Just to get you in the mood...

[dave.woodhall]

Happy memories. Look how smug the tranmere bench and penalty taker looked before Bozzie stepped in.  What a keeper he was, and what a team that was. Happy days.

Yet their league form wasn't much better than this one's.

[Ross]

True, but I know who I'd back in a head to head!

[dave.woodhall]

The team who got 41 points from 42 games, obviously.

[Pete3206]

Stood in The Holte for the 2nd leg. When the third goal went in, I ended up no where near where I was originally standing. It was utter bedlam. When Bozzie saved the last pen, I suddenly found myself on the centre circle. Amazing day.

[Toronto Villa]

What a miserable night that was at Tranmere. A much better than team than we had today taken apart by Tranmere, who themselves had some very decent players. There are definitely similarities, and I know, hand on heart we can do this tomorrow. We need to be clinical and get the score level on aggregate as early as possible. We nearly blew it vs Tranmere, and against Blackburn a number of years later. Both ended being incredible games for different reasons. I don't need the heart racing like crazy tomorrow. Can I not just get a simple 5-0 battering?

It was pretty horrible, but when it comes to league cup semi final misery, I don't think anything will ever top Oxford away, 1986.

I remember that game too, but I didn't attend it, so I suppose I was lucky not to have witnessed that horror show. Mind you I did attend Oldham away which is shit personified on that wank plastic. I was at Leicester Uni for the Tranmere games and a couple of the lads were from the Wirral and few of us Villa heads headed up there. Like I said shit night and followed by gloating from the Tranmere lads until the second leg. We all got tickets upper Trinity and the place literally shook you'd think the old roof was coming down. Maybe Doug shit himself at the thought and changed it for that reason. In any case, nothing in my memory comes close to that game. And that includes some of our best games at Villa Park, including a never to be forgotten night versus Inter Milan.

[Hillbilly]

I still get nervous watching those penalties.

[Matt C]

Glad I'm not the only one!

[eamonn]

Should Bossie have been sent off for taking down Aldridge? Would he be sent off for it in 2013? Strange that he didn't even get booked.

[tomd2103]

Should Bossie have been sent off for taking down Aldridge? Would he be sent off for it in 2013? Strange that he didn't even get booked.

If I recall correctly the rule was in place by that point and I remember expecting to see Bossie get his marching orders.  Bossie's foul was a red card offence then and now, though I don't remember there being too much fuss about it in the media on the aftermath.     

[Bottom Right 89]

That game was the true "Holte's Last Stand", the last time we truly stood shoulder to shoulder and experienced the real rocking, writhing, dangerous and emotional roller-coaster that only a packed Holte End in a vitally important game could produce.
 Also I reckon it was the last time I cried at a football match.

Same for me - I always remember turning round to my Dad after Dalian scored to find he was being carried away by the tide ending up 50 feet away from where we were stood before, if you watch the highlights you can see as the Holte End surges forward like a tidal wave. I also remember the ringing in my ears after like you used to get leaving a cheap club, the noise was immense, after Deano scored it was like someone had released King Kong from behind the stands. The emotion and drama of that day I have never witnessed at VP perhaps the pitch invasion after Blackburn comes close - time for some new memories!

[avfcpg]

What a game, what a night...my mate buggered off out of the Holte in a huff about 3 or 4 minutes before the end of normal time...only to come belting back up the steps when he heard the Dalian Atkinson roar.

As good as it was, no pens tonight please...

[NeilH]

I still get nervous watching those penalties.

You are not the only one. My heart was pounding just going through that again. A quite amazing game and boy did I enjoy that final too.

[ADVILLAFAN]

Hadn't realised until today that we're the only team ever in the League Cup to have overturned a 2 goal deficit from the first leg. Let's hope that Chelsea don't become the second team, whether we get through or not.

[Dave Cooper please]

Should Bossie have been sent off for taking down Aldridge? Would he be sent off for it in 2013? Strange that he didn't even get booked.

If I recall correctly the rule was in place by that point and I remember expecting to see Bossie get his marching orders.  Bossie's foul was a red card offence then and now, though I don't remember there being too much fuss about it in the media on the aftermath.     

It wasn't a definite red card offence, the striker was moving away from the goal and there were three covering defenders all converging on the goal. Some refs might have sent him off, others wouldn't, it wasn't clear cut. Strange that he didn't get a yellow though, it was a pretty cynical foul.

[Pete3206]

I'd also like to thank David Pleat for announcing a 3-0 win for Tranmere, seconds before Dalian's goal.