40 Years ago today (tonight)

[castlefields_villan]

Ok - it's 3.00am in the morning and I can't sleep - just remembered the date -

Anyone care to share their memories of that fantastic night at Old Trafford.

[johnc]

i was 11 years old. My older sister took me. My ticket cost £1 and train ticket  was the same. Caught the train in New St. Shared a carriage with 4 others who brought in a no swearing ban once me and my sister joined the carriage. They were drinking cans of beer I think? Were there cans of beer back then?
I had not been to many night time games so the whole sensory expeirnce of noise and sound is etched into my memory. I had a great view of Nicholls goal. Could hardly make out Little,s goal because it was right down the other end. However I wS  not in the least surprised as that is what Brian Little did

However out of that cup run the 2.2 draw v QPR is a great memory. 2 goals from Dixie and e pen save from Burridge
40 years ago....bloody hell

[JD]

We won the Brian Little competition, or it seemed that way, he owned the League Cup that year like no player ever has or ever will again. 

[ADVILLAFAN]

Without looking it up, I take it this is the League Cup win over Everton at the 3rd attempt?

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

It was just big game after big game at this time. Three semi finals with QPR, then three finals with Everton.

I checked the records, those six games were played between 1st Feb and 13th April included three lots of extra time and were watched by a combined attendance in excess of 320,000. We also managed to fit in eight league games and two FA Cup matches in this period.

I used to go to every game at that time home and away and I think I would have been pretty knackered by the end of it. There was also a wasted trip to London with with one of those QPR games being postponed.
 
The team were not knackered though - in the ten days after victory at Old Trafford we went to Coventry and won 3-2, then beat Spurs and Norwich at home 2-1 and 1-0 respectively with Brian Little scoring a goal in each of those too.

What a team ! What a player !

[flybo]

not a good night for me went to wembley but could not get time of work for the replays :-(

[Jon Crofts]

I remember travelling to Highbury for the QPR replay never to this day understanding how a London ground was neutral when one of the teams playing was a London team. Went with my Dad and a mate, we sat amongst a load of QPR fans, seem to remember them all being very good spirited.

Got a ticket for Wembley, we were in the non tunnel end very low down on the terracing, highlight of the game was a bandsman from the half time entertainment lost a spur off his boot and the second half was interrupted as players and officials searched the turf for the missing spur.  Pretty dour game to be fair.
Couldn't get a ticket for Hillsborough and only my Dad got a ticket for Old Trafford, never forget that Chris Nicholl 40 yard piledriver.

[dave shelley]

I remember most vividly the QPR matches and all three finals as I was at them all.  What I can't remember is, how the hell I travelled down to London for the QPR replay.  I was with my usual mate and can only guess we went in his car, I just don't remember any coach or train.

For sheer exhilaration the Old Trafford replay has to be somewhere at the top of the pile.  I recall looking at my watch and saying to my two mates that if we were to get back in it we'd need to score soon.  Cue Chris Nichols receiving the ball half a mile out and bang! The rest is history.

I've posted before that when SBL scored his first goal the noise from our fans was something that I'd never heard before or since.  It was like a crack of thunder out of nowhere.  The accoustics of OT lent itself to then, before it became soulless.

Got home about 4am happy as a clam, two hours kip and up for work.  Brilliant!

[Comrade Blitz]

[LeeB]

I remember most vividly the QPR matches and all three finals as I was at them all.  What I can't remember is, how the hell I travelled down to London for the QPR replay.  I was with my usual mate and can only guess we went in his car, I just don't remember any coach or train.

For sheer exhilaration the Old Trafford replay has to be somewhere at the top of the pile.  I recall looking at my watch and saying to my two mates that if we were to get back in it we'd need to score soon.  Cue Chris Nichols receiving the ball half a mile out and bang! The rest is history.

I've posted before that when SBL scored his first goal the noise from our fans was something that I'd never heard before or since.  It was like a crack of thunder out of nowhere.  The accoustics of OT lent itself to then, before it became soulless.

Got home about 4am happy as a clam, two hours kip and up for work.  Brilliant!

That's an interesting point Dave, I'm too young for remembering this epic (was about 5 months old at the time), but the first time I went to Old Trafford was in '88, with the Brummie exodus. The noise when Bruce but them in the lead in front of us was something that I'd never experienced before, and as you say the ground itself seemed to amplify it somewhat.

[Scratchins]

Isn't it funny the way your memory works? My overriding memories are of the train rolling back a few feet on the way home after the 1st game to a chorus of "we're on our way to Wembley", sitting on the coach at Sheffield queuing to get off the car park until about midnight and watching Chris Nichols shot take what seemed like half an hour to reach the goal.

[class-of-82]

All 3 semis and all 3 finals for me to the one stand out memory from them all besides the games was when I had my huge villa flag up at the coach window and a brick went through the coach window in selly park.
Had to wait ages for another coach got to qpr 10 mins after kick off coach dropped us on Wood Lane and 50 of us legging it up South Africa road with one dressed as superman cape and all come round the bend by ground and loads of qpr fans about still but they all dispersed as we ran past them with superman at the front
Honest it was just like the batman and robin scene from fools and horses

[Villan For Life]

Chris Nichol's goal is in my top five Villa goals.

[Bernie]

I remember travelling to Highbury for the QPR replay never to this day understanding how a London ground was neutral when one of the teams playing was a London team. Went with my Dad and a mate, we sat amongst a load of QPR fans, seem to remember them all being very good spirited.

Got a ticket for Wembley, we were in the non tunnel end very low down on the terracing, highlight of the game was a bandsman from the half time entertainment lost a spur off his boot and the second half was interrupted as players and officials searched the turf for the missing spur.  Pretty dour game to be fair.
Couldn't get a ticket for Hillsborough and only my Dad got a ticket for Old Trafford, never forget that Chris Nicholl 40 yard piledriver.

On the fact that the replay at  "neutral" ground was played in London, wasn't the location decided by a toss of a coin, if we'd have won the match would have been at  eg Wolves? And there was a to do about the tossed coin rolling all over the boardroom, toys were thrown out of prams about it not being fair?
Loving reading the memories from this period, I went to all of the games, even the one that wasn't- we were already in London for the QPR game by the time it was called off, so, sadly, had to stay in the pub. Happy days.

[passport1]

I went to the Wembley game, missed the Hillsborough replay but managed to get to Old Trafford. A wonderful night