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This Week In History Previous Features 5 Next

FOOTBALL FLASHBACKS
Dusting Off Events From Five, Ten,
15 And 20 Years Ago This Week

By Philip Cornwall

1993
After looking dead and buried a week ago, Oldham pull off one of the great Houdini acts on the last day of the season. A third straight win - any dropped points would have taken them down - dooms Crystal Palace instead. And what a win! It's a 4-3 triumph in a see-saw match against Southampton, for whom Matt Le Tissier scores a hat-trick. Palace need a point at Highbury, but Ian Wright scores the first in a 3-0 win and Joe Royle maintains his proud record of never having been relegated as a manager. West Ham are promoted, by one goal, ahead of Portsmouth.
Liverpool finish sixth, their highest position of the season, but Graeme Souness misses their last match and a press conference is called at Anfield, where the club will announce their manager for next season. Trevor Brooking goes out on a limb on Match Of The Day and predicts it's the end for Souness. The Sunday dawns, the press turn up, and there is a resignation at Anfield. Of a director who wants Souness out. The man himself is armed with a new contract, to general consternation.
Other news: Manchester United's final margin of victory in the championship is ten points... Ian Rush scores his 300th goal for Liverpool… Parma win the Cup-Winners' Cup at Wembley… David Webb is sacked at Chelsea in spite of keeping them up… Frank Clark is appointed manager of relegated Nottingham Forest… and Alan Sugar announces an emergency board meeting at Tottenham.

1988
Wimbledon win the FA Cup, in one of the greatest shocks ever. Their 1-0 triumph over Liverpool comes courtesy of a headed goal by Lawrie Sanchez, but equally significant is Dave Beasant's penalty save from John Aldridge, the first in an FA Cup Final. Liverpool can look back on an incident at 0-0 when Peter Beardsley is through on goal, only to be pulled back by the referee for a free kick to Liverpool - but overall Wimbledon thoroughly deserve their win. John Motson coins his famous The Crazy Gang have beaten the Culture Club line, and Vinnie Jones gets to meet Princess Di, on trophy-giving duty.
In Scotland, Celtic complete the Double by winning the Scottish Cup. Two goals from Frank McAvennie beat Dundee United, and the Bhoys' day is made complete by the presence of Margaret Thatcher to present the silverware.
Other news: Liverpool equal Everton's First Division record of 90 points though from two games fewer… Newcastle put a price of £2m on Paul Gascoigne… Belgian side Mechelen win the Cup-Winners' Cup… and British Satellite Broadcasting, the rival to Rupert Murdoch's proposed Sky operation, are willing to buy the rights to cover First Division football for next season for £9m even though they won't be broadcasting for another year.

1983


 
  Drama in relegation land. Luton take on Manchester City at Maine Road needing a win to survive - a result which would take City into the relegation zone for the first time this season, with no chance of reprieve. Four minutes from time, Radi Antic, Luton's Yugoslav midfielder, fires in from the edge of the box to score the only goal of the game. At the end, David Pleat runs onto the pitch to celebrate with his players, dancing a bizarre arms-raised jig in a suit that is too tight for dignified physical exercise.
The greatest night so far in Alex Ferguson's managerial career arrives in Gothenberg, Sweden as his Aberdeen side take on Real Madrid in the Cup-Winners' Cup Final. Eric Back gives the Scots an early lead, Juanito equalises with a penalty, but Mark McGhee's cross is headed home by John Hewitt in extra time to bring Scotland their first European trophy since Rangers' 1972 win in the same competition. Glory also for Dundee United, champions of Scotland for the first time. On the final day, Celtic win 4-2 at Rangers and Aberdeen beat Hibs 5-0, but a 2-1 win at neighbours Dundee gives Jim McLean and assistant manager Walter Smith an historic triumph.
Other news: Steve Foster of Brighton is to go to the High Court to try to have his FA Cup Final suspension lifted… Stockport and Hartlepool stave off winding-up orders sought by the Inland Revenue… The Reading-Oxford United merger is called off… Reading, though, are relegated to the Fourth Division… and Fulham miss out on promotion to the First Division when they lose their last home match 1-0 to Derby.

1978
Liverpool retain the European Cup. A year after their glorious 3-1 win in Rome, this match against FC Bruges at Wembley is a dull, one-sided affair. Liverpool don't play particularly well, Kenny Dalglish scores the only goal, but they don't have to against opponents playing to keep the score down rather than to win. PSV Eindhoven win their first European trophy, lifting the UEFA Cup with a 3-0 win over Bastia in the second leg. The first goal comes from Willie van der Kerkhof, who will be in the Dutch squad to face Dalglish and Scotland in the upcoming World Cup.
The home internationals get under way. Scotland, bound for the Argentine, can only draw 1-1 at home to Northern Ireland while England beat Wales 3-1 in Cardiff. Nottingham Forest's Martin O'Neill gives the Irish the lead at Hampden Park before Derek Johnstone equalises. Everton's Bob Latchford, fresh from winning a Golden Boot with 30 league goals, gives England the lead at Ninian Park. Phil Dwyer levels things up, but Tony Currie and Peter Barnes seal the away win.
Other news: Tommy Docherty transfer lists Derby's two Scotland internationals, Don Masson and captain Bruce Rioch… Blackpool are relegated to Division Three for the first time… and George Best fails to turn up to training for the Los Angeles Aztecs.

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