Classic Match

CLARKE JONES

(Bates) GRAY GILES BREMNER LORIMER

COOPER HUNTER CHARLTON MADELEY SPRAKE (Harvey)

Celtic 2 Leeds United 1 (Celtic win 3-1 on aggregate) European Cup Semi-Final second leg Wednesday April 15, 1970, 8pm In the spirit , Attendance 136,505 Goals: Bremner (14), Hughes (47), Murdoch (53) of LLL magazine, Referee Gerhard Schuleneberg (West Germany) Jon Howe takes Celtic (4-4-2): Williams, Hay, Gemmell, Murdoch, a retro look at McNeill, Brogan, Johnstone, Connelly, Hughes, some of our Auld, Lennox. most memorable moments.

Revie’s inner demons seemed to come  put Leeds to the fore again? Yes, all his pre-match ahead on the night and talk was of Jimmy “Jinky” Johnstone’s equalled the aggregate score. threat, while his counterpart  Norman Hunter was confident and assured, even bullish in  Terry Cooper doubting Leeds’ ability to cope with a home crowd – which in terms of passion, pride and commitment went completely off the scale. Both were right in their own way, but Leeds, needing to be mentally stronger, couldn’t cope with the encircling wall of noise out on the park. Not to mention the mental and physical fatigue of a draining season? In the past month Leeds have played three FA Cup semi-finals, the first leg of a European Cup semi, an FA Cup final and five league Into the lion’s den? Switched from Celtic’s games. Little wonder we felt a sense of Parkhead to Hampden Park (more than injustice at being fined £5,000 by the FA for double the capacity of the Bhoys’ home fielding an under-strength team at Derby ground), the huge and ferociously partisan a couple of weeks ago amid our relentless crowd that greeted Revie’s men was like treble-chasing monotony. Losing Paul nothing they had experienced before in Reaney to a broken leg and the title to the last five eventful seasons of European Everton among that run didn’t help, either. football; a huge occasion in every sense. What a start, though?! Energised by a white hot atmosphere, Celtic set off chant of the daunting and relentless resulting free-kick, but from the very with menacing brawn, forcing five “Celtic! Celtic!” to re-awaken the beast. next attack he was picking the ball corners in the opening eight minutes. Celtic came back at us with ferocious out of his net when he failed to stop But Leeds held firm and gained a might, their midfield inter-changing a low shot from the foothold in the game. and setting off on edge of the box. Harvey was clearly Leading to Billy stunning the banks a series of runs that bamboozled not up-to-speed with the game. The of frenzied Scotsmen... Out of Terry Cooper and the covering Hunter, ground was bouncing and even the nothing, Hunter rolled the ball into even Bremner was forced to use brute most optimistic Leeds fan could see Bremner’s path and he teed himself strength in blatantly fouling him. no way back from that. up to unleash a 25-yard shot of Cooper and Madeley made desperate How were the Leeds fans? Despite a astonishing venom and accuracy that last-ditch tackles and blocks as 4,500 following they were muted and seemed to release all the tension Leeds lay exposed in conspicuous insignificant amid the deafening buzz and frustrations of the troublesome discomfort. Half-time came as of the intense and manic fanaticism. welcome respite. last few weeks. The ball arrowed in Best Leeds player? Bremner scored off the post leaving the keeper rooted After which it took just eight minutes a stunning goal that will likely be to the floor and the colossal crowd to turn our world upside-down? Like a forgotten, but that and the example struck dumb. I swear you could hear microcosm of what being a Leeds fan he set in chasing and harrying to the the Leeds players yelping in joy from is beginning to feel like, everything end, should not be. the pitch, as the toxic amphitheatre that could go wrong, very quickly did. In a nutshell? Two gone, one left. was instantaneously cuffed into Two minutes after the break we were Follow Jon Howe on Twitter @jonhowe1971 a funereal state of shock by Billy’s fast asleep at a short corner and strike. In the biggest tie of their lives, crossed for John Hughes Leeds had drawn level and suddenly to beat the leaden-footed Charlton it was all up for grabs. to a near-post header and flick it We had certainly rattled their cage! innocuously past Sprake. A minute Yes, but if the heaving and crackling later Hughes collided heavily with Tragic Number crowd had been silenced, it didn’t last Sprake by the touchline and following Games in a month long. Like a sleeping dog we’d just the collision our keeper was taken off and only an FA Cup poked with a stick, Celtic regained on a stretcher and replaced by Harvey. Final replay to their senses and it took just one lone The Leeds-born Scotsman took the look forward to. 11 66 67