Date: Tuesday, 1^st September 1970.

Venue: Highbury, North London.

Competition: First Division.

Score: Arsenal 0 Leeds United 0.

Scorers: Arsenal: Nil. Leeds United: Nil.

Attendance: 47,749.

Teams:

Arsenal: Wilson; Rice, McNab; Kelly, McLintock, Roberts; Armstrong, Storey, Radford, Kennedy, Graham.

Leeds United: Sprake; Madeley, Cooper; Bremner, Charlton, Hunter; Lorimer, Clarke, Jones, Bates, E. Gray.

Referee: Mr I.P. Jones (Treharris, Glamorgan).

Paul Reaney was still absent recovering from a broken leg and the ever-reliable Paul Madeley donned the number two jersey and in midfield the versatile Mick Bates took on Johnny Giles’ mantle as he was injured.

It was a game which generated much excitement, saw tempers flare and brought many near misses. Eddie Kelly, who later did so much so much to damage United’s championship hopes after his recall late in the season, will remember the Highbury clash, but for the wrong reasons. He was dismissed after a foul on Billy Bremner in the twenty-fifth minute. The partisan crowd of more than 47,000 clearly thought he had been mistreated and made their feelings plain throughout the rest of the game.

Kelly’s dismissal seemed to set the pattern, for there were constant infringements and stoppages after it, and Terry Cooper’s name also went in the referee’s book for a foul on Pat Rice late in the game. In the second half the police patrolled the goal behind Gary Sprake and at the games conclusion the referee had a police escort to the dressing rooms.

If any team could claim bad luck it was Leeds as they twice hit the woodwork of the Arsenal goal. Only fifteen minutes had elapsed when an inch-perfect through ball from Billy Bremner found Mick Jones, who deftly went past Pat Rice and then lobbed the ball over the advancing Bob Wilson. The ball dipped but not low enough and it hit the crossbar and rebounded out of play. Mick Jones was in the forefront of the action again, shortly before half-time, when he nodded a cross from Peter Lorimer into the path of Allan Clarke, but Clarke’s effort went whistling over the bar.

Arsenal, too, had their chances. Mick Bates blocked the route to goal for Pat Rice and the full-back shot wide. Then with only twenty minutes to go, Bob McNab only just failed to touch home a ball from Ray Kennedy, as it sped across the face of the Leeds goal. Jack Charlton also came to United’s rescue, when there was a scramble in the United goalmouth and he hooked the ball unceremoniously over the bar for a corner.

So, when the final whistle blew, neither side had scored and Leeds were still the championship pace-setters, but Arsenal’s challenge was yet to come.

Match Action:

Mick Jones beats John Roberts in

the air

Teams:

Arsenal 1970-71:

Back Row: Peter Storey, Peter Simpson, Geoff Barnett, Bob Wilson, John Roberts,

Ray Kennedy, Peter Marinello.

Front Row: George Armstrong, Jon Sammels, Frank McLintock, Bertie Mee (Manager), Pat Rice,

Eddie Kelly, George Graham.

Players:

Eddie Kelly was sent off Paul Madeley deputised for Paul Reaney, who was still recovering from a broken leg

Mick Bates operated in midfield in place of the injured Johnny Giles