reappeared shaking his head from side to side. He looked at me and said, “Bill, we're playing against twelve men today, the ref has to be a Chelsea fan. He can see no wrong in anything they do and he says we are abusing and intimidating them.”
‘That was it. In my short time in the game so many incidents were Chelsea related. I knew that Chelsea and I were never going to get along. As we came out for the second half one of the linesmen said to me, “Don't worry Billy, we've spotted the play acting and are onto it.” So tell me, in these instances who actually were the cheats, Leeds, Chelsea or the match official? It still pains me that the “dirty Leeds” tag stuck with us long after we had all finished playing, and still continues.’
As the 1964-65 season progressed it was evident that the race for the Football League Championship was going to be between Leeds and Manchester United. Leeds had beaten the Red Devils in a replayed FA Cup semi-final so had one eye on the club's first ever FA Cup final appearance at Wembley stadium. Incredibly, the final game of the league season had seen Leeds needing to win to win the league. It wasn't to be, as a ten-man Birmingham City side, with nothing to lose or play for other than pride, were 3-0 up after 51 minutes of the game. The title dream was dwindling away, but not the Leeds spirit. In an incredible fight-back, goals from Johnny Giles, Paul Reaney and Jack Charlton earned a 3-3 draw and a solitary point, insufficient to secure the championship. Leeds had to be satisfied with the runners-up spot:
‘The game against Birmingham City wasn't the reason why we weren't league champions that year. We couldn't afford to lose two of our last five games and then expect to win the league, especially as one of those defeats was against our closest rival, Manchester United. Yes it was disappointing, yet when I look back and think of what we had achieved in a relatively short space of time, it was quite incredible. We were seen as serious contenders and despite what our critics and the cynics said, we played some really good football and won games because we outplayed our opponents in every position.’
The FA Cup provided a real opportunity for the team to collect some silverware. First Southport, then Everton (after a replay), followed by Shrewsbury Town and Crystal Palace were suitably dispatched, before Manchester United, proclaimed by the media to be the mightiest team in the land, were slain in the semi-final:
‘I loved playing in the FA Cup, it was never easy going to smaller clubs and those nasty little grounds where it was impossible for us play our usual football. We were building a decent reputation for ourselves as a team and club, and some lower league teams saw us as a team they couldn't compete with football wise. Instead, they would resort to trying to kick lumps out of us. It was hilarious to see supreme footballers, like Albert Johanneson, skipping past players trying to kick him into the stands, dancing past and round them like he was Rudolph Nureyev. Albert had all the football skill in the world and the dirtiest of players couldn't get anywhere near him when he was on his game.
‘Then there was Terry Cooper. The sight of him with his head down and in full flow, sprinting up the wing with the ball at his feet, he would leave everyone in his wake. I swear, sometimes Terry didn't know where he was going to end up when he set off on those mazy runs. Invariably he got a cross into the penalty area where we had forwards who could stick away half a chance. It was exceptional and, when I look back, so many teams simply couldn't compete with what we had in our armoury.’
The Manchester United FA Cup semi-final was no classic. Indeed, it took a replay to decide the issue. Both games were littered with niggling little incidents which detracted from what many had hoped would be an epic encounter. The first game was played at Hillsborough before 65,000 spectators. One
‘That was it. In my short time in the game so many incidents were Chelsea related. I knew that Chelsea and I were never going to get along. As we came out for the second half one of the linesmen said to me, “Don't worry Billy, we've spotted the play acting and are onto it.” So tell me, in these instances who actually were the cheats, Leeds, Chelsea or the match official? It still pains me that the “dirty Leeds” tag stuck with us long after we had all finished playing, and still continues.’
As the 1964-65 season progressed it was evident that the race for the Football League Championship was going to be between Leeds and Manchester United. Leeds had beaten the Red Devils in a replayed FA Cup semi-final so had one eye on the club's first ever FA Cup final appearance at Wembley stadium. Incredibly, the final game of the league season had seen Leeds needing to win to win the league. It wasn't to be, as a ten-man Birmingham City side, with nothing to lose or play for other than pride, were 3-0 up after 51 minutes of the game. The title dream was dwindling away, but not the Leeds spirit. In an incredible fight-back, goals from Johnny Giles, Paul Reaney and Jack Charlton earned a 3-3 draw and a solitary point, insufficient to secure the championship. Leeds had to be satisfied with the runners-up spot:
‘The game against Birmingham City wasn't the reason why we weren't league champions that year. We couldn't afford to lose two of our last five games and then expect to win the league, especially as one of those defeats was against our closest rival, Manchester United. Yes it was disappointing, yet when I look back and think of what we had achieved in a relatively short space of time, it was quite incredible. We were seen as serious contenders and despite what our critics and the cynics said, we played some really good football and won games because we outplayed our opponents in every position.’
The FA Cup provided a real opportunity for the team to collect some silverware. First Southport, then Everton (after a replay), followed by Shrewsbury Town and Crystal Palace were suitably dispatched, before Manchester United, proclaimed by the media to be the mightiest team in the land, were slain in the semi-final:
‘I loved playing in the FA Cup, it was never easy going to smaller clubs and those nasty little grounds where it was impossible for us play our usual football. We were building a decent reputation for ourselves as a team and club, and some lower league teams saw us as a team they couldn't compete with football wise. Instead, they would resort to trying to kick lumps out of us. It was hilarious to see supreme footballers, like Albert Johanneson, skipping past players trying to kick him into the stands, dancing past and round them like he was Rudolph Nureyev. Albert had all the football skill in the world and the dirtiest of players couldn't get anywhere near him when he was on his game.
‘Then there was Terry Cooper. The sight of him with his head down and in full flow, sprinting up the wing with the ball at his feet, he would leave everyone in his wake. I swear, sometimes Terry didn't know where he was going to end up when he set off on those mazy runs. Invariably he got a cross into the penalty area where we had forwards who could stick away half a chance. It was exceptional and, when I look back, so many teams simply couldn't compete with what we had in our armoury.’
The Manchester United FA Cup semi-final was no classic. Indeed, it took a replay to decide the issue. Both games were littered with niggling little incidents which detracted from what many had hoped would be an epic encounter. The first game was played at Hillsborough before 65,000 spectators. One
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