The Magic Of The FA Cup (Part 2)

You can’t imagine Michael Essien struggling to get out of the crowd on Saturday as Cristiano Ronaldo wins a penalty with an outrageous dive. But when Bolton went one-up in the first ‘first Wembley Final’ in 1923, that’s exactly what West Ham defender Tresadem was doing “after finding himself the wrong side of part of the crowd on the touchline.”

Indeed, the 200,000 crowd’s encroachment, even after the legendary White Horse had done its thing, made it “virtually impossible to observe the rules of the game.”

But with West Ham defending then as they’ve done ever since (Billy Bonds was just too young to turn out), Bolton’s win was probably the right result.

The next two controversies involved goalkeepers, harking back to the 1901 drawn final. Both explain why goalkeepers are ‘over-protected’ these days. Because in the post-war era, assault was only legal in the army, fighting and losing various wars of independence, and on goalkeepers who weren’t but were about to be airborne.

My mate’s dad used to drone on about Spurs double-winning centre-forward Bobby Smith scoring “thirty goalkeepers a season.” Yet it’s easy to see what he meant, judging by Smith’s ‘tackle’ on Burnley goalie Blacklaw in the 1962 final.

Spurs were 2-1 up at the time and nobody would have blamed Blacklaw if he’d have seen two balls coming towards him as Spurs got their decisive third goal moments later. So that result could have gone either way.

And the same was true of the more famous incident, four years previously, involving Bolton’s Nathaniel Lofthouse and Manchester United’s Harry Gregg. A nation’s sympathies were, for once but quite reasonably, with United, three months after Munich. So some have claimed Lofthouse used reasonable force when he barged Gregg and ball into the net for Bolton’s second goal in a 2-0 win, ten minutes after half-time. It was, the claim ran, a sympathetic nation wearing rose-tined specs.

No it wasn’t. Still photographs show Gregg advancing to catch the ball as Lofthouse – right shoulder to the fore – approaches to apply the vital…er… ’touch.’ Which must have been a hell of a clout to force both Gregg and ball over the line form that range, Gregg not being the sort of man to have sand kicked in his face on the beach. Yet, unless Gregg had both feet in the air (and possibly a white flag in his hand for good measure), Nathaniel’s challenge was entirely legal.

‘You’re never equal ‘til you’re equal’ runs the phrase. So goalies are owed a few decades of ‘over-protection’ yet.

Justice has largely been served in subsequent FA Cup finals. However, 1991 was more controversial than many seem to remember. Paul Gascoigne being stretchered off sticks in the mind. That he kicked Gary Charles up in the air to get there doesn’t so much.

Many think Roger Milford simply forgot to send Gascoigne off in the drama surrounding his injury – he’d already kicked Gary Parker in the chest (was he bullied at school by a Gary?) and should have been booked for both assaults. Whatever, Mr. Milford got it wrong.

Of course, sendings-off have an indeterminate effect on the result, as we shall see in a moment, especially so early in the proceedings. But hauling players out of the defensive wall as a Stuart Pearce shot approached certainly turned potential concussion into a goal.

And Gary Lineker was onside when he ‘equalised’ later in the half (though Paul Stewart probably wasn’t when his equaliser was given). And Spurs penalty was genuine. So when Des Walker notched the winner into his own net, it left even the most controversial of finals with the right result.

Apart from the Chelsea and Leeds civil war re-enactment in the decade’s first final (Graham Poll would have abandoned matters very early) the seventies were almost controversy-free.

The late Bobby Stokes was probably offside when he scored Southampton’s winner in 1976 against Manchester United (especially as level was offside in those primitive flared-trousered days). And Mick Channon’s and Peter Osgood’s sideburns were an affront to human decency. But few outside Salford and Tunbridge Wells would have begrudged United their defeat.

The eighties – the FA Cup’s last decade before supposed terminal decline – were relatively trouble-free too. Vinny Jones early foul in the 1988 final would have met with widespread opprobrium if it wasn’t Steve McMahon picking himself off the turf as a result. But it was Kevin Moran’s first Wembley sending-off, by retired police inspector Peter Willis, which raised the most question marks.

Even if Peter Reid was clean through – and this column has established that Moran being the ‘last man’ wasn’t a red-card offence in itself – the distance from centre-circle to goalscoring opportunity was as far as Reid had run in one go since his distant schooldays. Whoever was in the Royal Box, with the possible exception of the Queen Mother, could probably have left their seat and got to Reid in time.

Yes, United won anyway, because teams always play better with ten menzzzz. But zzzzzzz…

I expected many more refereeing controversies and wrong results than my extensive (honest, boss!) research provided (although if I’ve missed any, please feel free to correct me). Huddersfield’s late penalty against Preston in 1922 and Newcastle’s ‘over the line’ goal in the ‘over the line’ final against Arsenal in 1932 look to be the only ‘nailed-on’ wrong results.

To which I’m happy to ascribe referees respect and reverence for the competition. It was an honour to take charge of the FA Cup final when I were a lad. And with the FA Cup still the greatest competition in the footballing, if not sporting, world (Champions League? You’re having a laugh), Steve Bennett should regard it next Saturday as an honour still.

Just like the World Cup final, to which I hope to turn soon. I mean can you remember a World Cup final’s right result threatened by a ball never, ever, EVER crossing the line but a goal being given anyway?

Nope. Me neither.

‘MotorMurph’ is written by Mark Murphy

Entry Filed under: MotorMurph Column

© The Right Result 2008

Terms & Conditions | Contact Us