Tinpot! New book celebrates Leeds United's forgotten history
Tinpot is the story of football's lost tournaments: the strange and forgotten competitions that sparked into life before disappearing forever. The FA Cup and Football League are the oldest competitions of their kind in the world. They are the survivors - the bright ideas that quickly caught on. Yet, behind these successes lie countless failed experiments. But they still have their stories to tell.
Featuring over 40 forgotten football tournaments, Tinpot visits the curious world where:
- Leeds United competed in the unique Football League Centenary Tournament, a contest featuring 16 teams from all 4 divisions of the Football League which was held over a weekend at Wembley
- Leeds United reached the semi-finals of the Zenith Data Systems Cup, losing out to Everton in a two-legged tie played on the Tuesday and Thursday of the same week
- Leeds United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and the rest of England’s top clubs sent their best players to compete in indoor six-a-side tournaments
- Don Revie's England played Italy on a baseball pitch before taking on a USA international side featuring Bobby Moore and Pelé
- Manchester City contested a Wembley final against Chelsea only 24 hours after playing a top-flight derby at Old Trafford
- Swindon Town beat Juventus at home and away as they marched to an unlikely Anglo-Italian Cup triumph
- Watford became the first club to lose twice in the FA Cup in the same season
- A Tranmere Rovers goalkeeper conceded six goals but was still given the man of the match award
- Claudio Ranieri brought his star-studded Fiorentina side to the Potteries, but they couldn’t do it on a cold, rainy night in Stoke
- England won a trophy for once, and it wasn’t even 1966: football really did come home!