FA Cup memories good and bad

[tiger76]

It seems fitting on 3rd round weekend to have a thread on this once great tournament, which sadly is now nowhere near the showpiece it once was.

A few recent ones off the top of my head.

Good- Derby 92 and 2000. the former for the fog and atmosphere, the latter as it was our 1st every competitive victory over a PL side.

Liverpool 2005 also merits a mention, Traore's comical OG, and although it was a shadow side, Liverpool did go on to lift the CL that season.

Bad- Lincoln has to be at the top of the list, a real embarrassment, and for once we actually bothered to play our first XI, so that makes the defeat even worse.

Watford 03 what was Stan thinking benching Blake and Little in a winnable tie? and we could have been enjoying a Wembley semi-final against Southampton off memory.

Ugly- Lafferty getting a straight red in the opening minutes of the Arsenal tie, and that game was live on BBC as well.

Ditto Payton at Darlington, he'd already scored twice to put us in command, when the red mist descended and he received his marching orders, and we then collapsed like an England batting unit in the final 10 minutes and lost 3-2.

[Vegas Claret]

the FA Cup will always remind me of the Derby fog game

Was the Darlington game the one we played at the Riverside ? That was dreadful !

[Jimmymaccer]

Yep Darlington in the freezing cold then fog…..

A good one for me was Penrith …..memories of a fab day with my dad.

[claretburns]

Not coming from a football supporting family I had to wait until I was 11 before my first game, 3rd round in 2003 against Canvey Island, I thought Ian Moore was as good as Ronaldo then

[Colburn_Claret]

Bad, the Sheff Wed QF. I can still see Taylors pen bobbling gently to the keeper.
I still think Payts got sent off at the Riverside for shrugging his shoulders. It was the only thing I saw of note.

Good, is a lot harder. I wasn't at the Derby game, and good matches in the FA Cup are as rare as donkey poo on the moon.
The Wrexham QF was memorable for a packed Turf. I don't know what the attendance was, but I'm sure it would have been a hell of a lot more than the official figure. We were stood on the corner of the Beehole End, we couldn't force our way onto the Longside.

[minnieclaret]

Good.
The third round tie 1972 with Liverpool, 0-0 but what a match.

Bad.
The Newcastle semi 1974.
The Watford qf when we didn’t turn up.

Was it an Everton replay when Willie Irvine had his leg broke? If so add that to the bads.

[RalphCoatesComb]

Good
Derby stands out

Bad
Where do you start?
WImbledon & Lincoln do it for me

Most memorable event
Traore og v Liverpool

[dougcollins]

Our first ever Friday night game, first round proper.

Walsall at home. Stood on the Beehole, felt like about -10c, lost 0-1.

Those were the days.

[Vegas Claret]

Yep Darlington in the freezing cold then fog…..

A good one for me was Penrith …..memories of a fab day with my dad.

I remember the fog now, the drive back home was horrific in places

[Shappie]

A different derby was good for me

The 1-0 at Pride Park 1999. I think this was the first time I had seen us bear a team from the top flight

[dougcollins]

Our first ever Friday night game, first round proper.

Walsall at home. Stood on the Beehole, felt like about -10c, lost 0-1.

Those were the days.

Actually, it maybe just felt like we lost, it could have been a draw. I've rarely been as cold.

[Herts Clarets]

Scunthorpe away 1989. 10 of us went in a Transit van for the 11am kick off. We arrived a bit late and after parking the van we headed for the turnstiles. The Police were having none of it and herded us back to the van with the help of a large Police dog. After viewing the mobile off licence, we were loaded back into the van and escorted a fair way back on the motorway.

We were back in the Prairie just after the final whistle to watch the draw for Italia 90.

[welsbyswife]

Good, Derby home and away and Sheffield Utd away when Inchy put us 2 up. Pandemonium. Ended up drawing but a great day out.

Bad. Hard to look past that Watford match with Glen and Blake both on the bench. Just couldn't fathom it.

But more soul destroying has been our general approach to the cup in the past 6 or 7 seasons. I hate it. Can't blame Dyche particularly but it sums up what's wrong with the modern game.

[TheFamilyCat]

My first FA Cup game was v Bolton in 1987. Definitely in the 'ugly' category. It was only my second or else third game.

[Roosterbooster]

Good
Sheff Utd away

Bad
Sheff Utd home

[giveusaB]

Here’s the Darlington game.Forgot about Payton’s red card.

https://youtu.be/-P5stQSUqic

[Shappie]

My first FA Cup game was v Bolton in 1987. Definitely in the 'ugly' category. It was only my second or else third game.

My first ever game at Turf Moor

Can remember it like it was yesterday although I was only 8 years old

[Guitargeorge]

Hillsborough semi wasn’t good. We only had Malc to keep an eye on, and we let him score two. Sheffield outside the ground was just a sea of black and white. We were so near, but not to be.

[conyoviejo]

Bad..semi final v Newcastle
Bad Leading Rovers 3 - 0 and letting them scab a draw then win the replay at Ewood.(they got hammered in the final though.4-1 )

[Buxtonclaret]

Good:-
Liverpool - 72,
Derby A
Sheff Utd

Bad
Newcastle - semi
Wimbledon

Funny thing, we didn't win any of the above games!

[Leisure]

Bad - Telford away.

[Fretters]

Everyone talks about Stan benching Robbie and Glen but he went with the same team that had beaten Premier League Fulham 3-0 in the previous round.

[bfcjg]

Wimbledon at the Turf, only a kid but I was in tears at the end that was bad, very bad we just couldn't score. Lincoln was bad but we were very poor Wayfordcaway, Newcastle semi. Good, Derby away glorious defeat and the start of something big.

