This 2007-08 season is going to be one of record-breaking for Leeds United, both good and bad. The players can't stop it, it is merely a product of where the club finds itself. Relegated to League One for the first time in its history the club will meet a lot of new opponents this season and it starts from day one. In a week that has already seen the club set two new records - the most points deducted in a season (15) and the most points deducted in two consecutive seasons (25) - Dennis Wise's hastily recruited charges face Tranmere Rovers in the Football League for the first time ever.
Incredibly over the last 75 years, the two clubs have met just four times, and two of those were in the same season being an FA Cup tie and a replay (handsomely won 4-0 by Leeds) in 1933. More recently the clubs have met in the League Cup were honours were even with a win a piece. However, Tranmere fans will claim the bragging rights having secured the most recent win a famous 3-2 extra-time win in Oct 2000 against an O'Leary team that was 2-0 ahead at half-time. Perhaps more memorable for Leeds fans was the fact that Huckerby managed to score twice in that game - Tranmere must have been really bad in that first half! [article continues below]
English League Cup - Round 3 - 31/10/2000 KO 19:45 - Prenton Park
Tranmere Rovers
3 (0) - (2) 2
AET
Leeds United
Parkinson 52
Yates 76
Parkinson 120
Crowd: 11681
Huckerby 25
Huckerby 34
Tranmere: Murphy, Yates, Gareth Roberts, Challinor, Hill, Hamilton (Allison,19), Flynn, Hinds, Koumas, Taylor (Gill, 115), Barlow (Parkinson, 50) Tranmere subs not used: Achterberg,Hazell,
Leeds United: Paul Robinson, Gary Kelly, Ian Harte, Jonathan Woodgate, Dom Matteo, Hay (Lucas Radebe, 77 ), Jacob Burns , Matthew Jones, Eirik Bakke, Mark Viduka, Huckerby (Tony Hackworth 72 (Alan Smith, 105) Leeds United subs not used Milosevic, Evans,
Bookings: Hinds (Tranmere) Bakke, Viduka (Leeds)
Referee: R Styles (Hampshire)
After that unfortunate blast from the past today's game offers the chance of Leeds United losing out to one of their own. Wakefield born Rovers striker Chris Greenacre is a Leeds United fan and attended United's centre of excellence as a kid! Like all professional footballers he cannot wait to score against the team he supported! Here's what he said to icliverpool,
"I'm so excited that we are playing Leeds. I have been waiting for Saturday's game ever since the fixtures came out.
I had a season ticket at Elland Road when I was a lad and would go to watch games on Saturday afternoons with my uncle."
Greenacre had to some words of comfort for his fellow Leeds fans, although they didn't include "I would never dream of trying to score against Leeds and I'll try to pop one in my own net near the end".
"Like every Leeds fan I believe deep down that the club will recover from this. They are such a big club and I think someone will emerge to lead them on the upward path again.
But is going to be a long hard road and this season may be the hardest for them.
The players at the club now, the ones signed by Dennis Wise, are going to be burdened with the history as well as all the other difficulties. That's what you get when you play for a big club."
Alan Thompson will make his debut as new Leeds United captain and Andy Hughes may make his first start in a white shirt just 24 hours after joining Leeds. Rovers have four potential debutants in Ahmed, Chorley, Coyne and Kay. Both sides have injured players including for Leeds new signings Prutton and Leon Constantine and Rovers may miss the services of Gareth Taylor and John Mullin.
Rovers are managed by the redoubtable Ronnie Moore, (father of recently departed Leeds striker Ian Moore), who Leeds fans will remember led Rotherham to a 1-0 victory over Kevin Blackwell's Leeds United on a cold November night when Leeds United defender Clark Carlisle hit the woodwork three times in the opening fifteen minutes. Let hope for the fans watching the game today there is as much excitement on offer but with a better outcome. Leeds manager Dennis Wise aims to finish the day on just minus twelve points!
