The highest ever crowd at Elland Road
- YorkshireSquare
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The highest ever crowd at Elland Road
The biggest ever crowd to squeeze into Elland Road was 57,892 (According to leedsunited.com) on 15th March 1967, who saw arch-rivals United and Sunderland slug out a draw in an F.A. Cup Fifth Round Replay. Congratulations to Leon from Driffield who entered our competition and won a copy of The Only Place for Us: An A-Z History of Elland Road.
The clubs had been promoted together in 1964 and matches between the two clubs were not for the faint hearted. That was certainly the case in the 1-1 draw in the first match at Roker Park, where a howling gale swept the length of Roker Park didn’t help as tempers reached boiling point in a match dominated by strong defences. For the Elland Road Replay, Sunderland replaced the injured Bobby Kerr by his deputy Allan Gauden, while Albert Johanesson took the place of Paul Madeley, but he too was replaced by Terry Cooper at half-time.
However, the replay saw most of the action off the pitch. Thousands of spectators were locked out when the turnstiles were shut twenty-three minutes before kick-off with some fans, desperate to see the action, scrambling on the Scratching Shed roof. Leeds had been unable to make the match all ticket due to the time factor and it was only ten minutes into the game that a ten foot crush barrier at the corner of Lowfields Road and the Scratching Shed collapsed. Fans, many shocked and dazed, suffering from crush injuries, spilled beyond the perimeter track and on to the pitch for safety.
Referee Ray Tinkler halted the match and a fleet of ambulances took eighteen people to Leeds General Infirmary as United Chairman, Harry Reynolds, appealed for calm on the public address system. After fifteen minutes, United Officials, Police and Tinkler agreed that the match could continue with hundreds of people squatting near the touchlines.
United fell behind in the thirty-seventh minute when Scottish forward John O’Hare, who was later to join United during Brian Clough’s brief reign, latched onto George Herd’s through ball and fired in a shot which looped into the net off Gary Sprake’s outstretched leg. United were level within a minute, winning a free-kick on the edge of the Sunderland penalty box, which Billy Bremner tapped to Johnny Giles, who sent a low shot scorching past Jim Montgomery. Despite United having the bulk of possession, defences remained on top, with United unable to breach the Sunderland defence which was well marshaled by George Kinnell and even extra-time could not determine a victor. The closest United came to grabbing a winner was in extra-time when Jimmy Montgomery made a miraculous save to turn away a Jack Charlton shot in extra-time.
The draw meant a third meeting on neutral territory with Sunderland opting for Middlesbrough as their preferred venue. United preference was Hillsborough or Hull City’s Boothferry Park. Eventually the FA selected Hull. So the tie moved on to a second replay at Hull City’s Boothferry Park, where United won a stormy game 2-1 with a controversial late Johnny Giles penalty after which two Sunderland players, George Mulhall and George Herd, were sent off.
Read more about all three matches at Oz White’s Leeds United History.
Re: The highest ever crowd at Elland Road
A good start to the New Year, really pleased & surprised to win this book as I can't recall winning anything when I've entered these type of competitions previously apart from the odd raffle
As a 12yo kid I was there standing on a crush barrier block in the open spion kop as it was then watching the scenes in the Lowfields unfold
I seem to remember it was a dour game with one of my heroes Johnny Giles scoring the Leeds goal
As a 12yo kid I was there standing on a crush barrier block in the open spion kop as it was then watching the scenes in the Lowfields unfold
I seem to remember it was a dour game with one of my heroes Johnny Giles scoring the Leeds goal
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Re: The highest ever crowd at Elland Road
Well done mate, something to read whilst you're off work.
Re: The highest ever crowd at Elland Road
Yes Ges that's truegessa wrote:Well done mate, something to read whilst you're off work.
I do have my tax return to prepare before sending off to my accountant + my address/telephone numbers dairy needs updating
I also intend to sort out my cd collection into some assemblance of order as my filing system has gone to pot over the last couple of years
All takes time !
Re: The highest ever crowd at Elland Road
Aye you could say that mategessa wrote:Every cloud hey
Re: The highest ever crowd at Elland Road
How do I claim my prize ?
Re: The highest ever crowd at Elland Road
Well done, Leon. I think I have mentioned this before, but I watched this match from the Old Gelderd End, stood on a stanchion, and it was a nightmare getting out afterwards. My feet barely touched the floor all the way out, and when I finally landed on terra firma outside the ground, I only had one shoe. I walked/hopped the three miles home on a wet and freezing March night, to get a right rollicking from my parents.
Delapsus Resurgam - When I fall I shall rise!
Re: The highest ever crowd at Elland Road
The old kop mate, yes we have discussed this game before as we established Guildford White, Twiggster, you & I were all in the part of the ground that night as kids. GW & Twiggs were slightly older than us two. Great timesGandalf wrote:Well done, Leon. I think I have mentioned this before, but I watched this match from the Old Gelderd End, stood on a stanchion, and it was a nightmare getting out afterwards. My feet barely touched the floor all the way out, and when I finally landed on terra firma outside the ground, I only had one shoe. I walked/hopped the three miles home on a wet and freezing March night, to get a right rollicking from my parents.
The things we use to do as kids, my scarf got nicked twice on the long walk from Armley to ER I also got a bollocking from my parents
- YorkshireSquare
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Re: The highest ever crowd at Elland Road
I'll drop you a PM.1964white wrote:How do I claim my prize ?