15-11-54: Admira Wacker (h) 3-1 (HT 2-0) Crowd (8,000)

Programme:

Walter Kafer replaced the injured Pinggera after twenty minutes.

Match Report: Yorkshire Post 16-11-1954: Courtesy Steve Bell

United saw the target despite the fog

By RICHARD ULYATT: LEEDS UNITED 3 ADMIRA (Vienna) 1

Though there were no Tales from the Woods or Vienna Waltzes at Elland Road last night, a swirling fog added an air of unreality to football and on those occasions when even the white ball was out of sight, it was possible to tell where the scene of play was only because a cluster of apparently leg-less bodies jogged into position for what might to a stranger have seemed a macabre dance. In the circumstances it was no surprise that the attendance stopped at 8,000 hardy souls. The lights penetrated the gloom long enough for us to see two good goals - United's third, scored by Forrest, and Admira's consolation, scored by the inside left - but much of the other football had to be guessed. Admira, apparently could see less well than anyone else, for after working the ball to within shooting distance they did not know where the goal was - when they did see it, Wood's goalkeeping was admirable - and then they twice lost defenders thinking United players offside, when the referee thought otherwise. Both these mistakes cost goals.

United played on

Thus United, instead of being several goals down after fifty-three minutes - their first attack was not made until the tenth minute, when Vienna ought to have been leading comfortably - were at that stage two goals ahead. Even the fog could not hide these two goals from me, because the leading-up work took place on my side of the field, where I could distinguish Kerfoot relieving pressure on United's goal with an accurate pass to McCall, the left-winger darting past his half-back apparent, beating the full-back and pushing the ball to Forrest at which point Admira stopped, hoping for an offside decision, wheras the centre forward went on, drew the goalkeeper and ran the ball into the net - a move of which the referee approved. At that point Admira were a man short, the centre-forward being hurt in the raid that Kerfoot ended. Goal No.2 came when Vickers kept onside just long enough to see a long pass made. He then rounded his marker and, quite out of character, dashed for goal. Inside the penalty area he was brought down when Admira realised ther was to be no offside and from the penalty kick Charles scored.

Room on the wings

Forrest had to beat two men and turn round before he scored United's third goal and Tupy went past Charles and two other wraith-like United figures before shooting his goal. This was the final match of Admira's tour, during which the football was more notable for its quality and sportsmanship than for its success in goals. Their Continental system of playing their backs close together and the wing half marking the opposing wingers was exploited last night - as it always will be - by players ready to draw the half-back before passing to the wing. McCall frequently found himself with yards of room on the touchline; Williams might have had a similar field-day had he not preferred to run across the field.

Leeds United: Wood; Hair, Ashall; Gibson, Charles, Kerfoot; Williams, Vickers, Forrest, Toner, McCall.

Admira: Alex; Mayer, Hansy; Linc, Fichtle, Gaenger; Ceyka, Richter, Pinggera, (Kafer substitute after 20 minutes), Tupy, Hofer.