1977-1978

Escapologists in blue and amber! Knocked out in the early rounds of all the Cup competitions but one, and trailing in the League, Leeds extricated themselves from the shackles of mediocrity, with a brilliant double-escape act which even the great Houdini could hardly have bettered: merely to reach Wembley for the second successive year bordered on the incredible; to concede St. Helens a ten-point start in the Final, and still retain the Challenge Cup, was nothing short of miraculous.

The campaign opened inauspiciously, a shock defeat in the Lazenby Cup, our first since 1960, providing an unhappy debut for half-back David Treasure, from Oldham; centre Chris Gibson, from Wakefield R.U. and forward John Carroll, from Shaw Cross. By the end of August, the Esso Yorkshire Cup had gone too, whereas the 1st Round trip to Mount Pleasant was little more than a pleasant Saturday afternoon jaunt, Leeds winning 33-6, the 2nd Round meeting with Hull developed into a protracted battle for survival. At Headingley, with Hague sidestepping off either foot in sudden darts of electrifying pace, Leeds led 18-10 with fifteen minutes to go, yet only escaped defeat through Marshall?s failure to kick a relatively simple conversion, after Hull had levelled the scores in a frantic rally; in The Boulevard replay, Hull held a 10-point interval lead, but Leeds fought back heroically, with tries from David Smith and Hague, and a touchline conversion from Oulton, and were bidding for victory at 11-14, until Macklin went over for a late try.

The return of Dyl, after a brief rest following his tour exertions, and the signing of ?Sammy? Sanderson, a spring-heeled half-back from Wakefield Trinity, coincided with an impressive start to the League programme, with three wins and a commendable draw at Workington, but September?s highlights came in an enthralling struggle with Widnes in the Preliminary Round of the Floodlit Competition. Two Elwell tries and a Dutton goal gave Widnes a flying start, but Leeds countered strongly, Holmes putting White over and Ward opening the way for Cookson, so that with Dick kicking a goal and Ward dropping another, we held a 9-8 lead at the interval. Tension mounted in the second half as Widnes went ahead through a Dutton penalty goal and a dazzling 75-yard solo try by George, and though a Dick penalty reduced the margin to two points Leeds were apparently doomed, with injury-time running out as Dickinson and Atkinson surged down the wing in one last desperate fling … a flip inside, and Sanderson was stretching out to touch down for a dramatic reprieve. The conversion was academic, yet no less glorious for that, as Dick gleefully drove the ball home from the touchline.

Of the six games played during October, one is etched painfully deep in the memory. League successes over Warrington and New Hunslet, disappointing performances at Central Park and against St. Helens at Headingley, and a Floodlit Competition victory over Rochdale Hornets, all pale into insignificance alongside a traumatic second-half confrontation with Wigan in the John Player Competition. Going into a 10-point lead with just fifteen minutes to go, Leeds were apparently home and dry, until Nulty sounded the alarm with a 5-point try. Within a flash it was panic stations as Green Vigo, a first-half scorer, scorched away from Atkinson on half-way for Nulty to make it 20-20; and no sooner had Dick tried to restore sanity with a penalty goal, than Nulty levelled the scores yet again, with Headingley a bedlam of babbling bewilderment. How long? Leeds! Leeds! Leeds! Lee.. The chant faded in utter disbelief, as Vigo broke away once more to complete a sensational match-winning hat-trick in the very last minute. The inquests were many, the sequel initially sad, with John Atkinson deciding to retire, but within three months he was to be back in action, to adorn a distinguished career with yet more superb tries of balanced, rhythmic grace.

If, as the heroic believe, failures are the seeds of ultimate success, Leeds certainly sowed plenty in November and December, losing on six occasions in a taxing eight-match programme. Burton, the Castleford stand-off, and the scourge of Leeds so often in the past, struck twice in four days, first with an injury-time try at Wheldon Road to end our interest in the Floodlit Competition, and then at Headingley as we slumped to defeat in the League. Whereas reverses at St. Helens, Odsal and Widnes were perhaps predictable, that at Crown Flatt was something of a humiliation, with ?bump and barge? Leeds inexplicably sterile and unimaginative. Nevertheless, an exhilarating display of open rugby accounted for Wakefield Trinity on Boxing Day, and yielded a first try in Leeds colours for loose forward Mick Crane, who had been signed from Hull ten days earlier.

