League Cup classic remembered: part one

https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/2019/1/22/league-cup-classic-remembered--part-one

The Blues have had our fair share of memorable League Cup ties, but perhaps none are more legendary than the three-part epic with Sheffield Wednesday in 1985, which we recall here with the help of former players...

In many ways it was the epic cup tie that defined a Chelsea era. 

It was certainly the cup tie that defined one player’s career and it reinforced one of the team’s biggest rivalries at the time. It stretched over three incident-packed matches and, for any fans who watched on, the story is not one easily forgotten.

John Neal’s Chelsea side were back in the big time and more than holding their own. It was the first season in the top flight after five down below and having crushed Manchester City in the previous round Chelsea were into the quarter-finals of the League Cup. After more than a decade without a Wembley appearance, it truly felt a major final was at last possible.

Firstly the Blues had to overcome Sheffield Wednesday at Stamford Bridge, the side we had been neck-and-neck with throughout most of the preceding promotion season, pipping them to the Second Division title at the last.  

The South Yorkshiremen too were proving more than good enough for the First Division and were in fourth place at turn of the year. The backdrop to our cup clash in early 1985 was the final days of the Miners’ Strike and one of the coldest winters in London for a long time.

 

Colin Pates and Nigel Spackman training in the snow in 1985

Indeed the match had to be postponed from its scheduled date due to the freeze which imposed an unplanned two-week midwinter break. It was played 12 days later on a pitch rendered near-grassless by the methods used to thaw it for a league derby against Arsenal. A 36,000 crowd braved the cold and welcomed Wednesday to the capital city on a Monday night, two days after we had won at Wigan in the FA Cup.

‘The Sheffield Wednesday rivalry came from our first season together as a team and their manager Howard Wilkinson had them really fit,’ remembers our midfielder from three decades ago, Nigel Spackman, speaking to the official Chelsea website.

‘They played long ball, offside and they weren’t attractive to watch but very difficult to play against.’

‘As teams we were very close in the league but we were unbelievably different styles,’ adds Pat Nevin.

‘They were big, strong, robust and we were more attack-minded and more skilful. I used to think of them almost as robots and that is how you ended up getting by them because they did the same things all the time. But they were a good side who got the better of us a couple of times and the rivalry grew, and these cup games nailed it on the head.’

 

The original meeting is the mostly forgotten part of this tale but although not reaching the nerve-shredding heights of the two replays that followed, it was still a very good game.

Wednesday took the lead with a header, equalised before the interval by David Speedie (pictured below). Kerry Dixon, the country’s topscorer with 27 goals at that point, had a penalty saved and Chelsea, having already hit the woodwork twice and had an effort cleared off the line, suffered a repeat of both those events in the final minute. The replay in Yorkshire took place only two days later. 

 

‘We were disappointed we had to go back to Hillsborough,’ says goalkeeper Eddie Niedzwiecki, ‘and my main recollection from up there was the crowd.

‘David Speedie came up to me in the warm-up and I said to him did you ever get this at Barnsley (one of his previous clubs) and he said no, did you ever get this at Wrexham! The Kop behind my goal at Sheffield Wednesday was huge and renowned, and their team came at us quickly when the game started and we didn’t match that.’

The attendance was the same size as at the Bridge but with a larger percentage of away fans, despite the short notice. However it was the home support enjoying the night as their team scored two typical headed goals.

‘I don’t remember those but I remember their third - Brian Marwood curled one past me from about 25 yards,’ says Niedzwiecki. ‘Any time when you are a goalkeeper you are disappointed to concede but to concede three in the first half, not much was going right.’

It would have been worse had the referee spotted Mickey Thomas’s retaliatory punch in the goalmouth in response to ceaseless provocation. The Chelsea support close by did not aid with the avoidance of detection when they instantly broke into a ‘There’s only one Mickey Thomas’ song, but the livewire Wales international (pictured below) remained on the pitch. 

 

‘The first thing our manager John Neal said at half-time was, “I don’t know what you hit him for Mickey, what did he say?”’ recounts Thomas. ‘And then John said to us all, “You’ve got yourself into this mess, now get yourself out”.’

