If the 1975-76 FA Cup story had so far not been intriguing enough, the quarter-final stage arrived with half of the remaining field being from outside Division One – these four clubs facing each other in two sixth round ties from which a pair would emerge in taking their journey just one stop from Wembley.
In already removing two 1970s FA Cup winners in Leeds United (1972) and Chelsea (1970), third division Crystal Palace now had opportunity to defeat one of even more recent vintage, the draw taking them to Sunderland (1973), whose own aspirations now centred upon lifting the trophy from Division Two for the second time in four seasons.
The other sixth round tie featuring non top-flight combatants involved a bigger gap in league status with fourth division Bradford City playing host to second tier Southampton – the home side having no fear of facing higher-ranked opposition having scored a notable victory at big-timers Norwich City in the previous round.
All of which left four already post-war FA Cup winners (remarkable to think World War Two had been over only 30 years at this point), to contest the other two semi-final berths – the sixth round draw sending Newcastle United (1951, 52, 55) to Derby County (1946), while two clubs with a pair of triumphs apiece would face each other in Wolves (1949, 60) visiting Manchester United (1948, 63).
If the ties at Old Trafford and the Baseball Ground were most likely to produce the ultimate winners of the 1975/76 competition, the portents in this regard favoured the home side at both venues.
Following their one season second division sojourn in 1974-75, Tommy Docherty’s Red Devils had marked their return to the elite by playing in a positive, expansive style. Talked of as potential ‘double’ winners, a notion brought about by current third in the table status, progress in the cup was unlikely to be hampered by relegation-threatened Wolves, who had already lost both first division encounters between the teams during the campaign.
Reigning champions Derby also had realistic hopes of landing a league and cup double. While draws in their last three league outings had tempered a bid to retain the title, only two defeats in the last 13 fixtures was evidence enough of Dave Mackay’s men having the consistency to go the distance on both fronts – and with a League Cup Final defeat against Manchester City the previous Saturday to shrug off, Newcastle, like Mersey-pair Everton and Liverpool in earlier rounds, appeared set to have their FA Cup interest end in the East Midlands.
Having won at Elland Road and Stamford Bridge in advancing from rounds four and five, it was tempting to suggest the cup adventure of Crystal Palace, whose exploits had gone beyond the back pages due to the high-profile of Fedora-toting manager Malcolm Allison, would reach a finale against Bob Stokoe’s side – second division promotion chasers Sunderland unlikely to give the swagger brought from Selhurst Park house room in their domain.
Given the boot had been on the other foot in the last round, when Sunderland did for first division Stoke in a thrilling Roker Park replay, Wearside was already gearing up for FA Cup involvement continuing apace.
If there was poetic justice at this stage of proceedings it amounted to Bradford receiving a home draw in reward for their efforts in knocking out Norwich – being paired with Southampton a not insurmountable challenge if they were to become the first side from Division Four ever to reach an FA Cup semi-final.
In this respect the Bantams had the advantage of doing battle on their own turf, although for their part Saints, despite operating in the reduced circumstances of Division Two, had a team not short on international or latter-stage cup experience.
Shortly after the sixth round ties of 1975-76, Labour leader Harold Wilson announced his intention to leave Downing Street by early April, which meant the U.K. would shortly have a new prime minister.
Not that a new winner of the FA Cup appeared likely any time soon…………..
The FA Cup Sixth Round of 1975-76 – Saturday 6 March 1976:
BRADFORD CITY 0 SOUTHAMPTON 1 (14,195):
What major sixth round controversy there was occurred at Valley Parade – where a bone of contention appeared even before a ball was kicked.
In securing an FA Cup quarter-final place, the fourth division side made the somewhat risky decision of almost trebling admission prices, a spot on the terraces rising to a, no concession, price of £1.50.
This act of sharp practice had the effect of keeping both home and visiting supporters away, Saints returning almost 1,000 of their 5,000 ticket allocation, the gate a third down on the figure who witnessed the fourth round success against non-leaguers Tooting & Mitcham United – the ultimate consequence being the lowest attendance for a post-war FA Cup quarter-final.
No that the disputes ended there. The home side, currently found in the bottom half Division Four, had only lost one in eight prior fixtures and through most of the first half had the better of exchanges through a blustery 40 minutes – only to have the wind taken out of their sails four minutes before half-time.
