Matches – 23 September 1972 – Newcastle 3 Leeds United 2 First Division – St James Park – 38,962 Scorers: Clarke, Jones Newcastle United: McFaul, Craig, Clark, Gibb, Howard, Young, Barrowclough, Smith, Macdonald (Hodgson), Tudor, Hibbitt Leeds United: Harvey, Reaney, Cherry, Bremner, Charlton, Hunter, Lorimer, Clarke (Jordan), Jones, Giles, Bates Leeds United travelled to play Newcastle United at the end of September 1972 in good heart after a series of results that had eased the memory of a grim 4-0 opening day defeat at Chelsea. They had won five and drawn one of their six home games and were unbeaten on their travels since the drubbing at Stamford Bridge. Nevertheless, one had to go back to September 1968 for United‟s previous victory on Tyneside and that was only the second victory at St James Park since Leeds regained their First Division status in 1964. Their previous visit, on 19 April 1972, had seem them lose by virtue of a Malcolm Macdonald goal after 81 minutes. That reverse severely hampered United‟s pursuit of the League title and was well deserved by an industrious and determined Newcastle team. Manager Don Revie was under no illusions about the size of the task facing his men, saying: “Newcastle usually manage to give us a hard fight The Yorkshire Evening Post of 23 September 1972 carries the news of an extraordinary game up there. I don‟t expect tomorrow‟s match to be different. We will have to try to clamp down on Macdonald and we must also keep a close watch on Terry Hibbitt, too. It is nice to see Terry doing so well at Newcastle but we shall try not to allow him much space in midfield tomorrow.” Under manager Joe Harvey, Newcastle were rebuilding after winning the Fairs Cup in 1969, when they repeated Leeds‟ success of the previous year. Hibbitt and Macdonald had both been signed in 1971, along with John Tudor and Pat Howard, while speedy winger Stewart Barrowclough had joined from Barnsley a year earlier. Newcastle finished 11th the previous season, though the defeat of Arsenal and a 3-0 victory at Coventry over the fortnight just ended had hinted that they were heading in the right direction. www.mightyleeds.co.uk - Matches – 23 September 1972, Newcastle United 3 Leeds United 2 1 For Leeds, David Harvey recovered from a cold to continue in goal, but Paul Madeley (ankle) and Eddie Gray (thigh) were both unavailable, while Terry Cooper was still missing after fracturing his leg at Stoke in April. Paul Reaney for Madeley was the only change to the side that had come from a goal down to beat Leicester City 3-1 a week earlier. Mick Bates continued to deputise for Gray while the veteran, Jack Charlton, continued to show there was life in him yet as he kept summer signing Roy Ellam on the sidelines. In the Newcastle ranks, Terry Hibbitt was made captain for the day against his former Elland Road colleagues in the absence of the injured Bobby Moncur. Hibbitt lost the toss to Billy Bremner, who elected to let the home side kick off. United‟s captain soon had reason to regret that decision, for Newcastle opened the scoring after just 35 seconds‟ play. The Magpies moved swiftly onto the attack with a long ball forward by Hibbitt pressuring Leeds. Charlton cleared from the middle of United‟s penalty area but the ball only found right-back David Craig, who went for a one-two down the right with Malcolm Macdonald. However, the ball instead found Jimmy Smith on the corner of the penalty area. The languid Scottish midfielder took the ball on a stride to get it out from under his feet before firing a shot across Harvey and in off his right hand post to open the scoring. If the goal shook Leeds, they did not show it and inside 60 seconds they had drawn level. Reaney‟s long clearance from deep on United‟s right was won in the air by Allan Clarke. The ball was collected by Mick Jones, who turned and laid it back for the oncoming Clarke. There was a token narrowing of the space by Hibbitt but to no avail and the opportunist England forward took careful aim and, cutting his right foot across the ball, fired in a delectable swerving drive. It curled, as if Newcastle goalkeeper Iam McFaul is helpless to prevent Allan Clarke's swerving equaliser at Clarke‟s will, round the despairing dive of Newcastle keeper Iam McFaul and inside the far post. A quality goal from a quality goalscorer, replayed many times on Match of the Day that season. It was a breathtaking start to the action and the excited crowd cheered with pleasure