Date: Saturday, 18th February 1989.
Venue: Filbert
Street, Leicester.
Competition:
Second Division.
Score: Leicester
City 1 Leeds
United 2.
Scorers: Leicester
City Cross. Leeds
United: Davison, G. Snodin.
Attendance: 14,151.
Teams:
Leicester City: Hodge; Mauchlen,
Spearing; Ramsey, Walsh, Paris; Reid, Cross, Newell, McAllister (Groves),
Turner (Quinn).
Leeds United: Day; Aspin, G. Snodin; Adams,
Blake, Rennie; Batty, Sheridan (Aizlewood),
Baird (Pearson), Davison, Hilaire.
Referee: R. Pawley (Cambridgeshire).
Leeds
United crowned a solid team display with two spectacular goals to beat Leicester City at Filbert Street in February 1989 and hoisted
themselves into the top six of the Second Division for the first time that
season. With a top six placing a necessity for a play-off qualification, this
victory was looked on as a significant one for Howard Wilkinson’s men. Several
of their nearest challengers were without League games because of FA Cup
commitments so it was desirable for United to take maximum points from their
game with Leicester, if at all possible.
United had
built an impressive record in the four and a half months since Wilkinson had
taken over as manager and had lost only two of twenty League games to that
point. They went to Leicester having drawn eight games away and determination and directness was
evident from the start of the game. Inside two minutes United had taken the
lead with a fine goal from Bobby Davison. The ex-Derby County star was a proven goal-scorer and
he took his fifteenth goal of the season in delightful fashion. It was Vince Hilaire’s great through ball that split the Leicester defence
and Davison was on to it in a flash to lob over the advancing keeper Martin
Hodge.
A strong
swirling wind and a heavy pitch made life far from easy but United generally
mastered the conditions better than their opponents. Gary McAllister fired wide
from two reasonable chances when Leicester got going and Mervyn
Day saved at the foot of a post from Nicky Cross as the home side went hard
after an equalizer. It came on the half-hour when full-back Ali Mauchlen found Cross with a centre, and the striker fired
home from an acute angle. Only a fine stop from former Sheffield Wednesday keeper Martin Hodge prevented
Hilaire from putting United
back into the lead after a long forward pass from David Rennie
had put the winger through.
In a fast
open game United scored what was to be the winner four minutes before half-time
courtesy of a Glynn Snodin ‘special’. The United
full-back, whose previous goal, against Plymouth Argyle seven weeks earlier,
had come following a spectacular effort after a sixty yard dash, burst through
the Leicester defence to hit an unstoppable shot past
Hodge from twenty-two yards. Micky Adams and Ian
Baird had combined in a slick passing movement to create the chance for a goal
that was worthy of winning any match.
Card-happy
referee Roger Pawley, in his first season as a League referee, gave a false
image to the game by booking eight players, and he also added eight minutes at
the end, during which time both teams could have added goals. Mauchlen shaved the top of the bar with a rasping shot and
after Bobby Davison had missed a good chance for United, Mervyn
Day brought off a near impossible save to a close range effort from Leicester substitute Paul Groves.
Alternate
Reports (Courtesy Mark Ledgard)
Sunday
Post: Two spectacular goals earned Leeds victory and enhanced the Yorkshire side’s challenge for a place in the
promotion play-offs. Leeds had been beaten only twice in their
previous twenty games and took only two minutes to open the scoring. Bobby
Davison raced through to meet a superb defence-splitting
pass from Vince Hilaire and skillfully lobbed the
ball over advancing goalkeeper Martin Hodge from twenty-two yards. In a fast
open and keenly-fought game, Leicester forged the equaliser
when full-back Ali Mauchlen’s long right wing cross
found Nicky Cross and the striker hit a fierce rising shot past Mervyn Day from an acute angle. What turned out to be the
winning goal was a strike worthy of winning any match. Ian Baird and Micky Adams laid the foundations with a quick passing move
on the left. Then full-back Glynn Snodin surged
through to take position and unleashed a swerving twenty-two yard shot past the
helpless Martin Hodge. Fussy referee Roger Powley
booked eight players, Mike Newell, Steve Walsh, Paul Reid and Paul Ramsey of
Leicester and Leeds’ David Rennie,
Bobby Davison, David Batty and Neil Aspin. But the
game was never as rugged as the number of cautions might suggest.