On winning a free-kick on the edge of the Bradford penalty area, execution was left to a couple of FA Cup old hands – former England international Peter Osgood (1970 winner with Chelsea), flicking the ball up for Scottish counterpart Jim McCalliog (runner-up Sheffield Wednesday, 1966), to volley past rooted to the spot City ‘keeper Peter Downsborough, himself once a Wembley winner having played for Swindon Town in their shock 1969 League Cup Final victory over Arsenal.
There was no doubting the impudence of these two old(er) masters in conjuring such a goal (that ultimately proved decisive), but the technocrats at The FA viewed things in a different light. As arguments raged to whether the ball had turned circumference on leaving the boot of Osgood – as stipulated in the laws of the game – Lancaster Gate took steps to prevent such audacity happening again by outlawing the practice.
After the break City were never out of contention against a side containing England striker Mike Channon, but unable to cash in, so to speak, on their greater share of possession, Southampton having the defensive resolve to safely clinch a first FA Cup semi-final appearance in 13 years.
SUNDERLAND 0 CRYSTAL PALACE 1 (50,850):
Back on December 6, Southampton had begun a 16-match unbeaten run (that had ended just prior to their FA Cup visit to Yorkshire), with a 4-0 Dell trouncing of second division leaders Sunderland – which the Roker Park outfit had responded to in impressive fashion, advancing through the next three months with scarcely a hick-up.
With the Wearside hosts yet to lose a home game in 1975-76 expectations were justifiably high in relation to booking a place in the last four, Crystal Palace after pulling off shock wins in the previous two rounds, not likely to be lacking in style, but no longer having the element of surprise.
Drawn away for the fifth time in succession, the underdog visitors immediately found themselves on the back foot with Sunderland seemingly intent on having the matter resolved before half-time – yet despite two close efforts from ’73 FA Cup winning skipper Bobby Kerr and near miss by fellow midfielder Dennis Longhorn, Palace reached the break still on level terms.
As the second half unfolded the hosts continued to hold sway but the number of clear-cut openings began to reduce, an object lesson of how, in football terms, the blade can be more effective than the bludgeon evident in the 74th minute when a Palace breakaway was set in motion by a long throw out from goalkeeper Paul Hammond.
On receiving the ball England U-23 winger Peter Taylor broke incisively down the Sunderland right, his low cross finding 1970 Everton league title winner Alan Whittle, who turned smartly before firing Palace ahead from six yards.
While Sunderland had no choice other than committing men forward in the hope of forcing a replay, the visitors on withstanding the pressure slipped comfortably into the counter-attacking mode at which they excelled – Sunderland ‘keeper Jim Montgomery saving superbly from Taylor in denying the third division side a second with time almost up.
Once again it was hats-off to Fedora-clad Allison for outsmarting the opposition with shrewd tactical thinking – and while later in the year the Eagles of Southern California who would be living it up, for now it was the Eagles of South East London were doing so, taking flight to an FA Cup semi-final.
DERBY COUNTY 4 NEWCASTLE UNITED 2 (38,362):
Seven days on from a League Cup Final defeat to Manchester City and only three after a home reversal to Stoke, Newcastle arrived at the Baseball Ground to contest their ninth fixture in 31 days – an injury hit line-up reflective of a punishing fixture schedule.
The punishment continued unabated with the home side ahead inside five minutes, a deft pass from Charlie George enabling midfielder Bruce Rioch a clear run in shooting past Eddie Edgar – the stand-in Magpies ‘keeper beaten by the same player again before the quarter hour, the Scottish international lashing home an edge of the box free-kick.
To their credit Newcastle displayed sufficient determination to soon reduce the deficit, striker Alan Gowling producing a neat finish on 20 minutes to keep the contest alive. But a second cup reversal in the space of a week beckoned when midfield man Henry Newton struck from distance just after the hour to restore The Rams two goal advantage – Derby putting the seal to an impressive display by virtue of a sweeping move completed when George found the net, if not with quite the dazzle of his ’71 FA Cup Final winner for Arsenal, then great aplomb all the same.
Gowling, in the midst of a prolific campaign that would see him break the 30-goal barrier, fired in a late consolation, although by now Derby were already over horizon in reaching the uplands of an FA Cup semi-final.