at the quality of the forward play. In the seventh minute Newcastle regained the lead. After a partial headed clearance from Charlton, Bates ballooned the ball deep into the Newcastle half. A home defender beat Jones to the ball in the air and it came sailing back into the Leeds half. Jimmy Smith beat first Bremner to the high ball and then Cherry to the ground challenge and Barrowclough took up play. The winger took on Norman Hunter down the right wing and went outside him at pace to loop a waist high cross towards the near post. Tudor bravely got to it ahead of the diving Harvey and flicked his header into the net. Again Newcastle could only maintain their lead for a minute. Leeds broke quickly out of defence www.mightyleeds.co.uk - Matches – 23 September 1972, Newcastle United 3 Leeds United 2 2 and Johnny Giles held the ball up in midfield before artfully playing Reaney onto the overlap down the right. The full-back‟s control was poor, though, and the ball fell to Newcastle left-back Frank Clark. He passed back to centre-back David Young to the left of the home penalty area. As Peter Lorimer and Clarke converged on him to apply the pressure, Young panicked and attempted to find his keeper with a back pass. He misjudged it fatally with McFaul far closer to him than he realised. The ball went into space on the six-yard line and Jones was onto it instantly to bundle the ball over the line as the keeper attempted vainly to get back. So, 2-2 after eight minutes with the crowd brimming over with excitement at the quality of the attacking play, if not the defensive performances. It couldn‟t last, though, as both back fours started to apply a tighter grip. Nevertheless, the fare continued to be entertaining with both teams committed to winning the game. Cherry had his name taken for the second week in succession and third time in the season when he tugged Barrowclough‟s shirt while attempting to stop the lively winger as the home side built another move down the right. Newcastle's John Tudor has just headed past David Harvey to put his side 2-1 ahead with Malcolm Macdonald joining in the celebration A long clearance by Charlton, playing in his final First Division match in his native North East, led to Jones heading in a cross from the left after 20 minutes, but the goal was disallowed for offside. United were awarded a free kick in the 25th minute when Smith stopped Bremner by pulling his shirt but the referee satisfied himself with a lecture for Smith and declined to take his name. Bates was not so fortunate on the half hour when he was booked for bringing down Macdonald. There was a third caution in the 32nd minute when Frank Clark felled Lorimer. The home side were quickest to the ball at both ends of the field as play swung from end to end in thrilling fashion. McFaul gathered a high cross from Giles under pressure from Jones and at the other end Harvey pulled down an 18-yard shot from Tudor. Allan Clarke needed treatment for an ankle injury following a hard tackle by Howard near the touchline and resumed with a heavy limp. He played on for a further five minutes before going down again and needing further treatment. This time trainer Les Cocker led Clarke to the far touchline and while he was doing this Don Revie sent Joe Jordan on, failing to see the frantic waves from Clarke and Cocker indicating that the England striker was fit to continue. The referee was emphatic that the substitution had been made and Jordan stayed on, Clarke trailing round the edge of the pitch with an unimpressed air. Bremner hurt his back in an incident involving Smith and played on, obviously in some pain. Harvey came to United‟s rescue just on half time when Macdonald, whose speed took him roaring past a strangely lethargic Hunter, avoided a late tackle by Cherry. The Newcastle striker, the country‟s top goalscorer, sped away on a clear run to United‟s goal. Harvey, racing out, blocked the www.mightyleeds.co.uk - Matches – 23 September 1972, Newcastle United 3 Leeds United 2 3 shot and the game reached the interval with the teams still on equal terms. The biggest attendance of the season at St James Park had seen some entertaining play from both sides and the game was still very much in the melting pot when the second half began. Charlton blocked a fierce shot from Barrowclough and a couple of minutes later Cherry brought off a fine tackle on the lively winger. Newcastle did most of the pressing in the first ten minutes of the half.