[claptrappers_union]

Good - Derby 0 - 2 Burnley circa 2000
Bad - Burnley 0 - 3 Rotherham circa 1997

[claretfern]

Good: 1970 Ralph Coates' goal at a packed Turf Moor in the replay v. Chelsea after drawing 2-2 at their place. (Even though we lost to the eventual winners)
Bad: 1975 Wimbledon.

[groove]

My first FA Cup game was v Bolton in 1987. Definitely in the 'ugly' category. It was only my second or else third game.

That's a game I remember well. John Thomas scored the only goal of the game from the penalty spot. I remember being stood right up against the fence behind the goal in the dying seconds at the Beehole End. Neil Grewcock caught the keeper (David Felgate) off his line, chipped him with a deft shot, and the keeper, facing his own goal, cleared it off the line with an overhead kick. Pandemonium on the pitch afterwards. We played them in the league the week after, with Nat Lofthouse and Jimmy Mac leading out the teams in a show of unity, to appease further crowd trouble.

[groove]

Away at Nuneaton Borough is one I'll always remember. First time I'd seen us win away. Proper cowshed terraces with a massive slag heap behind the ground at one end. They had a winger who had a superb game, Eddie McGoldrick, went on to play in the top flight for Crystal Palace I think.

[Hibsclaret]

Hammered in the 6th round replay at Hillsborough springs to mind.

[ClaretTony]

Worst for me will always be the 1974 semi final at Hillsborough.

I think Derby in 1999 will take some beating, a brilliant against the odds win.

[RingoMcCartney]

Bad - Telford away.

Yes. Things were at a real low then.

Remember Steve Burnley, wearing dungarees if memory serves, fighting at a bus stop with local lads as people in the queue looked on bemused.

Think I went on one of box cars (RIP) coaches (double decker?) and those that had been involved in trouble ended up cadging a lift back to Burnley cos their driver had been arrested or summat.

[ClaretTony]

Think I went on one of box cars (RIP) coaches (double decker?) and those that had been involved in trouble ended up cadging a lift back to Burnley cos their driver had been arrested or summat.

Box Car

[hoskinsgoalatswansea]

In consecutive years (all 1st round):
Telford away 0-3
Bolton home 0-1
Chester home 0-2

Telford needs no explanation just simply awful, Bolton crowd trouble, Chester felt like we going backwards again after the revival of 88.

*Chester, I think Jakub ran the show for them so we re-signed him, where he proceeded to run nothing from midfield for us but had a good twilight season at left back

[ClaretLoup]

Fourth Round vs Liverpool 1 - 1 January 1963, my first ever FA Cup Tie, a couple of hundred short of 50,000 on and I don't think there has been a crowd bigger since.

Crawling over the tops from Rawtenstall through Crawshawbooth on a packed Corporation bus through mountainous snow drifts. Dunnockshaw and Habergham Eaves looking like Siberia. The town full of noisy Scousers.

It was a tense close fought game played on frozen snow covered pitch, the only home game played in February and March.

Last home appearance by the late great Jimmy Mac, and we were a bit unlucky that day, Bomber Harris hit the post and the ball ran back along the line into the arms of beaten keeper Tommy Lawrence. So close yet so far.

[Ptangyangkipperbang]

The worst two for me has got to be Newcastle S/F and Wimbledon the following season andalso Bury away 1980 after disposing of Stoke in the 3rd round anticipation was high in the school yard when the Monday dinner time draw was made Rochdale or Bury away we were convinced a good cup run was on the cards and help our struggling league form.Eventually thousands made the trip to Gigg Lane to be treat to a non performance and a 1-0 defeat and all talk of going to Wembley stopped.
Loads of good wins including Aston Villa and Wrexham in 1974.But one memory not a game as such but drawing Blackburn in 2005 we had lived in their shadow for far too long and we were almost now whith in reach of them or certainly a good chance of beating them.The hype for this game was for me like a throwback to the good old days.I actually could not sleep the night before.But as always the game didn't live up to expectations

[Dark Cloud]

The cup run in 74 was great, despite the awful end at Hillsborough against the Geordies.
I was at all 3 Derby matches in 92 which were all memorable for very different reasons! Derby away again in 99?was also really good when Andy Cooke scored.
The Sheffield Wed QF was such a shame, because as others have said Taylors penalty in the first match was garbage and then we were thumped good and proper in the replay in front of about 50,000 with thousands of embarrassed Clarets having travelled over.

[Dark Cloud]

Oh, and let's not forget the Wimbledon debacle in 75. Another game I had the misfortune to attend and which has gone down on folklore!!

[TheFamilyCat]

Worst for me will always be the 1974 semi final at Hillsborough.

I think Derby in 1999 will take some beating, a brilliant against the odds win.

Not sure the odds were stacked that high against us. We were going well and Derby were struggling. I had a really good feeling about that game and so it proved. It was a great day out

[HankinsHeader]

All seem to be bad! The one that hurt most was Blackpool away in 1976, if memory serves me right there had been a big storm before and I can remember as kid walking down the prom and the railings had been ripped out by the sea. Then the temporary stand at Bloomfield Road that felt far from safe, Hankin sent off, the decline had started and our fate seemed sealed after that loss. That’s why it was worse than Newcastle and Wimbledon for me!

[tiger76]

I guess we can now add Huddersfield to the bad list.

[claretblue]

bad…just bad!
Huddersfield - 3rd round Jan 2022

[Tribesmen]

Yep two will always stick in my mind the Semi Final defeat v Newcastle and Wimbledon , both games i really did think we would win . Now as for positive beating Liverpool at home with the best OG i can remember

[RalphCoatesComb]

I guess we can now add Huddersfield to the bad list.

Yeah. That was poor. Not as bad as Wimbledon or Lincoln but it was up there with the BAD