20 years ago today

[Chico Hamilton III]

Pre-internet panic for tickets as soon as we beat Tranmere in the semi. Trying to cobble together enough season tickets and ticket stubs to qualify for tickets, I must’ve spent a week’s wages on clubcall for info on ticket allocations.

What a day!

I was living in Salford at the time and the day after the final I went to work in Manchester city centre o the bus with my “Salford Villa” union jack over my shoulders ( a piss-taking nod towards all the “Brummie reds” flags you used to see around the time). Surprised I didn’t get lynched.

[lovejoy]

Best day as a Villa fan ever. Sat near Gary Shaw who got serenaded at half time. I was sure Utd would get level once they pulled one back. No booze all day. I just didn't need it.

[NatP]

Hadn't been to enough games for a legit ticket, my Dad came through with a couple of £48 tickets (Seem to remember the Tranmere stub says £4.50!). That remained my most expensive ticket for anything until the 2012 Olympics. Worth it though,  fantastic day!

[class_of_82]

Came out of st Joseph's Irish social club just off wembley way about 6 of us and we bumped into a Salvation Army band tambourines and all.
So we just had to stop and join in as you do
They broke into the sung cum-by-yar my lord cum-by-yar then my mate Paul sabell(Holte ender in the sky now) sang Paul McGrath my lord Paul McGrath and the whole band joined in with us and that was the day the song was born we sang it in the ground and on the coach home afterwards.

 Lifted the cup
Treble stopped in it tracks
And a great song was born

[PeterWithesShin]

I didn't have a ST that season because of work so had to go on one of those coach, ticket and hotel room things. Hotel was in Picadilly and was mainly Manure fans. We actually spent a couple of hours drinking and chatting in one of the Hotel bars to one group who were Mancs and they were decent lads. While we were out getting food it kicked off big style in the hotel when a load of Villa steamed it and one of the blokes we had been chatting to had his head split open. We had seen a load of police cars and vans go screaming past where we were eating and had joked they were probably heading to our hotel, sadly they were. Thought we were going to get a right kicking when we walked back in as the Mancs were massively pissed, but fair play, the ones we'd been talking to earlier calmed them down and said we were alright.

And it seemed moody all night around the parts of London we wandered around with not much love lost between the fans. One of the lads on the coach was stabbed by a Manure fan while out on the night.

[Exeter 77]

I sorted out the tickets and my mate sorted out the travel. For some reason the 'coach' he had booked us on turned out to be one of a fleet of WMT double decker buses which we had to have a whip round to park in the Wembley coach park. After the game a Man U fan who was about 15 ran up to us, smacked me in the chest and then ran off.

My greatest memory of the game was right on the final whistle. Neil Cox turned to us and just screamed with joy.

[Pat McMahon]

I always remember from the commentary Brian Moore and Kevin Keegan moaning about Kanchelskis being sent off - for stopping a certain goal with his hands in the last minute of a Cup Final when the result was on a knife edge!

Me too.

I also remember Keegan saying something about us struggling to get into the game or something, just as Atkinson was put through to score!

My recollection is that Keegan said "you just get a feeling that Villa are coming into this game" a minute or two before we scored. Keegan was also commentator for Tranmere and Inter so I thought of him as a good luck charm.

[Tucson Villain]

My last game before moving to the United States.
What a last game!

[Godfrey Brian]

Best day as a Villa fan ever. Sat near Gary Shaw who got serenaded at half time. I was sure Utd would get level once they pulled one back. No booze all day. I just didn't need it.

We were near Gary Shaw as well. One magnificent occasion-we were underdogs but you just knew we would give them a fight. Their supporters were as arrogant as ever so it was great hearing their excuses in the car park afterwards! Met Denis Law on the way out who was pretty honest about who was the best on the day to his credit. Also made a prediction which I'm still reminded of that Graham Fenton would, one day , become the mainstay of the England midfield!

[Scully]

We were in a pub in Ruislip before the match. I was with a mate who lived down there and had just become a father. His missus turned up at the pub with the baby dressed in Claret & Blue. An old fella was passing us and he stopped to admire the baby and gave him a pound to bring luck to the Villa.
Some lads heard this and decided they should do the same. Before you knew it, all the Villa fans in the pub were lining up to hand over a quid. My mates missus left the pub with 120 pound coins in her handbag.
Great memories, great day.

[Damo70]

What a day! We had lost four on the bounce going into it as well, hadn't we? No-one gave us a chance.

I was sat way up behind the goal we were playing towards in the first-half. Cyrille Regis was sat a few seats away.

Coming after the Tranmere semi-final and then being followed by the win over Inter a few months later, that was an amazing time to be following the Villa.

You must have been very close to me as I could see Regis from where I was sitting but I can't quite remember exactly where he was in relation to me. Definitely to my left but more than a few seats away and may have been a row in front or behind. I punched the bloke in front of me in the back of the neck whilst attempting to to Bosnich's job for him when we were under pressure at 2-1. I apologised but I don't think he even felt it much everyone was so hyped up at that point.

It sounds as though we were sat very close to one another! He was to my left, a few seats away - maybe ten or so, I don't remember clearly - and, I think, one row behind.

I reckon I was sat about half a dozen seats to your right!

[Damo70]

I always remember from the commentary Brian Moore and Kevin Keegan moaning about Kanchelskis being sent off - for stopping a certain goal with his hands in the last minute of a Cup Final when the result was on a knife edge!

Had a big row with my bluenose old man about that when I got back from the game and it simmered for weeks. Should have let him off as it was a cup final and so late on and the penalty was enough punishment he reckoned.

[Deano's Mullet]

I remember Keegan saying "this is incredible, Aston Villa are doing to Man United, what Man United normally do to teams."

[big 1st serve]

 Great time pre-match at the Green Man, unlike 1996,

 We sat towards the back of our end, and remember the bruised legs we  all seemed to have the next day after falling over those bench seats 3 times!

Watched the game again recently,& about half way through the 1st half, Andy Townsend makes the type of tackle on Cantona which just makes you think ,We,re up for this!

[supertom]

My favourite memory as a Villa fan so far, and probably won't be surpassed. Football was just more exciting in those days and more competitive. Great to be the underdogs but win so well. I was jumping round my living room like MON on crack.