When Leeds United were eight minutes away from going back up under Billy Bremner

LEEDS United can finally say that a 16-year exile from the country’s top flight is firmly a thing of the past.
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Whilst still some way from being a decade and a half, the Whites were also getting sick of the unfamiliarity of the country’s second tier in the 1980s following the club’s relegation in 1982.

Eventually, the Whites ended what was an eight-year absence from the country’s top flight when Howard Wilkinson’s side sealed the Second Division title in 1990.

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Yet Leeds were just eight minutes from going back up three years earlier in the 1986-87 season as part of a campaign featuring heartache yet huge promise in league and cup.

HEARTACHE: Contrasting emotions at St Andrew's as Charlton Athletic fight back in extra-time to preserve the Division One status condemning Billy Bremner's Leeds United to another season in Division Two. Picture by YPN.HEARTACHE: Contrasting emotions at St Andrew's as Charlton Athletic fight back in extra-time to preserve the Division One status condemning Billy Bremner's Leeds United to another season in Division Two. Picture by YPN.
HEARTACHE: Contrasting emotions at St Andrew's as Charlton Athletic fight back in extra-time to preserve the Division One status condemning Billy Bremner's Leeds United to another season in Division Two. Picture by YPN.

The 1985-86 campaign had seen a fourth successive disappointment in terms of a promotion bid that ultimately cost boss Eddie Gray his job with one Whites’ legend replaced by another in the dugout as Billy Bremner left Doncaster Rovers to take the Elland Road hotseat.

After an unspectacular 14th-placed finish, Bremner then made widescale changes over the summer ahead of his first full season in charge.

Out went Dennis Irwin and Tommy Wright (Manchester United) plus Scott Sellars (Blackburn Rovers), Terry Phelan (Swansea City), George McCluskey (Hibernian) as well as Gary Hamson and David Harle who both joined Bristol City.

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Several of those departures, notably Irwin but also Sellars and Phelan would see their stock rise considerably in future years.

In came Keith Edwards (Sheffield United), Peter Haddock (Newcastle United), Jack Ashurst (Carlisle United), John Buckley (Doncaster Rovers), Ronnie Sinclair (Nottingham Forest) and Russell Doig (East Stirlingshire).

But the start of the season was completely marred by events in the stands in United’s seventh game of the season at Bradford City which had to be abandoned after huge crowd trouble at Odsal Stadium that saw a chip van set ablaze.

Bremner’s side were ensuring there was positivity regarding the actual football on the pitch with United well poised to mount a promotion challenge in November.

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But United then hit a major bump in the road via a 7-2 thrashing at Stoke City and more upheaval followed with captain Ian Snodin sold to Everton for a then club record fee of £800,000.

Bremner then recruited Mickey Adams (Coventry), Bobby McDonald (Oxford), Mark Aizelwood (Charlton) and John Pearson (Charlton) and Leeds ultimately established a side that almost sealed automatic promotion and what would have been the club’s fifth appearance in an FA Cup final at Wembley.

Coventry City alas put paid to that dream as the Sky Blues defeated Bremner’s Whites 3-2 in an April semi-final at Hillsborough.

But Leeds responded by sealing a fourth-placed finish which meant a place in the play-offs and a clash against third-placed finishers Oldham Athletic in the semi-finals.

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A Keith Edwards strike in the closing stages gave United a 1-0 victory in the first leg at Elland Road and another late Edwards goal in the second leg at Boundary Park saved United’s skin in a 2-1 defeat which put the Whites in the play-off final on away goals.

Having finished fourth-bottom in Division One, Charlton Athletic provided the final hurdle having seen off fifth-placed Division Two finishers Ipswich Town in their semi-final and the Addicks then secured a 1-0 win against the Whites in the play-off final first leg at The Valley.

But a Brendan Ormsby goal ensured Leeds then won the second leg by the same score at Elland Road meaning a play-off final replay staged at Birmingham City’s St Andrew’s ground at the end of May.

After a goalless 90 minutes, John Sheridan’s free-kick in the first half of extra time seemingly had Leeds heading back to the country’s top flight but with Ormsby off injured, Charlton’s Peter Shirtliff netted twice in the closing stages as part of a cruel end to a highly eventful campaign.

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Thank you Laura Collins