'Tingles down my spine' - What it was like to witness Leeds United 1972 FA Cup glory as Whites head to Wembley
Leeds United last won the FA Cup in 1972 with Billy Bremner lifting the trophy at Wembley.
When Leeds United head to Wembley for their FA Cup semi-final meeting with Chelsea on Sunday, it will rekindle fond memories for many.
It’s been 39 years since Leeds were last in the final-four of this competition, but their 1986/87 defeat to Coventry City was played at Hillsborough. You’d have to go back another 14 years for their Wembley defeat to Sunderland and 12 more months for the last time they triumphed.
That 1972 FA Cup-winning side is widely regarded as one of the best in Leeds history. Allan Clarke scored the winner - one of 151 goals for the Whites - with the likes of Eddie Gray, Norman Hunter, Jack Charlton and Peter Lorimer also involved. Captain Billy Bremner received the trophy.
“I was privileged to see them and be at Wembley for the 1972 FA Cup final,” Heidi Haigh tells the YEP while discussing an upcoming Billy Bremner Gala Dinner she is helping to organise and promote. “To me, it was the most magical day of all.
“It was the first time I'd ever been to Wembley. Seeing the ground was just amazing. Wembley way and the Twin Towers was just, it was just really a lovely day. I think I knew we were going to win that day, that was the thing that stood out, we were going to win the FA Cup.
“Before the game, you had all the community singing. You had Tommy Steele there wearing white, supporting Leeds. Abide With Me and the national anthem sung by the whole stadium was just so inspiring, and still sends tingles down my spine to this day.”
That was a period in which Leeds were up there with the best teams in Europe, but it’s not the case this time round with Daniel Farke’s side fighting for top-flight survival. For large parts of the season, opinion has been split on whether the FA Cup provides a welcome or unnecessary distraction from the main objective.
Leeds United ready to make FA Cup their priority
Heading down to Wembley on Sunday with safety all but secured, fans will not be so divided. They face a Chelsea side who haven’t beaten them this season, with victory sending them back to Wembley. For Heidi, a fan who grew up watching that incredible Don Revie squad, it was never a question.
“I was brought up on the best, we battled for everything,” she said. “We challenged for everything. Yes, we didn't get what we should have, what we deserved most of the time, but I would still go through that era of fighting for everything, and it gave you that joy of actually battling.
“Yes, we’ve had big downs at the end of it, but you pick yourselves up and you carry on, you did it again. To me, that's what football should be like. You've got to fight for everything and go for it. Not ‘oh, we might get relegated if we do this’. No, you fight for it and you aim for the top.”
Since that glorious day in 1972, Wembley hasn’t been much fun for Leeds. They lost the following year’s final to Second Division Sunderland and fell to defeat in six more across the Charity Shield and Championship play-offs. But Daniel Farke has been in the business of making history.
His 100-point Championship tally was the highest in Leeds’ history and a recent 2-1 win at Old Trafford was their first in the league there since 1981. Victory on Sunday would end a 56-year wait for an FA Cup final, giving another generation that chance to experience what Heidi and many others did.
“It was just a wonderful occasion before the game, because back then, they used to build it up for the whole day, and I think that was part of the magic of the FA Cup,” she remembered. “Seeing Billy lift the FA Cup from Her Majesty the Queen was just magical.
“Being able to celebrate that win down at Wembley, it’s something I've wanted to do again ever since. I've always wanted to go back to Wembley and win the FA Cup, and it's really been tough seeing how they've devalued it over the years.”