Currently:

Easter weekend approaches fast with Leeds United unbeaten in four games going into the first of six cup finals. Last Friday's hard fought win against Preston showed a fighting spirit and team bond not seen at Elland Road for a while and certainly not often enough under Dennis Wise, so let's not knock it and start believing! It has certainly got the masses believing again and suddenly the great escape looks a realistic target. The worry is the defence with Matt Heath and Fraser Richardson never destined to pick up defensive accolades but the welcome return of Mickey Gray offered a bit of experience and commitment at a much needed time. Go on Wisey, get him signed up full time! Aside from that the team can go into the game with a bit of confidence and with a settled look. Gary Kelly may be available but probably won't feature as Wise looks to keep a winning side. For me I would bring in Kelly for Fraser and Rui for the awful Heath, but then again, if the team are settled?

Argyle, on the other hand, go into the game on the back of a poor run with boss Ian Holloway calling the 4-0 drubbing at Burnley on Tuesday the "worst of my career!" and this followed a 3-0 defeat at Ipswich. A 1-0 win at home to Palace was preceded by a two home defeat's - a 4-2 reverse against Barnsley and the FA Cup defeat against Watford. With one win in five Leeds will hope that Holloway's claims his players "are already on their holiday's" indeed rings true!

Plymouth have hit poor form at just the right time for Leeds and look like they couldn't score in a Union Street brothel! Hope not!

Last game:

It was back in November that Dennis Wise enjoyed his first away win as Leeds boss at Home Park with goals from Blake and Lewis sealing a 2-1 win watched by 17,088 on a freezing cold day. This was Leeds third consecutive win at Plymouth following the impressive 3-0 win in 2006 and the 1-0 win the season before on a balmy night in September 2004. Last season at Elland Road the points were shared with a 0-0 draw exactly a year ago on the 8th April - let's hope that is the only similar detail and Leeds score this season and collect the maximum.

Remember, remember:

Leeds United 4 (Baird 3, Sheridan), Plymouth 0 - Saturday 28th March 1987: For Leeds the 1985-6 season had been an awful one and, until this season, probably the worst in the last 40 or so years. Having started that season full of hope with Eddie Gray's young team nearly promoted the year before, a poor run of results saw Gray sacked and press reports linked Big Jack and even a return for Don Revie. But it was another old boy who came in as boss as Billy Bremner was named Leeds Manager. Billy made his mark by dropping many of the crowd favourites for a number of lower league players, returning to Donny Rovers (from where he had come) for Brian Caswell, Ronnie Robinson and David Harle at the expense of Sellars, Irwin and Phelan. Billy chose experience over youth shipping out a legion of young talent for aging journeymen (thank god those days are over and we keep all our young talent these days!)

In the summer of 1986 Billy signed Peter Haddock, Jack Ashurst, Keith Edwards, Ronnie Sinclair, Russell Doig and returned to Doncaster again for John Buckley. This added to the previous season acquisitions of Brendon Ormsby and David Rennie. During the season Bremner would cash in on Ian Snodin and bring in more players - John Pearson, Micky Adams, Mark Aizlewood and Bobby McDonald.

For all our fears and regrets 1986-7 was a great season with Leeds making the play-off's and FA Cup semi-final missing out on both marginally. Two players - Baird and Sheridan - stood head and shoulders above the rest and they featured heavily in this great win over Argyle, a win that epitomised how well Bremner's team could play when they wanted.

This game gave Baird his only Leeds hat-trick as United routed Plymouth on the day. The Plymouth based Western Morning News hardly praises the opposition but they said of this game "forget the time and remember the date as a bright star shone through the cold, dark West Yorkshire sky! That star is called John Sheridan!" Well I thought it was quite nice!

