22 years ago, Tranmere

[Chico Hamilton III]

What a day. On the pitch at the end, brilliant


The Guardian (London)


February 28, 1994

SOCCER: BOSNICH HAUNTS TRANMERE;
Coca-Cola Cup, semi-final, second leg: Aston Villa 3, Tranmere 1 (agg 44 at 90min; aet; Villa win 5-4 on pens)

BYLINE: DAVID LACEY

SECTION: THE GUARDIAN SPORTS PAGE; Pg. 12

LENGTH: 765 words

 SO IT was Aston Villa after all. The power of the cross came to their aid in an enthralling Coca-Cola Cup encounter yesterday, and after Tranmere Rovers had been denied a place in the final by the width of a post, Villa made sure of a visit to Wembley on Palm Sunday by winning the epilogue.
Tranmere took a 31 lead from the first leg to Villa Park and were 43 ahead on aggregate when Atkinson nodded the overall scores level in the 88th minute. There they stayed. Penalties followed. The more exciting these affairs are, the greater the sense of anti-climax when they have to be settled in such a fashion. At least this time the shoot-out did its best not to spoil the epic flavour of what had gone before.


 Villa Park roared its relief when Bosnich blocked Brannan's kick, but then Ehiogu hit the Tranmere bar and Richardson cleared it by several yards to give O'Brien the chance to take the First Division club to their first major Wembley final. Bosnich promptly saved again, and repeated the exercise after Daley's assured kick had beaten Nixon.
As celebrating Villa supporters invaded the pitch the thought that Bosnich ought not to have stayed on the field beyond the opening half-hour continued to nag. After all, the Aston Villa goalkeeper had brought down Aldridge to deny the Tranmere striker a scoring opportunity.

Aldridge subsequently put away the penalty but only after Alan Gunn used his discretion and let Bosnich off with a lecture. Some other referees would have shown him the red card. Of course Spink would have come on instead, but Villa would still have been reduced to 10 men in a gruelling cup tie.

Either way Ron Atkinson, Villa's manager, has now taken his third different club to a League Cup final and awaits Wednesday's second leg at Hillsborough to discover which of his two previous employers, Sheffield Wednesday or Manchester United, will meet his present team. Until his namesake's redeeming header, however, the point looked increasingly academic.

Aldridge's penalty stunned a Villa side that had just scored twice in four minutes to wipe out Tranmere's lead from Prenton Park. In the end Tranmere were as much victims of their own tiredness. Nolan was again their outstanding player and no one less deserved to be set up for the crucial penalty miss.

Villa were still not themselves. In midfield they often laboured and at the back McGrath looked unusually vulnerable. But the persistence of their centres wore down Tranmere's sweeper system.

Yet Tranmere could have put the semi-final beyond Villa's reach at the start of the match. In the space of a minute Aldridge stumbled before he could shoot, Bosnich made a double save from Nevin, and Malkin, coming in unmarked on the left to meet Nolan's low cross from the right, shot wide.

Villa seemed to have punished these misses decisively when they scored in the 20th and 24th minutes. A mix-up between Hughes and Nolan allowed Daley to find Townsend and as his cross dipped towards the near post Saunders scuttled through the defence to flick it past Nixon. Then Richardson gathered a short free-kick from Houghton and this time Teale met a long, searching centre with a low header into the net.

After Aldridge's penalty Villa spent almost the entire second half crowding into the Tranmere penalty area. Yet Aldridge nearly increased Rovers' aggregate lead with a shot that clipped the outside of a post.

Tranmere hung on bravely - but they were hanging on. Eventually they allowed themselves to be surprised by a quick free-kick and Atkinson was unmarked as he met Daley's cross with a firm header down inside the near post.

Less than two minutes later O'Brien's 25-yard free-kick curled beyond Bosnich's reach only to rebound from high up on the left-hand post. To that extent Tranmere were unlucky, but Villa had shown a lot of guts in reaching the sixth final of a competition they have already won three times.

- The Tranmere manager John King said of the Bosnich incident: "As soon as it happened I thought he had to go. But it didn't happen. The referee has made a decision and we abide by it. I certainly didn't challenge him about it afterwards. It was more important to talk to my players and be with them."

