Bates was looking for £750,000 from his cut of the Old Trafford share out, including television and prize money and with a guaranteed television game again, increased prize money and again an excellent share of the gate, it's the fans who have to fork out so soon after Christmas and New Year.
I am sure as the draw was being made on Sunday tea time they would have taken anybody at home, but if they play as well again as they did against Manchester United then lightening in Premier Division company could strike again.
The commitment of the Leeds players was superb, they chased, they harried, made the extra yard to put in a block and they were no slouches on the ball going forward.
It really was good entertainment and it has to be said they are having a great season.
I take back what I said after that Norwich City game, you Leeds lads who pulled me on that one. Simon Grayshon has really got them playing.
Just a little inside info for you on the Grayshon family including younger brother Neil. Their father is a good friend of the Lightcliffe CC chairman John Brooke and Neil is the coach of Essex County Cricket Club.

DID you see the attendance for the Wigan Athletic v Hull City third round FA Cup tie? Just 5,335 paid to see it and it makes you wonder what the Latics fans are thinking after they were hammered by Spurs and then three weeks later shipped in five at Old Trafford last Wednesday night.

Only 328 Wigan supporters made the trip that night and it ain't the sort of away support the Premier clubs want from fellow members. They want the liquid cash from at least 4,000 away fans and whatever else it generates on the day. You would be talking of at least £150,000 from just that amount of fans but when the majority of the home support is from season tickets, it goes a long way to helping the cash flow.

BARROW took 8,200 to Sunderland for their big day out and with a share of the 25,000 plus gate, plus prize money, the club would be in for around £200,000 for their share.

On New Year's Day the wife and I ended up only some 15 miles as the crow flies from Barrow as we spent a good part of the day at Grange-over-Sands.
En-route to the south Lakes we passed the Carlisle United coach at 10.15am on the M6 near the Vale of Lune and were staggered to see they were playing their tie at Everton the day after.
However, compared to the clanger the York City board dropped in not giving their boys an overnighter for the game at Stoke City, it was complete common sense for the board of the Cumbrians, especially when you heard the goings-on from junction 27 to 6 on the M6 come Saturday.
York's players arrived at the Britannia Stadium just five minutes before the scheduled kick off thanks to those problems on the M6 and the referee had to put the game back 30 minutes.
They now face a fine that will turn out to be more than the cost an overnighter, such a good idea especially in the heart of winter.
Back to Grange, and the Barrow to Manchester train runs right alongside the promenade – so reminiscent of Dawlish and Teignmouth in Devon – and it made a wonderful sight set against a high tide for once in Morecambe Bay, the snow on the surrounding fields and the sun from an azure blue sky.
Fuelled on hot current teacakes and best butter from an excellent café, we walked for miles and enjoyed every minute away from the television, sport of any kind and the telephone.
We came back via Glasson Dock, Fleetwood, which has some of the nicest and well kept property along its sea front anywhere in the country, before heading via Thornton-le-Cleveleys, Bispham and Blackpool to Lytham St Annes.
The property on Todmorden Road at right angles to the sea front drive, was absolutely covered in various depths of sand whipped up from the beach so far this winter.
On to Saturday and how pleased I was to see that Brighouse Town Reserves got a game in, the only one in the area. Vice-chairman Ray McLaughlin informed me that they were just awaiting the referee at 1pm as seasoned referee and now club official Wally Hemingway had said in his opinion at noon the game could go ahead.
You can see from the picture at the foot of this column that they are a well bonded management team at Town as we pointed out in our special feature in last week's edition.
There would also be some welcome cash flow to cover some bills from the game as well as giving half of the squad of senior players a welcome run out.
This cold spell is forecast to run into next week and so this coming weekend may well leave us bereft of fixtures once again at grass roots level.
Ironically while travelling last Friday we heard of Morpeth being hit by a blizzard and six inches of snow falling in just over an hour, so I cannot see the Old Brodleians being in action up that part of the world.

Over the past weekend, darts followers have been spoiled for choice, and now for the next six days at least on BBC 2 there is more darts continuing from Frimley Green. That championship has our own Scott Waites involved and he got quite a mention in the build up.

He is the player who lives at Ainley Top and works out of the Brighouse yard of Pennine Housing.
I would think Brighouse's number one enthusiast and player Henry Nixon, his sons and their mates, would have been in their element with wall to wall darts on the box.

IF you were to ask former Rastrick High School student Janice Webster, who is still employed by those overseeing the yard of the banned Karl Burke, then she would give you glowing reports of the Northern Racing College at Doncaster where she went for a couple of years.

I mention this as Claude Duval in his Sun racing diary last Saturday mentioned that Gloucester trainer Kim Bailey had told him that his latest lad from the Northern Racing College had lasted just 12 hours.
Apparently, he found riding four lots of horses in a morning too much like hard work.
"A cushy job at McDonalds beckons," says Bailey.
Surely the lad must have realised it wasn't going to be all riding in a horse box, parade ring, £50 and a crate of ale for the best turned out horse ahead of commencing his apprenticeship. There had to be a little more graft involved than that behind the scenes.
I know a friend of mine who I tipped off at the Doncaster Star is now about to find out what a day or a week for that matter entails at the Northern Racing College.
A Happy New Year to you all and many thanks for nice comments you make about the column as I bump into you all around town in various shops, establishments, clubs and public houses.