The rainbow arch of hope, conjured up by three consecutive wins in the New Year, was quickly dissipated by two more defeats as Leeds prepared to set out on ?Mission Impossible?. Wembley? A story-book figment of the imagination! Nor was there any reason to think otherwise, after a merely adequate 1st Round victory over plucky Halifax at Headingley, with Atkinson and David Smith scoring two tries apiece, and a stray dog escaping the referee?s ban to hog the TV cameras. Wakefield Trinity, at Belle Vue! Ah well, there?s always next year! This year! Three first-half tries from Crane, Dyl and Cookson in thirteen minutes of rampant rugby, set the adrenalin flowing as revitalised Leeds stormed to victory with all their erstwhile authority and power. Now it was ?Mission Possible?! The 3rd Round clash with Bradford Northern was unforgettable, with Headingley?s 18,600 spectators risking cardiac arrest in a frenzy of constant stress and excitement. The interval scoreboard was blank after a tension-packed half, but within two minutes of the resumption Bradford went five points ahead and continued to pile on the pressure, with Leeds reeling in dismay, even as they heeled from an untidy scrum on their own ?25? … a short blind-side dart from Sanderson to half-draw Barends … a neat pass … and Atkinson was striding away in triumph, for Oulton to convert a glorious 75-yard try. The crisis was over, Holmes dropping a goal, and Dyl supporting a powerful Cookson thrust, for Atkinson to round off another splendid 65-yard move. Thereafter the issue was never really in doubt, with Wembley once again just eighty minutes away! Was it all a dream, or would it turn into a nightmare of disappointment at Odsal in the Semi-Final? Trailing 7-9 at the interval, we were stretched on a second-half rack of 70 bravely disregarding a gaping calf wound, dummied his way over for a prodigious try, matched by Oulton?s tremendous touchline conversion: 12-9, and almost safe! An Oulton penalty, and we were there! A figment of the imagination? A breathtaking reality!

The League programme ended with a thrilling Headingley finale, Leeds beating Warrington in a grandstand finish, to qualify for the Premiership, with a team composed largely of reserves: S. Johnston; D. Smith, C. Gibson, T. Wilby, A. Binder; R. Winterbottom, K. Dick; R. Dickinson (P. Harrison), N. Whitehouse, ,8. White, D. Heron, J. Carroll(B. Adams). S. Fearnley. Alas, it was all to no avail, as Leeds went down to defeat at Odsal in the 1st Round of the play-off, but there was yet to come a truly dramatic Wembley Final, which is described in the following Press report.

CUP SNATCHED IN DRAMATIC WEMBLEY RECOVERY ? LEEDS IN SUPER TRIUMPH

Leeds snatched the R.L. Cup from the jaws of defeat at Wembley, in a dramatic nail-biting fight-back that saw them pull up from 10 points down to 12-12, and then go ahead with 2 drop goals, to win 14-12. Holmes and Ward were the men who dropped Leeds in for victory-and left St. Helens shattered.

LEEDS: Oulton; D. Smith, Hague, Dyl, Atkinson; Holmes, Sanderson; M. Harrison, Ward, Pitchford, Eccles, Cookson, Crane. Subs: Dick, Dickinson.

ST. HELENS: Pimblett; Jones, Noonan, Glynn, Mathias; Francis, Gwilliam; Chisnall, Liptrot, James, Cunningham, Nicholls, Pinner. Subs: Ashton, Karalius.

Referee: Mr. W. H. Thompson (Huddersfield).

A capacity crowd of 97,200 was in rare voice as the teams had a look at the pitch beforehand. Centre Les Dyl ?played up? to the Saints fans, who booed Leeds roundly, by pretending to touch down for a try at their end.

There was a no-nonsense touch about the early tackling, Nicholls being involved in the first four tackles as Leeds gave their forwards a chance, and Chisnall?s blockbusting effort caused Crane to lose possession. After Nicholls had been stopped by Ward, Pimblett was wide with a drop attempt.

Holmes kicked deep as Leeds moved out, but nice play by Pimblett, Mathias and James cleared comfortably. The expected high kick from St. Helens duly came after five minutes and, as in the Semi-Final, it brought a try. Pinner sent up a towering ball, which bounced out of Oulton?s arms over the line, and Atkinson also dropped it, for Liptrot to dive over for a gift try. Pimblett added the goal, in a start which resembled the last Final between these two sides six years ago.

St. Helens played up to their lead and Pinner made a fine break, before putting in another high kick, which Oulton held. A foul by Chisnall on Eccles gave Leeds their first look at the Saints ?25?, and Holmes brought Cookson on the burst, but James met him with a solid tackle. The first scrum near the Saints? line almost brought a try, as Sanderson stole the ball and very nearly wriggled over.

The Leeds? problems were added to when St. Helens were caught off-side, and Oulton sent his shot wide. St. Helens promptly broke out and created an overlap to send Jones racing through a tackle by Holmes. He beat Oulton with ease, and it needed a magnificent diving stop by Sanderson to halt the winger a couple of yards out. It made little difference, however, for Saints won a scrum heel near the line and Francis beat the defence easily, to score between the posts. Pimblett added the goal, and Leeds were 10-0 down after only 13 minutes.

