CITY 1 LEEDS UNITED 2
League Division 2
26th December 1987
attendance 30,153
Scorers
City White(44)
Leeds Davison(28), Batty(83)
Ref R Nixon
City Suckling, Brightwell, Hinchcliffe, Clements, Lake, Redmond, White, Stewart, Varadi, Scott, Simpson – subs Seagraves(unused), Langley(unused)
Leeds Day, Aspin, Adams, Williams, Ashurst, Haddock, Batty, Sheridan, Swan, Davison, Snodin – subs Stiles(86), Melrose(unused)
MAGIC MOMENTS – DAVID WHITE TALKS TO COLIN EVANS, AN ARTICLE PUBLISHED IN THE CITY PROGRAMME 12TH JANUARY 1988
David White tries not to think too much about the best goal of his career.
For it came during the 2-1 Boxing Day setback against Leeds United and as David says: “Getting beat took the shine off it.”
Even so it was a spectacular effort which earned the highest praise from the Press.
Richard Bott of the Sunday Express said: “Quality is not the prerogative of the First Division which cannot have seen a better goal than White’s scorching 30 yarder just on half time.”
The Sunday Mirror differed slightly over the distance, but not with the quality, saying: “White’s equaliser was a gem, he
unleashed a ferocious shot from 28 yards which flew into the back of the net.”
David’s own version of the goal highlights the delicate line between success and comic failure when you have a go from that far out.
He recalls: “I think Paul Simpson had a shot which hit someone and ricochetted across the area and out to me. One of their players was racing after it, another was coming at me from another direction.
“I just didn’t have time to try controlling it and doing something in the way of a pass or a centre, they would have smothered me. So I just hit it first time. Luckily I caught it properly. At first I thought it was going to flash just past the post and I was thinking ‘Unlucky’. But suddenly it was in the back of the net and the rest of the lads were all over me.
“It must have looked a great goal and I don’t think I’ve scored a better one for City, but if I’d been a split second out with my timing it could have hit the corner flag. In fact, from that distance nine shots out of 10 will go wide or over the bar, or just won’t have the power to trouble the ‘keeper.
“lf we had gone on to win the game I would have had much happier memories of that goal. But when you’re going for promotion and you lose, you want to try to forget about the match in general and get on with the next.”