Howard’s
way up: Howard Wilkinson believed Leeds were firmly back on course for the First
Division. After the 2-1 win at Leicester the Leeds boss said, “Now you have to fancy our chances
for the play-offs if we keep our nerve.” Goals by Bobby Davison and Glynn Snodin registered Leeds’ thirty-eighth point in twenty games under
Wilkinson.
Snodin
sizzler: Leicester’s second home defeat on the trot
was a nightmare for goalkeeper Martin Hodgewho was back
in the side for the first time since the opening day of the season. Hodge had
not even touched the ball before Leeds took the lead. Bobby Davison ran on to a Vince
Hilaire pass and caught Hodge out of position with a
lob after two minutes. Ian Baird should have put Leeds further ahead but he side-footed
over the bar, and Nicky Cross made them pay by equalizing after half an hour.
Hodge then beat away a volley from Hilaire but he
could do nothing about Glynn Snodin’s sizzling
twenty-five-yarder four minutes before the break. But
it wasn’t until injury time that the game came to life again when Leicester went close to grabbing a point.
Substitute Paul Groves forced Mervyn Day to save, then Ali Mauchlen rocketed a shot
that grazed the bar.
Snodin’s
lift for promotion chasers: A rare Glynn Snodin goal
proved the decider for Leeds United, who emerged convincing winners despite a
battering during eight minutes of injury-time. The Leeds Manager Howard
Wilkinson acknowledged afterwards, “It was a vital win. We might not know just
how vital until the end of the season but now you have to fancy our chances for
the play-offs if we keep our nerve.” Glynn Snodin had
promised a goal in his chat before the game with his former Sheffield Wednesday teammate Martin Hodges,
who was back in goal for Leicester after a six month lay-off with damaged stomach muscles. And a glorious
effort it was, driven hard and low from the edge of the penalty area after an
intelligent pass from Micky Adams. Coming just four
minutes before half-time it took the stuffing out of Leicester, who had been
painstakingly edging their way back into the game after equalizing a second
minute Bobby Davison goal. Hodge, looking decidedly rusty after his long
absence, took the blame for misjudging his dash from goal after Davison had
been played clear by Vince Hilaire who placed a
looping pass behind the Leicester defence. Davison grasped the chance well for
his fifteenth goal of the season but his task was undeniably made easier by
Hodge’s rash decision which left him stranded in no-man’s land. There was
nothing that Mervyn Day could do about Nicky Cross’ equaliser on the half hour. But after Snodin
restored the lead, Leeds were well in command until the prolonged injury time,
added on by Roger Pawley for a catalogue of minor stoppages and the minutes it
took him to book eight players, four from each side, for what were by an large
technical offences. When the final whistle went at last, Snodin
dwelt on the pitch to share the moment with a contingent of pitch invaders.
This proved the last straw for one police officer, who also scolded Snodin for spending too long celebrating his goal in front
of the Leeds fans more than an hour earlier. But it was too gentle an
admonishment to mar an important afternoon for Leeds.
Match Action: (Courtesy Mark Ledgard)
Teams:
Leeds United 1988-89:
Back
Row: Andy Williams, John Pearson, Neil Aspin, Mervyn Day, Mark Aizlewood, Peter Swan,
Brendan Ormsby.
Middle
Row: Alan Sutton (Physio),
John Sheridan, Noel Blake, Peter Haddock, David Rennie,
Ronnie Sinclair, Gary Williams, Bob Taylor,
Bobby Davison, Mick Hennigan (Coach).
Front
Row: Mickey Adams, Vince Hilaire,
David Batty, Howard Wilkinson (Manager),
Glynn Snodin, Ian
Baird, John Stiles.
Players:
Bobby Davison and Glynn Snodin
scored for Leeds Nicky Cross scored for Leicester Mervyn Day made an
impossible
save
David Rennie played
in Howard Wilkinson was
pleased Micky Adams and Ian Baird combined well
Vince Hilaire
Mark Aizlewood came
on Martin Hodge, future
United Future
United star Gary McAllister and loanee Ali Mauchlen
as substitute
goalkeeper coach, saved
well made strong
contributions
Mike Newell was a Leicester striker Paul Ramsey and Steve Walsh were
strong in defence for Leicester