Date: Saturday, 10th September 1988.
Venue: Elland Road, Leeds.
Competition:
Second Division.
Score: Leeds
United 1 Manchester City 1
Scorers: Leeds
United: Blake. Manchester City:
McNab (pen).
Attendance:
23,677.
Teams:
Leeds United: Day; G. Williams, Adams (Aspin); Aizlewood, Blake, Ashurst;
Batty, Sheridan, Baird, Davison (Pearson), Hilaire.
Manchester
City: Dibble; Seagraves, Hinchcliffe; Gayle, Brightwell,
Redmond; White, Moulden, McNab, Lake,
Morley.
Referee: R. Nixon
(Wirral).
Stumbling starts to the 1988-89 season
had left Leeds United and Manchester City
without a victory, so there was understandably plenty of tension in the air
when the two sides met in a Second Division game at Elland Road in mid-September
1988. Billy Bremner’s men had opened the season with
a disappointing home draw against Oxford United and a 4-0 hammering away to Portsmouth,
while City had kicked off with a 1-0 defeat at Hull
City and a 4-1 home drubbing at the
hands of Oldham Athletic.
The Football League’s fifth highest attendance of the day,
23,677, was at Elland Road
to see the game but it proved to be foul-littered, Referee Bob Nixon blowing
for fifty fouls, thirty-one of them against City, and there were many other
stoppages for offside.
Although lacking match practice following an operation for
the removal of part of a cartilage in his right knee, John Sheridan was pressed
back into service for United and, though he produced the occasional bit of
inventiveness, this was an ingredient in short supply in a game neither side
dared to lose. United also had full-back Gary Williams returning to action
after injury and welcomed back young David Batty to midfield as United showed
an improvement in defence, Noel Blake coming to the rescue in a couple of
dangerous situations.
United felt they should have had a penalty when Steve
Redmond appeared to punch the ball away as Bobby Davison challenged, but the
referee had no doubt when he awarded a penalty to City shortly afterwards. Left
in a desperate situation by Neil McNab’s superb
defence splitting pass, Mervyn Day brought down Trevor Morley and from the
resultant spot-kick McNab fired City into a
seventy-sixth minute lead.
John Sheridan, who had made a vain attempt to play McNab offside in the build up to the penalty, came to United’s rescue two minutes from time, when he floated a
free-kick over the City defence for Noel Blake to side-foot the ball under the
diving Andy Dibble.
United followed this result with another draw, this time a
goalless one, at Bournemouth but goals from Bobby Davison and Vince Hilaire earned a 2-0 home win over Barnsley in their next
game. But United then lost 2-0 at home to Chelsea
and though his side won the first leg of a League Cup encounter at Peterborough
on the twenty-seventh of September it was not sufficient to save him. Billy Bremner was sacked the following day, his side having
dropped twelve of the eighteen points played for. Howard Wilkinson’s
appointment as his successor followed a couple of weeks later and under his
early guidance United climbed the table to finish tenth. City for their part
picked up strongly and finished by winning promotion as runners up.
Several Alternate Reports (Courtesy Mark Ledgard)
YEP 1: John Sheridan’s value to Leeds United, even when not
fully fit, was underlined in a hard fought but far from attractive ‘Roses’
battle against Manchester City at Elland Road. The Republic
of Ireland International was
lacking in match practice and fitness after undergoing an operation for the
removal of part of the cartilage in his right knee but he still managed to
provide the occasional piece of much needed inventiveness. Regrettably for the
League’s fifth highest attendance of the day, 23,122, this ingredient was in
short supply in a match that neither of these well supported sides dare lose.
