Billy Bremner made a landmark appearance for Leeds United on this day in 1973, and the club celebrated it by taking apart Bobby Moore’s West Ham at Elland Road.
Having made his Leeds debut in 1960, Billy Bremner went on to become arguably the most important player in the history of the club, captaining them through the glory years under Don Revie.
On the third of November 1973, Leeds welcomed a West Ham side featuring England’s World Cup-winning captain Bobby Moore to Elland Road in Bremner’s 650th appearance for the club.
Leeds came into the game sitting on top of the First Division table, and they would go on to secure their last First Division title before Howard Wilkinson claimed the crown in 1992, with West Ham sitting in 21st position.
The gulf in class showed in a one-sided game, as Mick Jones scored twice to ensure Bremner celebrated his landmark Leeds United appearance with a win.
Billy Bremner stars in his 650th appearance for Leeds United
Leeds would only lose four games on their way to the 1973/74 First Division title, a record matched by Daniel Farke’s side last season, and their game against West Ham was not one of those four.
According to a report from The Observer on the day, Leeds’ captain was instrumental in the victory as they wrote, “Bremner was always darting hither and thither to telling effect.”
Leeds wasted little time in opening the scoring, as Mick Bates scored after 20 minutes after Paul Madeley’s shot rebounded to him inside the penalty area. Two minutes later, Leeds were 2-0 up, as Mick Jones sprayed the ball out to Leeds legend Peter Lorimer, who crossed into the box for Jones to finish.
Jones added his second with a brilliant finish, latching onto a long ball from goalkeeper David Harvey, which had been flicked on, lifting the ball over future Leeds goalkeeper Mervyn Day to give Leeds an unassailable lead. Leeds forward Allan Clarke added a fourth, heading home a brilliant cross from Bates.
The same Observer report stated that the “only man to defy criticism in the West Ham ranks once again was Bobby Moore. For some reason, lost perhaps in the past encounters between the clubs, was booed every time he touched the ball – a fate he managed to shrug off with calm disdain.”
West Ham salvaged some pride from the game, as Ted MacDougall scored a late consolation goal. However, Leeds and Bremner were able to enjoy a famous victory in his 650th game for the club.
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Where does Billy Bremner rank in the most appearances for Leeds United?
Incredibly, Billy Bremner would go on to make another 122 appearances for Leeds after the win over West Ham, having made more than 100 appearances before his 20th birthday, according to LUFCData.
Bremner would go on to end his career agonisingly close to being Leeds’ leading appearance maker of all time, retiring having made 772 appearances for the club, including 771 starts.
| Rank | Name | Appearances | Starts |
| 1 | Jack Charlton | 773 | 773 |
| 2 | Billy Bremner | 772 | 771 |
| 3 | Paul Reaney | 749 | 737 |
| 4 | Norman Hunter | 726 | 724 |
| 5 | Paul Madeley | 726 | 712 |
This is just one game fewer than the colossal figure of Jack Charlton. Big Jack played 773 games for Leeds, all of which were starts.
The top five is dominated by players from the Don Revie era, with Charlton and Bremner followed by Paul Reaney, Norman Hunter and Paul Madeley to complete an illustrious list.
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