Matches – 12 August 1972 – Chelsea 4 Leeds United 0
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Matches – 12 August 1972 – Chelsea 4 Leeds United 0 First Division – Stamford Bridge – 51,102 Scorers: None Chelsea: Bonetti, Harris McCreadie, Hollins, Dempsey, Webb, Garland, Kember, Osgood, Hudson, Cooke Leeds United: Harvey, Reaney, Cherry, Bremner, Ellam, Madeley, Lorimer, Bates, Jones (Yorath), Giles, E Gray United‟s opening game of the 1972/73 season, at Stamford Bridge against old rivals Chelsea, left an unfamiliar set of players enduring the most miserable of afternoons. Although 24-year-old David Harvey had proved a few months earlier that he was one of the most outstanding young keepers in the game as he helped United win the FA Cup for the first time, Leeds fans were still coming to terms with Harvey‟s promotion over long time first choice, Gary The scene at Stamford Bridge for the opening day of the 1972/73 season with the old East Stand gone Sprake. That same afternoon Sprake was playing for United reserves against West Bromwich Albion at Elland Road; joining him was former England centre-half, Jack Charlton, now 37, and nearing the end of a 20-year career with Leeds. Terry Cooper, one of the world‟s best left-backs, also missed the Chelsea trip, nursing the fractured leg he sustained against Stoke City four months earlier. Completing the list of absentees were Norman Hunter and Allan Clarke, both unavailable through suspension. During the close season, Whites manager Don Revie had recruited defensive reinforcements, www.mightyleeds.co.uk - Matches – 12 August 1972, Chelsea 4 Leeds United 0 1 signing the two Huddersfield Town centre-backs, Trevor Cherry and Roy Ellam, and both men made their United debuts at Stamford Bridge. Though Cherry wore Cooper‟s No 3 shirt, he partnered Ellam at the heart of the back four, with Paul Madeley playing left-back. Of the customary rearguard, right-back Paul Reaney was the only member on show. Mick Bates lined up alongside Billy Bremner and Johnny Giles in a midfield three with Peter Lorimer and Eddie Gray supporting spearhead Mick Jones. Terry Yorath was named substitute. If United‟s team had an unfamiliar ring to it, the West London surroundings were every bit as alien. Brian Woolnough in the Yorkshire Evening Post: “The massive redevelopment project at Stamford Bridge means that Leeds United players will change in portable changing rooms and receive treatment in a caravan when they open their League programme against Chelsea on Saturday. The whole of the East Stand has been knocked down, leaving the popular side of Chelsea‟s ground a mass of rubble and bricks. “Chelsea have spent £30,000 on portable accommodation for the players, who will also have to walk 75 yards through the crowd to get on to the pitch. “Directors, the Press and season ticket holders have been switched to the North Stand, the stand closed last season because of shuddering reports… „We have told the season ticket holders who will use that stand that they will be refused admission if they are not in their seats 15 minutes before the start,‟ said Chelsea secretary Tony Green today. „We just couldn‟t have them walking along the pitch when the game was about to start or even in progress.‟ “Stamford Bridge still looks a complete shambles and The United players come out from the temporary dressing rooms to face Chelsea Green admitted: „There is a lot of work to be done before Saturday. Another headache is getting the public used to the new site and entrances.‟ “Chelsea are expecting a 50,000 crowd for the visit of United. It will be a severe test of their temporary arrangements but a good guide for the rest of the season. “This is the first stage of Chelsea‟s £5,500,000 new look plan. The new East Stand – a two-tier cantilever stand costing £1m – will not be in operation until the beginning of next season. So all clubs face changing in portable accommodation this season.” There were more than 50,000 people packed into the Bridge for the game, and many of the younger supporters spilled out onto the old greyhound track after a barrier buckled in the Shed End. This doubtlessly averted potential problems on the terracing later in the day. Chelsea were pilloried by the Press for the chaos before and during the game. The club subsequently cut the standing capacity of Stamford Bridge by 7,000 and during the reconstruction period the crowd limit was set at 44,000. The club‟s plans for the transformation of Stamford Bridge were almost fatally ambitious, comprising the development of a 60,000 all seater circular stadium. The project was described as the “most ambitious ever undertaken in Britain” and the timing could hardly