Us & them - they played for both clubs:

George Reed, who played for Leeds in 1924, was the first player to play for both clubs followed by Harry Roberts in 1925. Alan Peacock, who played for the great Don Revie,  became the next in the late 1960's when he left Elland Road for Home Park. Leeds legend Lee Chapman made his league debut as a Plymouth player on loan from Stoke City in 1978 before winning both the 2nd and 1st Division's with United in the early 90's. Jim Beglin and Keith Edwards also played for Plymouth on loan as well as wearing the famous white shirt. Leeds born Peter Swan joined United as a schoolboy and played as a striker and centre-half before being farmed out to Hull City who subsequently sold him to Port Vale. England legend Peter Shilton signed Swan for Plymouth for a ridiculous £300,000 (was he advised by Ridsdale?) and Swan remains one of the worst signings in Argyle history. He is now one of the worst Football summarisers on the planet working for the very aggravating team at BBC Radio Hull! Radio Dull more like!

Did you know?:

Three players nearly played for both clubs!  The unluckiest is Aussie goalkeeper Danny Milosevic, who warmed the bench for Leeds many times but never got to enter the field of play. He was loaned to Wolves in 1999 but got injured in training and returned to Elland Road immediately without playing for them. He joined Argyle on loan in 2000 but got injured on his debut and never played for Plymouth again. His next loan was to Crewe where he broke his hand, on his debut!

Nathan Lowndes was a United youngster who also failed to attract the attention of David O'Leary. He played 59 games for Argyle scoring 12 goals as well as playing for Rotherham, Watford, Port Vale and in Scotland.

When Leeds were 'defending' the League Championship in woeful fashion in 1992-3, one of the problem areas was the right-back spot with Mel 'Zico Sterland injured for most of the season. Howard Wilkinson did not want o spend money replacing Sterland so the likes of Batty, Strachan, Speed and McAllister were all drafted in to cover while Zico got better. Eventually Wilko decided a replacement was needed and bid £750,000 for Plymouth's Gary Poole. Argyle held out for £1million but Wilko wouldn't budge and eventually signed Swindon's David Kerslake. Poole was recently interviewed and remains bitter that Plymouth stopped his dream move. The following season Wilko experimented pre-season by playing a young, Irish striker at right-back. His name? Gary Kelly, and for a while he was rather good!

Legend for both:

Ian Baird was one of the few players to wear Leeds colours in the 1980's and still be fondly remembered by the Leeds crowd. Born in Rotherham but brought up in Southampton, Baird made the cross-over from being a 'soft southerner' to being accepted as a converted Yorkshireman by the Leeds faithful. That is simply because Bairdy could never be called a softie. Eddie Gray signed Baird for £35,000 from Saints in 1985 and his aggression made him an instant favourite with the Leeds crowd. He was the battering ram in Leeds attack in a manner that would have seen him sent off every week these days. When Bremner took over he made Baird his attacking focus and Bairdy didn't disappoint.

When Leeds missed out on promotion after the play-off final defeat against Charlton, Baird decided to head back south joining newly promoted Portsmouth for £285,000 and Bremner never replaced him initially. Baird was missed and it was no surprise that Billy went back in for him signing him back for £185,000. He made his second Leeds debut against Plymouth at Elland Road scoring the only goal in a win for United.

He played for Leeds in the 2nd Division championship year but, by his own admission, spat his dummy out and left when Lee Chapman was signed. Originally joining Middlesborough, Baird also played for Hearts, Bristol City and Brighton as well as Argyle. Maybe not a Plymouth legend but he did play for them in their darkest days in the old 4th Division but never have anything less than 100%, scoring 6 goals in 27 games.

Ian Baird was a Leeds United and one you would have in your trench when you were being attacked from all sides.

Bairdy's Prediction:

Maybe the green shirts of Plymouth will inspire David Healy and his goalscoring streak will continue at the Pilgrims expense? Someone's gonna get it big time soon so why not Plymouth in their bad form? I'm going for a Leeds win with Healy and Cresswell sharing 3 goals in 3-1 win! Come on Leeds!