10 YEARS AGO

DEAN Windass was very much in the news ten years ago. The Bantams forward had just scored his 13th goal of the season with a thumping header in a 1-1 draw against Swansea City before rounding on the City boo-boys.

He said: "I'm fed up with people moaning at me . . . I wouldn't mind if it was constructive criticism but it's just cheap shots."

City turned down a bid from Barnsley for Windass, believed to be £100,000, and chairman Julian Rhodes rubbished reports that manager Colin Todd could be on his way out of Valley Parade.

Bradford Bulls were getting ready for the start of their season and announced that Iestyn Harris would be their skipper, that Marcus St Hilaire had been signed from Halifax and Shontayne Hape was ready to make a big impact after an injury-hit 2005.

Meanwhile, Robbie Paul, who was with Huddersfield Giants, was ribbing the Bulls' Stuart Fielden before the teams met in a pre-season friendly.

No-one at Bradford Park Avenue was seeing the light as they had a floodlight ban imposed on them due to sub-standard equipment.

Leeds United drew 3-3 at home to Wigan in an FA Cup replay but lost 4-2 on penalties.

Bradford's Junior Witter was named as the mandatory WBC light-welterweight contender and wanted to catch a big fish in Floyd Mayweather, while Heckmondwike pool ace Mick Hill was hoping to crack America.

Bradford & Bingley prop Ronnie Kelly was sidelined by a partially-collapsed lung, with coach Geoff Wappett saying that rest was the best cure.

25 YEARS AGO

IN A week when Saddam Hussein's troops were blowing up oil wells in Kuwait, controversy was in the air much closer to home.

Farsley Celtic's millionaire businessman John Madeley, manager Garry Watson, reserve-team boss Dave Parker and committee member Maureen Young all resigned in what seemed to be the culmination of nine months of internal crisis.

Football club secretary David Martin was sacked days later, and player Paul Stevenson then refused to play in protest at the treatment handed out to Watson, boss for the previous two-and-a-half years.

The 7-1 defeat at Rossendale that weekend for the HFS Loans League Division One club seemed to be the straw that broke the camel's back.

If that defeat was bad enough, Bradford Northern's 34-6 setback at leaders Hull was described as "woeful" and was the most points that Northern had shipped since Castleford scored 38 in 1989.

And a sad week was made worse when reserve Simon Tuffs was facing a Rugby Football League drugs inquiry for testing positive for amphetamine after the Boxing Day defeat to Leeds at Headingley.

Keighley fared no better than Northern at Carlisle, losing 30-4, with only a Jason Donnelly try to show for their efforts.

Bradford City and Leeds United remained on the Wembley trail – the Bantams in the Leyland DAF Northern Area last 16 and United in the Zenith Data Systems Cup Northern Area semi-final.

Lee Sinnott got the winner for City in a 3-2 home defeat of Hartlepool, Robbie James and Paul Jewell also being on target, while United could have had five or six but had to settle for a 2-1 victory over visitors Derby County, Carl Shutt and Lee Chapman netting.

Guiseley were also taking a step closer to the Twin Towers after a 4-1 triumph over King's Lynn in the fourth round of the FA Vase.

Across the other side of the world, cricketers David Gower and John Morris decided to celebrate Robin Smith's century for Queensland at Carrara by leaving the ground without permission and flying two 1939 Tiger Moths over the ground. Both were fined the maximum allowable of £1,000.

50 YEARS AGO

LEEDS United owner Massimo Cellino's threat to block Sky Sports from covering their home match with Derby County last month in a protest about the number of times his club had been selected for live TV matches would certainly have found plenty of favour 50 years ago.

Bradford Northern chairman Joe Phillips said he was in complete agreement with a letter circulated by Wigan that the only rugby league game that should be televised live was the Challenge Cup final.

Of course, live TV coverage is always a trade-off between what you lose in terms of attendance and what you gain in payments from the broadcaster.

But there was a feeling that the game was portrayed in a "mickey-taking manner" (I wonder who they were talking about there?) by the BBC in a bid to combat professional wrestling audiences on ITV.

It wasn't only in rugby league that there were complaints, however, as Burnley chairman Bob Lord banned the BBC from televising their FA Cup third-round replay against Bournemouth, fearing the damage it would do to the attendance.

Elsewhere, Leeds United managed to do what Bradford City failed to achieve this week – beat Bury at home in an FA Cup tie.

Despite leaving out Bobby Collins, Mike O'Grady and Jim Storrie to field reserves Peter Lorimer, Jimmy Greenhoff and Albert Johanneson, United won 6-0, with Lorimer bagging a hat-trick.

In a week where 117 were killed in the Mont Blanc air crash and it was rumoured that blonde bombshell Jayne Mansfield would be Fanny Hill in a play at the Alhambra, Argentinian football club Velez Sarsfield had their 11 players taken to prison in Ecuador for going for their Emelec opponents rather than the ball.

And how many of those Velez Sarsfield players went on to become members of the disgraced 1966 Argentinian World Cup squad? None.

Closer to home, Derek Stokes returned to Bradford City from Huddersfield Town, with Roy Ellam going in the opposite direction.