17-09-04: Rockingham Colliery (a) 1-3 (HT 0-2) Crowd (1,000)

A very experimental Leeds City was fielded only weeks after the newly formed team were faced with an F.A. Cup tie against Rockingham Colliery, who had their home ground near Barnsley. City had still to become tenants of Elland Road and the club was still very much in its infancy. The Colliery's pitch had a destinct slope to it, and after the kick-off had been delayed for half an hour due to the late arrival of the City team, the visitors chose to play with the slope. The Leeds team was a hotpotch of local players that had been supplimented by a few players who claimed to have been on the books of League clubs. These included goalkeeper Mallinson who had experience at the Wednesday, Inside Right Page, who had played for Liverpool Reserves, and Inside Left Cummings who had similarly featured with Nottingham Forest Reserves. It was all very one-sided with the team from Barnsley Minor League defying the slope and taking a 2-0 half time lead thanks to a goal from Meir, their Centre Forward and a second from their Centre Half Hulley, who had had experience with Doncaster Rovers. The Centre Forward was again on the mark in the second half when he beat Mallinson with a low shot into the corner of the net. However, if it had not been for an outstanding performance by the former Wednesday keeper it would have been a cricket score as the home team peppered the Leeds goal. The Hoyland Gazette commented on Mallinson's dogged resistance by saying "He had plenty of oppurtunities of showing his Leeds friends what he is capable of doing. These oppurtunities were not wasted on him and he dis show them that in him they have a custodian of no mean ability. How on earth he saved three lightning shotsin rapid succession and at different angles was simply marvellous." Musgrave scored late in the game but it was merely a consolation goal as the game had been won long before that.