress, Bobby Collins. An experiment to bring back John Charles from Juventus had failed and he had returned to Italy with Roma by the time this fixture came around.

Leeds were laying in mid-table but this 3-2 defeat that left the team in 12th place would be the catalyst for a late surge into the promotion race. Goals from Collins and Albert Johanesson were not enough to gain anything for Leeds from this one, but they would win seven of the next 11 games to move within striking distance at the top of the table. Unfortunately, in a season extended due to the abysmal winter weather, the Whites lost three games in a row in early May to fall out of contention and they ended the season in 5th place, four points adrift of the top two.

A Day of Debuts – Leeds Utd v Man City – 19 March 1960

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FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION ONE from Elland Road – Saturday 19th March 1960

LEEDS UNITED 4 MANCHESTER CITY 3

Coverage by BBC (Sports Special) Presented by Kenneth Wolstenholme

Commentator: Alan Weeks

Leeds United (Blue Shirts, White Shorts)	Manchester City (Old Gold Shirts, Black Shorts)
1. Ted BURGIN	1, Bert TRAUTMANN
2. JImmy ASHALL	2. Ken BRANAGAN
3. Grenville HAIR	3. Cliff SEAR
4. Archie GIBSON	4. Ken BARNES
5. Jack CHARLTON	5. John McTAVISH
6. Freddie GOODWIN	6. Alan OAKES
7. Billy BREMNER	7. Colin BARLOW
8. Don REVIE	8. Denis LAW
9. John McCOLE	9. Billy McADAMS
10. Noel PEYTON	10. Joe HAYES
11. George MEEK	11. Clive COLBRIDGE
MANAGER: Jack TAYLOR	MANAGER: Les McDOWALL

It appears that Leeds United’s first appearance on television came on 19th March 1960 on the BBC’s Sports Special, a weekly Saturday night show fronted by Kenneth Wolstenholme that showed highlights of all the day’s sporting events.

The game was probably added to the show at the last minute given that it featured a Manchester City debut for Denis Law, who had just signed for a record fee from Huddersfield Town. The Radio Times for that day shows that the featured games were due to be Chelsea v Blackpool and Portsmouth v Cardiff City as well as the Calcutta Cup rugby match between England and Scotland. However the first start in a City shirt for their new £55,000 (or “22 guineas an ounce” as the commentator explains) signing was enough to see a camera crew despatched to Elland Road.

Over 32,000 fans packed into the stadium to watch the game, an almost 400% increase on the 8,000 who had seen Leeds draw 3-3 with Birmingham City 10 days earlier. United were in the midst of a relegation battle but the chance to see Law inspired the crowds to flock to Elland Road, including a large contingent from across the Pennines.

Law was the focus of attention, not only of the crowd one of which managed to get on the field to grab an autograph as he entered the field, but also of the cameras. The footage available on YouTube which is seen below is vary sparse (and I’m not even sure it is the BBC footage or some newsreel) and practically ignores the home side. The only “shot” that Leeds muster is an overhit through ball which City goalkeeper Bert Trautmann collects easily to set up the attack the makes the score 2-2.

At least that is what the clip would like us to believe, but the build up to the goal is quite clearly spliced together from other pieces of action in a similar part of the field. Ken Barnes, father of Peter who would play for both sides in the future, starts the move in the centre of the field before the ball breaks to Law inside the area to fire home. It’s only at that point that we find out the score as the commentator exclaims “What a wonderful equaliser, it’s 2 goals each.”

In fact Leeds had gone ahead in the 13th minute through Noel Peyton before an Archie Gibson own goal levelled things up five minutes later. Leeds went back in front when a 17 year old just establishing himself as a first team regular netted for the second game in a row. Unfortunately we don’t get to see Billy Bremner making it 2-1, but there will be plenty more of him to come in the years that follow.

What we do see is City go 3-2 up on 65 minutes. Of course Law was involved in the build up, creating the opportunity for Eddie Barlow to drive the ball home from the right hand side of the area.

And that is where the action ends on camera, but there was to be late drama that was either not captured or not deemed to be of interest to the viewers at home as Leeds snatched the win at the death with two late penalties. John McCole netted both, the equaliser 10 minutes from time before winning the game in the last minute.

The win saw Leeds move to 20th in the First Division but they would win just three more times before the season’s end and would be relegated to the 2nd Division. Law would spend just a year at City before moving to Torino in Italy and then greater fame on the Red Side of Manchester, where he would be involved in many more memorable clashes against Leeds United.

Thanks to bluemoon-mcfc.co.uk , waffl.com and ozwhitelufc.net.au for the additional info needed to write this piece.