Matches – 3 January 2010 – Manchester U 0 Leeds United 1 FA Cup third round – Old Trafford – 74,526 Scorers: Beckford (19 mins) Manchester United: Kuszczak, Neville, Brown, Evans, Fabio Da Silva, Obertan (Giggs 58), Anderson (Owen 69) , Gibson, Welbeck (Valencia 58), Rooney, Berbatov Leeds United: Ankergren, Crowe, Naylor, Kisnorbo, Hughes (White 90), Howson (Snodgrass 77), Kilkenny, Doyle, Johnson, Beckford, Becchio (Michalik 89) A graphic from the Sunday Times' preview of the big game Manchester United at Old Trafford… there is no more formidable fixture in the English game, and when Leeds United came out of the hat as the visitors in the FA Cup third round, there was a mixture of apprehension and excitement for everyone connected with the Elland Road club. At the time of the draw they still had Kettering Town to face in an Elland Road replay on 8 December, but the Leeds fans had no doubt they would be the team coming out at the Theatre of Dreams to renew an old rivalry. The second round tie at Kettering‘s Rockingham Road ground on 29 November finished 1-1 after www.mightyleeds.co.uk - Matches – 3 January 2010, Manchester United 0 Leeds United 1 1 Jermaine Beckford equalised an opening score from defender Ian Roper. When the sides met again at Elland Road on 8 December, the Poppies put up a manful struggle and the score stood 1-1 at ninety minutes. Former Leeds striker Anthony Elding snatched a second half equaliser after Luciano Becchio had opened the scoring, but four extra time goals, including two from substitute Mike Grella gave the final score an emphatic look. Leeds manager Simon Grayson tried to keep his men‘s feet on the ground when he spoke to BBC Radio Leeds after the game: ―Players have to got to be focused on their League performance or they won‘t get to Old Trafford. Our sole aim now is our focus on the game on Saturday at Brentford and that‘s all we‘ve got to do.‖ Letting his guard drop for a minute, he added, ―It‘s a game that everyone is looking forward to, a massive achievement.‖ Ian Roper nods Kettering into the lead against Leeds at Rockingham Road Leeds had not played Manchester United for almost six years and had not beaten them since 2002. Their last Old Trafford victory was in 1981, but Grayson hoped his players could upset the odds. ―We‘ll be going there to give our best account and hopefully we‘ll do credit to the football club and try to give them a decent game,‖ he said. ―We know it's going to be tough but we‘ll enjoy it and see where it takes us. ―The rivalry with Manchester United has been there for all to see down the years so the incentive to get through was massive. This just takes us back to where this club was not so long ago, and could be again in the future. ―Most of my players won‘t have been to Old Trafford before, so the incentive to do well is huge. It‘s both a big test for them and a big opportunity, one you‘ve got to go and enjoy because they might never get to play there again. It will give them a taste of what playing in front of 60,000, 70,000 is like and will hopefully bring out the best in them. They should think, ‗I want more of this.‘ ―I remember playing there for Leicester in the Carling Cup. We were 4-0 down inside 20 minutes. Ryan Giggs had torn me to bits. He got taken off and I thought, ‗Thank God for that.‘ Then Lee www.mightyleeds.co.uk - Matches – 3 January 2010, Manchester United 0 Leeds United 1 2 Sharpe came on. It was not a pleasant experience and it was never an easy place to go. But it‘s a fantastic arena, one where you can watch some of the best players in the world. It should be a great experience, not just for my guys but for me as well. ―Trying to put a team out to beat Sir Alex Ferguson, the most successful manager of all time, is something you dream of. I‘ve spoken to him a couple of times about players and seen him at LMA [League Managers Association] dinners, but we haven‘t crossed paths too many times. I celebrated my 40th birthday a few weeks ago and guys like him are nearly 70 — so you think about the prospect of another 30 years of this? It‘s the desire and hunger to be successful that keeps him going. Hopefully I‘ll still be going strong at that age, too. ―To go to Old Trafford and test yourself, to see how you are progressing and learning as a manager, is great. Doing something in United‘s own back yard would be a wonderful achievement. Chances like these don‘t come along too often, do they?