Matches – 7 April 1973 – Leeds United 1 Wolverhampton W 0 FA Cup semi-final – Maine Road – 52,505 Scorers: Bremner 69 mins Leeds United: Harvey, Reaney, Cherry, Bremner, Charlton (Jordan 30), Yorath, Lorimer, Clarke, Jones, Giles, Madeley Wolverhampton Wanderers: Parkes, Taylor, Parkin, Shaw, Munro, McAlle, Powell, Hibbitt (Bailey 75), Richards, Dougan, Wagstaffe For Leeds United, their FA Cup semi-final against Wolverhampton Wanderers in April 1973 was the sixth time they had progressed to that stage in the nine seasons since they returned to the First Division in 1964. It was an extraordinary feat of consistency that has rarely been equalled and was absolutely unique in the ultra-competitive Sixties and Seventies. In contrast, it was Wolves’ first appearance in the last four since 1960, when they beat Aston Villa and went on to win the trophy by beating Blackburn Rovers in the The Guardian of 9 April 1973 tells the tale of the weekend's FA Cup semi-final clash between Leeds and Wolves - the picture shows Bremner beating Parkes for the goal final. That was also the last time that Manchester City’s Maine Road had staged a semi-final. When the draw was made, United manager Don Revie commented, “It does not matter who you play. When you are only 90 minutes away from the final at Wembley, it is always a hard game. It is simply a matter of the side playing the better football on the day going through. I can only say that we shall do our best.” Revie’s Molineux counterpart, Bill McGarry, said: “It is not the one I would have chosen, but you cannot pick and choose anyway. We have just got to get on with it and with the right attitude of mind there is nothing we cannot achieve… If ours is right we have the ability to beat them. We don’t see ourselves as no hopers. We can reach Wembley.” A couple of weeks prior to the game, the two sides met in the League and played out a goalless draw which put a serious dent in United’s pursuit of the League championship. Tom German in the Times: “As a sensitive gauge of the likely course of events two weeks hence when they joust for a place in the FA Cup final, Saturday’s meeting of Leeds United and www.mightyleeds.co.uk - Matches – 7 April 1973, Leeds United 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers 0 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers at Elland Road was clouded, and rendered unreadable, by what it omitted rather than what it contained. “Wolves lined up without some significant names, Bailey, McCalliog and Hibbitt to mention just three; Leeds were shorn of Cherry and Clarke and any predictions from a match that ended goalless would be no more than a dip in a bran tub. “Without Clarke to dart at the defence and provide variety and point, Leeds’ attack leaned too heavily on the elusiveness of Gray, with shrewd promptings from Bremner coming from behind. Gray responded in the second half with searching excursions up the left wing, which drew two and sometimes three opponents, but there was only a muted challenge in the middle where Jones and Jordan sometimes challenged each other for the same high ball. “Wolverhampton left an impression of a side properly versed in organising itself in effective defence. Apart from a The Leeds team wave to the crowd before the Cup semi-final - Bremner, Harvey, Reaney, Yorath, Cherry, Lorimer, Jordan, Charlton, Clarke solid core, Parkin gave Lorimer the sort of attention which denied him a recognisable shot and Shaw was in the thick of a lot of activity around the centre of the field. There was little to allow measure of the attacking understanding between Dougan and Richards. Like many other partnerships of repute, they could make little headway against Madeley and Hunter. “There were a couple of tense moments for Harvey as Richards suddenly aimed in a shot which skimmed the post and again in the second half when the young forward missed his kick completely as Wagstaffe’s trickery set up a promising opening – but there was hardly more than that to Wolverhampton’s intrusions. Though Leeds could not fan their usual spark in attack, the argument always revolved around whether they would score. They made chances enough to have won. “Jones twice got too far beneath accurate centres from Lorimer and Gray to put headers over the top. Twice Parkes stretched himself to turn aside shots from Gray and when the winger was spreading anxiety in the second half, the goalkeeper was more than content to see a couple of efforts by the Scot deflected at a crucial moment. “So it was stalemate – but the semi-final in Manchester in a fortnight’s time