weallloveleeds.co.uk
  • Latest
  • Fixtures/Results/Table
  • Have Your Say
  • Meet the team
  • Contact Us
  • Links

My First Game with David Watkins

31/3/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
We All Love Leeds spoke to David Watkins about his first time watching the mighty whites in a new feature we are calling 'my first game'.

My first Leeds game seen live in the flesh was at the Hawthorns in 1969, just a few games before we were crowned champions for the first time. I was 12 years-old and had been following Leeds for a few seasons already but I lived with my Mum and Dad in Worcestershire, near the Malvern Hills, and hence it was always likely to be a game in the Midlands that took my Leeds virginity.Wal

I can still remember my Dad coming home one night from work and telling me that a mate of his was going up to the game the following week, it was a Wednesday night league game and did I want to go? Did I want to go? I couldn’t wait!

I was Leeds mad; I kept a scrapbook with cuttings of every game and a little black book (just like Jack Charlton!) with all the results, scorers and attendances.

I had my white Leeds shirt, the one with the round neck and the old owl badge and I had even glued the club crest onto my green school tracksuit top. That caused me a bit of a problem at school since I was told in no uncertain terms that unless I was a member of the club whose badge it was, I couldn’t have it on my school kit! I had to try to remove the badge but it was so well glued on that I was left with a patch of backing material and dried glue for the next two years until I grew out of the tracksuit! I also had my Leeds United tie, bought through the post from Jack Charlton’s shop. They sent me a printed autograph sheet with the tie, which I still have to this day.
We travelled up the M5 from Worcester to West Bromwich in a battered old bottle green, hand painted, ex-Post Office Morris Minor van, me on the shiny bench seat on one side in the back, hanging on for grim life and swinging like a deranged monkey as we went round corners! There were no seat belts in those days of course!

Dad’s mate was a Baggie, so we watched the game from behind the goal at the Birmingham Road end, with the rest of the Baggies even though I’d bought a big Leeds poster outside the ground and then carried it, in a big roll, under my arm for the rest of the night.

Fans of a certain vintage will remember the one – it had postcard sized head and shoulders photos of the squad in glossy black and white and the famous old frontage of the main entrance in the middle. Only problem was, it included Jimmy Greenhoff who’d left us at the start of the season. I sorted that in the next close season by sticking a picture of new signing Allan Clarke over Greenhoff’s face!

The game started badly for Leeds as a mistake by big Jack Charlton in the first few minutes allowed the Baggies to take the lead but early in the second half Eddie Gray equalised and the point was enough to keep Leeds six points clear of Liverpool at the top of the First Division. By the end of the campaign Leeds had amassed a then record 67 points with only two defeats all season in the league and they achieved the league title Don Revie had promised back in August.

Extract from “Leeds United in pursuit of the Premiership” by David Watkins

Thank you to David for being part of our new feature. If you'd like your first time watching Leeds to be on the site, email weallloveleeds92@yahoo.com or contact us via Twitter! @weallloveleedsu
​
By Keith Ingham
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    As featured on NewsNow: Leeds United newsLeeds United News 24/7

    Categories

    All

    Archives

    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012

    RSS Feed

    This is an image from weallloveleeds.co.uk, the leading fans site for Leeds United
    Follow @weallloveleedsu
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Latest
  • Fixtures/Results/Table
  • Have Your Say
  • Meet the team
  • Contact Us
  • Links