‖ Chairman Ken Bates pledged to use the proceeds of the money spinning third round tie to finance rebuilding on and off the field at Elland Road. He estimated the rewards of the Old Trafford clash to be around £750,000 and said he would use the money to bolster Grayson‘s promotion drive. ―It will be sell out, there is no doubt about that... It will be a substantial contribution to our income win, lose or draw. That is very important because we have a lot of things to do. We have continual ground works to improve the facilities for fans and we have to build up a fighting fund to ensure that Simon has the facilities at his command if we confirm promotion.‖ Perhaps with a touch of his customary mind games, Sir Alex Ferguson chose to talk up Leeds in the days leading up to the match, expressing admiration of their resurgence and Grayson‘s part in the revival. ―Simon‘s done a fantastic job. He‘s a Leeds boy himself and a former player. Some people have targets in life and I think he reached his target by managing Leeds. He‘s Sir Alex Ferguson had words of praise for Leeds United and Simon Grayson before the match got great motivation and his team aren‘t letting him down. They‘re playing really well at the moment. They won‘t be too far away from the Premier Division in the next couple of years. With the position they‘re in it looks as if they‘re absolute certainties to be in the Championship next year, and the motivation and drive that‘s coming from their manager at the moment will give them a great chance of being in the Premier League.‖ www.mightyleeds.co.uk - Matches – 3 January 2010, Manchester United 0 Leeds United 1 3 Recalling the time he once got stuck in his car at traffic lights near Elland Road, Ferguson recalled, ―This bunch of supporters, skinheads, 20 or 30 of them, see me and go ‗Ferguson!‘ and start running across the road. The lights are still red, I‘m almost shitting myself, they‘re getting nearer, then the light goes to amber and [impersonation of a tyre squeal] I‘m away. ―I don‘t have to spell out what Leeds have meant to Manchester United over the years. It will be a fantastic, feisty occasion, just like every time we have met, but it has always carried a degree of hostility which has meant we have to tell the players to behave themselves on the pitch because there is no need to add to the problems off the pitch. Leeds are bringing 8,000 fans and it is going to be a busy day for the police but it will be a brilliant atmosphere. I used to enjoy the games, we had some great games over there. The atmosphere was always electric at Leeds and our record was pretty good there too.‖ Henry Winter previewed the game for the Telegraph: ―The moment Leeds United were drawn in the FA Cup against the opposition they loathe the most, texts peppered the mobile phone of Richard Naylor, the Leeds centre-half and lifelong fan. So what was the gist of his mates‘ messages about Sunday‘s collision with Manchester United? Naylor smiled. ‗They said: ―Go and smash Gary Neville‖!‘ ―As a professional, Naylor stressed his ‗utmost respect‘ for Neville, Wayne Rooney and the rest of Sir Alex Ferguson‘s team. As a man with ‗Marching On Together‘ on his lips and a White Rose tattoo on his arm, Naylor understood the supporters‘ passion. ―So did the League One side‘s impressive manager, Simon Grayson, who also grew up following Leeds, when they Richard Naylor chases Wayne Rooney during the game encountered Manchester United regularly. Both men know that this fixture is the War of the Roses with shin pads, that it is about Norman Hunter chasing George Best across muddy pitches, about Eric Cantona flitting across the great divide of the Pennines. It is about the Leeds decorator who refuses to charge for painting over red walls. It is about fervent emotion and white emulsion. ―It is about a constant craving beating in hearts scattered around the world, about the texts filling Naylor‘s phone, about the insatiable demand for tickets from Grayson‘s family and friends. It is about the messages of support pouring into Elland Road and a special Yorkshire Evening Post web www.mightyleeds.co.uk - Matches – 3 January 2010, Manchester United 0 Leeds United 1 4 page.