‘Coming off at half-time, we were quite despondent,’ says Niedzwiecki, ‘but what riled us was the Wednesday players were quite buoyant. It was like – Can I score? Can I score? – they thought they had the job done. The boss brought Paul Canoville on.’

Canoville, in his autobiography Black and Blue, describes the dressing room as ‘bedlam’ with the likes of Joey Jones and Joe McLaughlin cajoling their colleagues to a better performance.

‘John Neal knew we were upset and sorting it out so he left that alone and went over the set-pieces with Pat and Kerry,’ he reports.

‘It happened now and again that we would concede a few goals,’ points out Nevin. ‘We were an open side and I remember going 3-0 down at Cardiff the season before and still drawing.

 

 

‘We weren’t dreadful against Wednesday but everything went right for them and it wasn’t going right for us, but then Paul came on and got a goal right at the start. My positon was totally different, I was basically centre-midfield for the rest of that game which I loved, I was really free to go wherever and we had so many hard workers. Mickey Thomas was like having two players and Spackers [Spackman] was the same, so we were going to run Wednesday.

‘After that goal went in a bunch of players looked at each other and thought we are going to do them. It is hard to explain why, but we just did.’

 

Chelsea on the attack trying to get back in to the game

Throughout half-time there had been a tremendous show of defiant singing from the Chelsea thousands. That bolstered the belief.

‘It always used to happen, I don’t remember it not happening when we were having a bad time,’ says Nevin. ‘The fans would just sing what looked very inappropriately when we were having a stinker. It was a massive part of getting us back into the game. It is a big old support Sheffield Wednesday have there but this was our fans going berserk.’

‘John Neal, God bless him, made the change at half-time and it was a positive move,’ notes Spackman, ‘and Canners with his pace caused all sorts of problems and we were playing down the hill. When we scored we didn’t think we are going to lose this.’

‘From the restart Joey just launched it from the back towards Kerry,’ Canoville writes in Black and Blue.

‘It was always a case of gambling in case Kerry knocked it on. It fell between me and a central defender and I nicked it off the boy’s foot. The left-foot shot bounced just in front of the keeper and gave him no chance. Eleven seconds after kick-off Wednesday were pegged back to 3-1.’  

It was soon 3-2. ‘Kerry Dixon took that goal awfully well,’ the commentator was later heard to say on the TV highlights.  

 

Thomas takes up the story.

‘Those two goals gave us the momentum and they just disintegrated really. For the equaliser, because I knew Pat so well and he had a great footballing brain and he could see things, that’s why I kept on running when he was attacking with ball. I didn’t really need to shout for it because he knew where I was and played it back into my path and I just struck it into the top corner.’

For Canoville, what was the pinnacle of his career on the pitch was also the night he met his father for the first time in 21 years, although not until after the final whistle. They were both in the stadium though and Canoville’s arm in the air at the end of the match was to acknowledge that fact. It was the young winger who put his side 4-3 ahead with 85 minutes played.

 

‘I knew Kerry liked to take the ball for himself, like all great goalscorers, but I was completely unmarked and running towards the penalty area,’ was Canoville’s recollection. ‘It must have been eight times I called, I was sure he’d look for some angle to shoot for himself, but he passed to me.

‘As it crossed the line I was thinking “Oh my God! This is the winner”.’

The scenes in the away supporters end were incredible and the perfect cup drama was almost complete, but there was one more twist. Inside the final seconds of normal time, Wednesday full-back Mel Sterland was charging into the Chelsea area with the ball but seemingly running out of space when our left-back Doug Rougvie tripped him. 
 

 

‘Doug claims to this day it was me giving the ball away that led to him being caught out of position,’ says Nevin.

‘I wanted to say something to Doug after the foul,’ adds Thomas, ‘because I was going to be able to make a challenge, but obviously we all make mistakes.’

Only Niedzwiecki stood between Wilkinson’s side and 4-4.

