1980–81 Leeds United A.F.C. season
# 1980–81 Leeds United A.F.C. season

The 1980–81 season was Leeds United's 54th season in the Football League, and their seventeenth consecutive season in the Football League First Division, the top tier of English football, where they finished 9th. Alongside the First Division, the club competed in the FA Cup and the Football League Cup, being eliminated in the third round of the former and the second round of the latter.

## Season summary

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, and 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, and 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

### Football League First Division

**League table**

| Pos | Teamvte | 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 |
| 11 | Stoke City | 42 | 12 | 18 | 12 | 51 | 60 | −9 | 42 | |

* ↑ Tottenham Hotspur qualified for the European Cup Winners' Cup first round as the 1980–81 FA Cup winners.

**Matches**

| Win | Draw | Loss |
| - | - | - |
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | 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 |

Source:

### FA Cup

| Win | Draw | Loss |
| - | - | - |
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | 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 |

Source:

### Football League Cup

| Win | Draw | Loss |
| - | - | - |
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | 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 |

Source:

