https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/2020/04/29/50th-anniversary-pre-match-briefing--1970-fa-cup-final-replay?cardIndex=0-0

I know it's out of sequence, but just saw this preview and thought it was worth posting.

 

Today it is half-a-century since Chelsea vanquished Leeds United at the second time of asking to lift the oldest club competition trophy for the first time in our history.

To mark the anniversary and ahead of the game being shown in full on The 5th Stand app later today, club historian Rick Glanvill looks forward to the game in the style of our modern day Pre-Match Briefing previews…

So, let battle recommence (at last). Eighteen long days have passed since the draw at Wembley because both teams had to cram in three games. Leeds included their deeply disappointing European Cup semi-final trip to Celtic. The final Division One table left Chelsea in third place and Leeds, leaders until a month ago, in second. To this evening’s victor, then, will go the last spoils of the season.

The harmony of a joint lap of honour after the medal ceremony at Wembley, instigated by Eddie McCreadie, was swiftly forgotten.

Typically, Don Revie complained, ‘we must be the unluckiest side in the world’ after the stalemate.

‘The way we fought back to draw must have really sickened Leeds,’ smiled skipper Ron Harris in response. My bold

In truth, the gruelling 120 minutes on the Wembley mud helped neither side. Thank heavens for Chelsea’s unquenchable spirit and the two Hs – Houseman and Hutch. Thanks to them, the Blues came from behind twice to secure the first cup final draw since 1912, and one so dramatic that ‘Shoot’ magazine dubbed it ‘the greatest final ever’.

Such has been the interest in this north-south heavyweight rematch, it is likely to secure the biggest television audience ever for a game of club football.

The full match will be shown live in colour on BBC’s ‘Cup Final Grandstand’ show, and ITV have shunted ‘Coronation Street’ to an earlier slot to accommodate their coverage (‘Callan’ will follow afterwards).

And so to Old Trafford, where our fans will occupy the famous Stretford End. Come on, Chelsea!

Sadly, the ‘ploughed field’ rumours about the national stadium proved all too real, especially after heavy showers the previous day. ‘You needed hoofs to play on the Wembley pitch,’ claimed Leeds’ Terry Cooper. Hmm, lucky horseshoes… now there’s something else for the notoriously superstitious Don Revie to ponder.

There is already a story doing the rounds that the Horse of the Year Show was staged recently at Wembley, causing all the problems. Not true. Those with longer memories know the trouble stems from two Royal International Horse Shows staged there, the most recent a full nine months ago (it has since hoofed it to Hickstead in Sussex).

Reseeding proved insufficient, and an expensively relaid pitch failed to take after another long, cold, wet winter – the state of it had the League Cup finalists cursing only last month. One hundred tons of sand strewn across it only served to make things worse, and 100,000 spectators present had contributed £128,000 to watch. They, the players, and the global audience, deserved a better playing surface.

Thankfully, there will be no shock on the faces of players as they take their traditional pre-match stroll on the turf tomorrow evening at Old Trafford. Despite Manchester’s reputation as the country’s best umbrella salesman, United’s playing field has held up well. It is hardly a bowling green but a true, hard and fast surface, and we won 2-0 there in December thanks to a brace from Ian Hutchinson.

One member of the Chelsea family is especially delighted with the selection of this stadium for the replay – last used for a final when the Pensioners played there in 1915. Dave Sexton’s father, Archie, had his proudest moment as a boxer at Belle Vue, Manchester, in 1933, when he took on local favourite Jock McAvoy for the British middleweight crown. Sadly, Sexton senior was stopped in the 10th round. Here is hoping it is his son who lands the knockout blow there 37 years later.

Will fatigue play a part at Old Trafford tonight? This will be the 63rd match of the season for Don Revie’s Yorkshiremen, and ‘only’ number 54 for the Blues of Dave Sexton. Only last month, remember, Leeds fielded an entire team of reserves against Derby – on club doctor’s advice – and were fined £5,000 by the Football League.
 

Eighteen days ago the ITV computer’s pre-match prediction of Chelsea 2 Leeds 3 after extra-time almost came to pass, but thankfully the Blues had the final say, despite the additional 30 minutes.

As enthralling a spectacle as Wembley provided, two of the four goals resulted from errors induced by the state of the pitch. Jack Charlton’s opening header lost so much power when it bounced that it stayed low and went under the flailing boots of Eddie McCreadie and Ron Harris (claims of a foul on Peter Bonetti were waved away).