Stumbling starts to the season had left United and City without a victory to
shout about and there was plenty of tension in the air, and on the pitch, as
the two sides produced a foul-littered clash. There were so many stoppages,
referee Bob Nixon blew for fifty fouls, thirty-one against City, and a further
seventeen halts for offside decisions, it was small wonder that the game never
really flowed. In addition to John Sheridan’s return, United also welcomed back
Gary Williams to the right back role and David Batty to midfield, and although
United improved on their performance at Portsmouth
a week previous, there was still a need for more. City, too, were in the same
situation but at least both sides could point to better defensive work than
they had shown in recent times, Noel Blake saving United on two particularly
dangerous situations and Steve Redmond turning in a no-nonsense display for
City. Defences were very much on top and City’s was particularly uncompromising
as the hard-working Ian Baird would doubtless testify. He seemed to be singled
out for heavy treatment and once required attention for a head injury. But he
stood his ground well and never gave up the battle. The game gradually began to
produce a few chances in the second half, Paul Moulden missing out on a close
in header after Andy Hinchcliffe’s excellent centre
produced the opening, a glancing header from Ian Baird
to Vince Hilaire’s cross was saved by Andy Dibble and
David Batty shot wide following a well flighted John Sheridan corner.
Sheridan’s free-kick skills almost gave United the lead in the seventy-first
minute, when he curled the ball over City’s defensive barrier, the ball just
passing outside the top corner and following another free-kick Bobby Davison
found himself through but shot against Dibble. The ball bounced off the keeper
and when Davison ran on to challenge he lost out to Redmond who appeared to
punch the ball away. Claims for a penalty fell on deaf ears but the match
official awarded against United moments later when
Mervyn Day, left in a desperate situation by Neil McNab’s
superb defence-splitting pass, brought down Tony Morley. McNab,
who had played for United on loan a few years previous, drilled the spot-kick
home to put City into a seventy-eighth minute lead. But John Sheridan, who had
tried in vain to play McNab offside in the move that
led to the penalty, came to United’s rescue. Hid
eighty-eighth minute free-kick floated over the City defence and landed
perfectly at the feet of Noel Blake, who side-footed the ball home under Andy
Dibble’s despairing dive for his first goal for United.
YEP 2: Noel Blake’s eighty-eighth minute face-saver for
Leeds United might turn out to be the club’s most Important goal for 1988-89,
the one that sparked off their season. On the little evidence that had been
presented so far, that may have been optimistic but there were a few crumbs of
comfort both Leeds and Manchester
City and Leeds
could take from a dreadful match. It was hard to watch and probably hard to
play in. It badly lacked inventiveness and had it not been for the final twelve
minutes, it would have been reasonable to say the 23,122 crowd had been denied
their money’s worth. In fact a lot of them had left before Noel Blake claimed
his first goal for the club by nipping round the blind side of City’s defence
to side-foot the ball home from close range. But those who were around the last
time Leeds dragged themselves
out of the Second Division, twenty-four years previous, would have seen a lot
of similarities in their fashion of play. The overwhelming memory of the
previous promotion season was of a Leeds side regularly
involved in blunt, hard-nosed games. The was no Paul Reaney,
Jack Charlton, Norman Hunter, Willie Bell defence this time, but the taste of
times past was about the rest of the side at Elland
Road in this game. Billy Bremner knew just what was
needed to get a side up. He was part of that Leeds push
the last time and had tasted promotion as a Manager 8in the lower Divisions. He
would have loved his Leeds side to have got away to a flier this time but
maintained, “Invariably the quality sides push their way into contention when
it matters most and with that season even longer than before with forty-six
matches, I don’t think you can read too much into the form over the first
couple of weeks. I expect ourselves and City to be
there at the end of the season.” It was interesting to look at how far the
promotion-winners of the previous season, Aston Villa, Millwall
and Middlesbrough had progressed at the same point in
their previous year’s campaign. Villa had two points from four games and the
other two four points from three games. All three were in the wrong half of the
table. However, both Leeds and City would have to add
flair to their repertoires for success to make them worth watching this time. Bremner had made the point that he could not remember a
clash between the two clubs in his time that had not been entertaining. It was
not the case this time. Soon John Sheridan will help the Leeds
cause. Neil McNab showed with the one gem of the
match, his defence-splitting which sent Tony Morley clear in the seventy-eighth
minute, that he could mastermind things for City. But this was not a game for
artists even though Sheridan back
for hid first game of the season along with David Batty and Gary Williams, did
have the last laugh. He hoisted the late free-kick over the City defence for
Noel Blake’s vital touch after he had looked rusty but ready, right from his
first minute fifty-fifty centre-field challenge with Neil McNab.