Another long ball from Holmes gave Crane room, but his pass to Dyl went astray, and Leeds were tackling again, and at this stage far too many tackles were being missed for comfort. Holmes figured twice in one Leeds move, and sent a fine long pass to Atkinson but the cover nailed the winger. Saints? confidence was reflected when Sanderson kicked for the line and Pimblett coolly served Jones behind the line, for the winger to go 25 yards before Eccles tackled him.

Again Leeds lost the ball when handily placed, and after a run by Smith, Pitchford and Crane got into the act, only for the latter?s pass to go adrift. At last, Leeds got things together, and a gem of a long pass from Holmes got Crane into his stride; Dyl supported and gave to Atkinson, who left Pimblett for dead and scored a classic try at the corner. Oulton added a magnificent touchline goal, and Leeds at last suggested they were going to make a game of it.

Sanderson was setting a great tackling lead to his much bigger colleagues, and he stopped Cunningham in full cry, before Pitchford had a useful run, only for Ward to lose possession. Chisnall almost got Gwilliam through, and it needed three men to hold a thundering run by James almost on the line. Smith again looked sharp when gathering a long St. Helens kick, and it seemed a pity he was not seeing more of the action. Determined bids by Dyl and Pitchford, and a strong run by Eccles gave Leeds hope, until a move misfired in the St. Helens ?25?.

Cunningham, Glynn and Mathias had Leeds back-pedalling, and they were unlucky when Eccles was ruled to have obstructed Chisnall in front of the posts. It seemed the second- row man had committed himself to the tackle when Chisnall kicked, but Pimblett?s goal meant that Leeds were seven points in arrears. Pitchford showed that the Saints could be rattled with a bustling run, and a penalty for oft-side at the serum gave Oulton an angled chance 40 yards out, but he sent the ball wide. The first-half story had been very much a case of Leeds? errors contributing to their own downfall.

Half-time: Leeds 5 St. Helens 12

A dropped ball by Pimblett set Leeds attacking, and they cut the arrears by a point when Ward landed a neat drop goal after two minutes. Leeds were desperately unlucky, too, when Holmes measured a kick for Atkinson, and the winger outpaced Jones only to be beaten by a wretched bounce. Francis was prominent as St. Helens came on to attack, taking advantage of a foul by Dyl, and James and Nicholls were flung back as they drove for the line.

Little had been seen of Hague to date, but he produced a good cross-field run to get Dyl into his stride, and the centre went well for 30 yards, but only to lose possession when Atkinson overran him. Then Cunningham came perilously close to breaking clear, Pitchford just taking his ankles, and Leeds came again, with Holmes sending Crane on a strong run.

Hague was out of luck when he kicked ahead and was felled, and the referee waved play on, in a similar situation to that in which Eccles had been penalised. But Leeds drove on, with Pitchford and Harrison charging through, and Eccles causing all sorts of problems with another mighty surge, before Holmes almost got Cookson in. Reward came when Holmes served Hague, whose long pass was well taken by Smith, to score at the corner. Qulton failed at goal, but for the first time the Leeds fans really made themselves heard. The Headingley men were a much-improved outfit to earlier in the game, with their forwards really causing Saints tremendous difficulty. They were turned, however, by a serum penalty, and Nicholls and James gave Mathias a run, but the winger lost possession. Leeds took the serum, and Pitchford, Crane and Harrison crashed their way clear. The tearaway Eccles made further gaps in the Saints? defence, before Dyl made a powerful burst. Leeds brought on Dick and Dickinson for Sanderson and Harrison, and the fascinating game almost took another swing, when Pimblett tried a drop goal which hit the posts.

Leeds swept back, and Dyl and Dick went desperately close, before Holmes kicked ahead and Pinner scrambled the ball clear. Only a handling mistake by Cookson stopped what seemed a certain try. The terrific Leeds fight-back, magnificently led by Eccles, Holmes and Dyl, brought reward when Holmes turned the ball inside and Cookson forced his way over to level the score. It seemed at first that Dick would take the kick, but Leeds persevered with Oulton. At first, the ball rolled over, and the full-back placed it again and, with Dyl and Holmes unable to look. he sent his shot inches wide.

Nicholls was awarded the Lance Todd Trophy for the game?s outstanding player. Rampant Leeds were led back again by Eccles, and Dyl and Holmes broke clear before Dick was held. The Leeds fans went mad, however, when a quick play-the-ball ?went to Holmes, who put his side ahead for the first time with a left-foot drop goal. Cookson was almost over from Crane?s pass, before Ward added another drop goal.

Result: Leeds 14 ? St. Helens 12

No doubt, the above report had gone to press before a last-minute sensation, Noonan failing to hold a pass, with the line seemingly at his mercy. Kevin Dick had played in only two Challenge Cup-ties, both of them at Wembley, and had earned a winner s medal each time!