‘I had faced Mel Sterland before and seen a number of his penalties and kept telling myself to stand up because he had hit quite a few down the middle, but as any goalkeeper will tell you it is easier said than done. Unfortunately he put it straight down the middle and it nipped my toe.’

 

Wednesday make it 4-4 from the spot

Our Welsh international goalkeeper did play an important part in keeping the score the same in the extra-time that followed, but both teams were by now well and truly drained.

‘Doug giving away the penalty kind of didn’t matter when we were back the dressing room because we had been 3-0 down and got a draw, and they were coming back to our place,’ says Nevin.

Yes, there was disappointment that one of the greatest fight-backs in Chelsea history had not resulted in a win and a place in the semi-finals, but all’s well that ends well and had the team not let the 4-3 lead slip, Stamford Bridge would have been denied another night of high drama.

- Visit again tomorrow for Part Two and the story of the second replay.  

Sheffield Wednesday 4-4 Chelsea 30th January 1985  

An all-time classic. Hope the youngsters on here watch and admire.

Here is Part 2.

https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/2019/1/23/league-cup-classic-remembered--part-two

Yesterday the official Chelsea website told the story of the first two matches of an epic League Cup tie in 1985. Here, in part two of our look back and ahead of a big game in the competition against Tottenham tomorrow, the third game is recalled, when Sheffield Wednesday were finally overcome…

‘That match set the whole country talking,’ wrote Chelsea manager John Neal in his programme notes following his team’s recovery from 3-0 down to draw 4-4 at Hillsborough the previous week.

‘It really was a marvellous advertisement for the game and today, as we go into “episode 3” we can’t realistically expect a game as good as that again. I see no reason though why we we shouldn’t brace ourselves for another memorable game.’

They proved to be accurate words.

Home advantage for the second replay was won with a toss of a coin immediately after the draw in Sheffield, and this time there was a seven-day gap, during which an away league game was played and there was an FA Cup exit to George Graham’s Millwall. Chelsea played a mind-boggling six games in 12 days, with almost entirely the same team.

The Shed was packed and heaving well before kick-off, but for the third game running against Wednesday, they took the lead. The equaliser was in the first half too, a David Speedie goal which owed so much to the intelligent play of Pat Nevin.

Mickey Thomas’s free-kick had rebound off the Wednesday wall to the young Scotsman, who faced yet again with the Yorkshire side’s tedious offside trap, scooped the ball over the line of yellow shirts charging out at him.

Nevin chased it behind the defence, for certain onside, and knocked the ball past keeper Martin Hodge and crossed just before it went out of play. Speedie had earlier been denied by two good saves but this time, with his famous spring, he headed in at the far post. 

 

‘What I did was 100 per cent planned,’ reflects Nevin. ‘I had thought about it and our coach John Hollins asked beforehand had I noticed the way they come out of the wall.

‘I said yes, I tried to do them this way in the very first game I played against them up at Hillsborough, putting Clive Walker through. It was chalked off but it wasn’t offside. I knew I had timed it right.

‘I knew Sheffield Wednesday did that all the time, it was regimented, and if you know what is going to happen with the opposition then there is weakness there.’

 

As the tie headed towards another period of extra-time, Paul Canoville, the hero of the first replay came close to repeating the feat but this time allowed Kerry Dixon’s centre through his legs in front of goal. He did however take a corner which had been awarded to Chelsea with 90 minutes on the clock. 

‘Because I was so tall not many people gave me credit for my header which won the game!’ laughs 5ft 6in Thomas, ‘but it fell nicely for me on the edge of the area. It went through a group of players and found the back of the net.’

‘When Mickey scored his header I was wiped out on the goal-line by one of their players,’ reports Nevin (incident pictured below). 

 

‘That was so deliberate. I was running away to celebrate and he took me out and I had a slight dead leg after it. I also got a mouthful of abuse when we equalised. They hated getting beaten by us!’

Sadly, the Wembley dream and what would have been the just reward of a major cup final for that exciting Chelsea team began to fade on a frozen pitch at Sunderland in the semi-final first leg. Unfortunate injuries and two penalties took their toll. There was no redemption in the second leg at home but such was the magnitude of the quarter-final tie before it that it continues to stand alone as a Chelsea classic.

