SAINTS have reached the League Cup semi finals for only the third time in their history.

Here, the Daily Echo recalls the first time.

January 24 1979 Semi final first leg

Leeds 2 Saints 2

Saints were the underdogs when they travelled to Elland Road.

Leeds were fifth in the top flight, five points off the leaders, and were the joint top scorers in the First Division with 47 goals - 25 of them coming in 12 home games.

In contrast, Saints - down in 12th place - had only scored 25 goals in 22 league games.

And only seven of those had come in 11 away matches, which yielded one win, three draws and seven defeats.

Lawrie McMenemy had already taken his side to Elland Road in 1978/79, and seen Leeds romp to a 4-0 victory.

Saints trailed 2-0 to goals from Tony Currie and Ray Hankin, before Nick Holmes headed one back five minutes into the second half.

Midfielder Steve Williams volleyed a superb leveller from the edge of the penalty area, before Saints played the last eight minutes with ten men after top scorer Phil Boyer was sent off.

Previously booked for a foul, Boyer was dismissed after an altercation when he tried to stop Currie taking a quick free kick.

  • Leeds: Harvey, Cherry, F Gray, Flynn, Hart, Madeley, E Gray, Hankin, Hawley, Currie, Graham (Harris, 75).
  • Saints: Gennoe, Golac, Peach, Williams, Nicholl, Waldron, Ball, Boyer, Hebberd, Holmes, Curran.

January 30 Semi final second leg

Saints 1 Leeds 0 (Saints won 3-2 on aggregate)

History records that winger Terry Curran’s 11th minute goal took Saints back to Wembley - three years after the club had won the FA Cup.

Curran had never previously netted for the club, and he would never score again for them.

It was Leeds’ first away defeat in 12 games.

  • Saints: Gennoe, Golac, Peach, Williams, Nicholl, Waldron, Ball, Andruscewski (Baker, 86), Hebberd, Holmes, Curran.
  • Leeds: Harvey, Cherry, F Gray, Flynn, Hart, Madeley E Gray, Hankin, Hawley (Harris, 64), Currie, Graham.

Saints went on to lose the 1979 League Cup final 3-2 to Nottingham Forest, who therefore retained the silverware.

David Peach and Nick Holmes - the two survivors from the Saints side that had lifted the FA Cup - were on target.

Brian Clough’s Forest went on to life the European Cup a few months later.