December 1st used to be a day I always looked forward to as a kid, for me the unofficial start of the Christmas festivities. This year thanks to Dimples, I was in bah humbug mood and probably have been every year since (believe it or not I am over her so it's not her fault I still feel this way!).
However the arrival of Advent brings many a fine tradition, including getting smashed out of your face on alcohol. So after the coach arrived in Leeds ahead of the game versus Southampton, I didn't join the herd that piled out into the Woodman or Drysalters but instead wandered into Holbeck, where there were some fine, traditional back-street pubs most now sadly lost forever. There was the Waggon and Horses, Imperial which I didn't bother with but I started at the Kings Arms not far from the library, then into the Bulls Head, Spotted Cow and then the Britannia. I think I then went into the Kwik Save supermarket and bought some cans, sitting by the wall and swigging away. I'll confess that I had to watch the YouTube video below to remotely remember anything about the game which apparently Leeds won 2-1, Chris Fairclough and Carl Shutt scoring for us, Matt Le Tissier pulling one back for the Saints. Lee Chapman, who in the programme was praising the new pre-match betting facilities in the ground, alas missed out on equalling Peter Lorimer' s record of scoring in seven consecutive games, however he was "quids in" revealing before the Rumbelows Cup win over Oldham in October he'd "...put £10 on my self, scored the opener and started this run of victories on and off the pitch" Chapman also backed himself at 6-1 against his old club Forest, but missed out on 8-1 odds against Man City because he couldn't find a bookies open as it was a Sunday but against Derby he managed to get 11-2 on himself. Alas the killjoys at Ladbrookes told the players they were barred from the kiosk and I think the football authorities eventually banned players from such bets, no doubt fearing a conflict of interest. In a later programme Chapman did claim he had "friends" who continued to back him! I don't doubt he did!
On the way home, Barry had some good news for me at long last, I'd made the "reserve list" for tickets to trip to Old Trafford the following Saturday. On the Friday afternoon he called, a ticket for the big match was all mine, someone had dropped out...I was off to Man U. I had a great night out on the Friday with my mates and they wished me good luck for the following day.
They say that God laughs when someone makes plans, whilst I slept he not only must have burst his sides but had a word with Saint Dimitar; the patron saint of winter and cold weather. I woke around 8am to at least two-feet of snow on the ground and it was still falling heavily. There was no electricity either. Undeterred I set off, I managed to get the Fiesta around quarter of a mile up the road before the dreaded wheel spins, skidding and sliding. With a heavy heart I abandoned my journey and went home. As well as the power lines being down, the town was entirely cut off. My Dad had been out overnight and was unable to get back, somehow my mum managed to open the pub using candles and running a line of beer off a gas pump. Don't ask me how, the cellar was never my strong-point. The place was rammed and I was commandeered into working behind the bar.
I assured myself that the match would be called off. The snow was always worse up north. Really I had no way of knowing if it was called off or not due to the power cut thinking back I suppose I could have checked on the car radio but as the pub was the only one open in town I had no chance whatsoever of slipping off and finding out.
At around 8pm the power came back on. I remember the regulars murmuring a disappointed chorus of "Awwwwwww!", they'd quite enjoyed the candlelight and blitz spirit. I raced upstairs and put Teletext on, waiting impatiently for the scores to load...expecting to see Manchester United P-P Leeds United, I saw it had finished 1-1. Neil Webb, who was one of many footballers who misplaced his talents somewhere between Nottingham and Manchester, had fired them in front, he seemed to have a habit of playing well against Leeds, however Mel Sterland smashed home a free-kick at the scoreboard end. I think I read a joke in a fanzine that they'd stuck a snow plough on the front of the team bus but I didn't see the funny side and nor did Barry, our bad luck with the weather had cost the branch 100's of pounds because no refunds could be claimed on a game that took place.
There was no game the following Saturday either. Our game with Everton would be put back to Sunday so it could go on ITV's "The Big Match". In today's world of football saturated TV coverage, it's astonishing to think that it was the first time in nearly six years a live game had been broadcast from Elland Road, ironically that had also been against Everton in the 3rd round of the FA Cup, Leeds then of the 2nd Division losing 2-0 to the holders on a Friday night.
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