‘If you talk to the supporters from that era, that 4-4 always gets mentioned, it was amazing,’ confirms Nigel Spackman (pictured below).
 

 

‘Every now again somebody might put a scrapbook in front of me for me to sign a picture,’ says Eddie Niedzwiecki, ‘and invariably it is one against Sheffield Wednesday when I have Lee Chapman and Mickey Lyons clattering into me.

‘It was just nice to have put some smiles on Chelsea fans’ faces with a small part of the history of the club.’

‘You don’t often come back to score a winner in the 90^th minute and that team on that night was magnificent,’ adds Thomas. 

‘We had all the right ingredients from goalkeeper to the no.11, everyone contributed in their own way and it was a great atmosphere, a great way to win a game.

‘The celebrations, not just after the goal but on the final whistle, you will never take those away from me. That was football at its best, without a doubt!’ 

 

Wished I’d gone up for the 4-4. Went to both the home games. Remember being at home listening on the radio 2 sports report, getting updates. Thought it was all over at halftime, on the radio you could hear our support. I remember going between the radio and Tele Text!!! If you were like me you just stared at it waiting/hoping to change score!!

worth looking on Bounder.friardale the players would put modern players to shame with what was expected of them. Look at the schedule and go into looking at the line ups to see how little we changed. 

 

8 hours ago, Richard P said:

Wished I’d gone up for the 4-4. Went to both the home games. Remember being at home listening on the radio 2 sports report, getting updates. Thought it was all over at halftime, on the radio you could hear our support. I remember going between the radio and Tele Text!!! If you were like me you just stared at it waiting/hoping to change score!!

worth looking on Bounder.friardale the players would put modern players to shame with what was expected of them. Look at the schedule and go into looking at the line ups to see how little we changed. 

http://www.bounder.friardale.co.uk/Summaries/1984.htm

Agreed and consider the state of the pitches they played on then and the 'bowling green like surfaces' they play on now.

Went to this one and I seem to recall all the sheff weds pigs were all basically giving each other  high  fives and back slaps at half time and singing about going upto sunderland in the next round ( semi final ) ,or is my mind playing tricks with me about the winners of this game knowing sunderland were the next opponents .

 

was in Doncaster having some beers early in the day and there was that many chelsea from the smoke in the pub on the lash I got a coach set up to get from the pub in donny to Hillsboro .

 

the pitch was in a reet state and tbh I wish togger today was still played on a surface that was that bad through the winter etc etc  instead of the perfect bowling greens of today.

 

when sheff weds made it 4-4 the South Yorkshire police who were stood pitch side of the fencing on leppings Lane ,were throwing all sorts of insults at us like >>> cockney w**ker ,f**k off back to London ,where is your smile now you London twat ,etc etc 

As daft as it sounds I miss the police acting like James hunts as they did back then tbh and had far more respect for the police back then than I do today .

 

will allways recall Doug rouvies body lanuage when he gave that penalty away when it was 3-4 

 

Edited January 25, 20197 yr by ddrblue

Looking back at the League Cup in 1984/85, it was a real missed opportunity for us to win our first major trophy since 1971.

In that season's Final, Norwich beat Sunderland 1-0.

 

Best BBC Sportsnight ever !!

10 hours ago, erskblue said:

Looking back at the League Cup in 1984/85, it was a real missed opportunity for us to win our first major trophy since 1971.

In that season's Final, Norwich beat Sunderland 1-0.

 

And who missed a pen for Sunderland that day?

Clue: Bolton away 1983.

Said player in the above question was reported to have warned the sunderland players to get off the pitch a bit sharpish should the black cats  win the semi final leg at SB ,due to possibility of a pitch invasion I seem to recall.

14 hours ago, Backbiter said:

And who missed a pen for Sunderland that day?

Clue: Bolton away 1983.

The man who we are forever grateful to, for scoring at Bolton away in 1983 !