gained an extra touch of piquancy.” Both clubs were still nursing injury worries in the days leading up to the game, and Norman Hunter, Eddie Gray, Mick Bates and Gordon McQueen were all in United’s treatment room. www.mightyleeds.co.uk - Matches – 7 April 1973, Leeds United 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers 0 2 “Progress is being made but they will not train with the first team. They will continue to do light work under the guidance of our club physiotherapist, Bob English,” Revie reported. In the event, none of the four were available for selection, though Revie left it until the latest possible moment before naming his eleven, and the veteran Jack Charlton, a month shy of his 38th birthday, retained his place at the heart of the Leeds rearguard alongside Paul Madeley. In Wolves’ camp, midfielders Jim McCalliog, who spent four months on United’s books as an amateur in 1963, and Mike Bailey were struggling. McCalliog did not make it, but Bailey was named sub. To fill the void, McGarry selected 19-year-old Barry Powell, with just 300 minutes’ of first team football behind him. Centre-half Frank Munro passed a fitness test on a pulled hamstring and duly took his place in defence. Up front, 35-year-old Northern Irish international Derek Dougan partnered John Richards, 22, who would make his England debut a month later. The pair formed an effective combination at the time, scoring 53 goals between them in all competitions that season. Don Revie once said of the pair: “We know exactly how they will play and exactly how they will work it, but we just cannot cope with them.” The Maine Road pitch looked in good condition for the game, which commenced under steady rain in front of a crowd of 52,505, paying receipts of £70,000. The contest began predictably enough, with both teams determined to deny their opponents space. It was clear Jack Charlton soars above Wolves' Derek Dougan in the Cup semi-final that while they had the breeze at their backs Wolves would use the swift long ball forward to Dougan and Richards whenever they could. The ball was pinged forward from their kick off and when Charlton headed it clear, Wanderers full-back Derek Parkin hurled it up again, but too lustily and it ran out for a United free kick. Minutes later Trevor Cherry’s forward run led to a United free kick when John McAlle obstructed Billy Bremner in the centre just outside the Wolves penalty area. That gave Peter Lorimer the chance of an early strike at goal, but his shot cannoned off a wall that did its job admirably. Wolves almost took the lead after four minutes. Kenny Hibbitt, brother of former Leeds midfielder Terry, split the United defence with a through ball for Powell. The teenager had to hit the ball first time and David Harvey, quickly off his line, dived to smother the effort competently enough. Munro was the first player to be spoken to by the referee after he brought down Allan Clarke twice in the first quarter of an hour, but Giles’ floated free kick into the Wolves box was easily cleared. Leeds were starting to build some forward momentum and Terry Yorath, wearing No 6 but playing in midfield, showed some uncommonly nimble footwork down the left. Munro tried a short pass out www.mightyleeds.co.uk - Matches – 7 April 1973, Leeds United 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers 0 3 of defence to Hibbitt but it wrongfooted the midfielder and Yorath was in swiftly to nick the ball away. He rounded the desperate sliding tackle of Munro and flicked the ball past Hibbitt on the very touchline. While Yorath’s mind was on crossing the ball, the Wolves man had clearly decided that enough was enough and carried on into a lunging foul with his studs up. He caught Yorath on the shin and sent him writhing in agony. Referee Pat Partridge had little option other than to dish out the game’s first caution. Giles drove the resultant free kick in towards the heart of the Wolves area. Clarke flicked it on but as Jones sought to meet the dropping ball, goalkeeper Parkes touched it away. It fell nicely for Bremner, in space on the six-yard line, to fire goalwards, but McAlle blocked it. Jones tried but failed to get to it and when Clarke struck at the loose ball it was blocked once more and hoofed away. There was not a Wolves man in the Leeds half and the ball came back again, with Yorath and then Bremner setting Jones up for a shot from the edge of the box, but Parkes gathered cleanly. United kept up the pace – Jones had another shot saved by Parkes, who followed up with another good stop at the near post from Lorimer.