Four minutes before half-time, after Ian Hutchinson again beat Norman Hunter in the air, Peter Houseman’s reply looked similarly compromised, and slipped under Gary Sprake’s clasp. Bonetti did well just to lay a glove on Mick Jones’ powerful late strike, but the goal of the game was Hutch’s typically brave and decisive header.

Both sides came close to further goals – the bar denied the Yorkshiremen three times – but it was not to be.

And so Ron Harris wearily climbed the steps to become the first captain to lead his players up to the royal box without then raising the trophy itself.

Sexton is keeping faith with the 13-man squad he originally selected for the final, with Alan Hudson suddenly in the frame again after a hard workout on Monday at Mitcham. The 18-year-old prodigy remains a big doubt, however. Second Wembley goalscorer Ian Hutchinson had to visit the dentist yesterday but will play, though Chelsea’s shrewd tactician may make a few tweaks.

Poor Dave Webb groaned, ‘They made Eddie Grey “man of the match” – what does that make me?’ and it is true he endured a difficult 120 minutes against the Scottish winger 18 days ago. Film and theatre star Michael Crawford, a big Blues fan, was among those who consoled the versatile defender after the draw, but Webby was having none of it – even when someone pointed out his brilliant goal-line clearance in extra-time kept the hopes of London football alive. ‘Now all I want is the chance to redeem myself,’ he said before this evening’s game. Stranger things have happened…

There are suggestions from the training ground that Ron Harris, one of the best tacklers in the game, will swap places to pay closer attention to the tricky Leeds left-winger. Chopper has made the switch from centre- to full-back several times before, and has man-marked the likes of George Best out of the game.

At Wembley Marvin Hinton became the first Chelsea substitute to be used in an FA Cup final when half-fit Harris was spent at the end of normal time. Suave Marv is expected to be handed the 12 shirt again tonight, though Sexton is not announcing his team beforehand this time

 

The Chelsea party will travel back by train to Euston tomorrow, and it will be one hell of a party in west London should they have the FA Cup added to their luggage.

In that eventuality, an open-topped bus that has been hired will drive Sexton and the players through the streets around Stamford Bridge, culminating in a reception at Fulham Town Hall, so that all our supporters can come and show their approval. It could be the biggest street party since VE Day in 1945.

The bus will have come up from Brighton, where Sexton lives, and he is threatening to catch a lift back home alone in it after the celebrations, rather than take the train. ‘It will be a lot slower,’ he said, ‘but I will have plenty of time to savour our achievements.’

Should the scores be level after 90 minutes, the match will enter a period of extra-time. A draw after the final whistle will mean a further replay at Highfield Road, and a windfall of estimated £6,500 into the coffers of Coventry FC. Had Leeds not lost their European Cup semi-final to Celtic, there would be no space in the calendar for a third game. Instead the FA were considering Chelsea and Leeds either sharing the trophy, or tossing a coin to determine the winners. Thankfully the Bhoys won that ‘Battle of Britain’.

In a slight change from the first match, tonight Chelsea will wear the second choice blue and gold strip, with Leeds in traditional usual all-white.
 

Are we ready for a few continental jaunts later this year? If the result goes the right way tonight the Blues will enter an official UEFA competition for the first time in our history next season: the Cup Winners’ Cup.

Chelsea (third) and Leeds (second) have both already qualified for the lesser Inter-Cities Fairs Cup so, whoever wins today, the fourth merit place will be spare, and pass further down the league.

Under normal circumstances that would mean Derby (fourth), Liverpool (fifth) plus Coventry (sixth) joining tonight’s losers. However, Brian Clough’s Derby men are banned from the Fairs Cup after making an illegal payment to skipper Dave Mackay, so seventh-placed Newcastle will be the replacements.

Among the potential opponents confirmed for the 1970/71 Cup Winners’ Cup are Aberdeen, and League Cup-winners Manchester City – who, incidentally, will contest the 1970 final with Gornik Zabrze in Vienna this evening.

 

 

 

Will sit down and watch both games later. Currently having a discussion on Facebook with a few people I was at primary school with when the games were played. One of them is a Leeds fan. He still feels the pain even after all these years!

9 hours ago, Boyne said:

Will sit down and watch both games later. Currently having a discussion on Facebook with a few people I was at primary school with when the games were played. One of them is a Leeds fan. He still feels the pain even after all these years!

