Jump to content

1980–81 Leeds United A.F.C. season

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Leeds United
1980–81 season
ChairmanManny Cussins
ManagerJimmy Adamson
(until 1 October)
Dave Merrington
(caretaker, until 1 Oct)
Allan Clarke
(from 1 October)
StadiumElland Road
First Division9th
FA CupThird round
League CupSecond round
Top goalscorerLeague:
Carl Harris (10)

All:
Carl Harris (10)
Highest home attendance39,206 vs Liverpool
(18 April 1981, First Division)
Lowest home attendance14,333 vs Brighton & Hove Albion
(29 November 1980, First Division)
Average home league attendance21,377[1]

The 1980–81 season was Leeds United's seventeenth consecutive season in the Football League First Division.

Season summary

[edit]

Leeds began the season in the same poor form that they ended the previous season in, leaving them in the relegation zone for the first few months of the season. Manager Jimmy Adamson resigned after a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Sunderland, the club he had walked out on to take charge of Leeds two years earlier. With attendances at their lowest level since the club's last spell in the Second Division, the board tried to win back the supporters by appointing former hero Allan Clarke, who had just steered Barnsley to promotion from the Fourth Division.

Leeds's form picked up greatly after Clarke's appointment, albeit they were knocked out of the FA Cup at the first hurdle by Coventry City, having already been knocked out of the League Cup by eventual Division One champions Aston Villa while Adamson was still manager. The club eventually finished a solid ninth place. While their having the lowest goalscoring record of any top-flight club that season was cause for concern, it was offset by having one of the best defences in the division; however, their inability to score would foreshadow much bigger, and ultimately terminal, problems they would face next season.

Competitions

[edit]

Football League First Division

[edit]

League table

[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
7 Nottingham Forest 42 19 12 11 62 44 +18 50
8 Manchester United 42 15 18 9 51 36 +15 48
9 Leeds United 42 17 10 15 39 47 −8 44
10 Tottenham Hotspur 42 14 15 13 70 68 +2 43 Qualification for the European Cup Winners' Cup first round[a]
11 Stoke City 42 12 18 12 51 60 −9 42
Source: World Football
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
Notes:
  1. ^ Tottenham Hotspur qualified for the European Cup Winners' Cup first round as the 1980–81 FA Cup winners.

Matches

[edit]
Win Draw Loss
First Division match results[2][3]
Date Opponent Venue Result
F–A
Scorers Attendance
16 August 1980 Aston Villa Home 1–2 Stevenson (pen.) 23,401
19 August 1980 Middlesbrough Away 0–3 19,470
23 August 1980 Norwich City Away 3–2 Hart, Graham, Connor 17,890
30 August 1980 Leicester City Home 1–2 Hart 18,530
6 September 1980 Stoke City Away 0–3 12,729
13 September 1980 Tottenham Hotspur Home 0–0 21,947
20 September 1980 Manchester United Home 0–0 32,539
27 September 1980 Sunderland Away 1–4 Parlane 29,619
4 October 1980 Ipswich Town Away 1–1 Sabella 24,087
8 October 1980 Manchester City Home 1–0 Harris 19,134
11 October 1980 Everton Home 1–0 Curtis 25,601
18 October 1980 Wolverhampton Wanderers Away 1–2 Connor 20,699
22 October 1980 Nottingham Forest Away 1–2 Harris 25,033
25 October 1980 Crystal Palace Home 1–0 Connor 19,208
1 November 1980 Coventry City Away 1–2 Connor 13,970
8 November 1980 Arsenal Home 0–5 20,855
12 November 1980 Middlesbrough Home 2–1 Hird (2, 1 pen.) 17,382
15 November 1980 Aston Villa Away 1–1 Sabella 29,106
22 November 1980 Southampton Away 1–2 Graham 20,278
29 November 1980 Brighton & Hove Albion Home 1–0 Harris 14,333
6 December 1980 West Bromwich Albion Away 2–1 Harris, Graham 17,771
13 December 1980 Nottingham Forest Home 1–0 Greenhoff 21,882
20 December 1980 Manchester City Away 0–1 31,866
26 December 1980 Birmingham City Home 0–0 19,214
27 December 1980 Liverpool Away 0–0 44,086
10 January 1981 Southampton Home 0–3 21,007
17 January 1981 Leicester City Away 1–0 Hart 16,094
31 January 1981 Norwich City Home 1–0 Harris 15,836
7 February 1981 Tottenham Hotspur Away 1–1 Harris 32,372
14 February 1981 Stoke City Home 1–3 Flynn 16,530
21 February 1981 Sunderland Home 1–0 Harris 23,236
28 February 1981 Manchester United Away 1–0 Flynn 45,733
14 March 1981 Everton Away 2–1 Parlane, Harris 23,014
21 March 1981 Wolverhampton Wanderers Home 1–3 Harris 19,252
28 March 1981 Crystal Palace Away 1–0 Parlane 15,053
31 March 1981 Ipswich Town Home 3–0 Hird, Harris, Hart 26,462
4 April 1981 Coventry City Home 3–0 Stevenson, Parlane, Flynn 15,882
11 April 1981 Arsenal Away 0–0 29,339
18 April 1981 Liverpool Home 0–0 39,206
21 April 1981 Birmingham City Away 2–0 Parlane, Hird (pen.) 14,505
2 May 1981 Brighton & Hove Albion Away 0–2 27,577
6 May 1981 West Bromwich Albion Home 0–0 17,218

FA Cup

[edit]
Win Draw Loss
League Cup match details[4][5]
Round Date Opponent Venue Result
F–A
Scorers Attendance
Third round 3 January 1981 Coventry City Home 1–1 Hird (pen.) 24,523
Third round replay 6 March 1981 Coventry City Away 0–1 22,057

Football League Cup

[edit]
Win Draw Loss
League Cup match details[6][7]
Round Date Opponent Venue Result
F–A
Scorers Attendance
Second round, first leg 27 August 1980 Aston Villa Away 0–1 24,238
Second round, second leg 3 September 1980 Aston Villa Home 1–3 Graham 12,236

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Rollin, Jack (1981). Rothmans Football Yearbook: 1981–82. London: Queen Anne Press. p. 428. ISBN 0-362-02046-9. OCLC 868301130.
  2. ^ Jarred, Martin; MacDonald, Malcolm (1986). Leeds United: a complete record 1919–1986. Derby: Breedon Books Sport. pp. 132–133. ISBN 0-907969-17-8. OCLC 14977257.
  3. ^ Rollin, Jack (1981). Rothmans Football Yearbook: 1981–82. London: Queen Anne Press. pp. 194–195. ISBN 0-362-02046-9. OCLC 868301130.
  4. ^ Jarred, Martin; MacDonald, Malcolm (1986). Leeds United: a complete record 1919–1986. Derby: Breedon Books Sport. p. 155. ISBN 0-907969-17-8. OCLC 14977257.
  5. ^ Rollin, Jack (1981). Rothmans Football Yearbook: 1981–82. London: Queen Anne Press. p. 471. ISBN 0-362-02046-9. OCLC 868301130.
  6. ^ Jarred, Martin; MacDonald, Malcolm (1986). Leeds United: a complete record 1919–1986. Derby: Breedon Books Sport. p. 160. ISBN 0-907969-17-8. OCLC 14977257.
  7. ^ Rollin, Jack (1981). Rothmans Football Yearbook: 1981–82. London: Queen Anne Press. pp. 434–437. ISBN 0-362-02046-9. OCLC 868301130.