The old adage says that no-one remembers who comes second, which isn’t quite true because when it comes to Cup Finals most people can remember who got beaten on the day. It’s a bit more true (if something can be ‘more’ true – ask your local philosopher) to say that not many people remember brilliant goals scored for the teams that lost. So here are 5 forgotten (well, sort of) Cup Final goals from the days when Cup Finals were played at 3pm on a Saturday and the players had to walk up the steps to get their medals.
JIMMY CASE (Liverpool v Man Utd, 1977)
1977 and Liverpool are going for the treble of League, European Cup and FA Cup. They miss out on the Wembley trophy, going down 2-1 to Tommy Docherty’s Manchester United. United’s opener was a rare example (for this list – see further down) of someone called Stuart scoring for the winning side. A few minutes after Pearson’s strike, something rather special happens. Jimmy Case, his back to goal, controls a long ball on his thigh, brings it down, turns and cracks a beauty (in the eyes of neutral purists and Koppites) into the net. A few minutes later, United get their winner, a shot deflecting off of Jimmy Greenhoff and in. As many a wizened pro will tell you – all goals are good goals. But… well. Watching it again on Youtube, you still think Phil Neal might get to it before it crosses the line. (Hopefully his match-sealing penalty in Rome a few days later was decent compensation).
STEVE MCKENZIE (Man City v Spurs, 1981)
The 1981 Cup Final was the first to go to a replay at Wembley and the first replayed Cup Final since 1970. The first match is remembered for Tommy Hutchinson scoring for both sides (I’ve always felt that his own goal was extremely unlucky – especially as he had read where Hoddle’s free kick was going and tried to block it); his diving header for the opener is pretty much up there with Keith Houchen’s six years later. The replay, however, is lauded for that goal by Ricky Villa – which certainly wasn’t a bad way to get a winner. Shame that it overshadows McKenzie’s brilliant volley in the first half. A free-kick half-cleared, Tommy Hutchinson (there he is again) with a great flicked/cushioned header to McKenzie on the edge of the D and – pow: the ball arrows into the net. I think I prefer it to Villa’s amazing dribble. Maybe there’s a personality test based on whether or not you think volleys from distance are better than mesmerising runs.
STUART MCCALL (Everton v Liverpool, 1989)
An absolute peach of a volley from outside the box to equalise for the second time in the 89 Final. He controls a clearance with his chest and then gets a nice bit of fade on the volley to send it past Grobbelaar. Alas for Stuart, on as a sub, one of the Liverpool subs is a feller called Ian Rush who finds Everton very much to his taste when it comes to scoring goals. A mere two minutes after Stuart’s pearler, Rush heads the winner from a sublime (cliché alert – but it is sublime) John Barnes cross. The camera shot of the desolate Everton bench speaks volumes. They might have been wishing Stuart’s volley had been allowed to count twice on quality grounds (apologies if FIFA decide this would be a good use of VAR too); but they probably weren’t.
STUART PEARCE (Nottingham Forest v Spurs, 1991)
If there’s an academic out there who wants to write a thesis but is stuck for an idea, how about one about people called Stuart scoring great goals but only getting runners-up medals? Two years after Mr McCall’s effort came the Gascoigne/Gazza final. The Italia 90 hero’s foul to concede the free-kick from which Stuart Pearce scored seems to have lodged more in the collective mind than the Forest captain’s astounding dead-ball shot. Pearce doesn’t celebrate much really, and Cloughie sat expressionless on the bench. Anyway, with the attention over the years focussing on Paul Gascoigne’s injury, it could be argued that Paul Stewart’s equaliser and Des Walker’s own goal have been overlooked too. But Stuart’s was a thing of wonder.
NICK HOLMES (Southampton v Nottingham Forest, 1979)
One from the League Cup Final to finish with. Nottingham Forest were reigning champions and, en route to winning the European Cup, decided to pop to Wembley and pick up another trophy. They went in at half-time trailing to a David Peach penalty, but when Tony Woodcock put them 3-1 ahead in the 83rd minute, the result wasn’t really in doubt. With two minutes to go Nick Holmes fired in a top-drawer half-volley from just inside the box which deserved to raise the roof, but just raised faint Saints hopes instead. Forest saw the game out, so Holmes had to settle for the consolation of scoring a fantastic goal that made Peter Shilton shout at his defenders.
So there they are. Check them out on Youtube and see what you think… hang on, I’ve realised I forgot to include Sammy McIlroy’s goal against Arsenal in ’79 – which kind of proves my whole point.
SteveTLooksBack 