Newspapers around the country were convinced there was one certain winner on the FA Cup’s third round weekend: Joe Frazier. In his first bout after beating Muhammad Ali in the ‘Fight of the Century’, Frazier was defending his world heavyweight titles against a university student called Terry Daniels in what was being called ‘the worst mismatch in the near 100 year history of the championship’. Ranked 46th in the list of challengers, Daniels wanted to be a lawyer, not a boxer. ‘You can name your own odds if you want to back Daniels,’ noted one editorial, ‘and the bookmaker will probably be so happy to take your money he will give you a cigar to soften the blow.’

On paper, Leeds United’s tie against Bristol Rovers was a similar mismatch. Rovers were a Third Division side, drawn away at Elland Road, where Leeds were unbeaten in their last thirteen league games. But reports tipping Don Revie’s team for success were littered with the one-word caveat journalists thought might haunt Leeds: Colchester.

Leeds had been top of the First Division when they visited fourth-tier Colchester in the fourth round the previous season. Missing captain Billy Bremner, Leeds were beaten 3-2, much to the delight of the national press. Colchester’s manager Dick Graham requested the pitch be made as small as possible to make it more difficult for Leeds to play their superior football, yet the Daily Telegraph compared Colchester’s win to ‘the first breath of spring’ against the cold approach of Leeds’ ‘ruthless’ tackles and ‘stealthy’ fouls. Rovers manager Bill Dodgin was giving his side a puncher’s chance of emulating Colchester. “There is no telling where lightning will strike again,” he said.

Bristol Rovers captain Brian Godfrey was also refusing to be intimidated by Leeds. Godfrey was ‘born a Cup fighter’, wrote Brian Woolnough. ‘Not a star, not a brilliant footballer — just a good old fashioned fighter who refuses to give up when the magic of Wembley comes round each year.’ He had played only once in the First Division but was part of Division Two and Three teams that reached finals at Wembley, captaining Aston Villa in their League Cup defeat to Tottenham the previous season. “Status does not mean a thing when it comes to Cup Day,” he said. “The better they are, the better I play.”

There was a separate threat for Leeds goalkeeper Gary Sprake in the Daily Mirror. Sprake had been targeted by Colchester, and Rovers were promising more of the same. The Wales international was preparing to face a team peppered with his fellow countrymen. There were nine Welshmen on Rovers’ staff, and five were to play against Leeds, including Godfrey. Hoping to discover some of the country’s most promising players, Rovers also had a nursery side in a Cardiff league. The Mirror’s headline was ominous. ‘WELSH ‘MOB’ PLAN TO SHAKE SPRAKE.’

Don Revie was more concerned about his own players than worrying about what anybody at Bristol Rovers had to say. At the club’s annual general meeting in the week of the tie, Revie warned that Leeds were going to need to replace three or four world-class players over the next few seasons. The directors at Elland Road had “backed me to the hilt”, said Revie, and would find the necessary funds if he wanted to sign a player tomorrow. “But if you are going to pay big fees, I feel you must try and be certain that you are going to receive good service over a ten-year period. That means buying players of about 21 or 22.”

Revie was having a difficult enough time keeping his current squad happy. Back-up goalkeeper David Harvey had been on the transfer list for eleven months and was expected to leave Leeds when his contract expired at the end of the season. Harvey was playing Central League fixtures for Leeds’ reserve team alongside England international Paul Reaney, Wales international Terry Yorath, and Mick Bates. Bates wasn’t an international, but he was good enough for Southampton to bid £100,000 for his services, and for Leeds to reject the money.

Even if they weren’t first choice, they were all valued members of Revie’s family at Leeds. Rather than criticise their frustrations, he had a paternal understanding. Revie knew exactly how they were feeling. As a player, he had lost his place in the England side following a defeat against Wales at Ninian Park in 1955, and was subsequently dropped by Manchester City. ‘Life turned sour for me,’ he recalled in a newspaper column, and he requested to be put on the transfer list. Revie eventually realised City manager Les McDowell had been right to drop him, and spent the following months working so hard ‘that City’s trainers told me I was mad’.

In the week of the 1956 FA Cup final, City’s Bill Spurdle suffered an outbreak of boils on his arm, and Revie came into the team as a deep-lying centre-forward. City beat Birmingham 3-1, ‘and I had one of the best games of my career.’

Leeds were averaging seventy first-team fixtures in the past five seasons, and Revie knew he would need the help of his squad players at some stage of the campaign. He pointed to Arsenal, whose reserve team featured Wales international John Roberts; Peter Marinello, a £100,000 signing from Hibernian tipped to become the next George Best; and Charlie George, scorer of the winner in the 1971 FA Cup final.

Revie was urging his unhappy players to take inspiration from Reaney, who had lost his place at right-back to Paul Madeley as he was still struggling to regain confidence from a broken leg he sustained two years earlier. Reaney had also asked to be transfer listed. He wanted out for all of 24 hours before asking to be taken off. Reaney was back in the first team when Jack Charlton was ruled out of the New Year’s Day trip to Liverpool. Madeley switched to centre-half, allowing Reaney to return at full-back, helping Leeds become the first team to win a league match at Anfield in almost a year.

‘In some ways I am glad that these players come into my office to discuss the possibility of a transfer because it shows they are ambitious,’ wrote Revie. ‘And the fact that they are still at Leeds shows they also have GUTS.’