That's good to hear

Edited April 29, 20206 yr by erskblue

Edited April 29, 20206 yr by erskblue

Edited April 29, 20206 yr by erskblue

Again, many, many thanks to bounder.friardale for the cuttings above.

https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/2020/04/29/1970-memories-from-the-men-who-won-the-cup?cardIndex=0-1

1970 memories from the men who won the Cup.

First-hand tales of a special day on a special anniversary...

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the day we first laid hands on a trophy we had been chasing for over 60 years.

Chelsea players had come close before. We were losing FA Cup finalists in 1915 and in 1967, three years before many of the same players eventually triumphed. There had been numerous semi-finals too, but at last on a late April evening in Manchester, watched by a packed crowd in the stadium and a record TV audience, Chelsea at last won the Cup.

To mark one of the club's most-loved team's most famous days, the game is being shown in full on the 5th Stand app tonight at 7.30pm UK time and it will be available on demand afterwards.

Ahead of that and to further celebrate the anniversary, we have words from some of the key players involved, about events before and after the 1970 FA Cup replay versus Leeds at Old Trafford.

 

Charlie Cooke - the silky-skilled Scot who made magic in the middle of the park on the night, not least his run and pass for Peter Osgood's iconic diving equaliser:

It surprised me when I remembered back that there was actually almost three weeks between the final and the replay. There was a lot of time to work up to it and think about it, so it was unusual in that sense, and also the pitches had dried out a bit. I don't think people realise just how soft and deep the mud was at Wembley for the first game.
 

John Hollins - the Chelsea youth product and midfield dynamo whose move out to the left flank in the second half of the replay helped revive a trailing side:

That was the danger at Wembley, a heavy pitch. Had it not been for Peter Bonetti and some good defensive work we would have been high and dry, out of the cup.

In the first game Leeds completely dominated and then we nearly nicked it in extra-time, although we wouldn't have deserved it in the Wembley game. They had dominated that match for sure. By the time we got to Old Trafford, the field had dried out completely. I wouldn't say it was dusty but it was certainly much firmer and didn't have a lot of grass down in the middle. That made a huge difference to the game.

We were finishing off the season and there was a feeling you could take care of any injuries and you made sure you were fit.

As far as the game itself, it was such a huge thing. People forget the rivalry between Leeds and Chelsea, this was a huge game.

Another thing you have to remember is that because the '67 Final against Spurs was a London derby and we lost it, it was a huge disappointment for all the fans and the club. That was a big weight on the club's shoulders.

We went on the train to the replay. I don't think we trained anywhere. We had a run but we just went up there, stayed in the hotel and had a sleep in the afternoon. But you were playing an FA Cup Final replay. How were you supposed to sleep in the afternoon?


Ron Harris - the captain, youth product and enforcer who switched position for the replay and neutralised main Leeds threat Eddie Gray:

You used to get into the train compartments and you'd get people walking through the trains, so you'd always mix with the supporters a little.

Ossie used to invite some into the compartment. The only time they stayed away was when we were having our meal. That was always private.

 

Hollins: When we arrived we had scrambled eggs on toast and tea. I had no appetite at all. It was something really light, no steak and chips. You just had to feel like your stomach was full, to get a bit more relaxed and afterwards I remember thinking, 'I feel great; I'm ready to go now'.

What impressed me most was the fans. As you came out of the tunnel at Old Trafford, the Stretford End was a mass of blue and white and there was a tremendous roar.


Harris: For the replay it was almost like we were playing at home. I'd say we had more fans there than Leeds even though Old Trafford is just down the road for them and it was on a Wednesday night. The vocal support was fantastic. It just erupted and I still get a tingle now when I think about it.

The atmosphere at Chelsea wasn't as good because of the dog track and the fans were so far away from the pitch so when we went to Old Trafford I felt the support was tremendous. Anybody who played that game will tell you that.

Hollins: The whole feeling was that we had to do something for these guys but unfortunately we went 1-0 down. The whole place fell silent. We are looked around at each other but you could see it had annoyed everyone.


Harris: I do remember at 1-0 it went quiet but when Peter Osgood scored the diving header, the whole place erupted. At that point I think a lot of people would have backed Chelsea to go on and win, only because of the fantastic support.

Chelsea songs were all you could hear and scarves swinging was all you could see. It was absolutely fantastic. When we lost the first goal, Leeds' confidence was high but once Ossie scored you could see their confidence seeping away.

All of a sudden they looked a lot smaller and we knew we had them.

