By Pat
March 2 2005

Extended Tardis Report. Star Date 6th May 1972. I brushed the crisp wrappers and Pie foils out of the way of the Tardis door, I was eager to get out and see where it had taken me.
I stepped out into hazy sunshine, the rain from earlier in the day reduced to small isolated puddles that reflected the wispy clouds that now hung over London. I apologised to a motorist who was trying to park his car.” It must have already been there, it is a portable toilet, you can’t have seen it when you started to park” I told him.

I surveyed the scene around me in awe. The Twin towers of Wembley Stadium reached up into the vast blue sky, as I made my way towards the entrance.

What Value for money! A programme at 15 pence and a Hot Dog at 20pence! I lovingly checked my wallet to confirm that I did indeed have enough money to buy out the entire stock on the stand and still have enough change from a tenner for a pie on the way home!

The streets were packed. The occasion was the FA Cup Final, and the meeting of the finest teams of this great era. Leeds United and Arsenal.

I made my way through the hordes of Fans along the Empire way towards the ground. Old men stood on the roadside, white or red scarves on, reminiscing. Families gathered around burger stalls and the souvenir traders were buzzing.

Arsenal were the Cup holders, and an impressive Leeds were one game away from sealing the 1st division title, and a lot of the conversations I could overhear related to the crunch with Wolves on Monday night. That’ll be easy said one man to his son, today will be a lot harder!


As I took my seat in the arena, the Band of the Royal Marines were marching the length of the pitch and back playing “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” and other famous marches. I soaked up the atmosphere, as the ground was now full to the rafters, the noise deafening from the near 90,000 strong crowds. To my right, about 4 seats away, the steps to the royal box. In front of me were the halfway line, and the enclosures for the team management. A red carpet was already on the ground, and on this 100th anniversary of the first Cup final, representatives of all previous winners stood outside the tunnel, each with a banner from their respected teams.

The noise level grew louder as Leeds and Arsenal fans tried to outsing each other, and as the noise grew to a tumult, my heart skipped a beat, as Don Revie and Bertie Mee emerged from the tunnel, followed by the two teams, led by Frank McLintock and Billy Bremner.

As the teams lined up in front of the Royal Box, Her Majesty the Queen walked on to the pitch and was presented to the teams. This was indeed an occasion not to be missed.

Leeds Lined up: Harvey, Reaney, Madeley, Bremner, Charlton, Hunter, Lorimer, Clarke, Jones, Giles and Gray. Mick Bates the sub.


Arsenal Lined up: Barnett, Rice, McNab, Storey, McLintock, Simpson, Armstrong, Ball, George, Radford, Graham and the sub Kennedy

I was surprised to see that both Sprake and Bob Wilson were not in goal. Someone in front of me said it was due to last minute injuries. But still what an occasion for the young Harvey!

Finally the opening ceremonies were over to the relief of a crowd who were now impatient to get on with proceedings.

David Smith, the match referee called McLintock and Bremner to the centre circle, and as the roar of the crowd reached its full pitch, Arsenal kicked off.

Within 3 seconds of the kick off, Allan Clarke managed to bundle Alan Ball over. The little red headed Englishman had not even had a chance to sprint away from the kick off spot. But I sensed even at that moment that a warning shot was being delivered across the bows of the Arsenal ship. Early pressure from Arsenal followed for the next few minutes as the industrious George Graham pounded the Leeds penalty area with a couple of quick crosses, but these were easily dealt with by Paul Madeley, rising up from the melee and heading the ball well clear of the Leeds Area.
Giles and Clarke then quickly reached an understanding in the centre of the Leeds half, and a good ball from Giles sent Lorimer on his way down the right wing from the Touchline, but he was scythed down instantly by McNab who went straight into the referee’s book. Not 5 minutes gone, and the referee was already very busy. I wondered as I ate a Cornish pasty, that if this game were in the 2005 season we would probably be down to 10 men a side already. Still, thank Heaven for seventies football!

The next 15 minutes were to be a midfield battle of epic proportions. Not too pretty or exciting to watch, but nevertheless, to see Bremner asserting authority in the midfield with such crunching tackles and clever distribution to the wings was a privilege to watch. Armstrong and McNab were very busy trying to break through the Leeds lines, and briefly breaching the rearguard only for Graham to shoot well over the Bar from 30 yards.

Johnny Giles straying into deep midfield was being kept very quiet by Peter Storey, and Lorimer was beginning to get a foothold in the game. Eddie Gray was already causing problems with a couple of mazy runs from the half way line, but McLintock and Rice ended these.

A Lorimer free kick, following a rash challenge on Gray, by Charlie George lacked its usual power and went straight to the arms of Barnett.
On 17 Minutes Leeds had their first chance, with Eddie Gray putting Clarke through, but as he crossed from the dead ball line at the edge of the area, there was no one in the centre to get on the end of it and McLintock belted the ball on the half volley up to the halfway line.

The midfield scrap continued with Bremner and Storey bossing the centre, George Graham giving Reaney a torrid time, but ending up empty handed as Hunter, Charlton and Madeley started to defend with tenacity and rugged determination

When Leeds managed to cobble a chance together, again, Rice and Storey, aided by the industrious Simpson managed to thwart them.