After that the game ran up fifty free-kicks, thirty-one against City and
seventeen more for offside decisions. Andy Hinchcliffe,
Micky Adams, Brian Gayle and Gary Williams were booked, it was not a pretty sight. City had most of the half
openings on offer for the first hour and just as Leeds
were about to take control, Steve Redmond appeared to handle away the ball as
Bobby Davison moved in for the kill. From the possible penalty City went off
downfield and Neil McNab soon produced his searching
pass. It left Mervyn Day unprotected and the goalkeeper brought down Tony
Morley as the striker tried to take the ball round him. McNab
knocked home the penalty and then Noel Blake stepped in.
YEP3: Noel Blake, point-clinching hero of the home draw
against Manchester City with his first goal for the club, was keen to step up
his output to assist Leeds United’s bid for honours
in that season. The burly Jamaican defender’s eighty-eighth minute strike
against the men from Maine Road
brought him his first League goal in nineteen months but he was a firm believer
in defenders making their contribution to the team’s goal tally. “I think that
a team should be able to count on ten goals from defenders in a season and I
would hope we can achieve that at Leeds this season. I
normally get a handful myself and I am out to improve on that this time,” added
Blake who was delighted at notching his first strike since joining United in
the summer on a free-transfer from Portsmouth.
“It was a great ball from John Sheridan. I think Manchester
were playing for offside, but the ball landed at my feet and I just knocked it
in.” he said. Blake said he felt that there had been a big improvement in United’s play, especially in defence. “WE are getting
better. We have fought back twice from being a goal down. The fighting spirit
is there and although we are still scratching around a bit, once we get our
first win everything will be all right,” he added. Manager Billy Bremner was happier with his side’s display and gave his
players a pat on the back for the way they stuck to their task and battled back
for their last gasp equaliser. “I was proud of the way the players kept going
until the end. At Portsmouth we
just lay down in the second half, but we showed our spirit to get the equaliser
against City,” he said. “Even though we are not playing as well as we can I
think that late equaliser will do us a lot of good. Because of the start we
have made there was a lot of tension in the game. The players were up-tight and
edgy, but I was delighted they stuck at it the way they did,” he added. Micky Adams was treated over the
weekend for a hamstring injury, which caused his substitution in the second
half.
Allison’s View: Ex-Boss Malcom
Allison took his first look at City in four years, but did not like what he
saw. Big Mal flew out to America
that week for talks with his old pal Rodney Marsh, who wanted him to coach
Tampa Bay Rowdies. But, after yawning his way through a bad-tempered, drab
Roses battle, Allison complained, “It will have to be a bad League if, as they
say, City and Leeds are promotion sides. There were
never more than two or three passes strung together. “City were
the better team on the day and have some very promising youngsters in Andy Hinchcliffe, Ian Brightwell and Paul
Lake. But mostly I was
disappointed.” Neil McNab’s seventy-ninth minute
penalty should have booked City their first win of the season. But with just
two minutes left Noel Blake stole in to side-footed an equaliser.
More Allison Views: Malcolm Allison remembered tis fixture
when First Division Championships were at stake and the pitch was adorned by
great players, but times had changed. Allison was sixty-one and out of work,
and those once-powerful clubs were at that time reduced to scrapping for their
first Second Division victory of that season. The former Maine
Road boss said, “I read something by Leeds Manager
Billy Bremner saying these two teams had enough
quality to be up near the top at the end of the season. From what I have seen Leeds
and City could be challenging each other for relegation.” The only other
English game Allison had viewed that season was at Newcastle
and he found a distinct similarity with the fare on show at Leeds.
“You go to St James’ and the atmosphere is tremendous,” he explained, “The
atmosphere at Leeds was tremendous as well, but after
half a dozen games they will be absolutely sick with the way their teams are
shaping.” City deserved to win this game and in young midfielder Paul Lake
possessed the finest player on the field. Clearly the pressure of being
expected to win promotion that season was inhibiting the Leeds
players. They needed to relax and play instead of snapping and snarling
throughout every fixture.
Another View: Leeds chose a shocking
day to honour the legendary Don Revie and Malcolm
Allison, who was in the crowd, obviously felt he had
had a wasted journey to Elland
Road. On that day United named their re-modelled
Kop after Revie. It was a fitting tribute, but on the
pitch the present-day United team turned in a
threadbare performance against the committed youngsters from across the Pennines.