Billy Bremner clearly hadn’t given much thought to any of the warnings from Bristol Rovers. He challenged his teammates to score four goals at Elland Road, even if they were without three of Don Revie’s regulars. Allan Clarke and Jack Charlton were doubts ahead of the tie and both missed out, but Mick Jones was an unexpected absentee, his groin injury kept secret. Without Revie’s two first-choice strikers, Peter Lorimer moved centrally, where he was partnered by cup debutant Joe Jordan. Mick Bates came into midfield, and substitute Chris Galvin got to play the final half an hour.

Leeds almost hit Bremner’s target in the first 45 minutes, leading 3-0. The first was scored immediately after Rovers dared to try shooting at Leeds’ goal. The shot was easily blocked by Norman Hunter into the path of Bremner. Once Bremner gave the ball to John Giles, Rovers were back to chasing after possession from one side of the pitch to the other. Lorimer ‘shot too hot’ for Rovers goalkeeper Dick Sheppard to hold, allowing Giles to score from the rebound.

The class of Giles and Lorimer ensured any whispers of Colchester were quickly silenced. Roles were reversed as Giles turned creator for Lorimer, dissecting the large gaps between Rovers’ defenders with a long pass, showing off the masterful backspin he could place on the ball. Lorimer twice dummied to shoot, and Sheppard fell for it both times. Jordan and Eddie Gray were standing next to Lorimer, watching as he cruelly took his time to allow two covering defenders to get back, only to leave them both on the floor before smashing the ball into the bottom corner off the post.

Lorimer sold Sheppard a third dummy after being put through on goal again. Sheppard brought him down, giving Leeds a penalty, and had a few words with Lorimer while the attacker was still on the floor, patting him on the head. Giles took the penalty, and the goalie dived the wrong way yet again.

Rovers showed some of the fight they had promised after the break, scoring after Giles and Bremner, looking ready to start a spell of keep ball, ended up tackling each other. Rovers countered effectively, Sandy Allan finishing at the back post with Leeds’ defence out of position.

The crowd at Elland Road wasn’t satisfied without the fourth goal Bremner wanted. Fans started groaning as Reaney and Madeley kept the ball between themselves, both chipping over the same opposition player’s head before passing back to Sprake. A quick throw to Terry Cooper and a pass down the left touchline gave substitute Galvin the chance to slickly turn his marker and drive towards the edge of the box, attracting four defenders towards him. That allowed Lorimer to sprint through the middle of the pitch, meeting the ball ricocheting off an attempted tackle, to score after Sheppard again failed to hold his initial shot.

For all the pre-match bluster and talk of Colchester, Bristol Rovers didn’t even last as long as Terry Daniels in his world title fight against Joe Frazier. Rovers exited the FA Cup at the third round, Smokin’ Joe knocked out Daniels in the fourth.

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Any pre-match doubts about Leeds’ mentality were vanquished in the space of an afternoon’s work. Bookies made Leeds 5-1 favourites to win the FA Cup.

The weekend’s biggest fight took place at Crystal Palace, where referee Tommy Dawes needed a police escort out of the ground as home fans tried to attack him, furious at his officiating in their side’s 2-2 draw with Everton. Dawes struggled to control a game in which Palace goalkeeper John Jackson was left with a gash “as big as an ashtray” on his thigh and Everton’s Colin Harvey was kicked in the mouth. Dawes threatened to abandon the game after fans chased after him on the pitch for a second time. During one pitch invasion, hulking Palace striker John ‘Yogi Bear’ Hughes protected the referee. “When I pushed the fan off him he didn’t say thanks,” said Hughes. Dawes sent Hughes off for a second booking after half-time. The referee needed help from Sue Head, the daughter of Palace manager Bert, to escape the stadium through a side exit to the safety of a police car. Palace chairman Arthur Wait was less sympathetic: “[He] had a real stinker. At one stage I thought he was going to book the corner flag.”

Don Revie was enjoying a more peaceful afternoon. “This was a sound performance considering we were without Charlton, Clarke and Jones. Performances like this show the importance of a good first team panel.”

If Revie’s words were a nod to the frustrated players on the fringe of his starting eleven, they had the desired effect. David Harvey asked to be removed from the transfer list and agreed a new three-year contract to be signed in the summer. The news delighted Revie, who never wanted Harvey to leave the family. “I must say that I was surprised he was not snapped up by some club or other but all that is in the past now as far as I am concerned.”

Harvey was similarly looking to the future. “I suppose people will think it is money which has caused me to change my mind, but that is not so,” he said. “I have said all along that I would accept a drop in wages if I went to an ambitious club. Money is not everything. I want to be involved the whole time, and lately I have enjoyed going to report on other teams for the boss. In fact, one of the things which has helped me greatly in reaching this decision was a promise that I can continue with this sort of work when I am not playing.

“I have worked hard at my game at Leeds. Now that I shall be spending the rest of my playing career with United I intend to settle down and try to work even harder.” ⬢

(Lead photograph by David Hickes, via Alamy)

Originally published in our See You Win summer special. Big Jack and Don wanted the Cup. Paul Trevillion wanted to thrill. Elland Road, 1972: 50 days that changed Leeds United forever. Get one of the last remaining copies here, with TSB+ members receiving a £2 discount.