Killie met one of the finest
teams in England - Leeds United - in the semi-final second leg of
the Fairs Cities Cup.
The first leg had taken place at Elland Road on Friday, May 19 when
Leeds won 4-2, all the goals coming in the first half.
Only Kilmarnock stood between Leeds United
and a place in the final. It was a memorable evening
particularly for Rod Belfitt who
scored his first hat-trick for the club in the first
half-an-hour, beating Scottish international goalkeeper Bobby
Ferguson, who was soon to join West Ham United for a record fee
for a goalkeeper of £60.000, with two superb headers and a fine
shot. Johnny Giles added a fourth as
McIlroy twice got his name on the score-sheet for
Kilmarnock as United took a two goal lead into the second leg
with a 4-2 victory.Kilmarnock left
out their regular right wing pair of Tommy McLean and Jackie
McInally and replaced them with half
backs Watson and O’Connor, leaving little doubt that they had
not come with any attacking intentions. Their plans
disintegrated in the first minute when
Belfitt took advantage of a defensive misunderstanding
between keeper Ferguson and Jackie McGrory
to nod the ball home.
Three
minutes later Belfitt dived
spectacularly to head in a Mike O’Grady cross to put United two
up and it all seemed too easy, but United were made to pay for
their complacency as first Carl Bertelson
and then Gerry Queen went close before Brian
McIlroy hit the net in the
twenty-first minute.
United
were playing with gay abandon particularly in
defence and a poor back pass almost
let McIlroy in, while the usually
impeccable Madeley almost let
Bertelsen score.
Belfitt settled
United’s nerves as he slid in a cross from Eddie Gray
after a fine dribble by Johnny Giles. However Gray was guilty of
a miscalculation when he attempted a thirty-fifth minute
back-pass to Gary Sprake and it got stuck in the mud allowing
McIlroy to pull a goal back.
It
was Belfitt again to the rescue as
he once more had the Kilmarnock defence
all at sea six minutes before half time, causing
McGrory to handle to prevent
Belfitt from getting the ball. Giles
coolly slotted home the spot-kick to send the teams in at
half-time with United 4-2 in the lead. Although United hit the
woodwork three times and Kilmarnock once, there was no change to
the score and they knew their defensive work needed improvement,
but with Mike O’Grady devastating on the wing and
Belfitt a constant threat they had
been the better team and deserved their two goal lead.
Leeds United: Sprake,
Reaney, Bell, Bremner, Madeley, Hunter, O'Grady, Lorimer, Belfitt,
Giles, Gray.
Kilmarnock: Ferguson, King, McFadzean, Murray, McGrory,
Beattie, Watson, O'Connor, Bertelsen, Queen, McIlroy.
Kilmarnock 0
Leeds Utd 0
(Semi Final 2nd Leg at Rugby Park)
(Wednesday, May 24, 1967 )
But it was certainly not
beyond Killie to pull back the two-goal deficit at Rugby Park
against a Leeds team including goalie Gary Sprake, Norman Hunter,
big Jack Charlton and those great Scottish internationalists the
elegant Eddie Gray, Peter Lorimer, who was famed for his thunderbolt
shooting and lionheart himself, midfield dynamo Billy Bremner.
They also had full-back Terry Cooper who was a wing back before the
position had been invented. In the game at Rugby Park, Leeds
defended with 10 men behind the ball and Sprake was in excellent
form in goal.
Try as they might Killie couldn't find a way through and the game
ended goalless. The Killie team that night was Ferguson, King,
McFadzean, Murray, McGrory, Beattie, McLean, McInally, Bertlesen,
Queen and McIlroy.
Kilmarnock: Ferguson,
King, McFadzean, Murray, McGrory, Beattie, McLean, McInally,
Bertelsen, Queen, McIlroy.
Leeds United: Sprake, Reaney, Bell, Bremner, Madeley, Hunter,
Lorimer, Gray, Belfitt, Giles, Cooper.
This was Bobby Ferguson's last game for Killie before joining West
Ham United for a then record fee for a goalkeeper of £65,000.
This was the beginning of the great Leeds team that was to be
amongst the top honours for a great number of years. For Killie it
signaled another great year in European competition. Killie finished
7th in the first division that year.
