Match Report: Yorkshire Post: 23rd April 1951: Courtesy Steve Bell
Leeds United's 1-0 win at Birmingham just about ended their opponents' hopes of promotion, and Sheffield United, by winning 3-2 at Coventry, ended the latter's hopes of going up. Leeds United played spritedly, but they, like Birmingham, were never happy with a light ball on a rough, dry pitch. United's reserve centre-half, Kirk, was a fine substitute for Charles, who is on a fortnight's tour of Austria with the British Army team, and Searson, in goal, had a capital game, although he was helped by some deplorable finishing. McCabe and Kerfoot were fine wing-half-backs in a sound defence. Stevenson scored the winning goal in the first half.
Leeds spectators have a chance tonight of seeing the greatly improved Huddersfield Town team play Leeds United in the first round of the West Riding Senior Cup at Elland Road. Neither side has been selected and slight injuries on Saturday - to McCabe (United), McGarry, Glazzard (Town), and the cut forehead Metcalfe (Town) sustained last Wednesday - may result in some team changes.
Match Report: Yorkshire Post: 24th April 1951: Courtesy Steve Bell
Kirk and the crowd gave United hope
By RICHARD ULYATT
LEEDS UNITED 2 HUDDERSFIELD TOWN 1
By this win, gained before 11,240 spectators at Elland Road last night, Leeds United qualified to play Bradford City at Valley Parade on May 2 in the semi-final of the West Riding Senior Cup. The winners of that match meet Bradford in the final.
The deciding goal came only two minutes from time and the scorer of it, Harrison, United's outside-right, looked so far offside that the referee decided to consult the linesman before awarding the goal. That official was in no doubt about it, and the goal counted, but many people disagreed with him. United deserved to win for their spirited second half rally and the tenacity of their defence, particularly centre half-back Kirk, who could not have played with more resolution if the match had been the Cup Final at Wembley. Nightingale and Carr received unceremonious treatment from him, and his enthuisiasm seemed transmitted to the crowd, for the players were egged on by cheers that would have done credit to an important cup-tie, and, taking the cue, they fought back after being nearly outplayed.
Hassall's fine goal
There was the stamp of First Division style about some of Town's early passing, even though five first-teamers were missing, and the goal with which Hassall gave them the lead two minutes before half-time completed a delightful movement in which Hassall pushed out a pass a long way ahead of his outside right, McKenna, and raced into position to head the return centre into goal. Hassall very nearly had another goal early in the second half when he hit the crossbar and then a little later on an acutely angled shot hit an upright. Had a goal come from one of those efforts even the shouting may not have been sufficiently inspiring. But United, as has happened before, played better the longer the game went on. Burden got little change from that greatly improved centre-half, McEvoy, but Stevenson and Iggleden came increasingly into the game as attackers and it was not surprising when Stevenson shot past Neill, whose goalkeeping at its best was creditable. Then the crowd got their second wind and roared United home and the two most promising of the younger players on the field, Simpson, Town's inside right, and Mollatt, United's left half, both Intermediate League products, must have felt that they had had a hard and exciting first team debut. Both played well, and I think we shall see a lot more of them.