For Newcastle, however, defeat had season-ending consequences, only four wins from the remaining dozen league games seeing them drift along to finish in the same position (15th) as last term with an identical (39) number of points.
MANCHESTER UNITED 1 WOLVES 1 (59,443):
My late-beloved Dad, who your genial host here at SAMTIMONIOUS.com is always happy to evoke in blog-posts such as this, had an expression regarding the FA Cup that went, ‘They’re playing badly enough to win the cup‘ – the phrase appertaining to a team whose league form was generally poor, only for progress by one means or another, to keep being made where the cup was concerned.
Being a lifelong Wolves supporter and their week-to-week returns had been dismal through 1975-76, he no doubt harbored thoughts this might be their year, particularly as relegation (that would become an eventuality) was already a distinct possibility.
If the cup was heading to Molineux to the first time in 16 years, they would have no higher hurdle to negotiate than overcoming a resurgent Manchester United who were shaping up for their most momentous end to a season (in terms of success), since the hitting the heady heights of European Cup glory eight long years before.
My first ever visit to Old Trafford coincided with an outstanding display from Wolves ‘keeper Phil Parkes, whose acrobatics and bravery continually thwarted the home side through a first half they dominated, the feeling hard to escape that if United scored one they could go on to get six.
Sometimes maligned by the Molineux faithful for being prone to an error in crucial games, Parkes, virtually by himself, was responsible for the visitors reaching the interval with their goal intact.
But 13 minutes after half-time, Wolves, after spending the afternoon up until now never likely to move off nil, enjoyed success from their first decisive raid. On Steve Kindon firing a low centre into the United penalty area, a split-second of hesitation among the defence was all the ever-lethal John Richards (scorer of a hat-trick in the previous round against Charlton), needed to profit, his instinctive right-foot finish flashing past Alex Stepney into the net.
Having yet to concede an FA Cup goal so far this season, Wolves held the lead for just nine minutes. They were breached for the first time in every sense when an intense spell of pressure resulted in Republic of Ireland midfield player Gerry Daly restoring parity with a shot that took a deflection in eluding Parkes – whose inspired performance was capped in the final seconds on thwarting Northern Ireland midfielder Sammy McIlroy, a brilliant reflex stop earning the visitors an unlikely replay.
WOLVES 2 MANCHESTER UNITED 3 after extra-time (9/3/76 – 44,373):
When the teams reconvened at Molineux three days later, the prospect of a visit to Sheffield Wednesday for a semi-final meeting with Derby County in early April awaited the winners – and when Kindon (18) and Richards (20) both hit the target with precise finishes, it was Wolves who were apparently moving in the direction of Hillsborough.
The rest of the night, however, (admittedly from a distance of 50 years), developed for this then youthful observer into an exercise in understanding the aura of Manchester United.
With the ‘Busby Babes’ before my time and too young to fully appreciate the mid-60s magnificence of Law, Best and Charlton, this latest incarnation, built upon dynamic midfield prowess and the dashing wing play of wide men Steve Coppell and Gordon Hill, was first hand notice of what the best of their identity represented.
Ceaseless attacking after conceding twice in as many minutes manifested in centre-forward Stuart Pearson pulling one back with a close range header shortly before half-time. Through a second half they more or less controlled, level terms were eventually restored in the 76th minute when central defender Brian Greenhoff was on hand to score in front of the red and white legions massed on the South Bank.
In fairness to Wolves they showed enough application to force extra-time, but when McIlroy scored five minutes into the first period, Derby were left in no doubt as to who their semi-final opponents would be.
Years later David Lacey, the brilliant, long-serving chief football writer of The Guardian, offered this fixture as ‘The best FA Cup tie‘ he reported on during the ’70s, which given a host of other likely contenders was some accolade.
It proved beyond question Manchester United were once again a bold, buoyant team – one playing well enough, perhaps, to win the cup.
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NEIL SAMBROOK is also the author of MONTY’S DOUBLE – an acclaimed thriller available in paperback and as an Amazon Kindle book:
Another interesting read Neil
Hi Steve – hope you are well.
Glad you enjoyed the article and thanks for saying so. Much appreciated.
I will be evoking Molineux circa 1976 again in a few weeks time to coincide with the last game of that season – a night when the visitors won to clinch the title and in process the home side were relegated (50 years on it looks like the same fate is going to befall them!)
Best to the Carpies one and all.
Regards Neil & Clare