On 28 minutes, though, a free kick to Arsenal, 25 yards out and right in front of goal. The ball whipped through the crowded box, forcing Harvey to scramble to his left to gather on the line.
By now, Bremner and Giles were dominating the midfield battle, but there was no way through for either team.
On 32 Minutes however, Leeds Hearts stood still as Alan Ball met an out swinging corner from Armstrong on the volley. The ball whistled past the stranded Harvey, but was cleared off the line by Reaney. I could hear the relief all around the Leeds end.

As half time approached, Clarke set off on a weaving run from the halfway line and got to the edge of the penalty area. He got tangled up with Pat Rice, but still managed to lay the ball off for Mick Jones who shot on the turn, but the ball was weak and just bobbled past the stranded Barnett’s post.

Leeds were finishing the half stronger, and a poor free kick from Giles came off the wall, but Lorimer managed to dispossess George and unleashed a 20 yard pile driver that Barnett saw at the last minute and tipped around the post.

Right on Half time, Madeley swept the ball into the Arsenal area, Bremner flicked on, Lorimer crossed the ball to the far post, but Allan Clarke’s header came back off the Bar.

The half time whistle went, and I wondered if this checkmate would end. Few chances, and a midfield battle! Not pretty viewing for the people at the time I suspected.

The second half started with the same midfield stalemate. Simpson was industrious in midfield, Bremner and Giles in the thick of the fray, and Hunter, and the majestic Charlton dealt with any Arsenal breakthroughs.

Charlie George was beginning to let his frustration get the better of him, and was warned by the ref for another cutting challenge. He then carried on the argument and was booked for dissent. A brief run forward by Ball then saw his cross just headed wide by McNab.

The Arsenal fans were singing “we’ll support you evermore” and the Leeds fans were constantly chanting” Leeds Leeds”!

Charlie George and Alan Ball then tried to break through the ranks, but were caught flat-footed by Charlton on the edge of the Leeds area. He looked up and found Lorimer, in the centre circle with a perfect pass. Lorimer takes a few yards and then passed forward to Mick Jones who runs straight into the left hand side of the Arsenal penalty Area. He managed to avoid stumbling over the luckless McNab, before pulling a high cross from the dead ball line back across the penalty area.

As the ball flew over the heads of all in the area, Allan Clarke ghosted in behind the crowd and planted a diving header past the outstretched Barnett and into the bottom corner of the net!!

1-0 Leeds on 53 minutes.

The whole of the Leeds end went wild, the noise literally deafening. A dreadful stalemate had been finally broken with a goal of sheer class in both set up and execution.

Arsenal were now rattled and tried to respond immediately, but Harvey easily stopped Grahams shot. “When the whites go marching in” rang around the ground, and Leeds began to build in confidence with it. Bremner was now getting forward himself, causing problems down the right flank as well as midfield. Even Madeley and Charlton were beginning to get forward as Leeds sought that second Goal. The whole of the ground was now a sea of white scarves and Banners. “Super Leeds” was the deafening roar.

John Giles was running all over the field now, hustling and causing problems wherever he went. Mick Jones was bustling with powerful runs that gave Radford and McNab a torrid time.

George Graham and Frank McLintock continued to work at pace, but some of their team mates were beginning to tire. Nevertheless, as the game came more open, both attacks still ran into the brick wall defences of Rice, McNab, Storey, Hunter Charlton, Madeley and Reaney.

Charlie George was then Lucky not to have been sent off as he sent Clarke crashing to the ground, and Bremner and Ball clashed over an innocuous challenge. Simpson then managed to shake off his markers and managed to get a cross in from the right hand side of the penalty area. The ball came to Alan Ball right on the “D”. Ball scuffed his chance, but it wrong footed the whole defence and Charlie George was on his own, 8 yards out. His shot curled over Harvey, but miraculously came back off the bar! Simpson blasted the rebound wide. We all breathed again.

As the match reached the last 15 minutes, both Clarke and Gray missed clear chances, and the tension was beginning to mount. Could this Leeds team hold on to a Lead?

Frantic end-to-end football continued, but both defences held firm.

This game was not too pretty, but I couldn’t fault any of the 22 out there for the sheer determination in which they slugged out the last minutes of this Match.

A late Arsenal attack saw Graham shoot over the Bar, and at the other end, Eddie Gray came clean through with one defender to beat. He failed to see the unmarked Clarke, and scuffed a weak shot straight at the Keeper.

Still Leeds piled on the pressure, playing as if they were 1 goal down. Lorimer found himself clear on goal at the edge of the area, but his shot cannoned off the post.

Mick Jones set off on a final run. Now only seconds to go, but as he tries to round the Keeper, he collapsed in a heap by the goalpost. Arsenal cleared the ball up field, but the referee’s whistle blows for the end of the Match and pandemonium breaks loose!!! Leeds fans wild, players hugging each other. Don Revie is on the Pitch, but he has walked over to Mick Jones straight away.

I feel that I am in a dream as these surreal scenes unfold before me. Bremner lifts the Cup high to the roar of the crowd. Then the Arsenal team get a standing ovation for their gutsy performance.

Finally, to the rapturous cheers from the whole ground. Mick Jones ascends the steps to receive his medal from the Queen. His faced etched in pain, his shoulder bandaged, but determined to have his moment.

He summed up the true grit of that performance. I finished my steak and Kidney pie and started to head for the exit. Everyone was still on their feet chanting “Super Leeds” and “We won the cup”.

As I neared the exit, something made me turn round. A little boy sitting with his Dad and enjoying a sandwich looked over at me. Our eyes met briefly and we smiled.

Then I carried on up the steps, left the ground and walked back through the crowds to find the Tardis.

What a momentous day!