Leeds United facing a very different defence as date for new season's fixtures nears - YEP 5/6/22
Leeds United will be defending their top-flight status when the new season begins over the first weekend of August.
By Lee Sobot
Thirty years ago, the Whites were defending their top-flight
title, and beginning with a victory as Lee Chapman’s double sealed a 2-1
triumph against Wimbledon at Elland Road on the opening day.
Jesse Marsch's Whites will find out their opening weekend
opponents next week when the fixtures are released at 9am on Thursday, June 16.
Leeds are heading for a third consecutive season back in the
Premier League following their final day ‘great escape’ from relegation via
victory at Brentford coupled with Newcastle United’s triumph at Burnley.
The Whites were also heading for a third consecutive
campaign back in the top division back in 1992 but Howard Wilkinson’s side were
approaching that campaign as newly-crowned champions of the land.
Leeds had only been promoted back to the top tier as
champions of the old Second Division in the Spring of 1990 and a fourth-placed
finish followed in the First Division season of 1990-91.
Wilko’s Whites were then crowned champions of England for
only the third time in the club’s history the following season in what was the
last ever First Division.
England’s top tier then became the Premier League and the
Whites were handed an opening day clash at home to a Wimbledon side who had
finished the previous campaign in 13th place.
Leeds had already completed the signing of Eric Cantona from
Nantes for £900,000 at the end of their title-winning campaign and then spent a
club record £2m to land striker David Rocastle from Arsenal.
Scott Sellars also arrived from Blackburn Rovers during the
summer as Glynn Snodin joined Hearts and Bobby Davison left for Leicester City.
The competitive season for United began on Saturday, August
8 as league champions Leeds faced FA Cup winners Liverpool in the Charity
Shield.
A Cantona hat-trick and Tony Dorigo strike gave Wilkinson’s
side a 4-3 victory and one week later the league campaign began against Joe
Kinnear’s Dons at Elland Road.
Leeds lined up with an XI of John Lukic, Chris Fairclough,
Jon Newsome, Chris Whyte, Dorigo, David Batty, Gary McAllister, Gary Speed,
Cantona, Chapman and Rod Wallace as Gordon Strachan and Steve Hodge made up the
bench.
With just 14 minutes on the clock, Chapman fired the Whites
ahead after pouncing on a mistake by Roger Joseph who dallied on the ball when
presented with the opportunity to clear McAllister’s cross which was flicked on
by Wallace into the Dons box.
After a loose touch from Joseph, Chapman steamed in behind
and took a couple of touches to round advancing ‘keeper Hans Segars before
converting from six yards out.
The Dons defending was a mess but Kinnear’s visitors
equalised in bizarre fashion through Warren Barton with just 14 minutes left.
There appeared little danger as a long ball was headed clear
but Barton let fly with a high looping lob on the half volley from all of 30
yards out.
Lukic was outside his six yard box and the Whites ‘keeper
soon began scrambling back towards his goal but it was too late and Barton’s
lob sailed over Lukic and into the top left corner.
The Dons were threatening to spoil the party, as they often
did, yet Leeds hit back to bag an 86th-minute winner.
This time United seized upon a Wimbledon clearance and
substitute Hodge played the ball into Cantona on the edge of the box.
The Frenchman was challenged and the ball spun into the air
but Cantona managed to play in Chapman with a flicked header and the Whites
striker produced a rasping drive on the half volley that flew into the top
right hand corner of the net despite a hand from Segars.
They had left it late but United’s defence of their title
was off to the perfect start though it proved a false dawn as part of a season
that only ended with a 17th-placed finish as part of the first ever Premier
League which back then featured 22 teams.