In June 1985 he was sold for £135,000 to First Division Sheffield Wednesday, where he stayed for two seasons, playing 59 league games, and also reaching the FA Cup semi-final in 1986, before taking a move down a division to Leeds United (for a fee of £150,000) from a desire to rejoin former boss Billy Bremner from his Doncaster days. A whole-hearted and dependable player, he scored 13 goals in 116 appearances for Leeds, but found his chances limited by the arrival of Tony Dorigo. By the 1989–90 season he was a fringe player as Leeds gained promotion to Division 1.