19-02-55: West Bromwich Albion (h) 1-1 (HT 1-0) Crowd (16,240)

Referee: A.W. Luty (Leeds).

Programme:

Teamsheet:(Courtesy Mark Ledgard)

Match Report (Courtesy Steve Bell)

Yorkshire Post: 21st February 1955

New style attack

By W. IAN GUILD

LEEDS UNITED 1 WEST BROMWICH ALBION 1

As an exhibition of football this friendly encounter at Elland Road on Saturday was full value for money. Played at a brisk pace on a frost-bound pitch, both sides exploited the fast ground pass and gave the 9,000 hardy people, who braved a bitterly cold wind, a glimpse of what football could be like if League points had not become so important. Leeds were by far the more assured side. Their fast accurate passing and swift interchange of position often had the Albion defence going the wrong way, and Leeds would not have been flattered with a three-goal lead at half-time instead of one. In the first half it was practically all Leeds. Albion seemed less inclined to take risks, and the forceful Leeds forwards, with Nightingale and Brook outstanding, produced a brand of football which, in some mysterious way, they must have been keeping up their sleeves for just such an occasion.

Good positioning

That each side scored only once was due mainly to the respective defences. In addition, Albion had luck on their side more than once, for shots that Sanders heard but certainly did not see, hit the posts and rebounded to safety. With eight of last year's Cup-winning side on view Albion might have done better with a little more dash in their play. They started well, but Dunn, Hair and Charles, supported by Ripley and Kerfoot, positioned themselves so cleverly that the Albion attack looked very ordinary. Albion's bright star was Hodgkisson, an inside-left, who was making his first appearance with the senior team. In addition to scoring the equaliser with a brilliant shot which went in off the crossbar, Hodgkisson was the mainspring of most of the Albion attacks. Webb, who was tried at outside-right for Leeds, had a good first half, making tracks for goal at every opportunity. In the second half he saw less of the ball and was rather easily disposed when he got it. Charles, assured and correct in everything he did, made the goal with which Brook opened the scoring. Taking the ball through the Albion defence like a ballet dancer, Charles opened the way for Brook to beat Sanders with a powerful oblique drive.