have been worse. The project coincided with a global economic crisis and was hit by delays, a builders‟ strike and www.mightyleeds.co.uk - Matches – 12 August 1972, Chelsea 4 Leeds United 0 2 shortage of materials, all of which sent the costs spiralling viciously, to the extent that the club were £3.4m in debt by 1976. Between August 1974 and June 1978, Chelsea were unable to fund any transfers and had to sell their own star players to support the huge financial drain. In August 1972, though, Don Revie was understandably cautious about the threat posed by Chelsea, considered by many as potential champions. The United boss warned, “They have a first class squad of players and the experience to do well. We know we start with a difficult match.” The Blues had added two forwards, Chris Garland and Steve Kember, since they beat United in the 1970 FA Cup final, but the rest of their starting eleven had been regulars for the preceding two or three seasons and were very much a force to be reckoned with in their own stadium. After a fine sunny morning in West London, the match began in steadily falling rain. United kicked off wearing yellow socks rather than their customary white. Chelsea were the first to show any attacking intent, with Kember feeding Charlie Cooke out on their left, but Reaney alertly intervened to halt the move in its tracks and United were soon pressing forward. They had a free kick in the Chelsea half after four minutes which Lorimer swung high towards Peter Bonetti‟s goal, but the keeper came out to gather confidently. Chelsea continued to enjoy the best of the play, with Alan Hudson exerting some early influence. The midfielder fired over one cross from the right, only for Cooke to chip wide, and then worked his way cleverly to the edge of the United area before hammering in a shot which Harvey had to punch away. The Leeds keeper had to save smartly thereafter from two corners and was clearly winded following the second of these incidents. However, he resumed following treatment from Les Cocker and seemed able to cope with whatever handicap he was suffering, plucking a high cross out of the air as Peter Osgood went up with Reaney to challenge. Chelsea physio Norman Medhurst and Les Cocker In the 25th minute the game turned fatefully against help David Harvey from the field during the United. Mick Jones injured an ankle in a tackle and, as opening game of 1972/73 against Chelsea. Peter Lorimer went in goal and Leeds lost 4-0 reported by Albert Barham in the Guardian, “Yorath, the substitute, flexed his muscles but was waved back by Bremner, for, at the moment Yorath was about to come on to the pitch for Jones, Harvey, the goalkeeper, was being carried off for attention behind the goal. He had earlier in the game been heavily buffeted at a couple of corners when he appeared to collide with Ellam. Eventually he was wheeled away on a stretcher to spend the night in Fulham Hospital with concussion. “In fact, the attempt to get Jones to walk proved that he could not continue either, so it made no odds which of them Yorath was substitute for. Lorimer wore Harvey‟s jersey and at one stroke Leeds had lost a goalkeeper and two aggressive forwards. Small wonder they are the most www.mightyleeds.co.uk - Matches – 12 August 1972, Chelsea 4 Leeds United 0 3 superstitious team in the country; ill luck seems to hover over them.” In such adverse circumstances, Yorath was forced to take up the cudgels in the unaccustomed role of lone striker, a position for which he was ill suited. There was no chance of Lorimer being shielded from the thrust and slash of the Chelsea forward line and he was soon under the severest of examinations. He showed a remarkable aptitude for life between the posts, diving to save at Cooke‟s feet, punching away a cross from John Hollins and once again denying Cooke. Chelsea continued to pile the pressure on, provoking some moments of tetchy ill temper. Kember clashed fiercely with Bremner, prompting stern words for both men from Swansea referee Tommy Reynolds, though only the Chelsea man had his name taken; then Giles received a lecture for a stiff challenge on Hollins. That was enough for the referee who called the two captains together in order to lay down the law, stressing the importance of cool heads. Just when it seemed that United would make it to the interval without conceding, Chelsea opened the scoring. As the match ticked into time added on, Garland was given the freedom of United‟s penalty area and took the opportunity to make his way across the face of goal before attempting the shot. His effort was bravely blocked at point blank range by Lorimer but Peter Osgood was on hand to slip home the rebound.