50 years ago today

[Villa Lew]

We beat Norwich 1-0 in the League Cup Final, with Ray Graydon getting the winner.

[Godfrey Brian]

We beat Norwich 1-0 in the League Cup Final, with Ray Graydon getting the winner.

A memorable day. My first Wembley final. Seemed to be Villa fans everywhere. The penalty was at our end and it seemed to take an age for Ray Grayson to get to the rebound. Next day a rainswept Victoria Square welcome home (no so many there) but more at Villa Park for a lap of the pitch. Great weekend for this, then, teenager and few of us would have guessed what the next decade would bring.

[Bernie]

A great day, and the fact it's 50 years ago is ridiculous....
In my mind's eye I can still see Kevin Keelan parrying the penalty and worry Ray might not reach the rebound in time to slot it in. But he did, and the rest is history as they say

[dcdavecollett]

Yes, there were those horrible few seconds where you wondered where the ball was going.

Ron said afterwards that he should have told the Grader that Kevin Keelan always stood a bit to his left on penalties as he preferred to dive to the right, his stronger side.

Happily, it didn't matter in the end.

[Flamingo Lane]

We were so much on top, but it seemed like we would never score.  Most worryingly, as the minutes were ticking by, if the game had ended 0-0 after 90 minutes, the game would have gone straight to a replay, no ET.

[dcdavecollett]

Yeah.

I think the replay was scheduled for Highfield Road, wasn't it?

[Dick Edwards]

A great day in a great period for us youngsters.

[LeeB]

Yeah.

I think the replay was scheduled for Highfield Road, wasn't it?

Urgh, imagine playing in a cup final there, bloody soulless dump.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

A great day in a great period for us youngsters.

This nipper has four memories of the day, the claret & blue top hat my mother made for me, the Villa flag bought at Wembley - I still have it, the penalty - we were right in line with it and finally on the coach minutes before arriving back in Brum I managed to puke from motion sickness.

Oh one more..on the motorway down to Wembley, the massive convoy of Villa and on at least one coach a Villa fan had the entrance door open, mooning everybody they slowly overtook us.

[steamer]

directly behind the goal for the penalty
Grader controls the push out and buries it

[passport1]

First Wembley ,first trophy for me. We were on on our way. Wonderful memories including the drunk behind us who couldn't watch the pen.

[dave shelley]

The two seconds it took for Keelan to save the penalty and Graydon to knock it in, fleeting but seeming like an hour.

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

I don't think Mel Machin even got a booking. Looked like he was play acting after the handball.

[dcdavecollett]

DaveS, Grayson? Ooh, get you!!

ALitA, I don't think Machin was faking injury at all. He hobbled his way through the rest of the match -hamstring, I think.

[dave shelley]

DaveS, Grayson? Ooh, get you!!

ALitA, I don't think Machin was faking injury at all. He hobbled his way through the rest of the match -hamstring, I think.

Bugger!