 

David Webb – the defender who completed a fairytale story by scoring the winner, having been given such an awful time by Leeds winger Eddie Gray in the first clash:

We talked about changing the defence as soon as we got on the coach to go home from Wembley. Ron Harris is a tighter marker than me and we thought it would be better if he took Eddie Gray who had given me such a hard time and I looked after Allan Clarke.

We might even have done that in the first match if Ronnie had been fully fit and the way it worked proved what a good move it was. First of all at Wembley I thought the pitch was against me and then everything went against me. To get the winning goal was marvellous after all I went through then.

Leeds thrived for a long time on intimidation but we were too brave for them.

 

Cooke: We finally deserved it in the end and it was a great event but leading up to the replay, the emotions were all real. It was very much Leeds versus Chelsea and there was a lot of feeling going into that game. Add the fact that it was an FA Cup final, an FA Cup final when they were extremely important as well. You didn't have the Champions League overshadowing it then. It was the big event of the year.

Let's not mince words. We all know the reputation Leeds have for hard men. In the heat of the match, when all you can think about is winning, it lifted me to see the way some of them were turning away and appealing to the ref.


Hollins: It was about determination, skill and drive. We had the mentality that we would not let another goal in but we would score against them.

The power and strength of that is amazing. We played 90 minutes plus 30 on a heavy, doughy pitch at Wembley, which took every bit of energy out of us. But all of us had to play; if somebody ran you had to pick him up. It tested everyone to their ultimate level of fitness and skill. It took everything out of us in the replay as well. There were 22 players who gave everything they had and all of them were very good players, but we came out on top.


Harris: The only disappointment for the players was we didn't have the 39 steps to walk up to lift the trophy; it took a bit of the gloss off it. Everybody will tell you walking up the steps is all part of the whole experience but it never happened for us.
 

Hollins: At the time the FA Cup was sponsored by the milk board and we were in the bath drinking pints of milk and I was thinking, 'milk?' while David Webb was sat in the bath, with a cigarette, saying, 'We've won it,' while drinking milk. It was quite surreal.

Cooke: I don't think we drank too much milk. It was a pretty wild group then and we enjoyed a little bit more than milk at that time. The celebrations were brilliant. It was a joyous time, it must have been a bitter moment for Leeds, a tough one to take for them, but we were overjoyed. That was a huge thing for the club, the first big one, Leeds, first historic replay, all these things made it big. A lot of people took time off work, a lot of kids took the next day off school. It was just brilliant for everybody.


Hollins: I remember we had the FA Cup on the train, bacon and egg, a few beers, lots of singing and the journey took no time at all. Then there was an open-top bus which took us from Euston Station all the way down to Fulham Town Hall.


Harris: There were a few blurry eyes on the train, because we'd all had a celebration the night before. Then we had to catch the train back at 7.30 in the morning. But I can remember getting off at Euston and driving on the bus all the way back. That was fantastic. I have never seen so many people in and around Fulham Road. Thousands and thousands of supporters who would have travelled back in the morning. That will stay with me until the day I die.

The supporters were all singing the songs from the terraces and going past a market, people threw up apples and pears to the lads.

 

Hollins: There was plenty of champagne at the Town Hall. There were thousands of people out the front and we went out on the balcony


Harris: Chelsea had been starved of success and I'm proud of the fact that I'm the first Chelsea captain to ever lift the Cup. It was an historic moment.

Dave Sexton rallies the troops before extra time.

So many great memories.

Happy 50th Anniversary! ?

Again

Thank you bounder.friarfdale

Again

Thank you very much bounder.friarfdale

You were well supported by us that night. Leeds beat us in the semi-final after a second replay at Burnden Park. The story is that Best went on the lash and was in a hotel room with a bird a few hours before the game. He missed a sitter from six yards out and Bremner scored their winner.

On 29/04/2020 at 14:20, Boyne said:

Since they are back in the Premiership.

 

Showing off The FA Cup at The Bridge.    David Webb and Alan Hudson.

Don't know if this has already been posted but I found this footage of the semi-final against Watford at White Hart Lane. The pitch looks like Blackpool beach there's so much sand on it.

 

 

 

CFCHistory

 

@CFCHistory on Twitter

 

'Chopper' Harris leads them out at Wembley.

Silly place to put your head!😀

Edited April 29, 20251 yr by erskblue

Eddie Mac’s ‘tackle’ on Bremner. Don’t know what all the fuss has been about…😀

The Rising Sun. The rail timetable might be posted in this thread?