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.

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

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

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.