It left most spectators convinced that clubs like these, each with a
considerable pedigree, could forget their lofty ambitions for that season,
unless they could get their acts together quickly and consistently. For these
pre-season promotion favourites produce a shambles of a game, almost devoid of
sparkle until the closing stages. Nevertheless City Manager Mel Machin was delighted with the commitment of his young side.
“We were unlucky not to get a win. The lads thought they should have won it,
they were the better team. There are not too many teams who can compete as we
did today,” he added. The hame was littered with stoppages, there was a
free-kick awarded every one-and-a-half minutes. But City unquestionably had the
edge through the raw spirit of Andy Hinchcliffe and
the midfield skills of Paul Lake.
Leeds had nothing to check Lake’s
growing stature and ability. Things improved after the interval when John
Sheridan, just back from a cartilage operation, at last found something
approaching his true touch. Rash first half tackles earned Hinchcliffe
a yellow card for a challenge on Vince Hilaire and Micky Adams was also booked for a ‘professional’ foul on
David White. Sheridan at last found
the form that had deserted him in the first half. His true touch lifted Leeds
at a vital time and one free-kick from the Irish star went agonisingly close
before City snatched the lead in the seventy-eighth minute. Neil McNab, who had been on loan to Leeds
five years previous, made a mockery of United’s
efforts to play striker Tony Morley offside. The big man was picked out by McNab as he went down the middle but he was floored as he
rounded Mervyn Day. McNab himself stepped forward to
ram home the penalty and the home fans roared their disagreement with Mr
Nixon’s penalty award. Were City going to get some
revenge against the side which had dented their previous season’s promotion
bid? It certainly looked that way, but a couple of glorious chances were
squandered and with two minutes to go United claimed a crucial equaliser. Sheridan,
it just had to be him, wrong-footed City’s otherwise reasonably-assured back
four with a floated free-kick towards the far post. It found big defender Noel
Blake unmarked, and he wasted no time in giving United a share of the points.
Match Action: (Courtesy
Mark Ledgard)
Ian Baird and Brian
Gayle in a rare old tangle!
Brian Gayle slides in
on Bobby Davison John
Sheridan and Paul Lake both have their eyes on the ball
Teams:
Leeds United 1988-89:
Back
Row: Neil Aspin, Jack Ashurst, Simon Grayson, Mervyn
Day, Peter Haddock, Peter Swan,
Noel Blake, David Rennie.
Middle
Row: Brendan Ormsby, Mark
Aizlewood, John Sheridan, Bobby Davison, Ronnie
Sinclair,
Gary Williams, Bob Taylor, Peter Maguire, Kevin
Noteman, Peter Mumby.
Front
Row: Nigel Smith, Gary Speed, John Pearson, Mickey
Adams, Glynn Snodin,
Billy Bremner
(Manager), David Batty, Vince Hilaire, Ian Baird,
John Stiles, Vince Brockie.
Manchester City 1988-89:
Back
Row: Paul Stewart, Steve Redmond, Tony Adcock, Ian Brightwell, John Gidman.
Middle
Row: Mel Machin (Team
Manager), Andy Hinchcliffe, David White, Eric Nixon,
Perry Suckling, Paul Lake, Kevin Langley, Roy Bailey (Physio), Jimmy Frizzell
(Manager).
Front
Row: Ian Scott, Earl Barrett, Imre
Varadi, Kenny Clements, Paul Simpson, Neil McNab,
Paul Moulden.
Players:
Neil McNab opened
the but
Noel Blake equalised John
Sheridan was pressed to return early from injury
scoring for Man City from the spot
Gary Williams returned from injury Bobby Davison and Vince Hilaire scored in the later game with Barnsley
Mervyn Day had to bring down Trevor Morley after the United
defence had been split by a Neil McNab
through ball. McNab scored from the ensuing penalty
David Batty also made a return. Andy Dibble was in the Man City goal. Andy Hinchcliffe was at left-back
Brian Gayle and Ian Brightwell
were in central defence along with Steve Redmond, who
was lucky not to concede a penalty.
Paul Lake and David White were quiet