Aston Villa: Bosnich; Cox (Fenton, 76min), McGrath, Teale, Barrett, Houghton (Ehiogu, 90min), Richardson, Townsend, Daley, Atkinson, Saunders.

Tranmere Rovers: Nixon; Nolan, Higgins, Hughes (Thomas, 90), McGreal, Nevin (Morrissey, 97), O'Brien, Irons, Brannan, Malkin, Aldridge.

Referee: A Gunn (South Chailey).

[Bottom Right 89]

Nice one, this was the best game I've ever seen at Villa Park, if you wanted to bury one match in a time capsule to demonstrate to future generations the drama of football it was this game. When people talk about lack of atmosphere at our ground its because we remember days like this - the scenes and noise in the Holte End when Shaun Teale nodded his goal in was probably the loudest I have experienced with the exception of maybe Baggies Cup game or Semi Final last season.

[Nev]

What an attitiude from King.

Better than the spoilt child antics of so many "legends" now stinking out the dugouts in the game these days.

[somersetlion]

Best atmosphere I ever witnessed at VP - chants were starting from all sides - not just the Holte.  Went to every game of that cup run.  Remember going to Wembley certain we would beat Man Utd.  Oh to be 18 again!!

[Richard E]

What a day. The atmosphere was incredible, the full gamut of emotions in a single afternoon and the most heart stopping penalty shoot out imaginable. I can still see the Tranmere player leaping in the air with delight at one point in the shoot out because we'd missed one of ours, and thinking the game was up.

I think what made it special for some of us was that it meant we were going to get our first visit to Wembley with Villa. 

[Chico Hamilton III]

A very long story, but Paul McGrath got me 2 tickets for the first leg at Prenton Park. Me and Alex Alex Cropley from this manor went up for it and found ourselves sitting with the players' wives. Which was a bit awkward, given that we were slating some of the players for a shocking performance.

The home leg was probably the best atmosphere I've known at a Villa game. The last great day on the old Holte. I remember shitting myself when Liam O'Brien hit the bar..

 

[Richard E]

I think the fact that everything about the first leg - the venue, the weather, the reception from the locals, the performance, the result - was so cack just made it all the sweeter to get through.

[tomd2103]

Probably the most dramatic game of football I have ever been to.  It was like a rollercoaster of emotions - being 2-0 up, Bosnich luckily escaping a red card and them pulling a goal back, a late goal when it looked like we were going out, them hitting the post/bar with a free kick in the final minute of extra time and seeing the ball literally roll along our goal line to safety, and then to top it all off, the penalties.   

[dave.woodhall]

Probably the most dramatic game of football I have ever been to.  It was like a rollercoaster of emotions - being 2-0 up, Bosnich luckily escaping a red card and them pulling a goal back, a late goal when it looked like we were going out, them hitting the post/bar with a free kick in the final minute of extra time and seeing the ball literally roll along our goal line to safety, and then to top it all off, the penalties.   

It was also, to quote a later phrase, the last terrace mental, probably anywhere in the top flight.

[Chico Hamilton III]

I remember the euphoria soon being replaced by a mad panic over ticket availability. I still remember the number for Aston Villa Clubcall, I called it so often

0898 12 11 48

[LeeB]

My brothers lips had turned blue during the shoot out, I thought he was going to die on me.

[fbriai]

The atmosphere when Atkinson's goal went in was incredible. What a day!

And to think it led to the trip down to Wembley, where we such underdogs that no-one gave us a chance - Utd would have done the treble that year, but for us - and then on to the Inter game a few months later.

They were great times at Villa Park, even though our league form wasn't the best.

[Chico Hamilton III]

41 years ago today we beat Norwich at Wembley

[Pat McMahon]

41 years ago today we beat Norwich at Wembley

I always think of that day when I see the calendar flip to March 1. My first trophy as a Villa fan.

[Chico Hamilton III]

My first trophy as a Villa fan.

I thought you were at the Crystal Palace when we beat Sunderland?