Leighton James played against Norman Hunter throughout the 1970s – for both club and country – and insists the former England and Leeds United defender, who died this week, was far more than just a hard man, as he told Graham Thomas.
Leighton James can still recall the tackles, the shoves, the pushes and the clatter of bone-on-bone whenever he played against Norman Hunter.
But the supremely canny former Wales winger has a more painful memory of damage inflicted by Hunter in January 1973 when Wales played England at Wembley in a key qualification tie for the 1974 World Cup.
Wales had taken the lead through John Toshack – a goal created and set up on a plate by James. They could have been forgiven for thinking they were on their way to a famous victory and, perhaps, even to West Germany for the finals the following year, when the picture changed in an instant.
Hunter – who became a high profile victim of the coronavirus pandemic at the age of 76 – scored a stunning equaliser that James says underlined why the centre-back was far more than just a hit man in the physical sense.
“I played against Norman regularly for Burnley against Leeds and quite a few times for Wales against England,” says James, who was nine years younger than Hunter but still a contemporary thanks to James breaking into the Burney team at 17 and the Wales side just a year later.
“He would have won a lot more England caps if it wasn’t for Bobby Moore and Jack Charlton, so he was a bit unlucky there.
“But when he played for England, I always thought he did well. I can remember the games against him during the 1974 World Cup qualifying campaign.
“There were only three of us in the group – Wales, England and Poland.
“We lost 1-0 to England in Cardiff – Colin Bell scored – and then drew 1-1 with them at Wembley. John Toshack put us ahead and it looked as though we might win, but then Norman scored an absolute cracker to make it 1-1.
“It was a real belter from about 25 yards with his left foot and it flew in. So, that showed he wasn’t just a hard man at all.”
On this day in 1973 Norman Hunter scored a cracking goal for England against Wales in a World Cup qualifier at Wembley, but it proved a frustrating night for Sir Alf Ramsey’s side as they were held to a 1-1 draw. #ENG #OTD pic.twitter.com/kFAwX5NTwS
— England Memories (@EnglandMemories) January 24, 2019
Wales beat the Poles at home in that group, but their attempts to qualify were underdone by a defeat in Warsaw.
England suffered the safe fate, meaning their qualification, instead of Poland, rested on them beating the East Europeans at home in the final tie.
But instead of clinching success, the game became one of the most infamous failures in English football history as they were held to a 1-1 draw and Poland went through.
Hunter was at the centre of England’s defence, and central to the drama, too, as his missed tackle on the touchline led to Poland taking the lead with a shot that went under the body of goalkeeper Peter Shilton.
“We beat Poland at home but lost out there, and England lost in Poland, too, so it came down to the game at Wembley between England and Poland to see who would qualify,” says James.
“Norman made a mistake that led to Poland’s goal, as did Peter Shilton, and a lot of people never let them forget it.
“But the Poland keeper, Jan Tomaszewski, was brilliant that night and although England drew, they didn’t get the win they needed.
“Norman shouldn’t be remembered for that mistake, though, or for the hard man image. He was a really good all-round player and a nice guy who was always happy to come and talk with you after a game.”
James and Hunter played against each other from 1972 through to 1979, at which point the then 36-year-old Hunter had left Leeds, and moved on from Bristol City to Barnsley.
James says the encounters were generally best enjoyed from a safe distance out on the wing, with only occasional, essential, journeys into centre-field.
This was the era when Hunter – and often his entire Leeds team – would often resemble the image summed up by the famous 1972 FA Cup final fans’ banner which said: ‘Norman Bites Yer Legs’.
“We played against each other a lot of times and it was always a hard battle. I would describe him as an uncompromising player. He was a hard so-and-so.
“But even though people will remember the Norman Bites Yer Legs image, that would be a poor judgement on him as a footballer.
“He could be a dirty sod, if he wanted to but he could also play a bit, too. Everyone in that Leeds side was good on the ball and Norman was the same.
“Leeds weren’t everyone’s cup of tea, because there was an edge about them. But they were also a highly skilled side, too, and Norman fitted right into both those aspects.
“That’s why one of my best memories involving Norman was one game for Burnley when we beat Leeds 4-1 at Elland Road in 1974.
“We were very proud of that result, because no-one did that very often.”