Hello and welcome to 90s Football Heaven, a new place to relive football's greatest decade!
As it's the weekend of the first round proper of this season's FA Cup, we thought we'd jump into the past and have a look at some occasions during the 1990s when non-league teams toppled established Football League clubs at this stage of the famous old competition. Here are five of our favourites.
Hednesford Tame The Tigers (1997-98)
Twelve months previously, Hednesford Town hadn't played in the first round proper of the FA Cup since the 1920s. After beating Southport in the first round, The Pitmen embarked on a run that took in victories over Blackpool and York City before only losing 3-2 to eventual finalists Middlesbrough in the fourth round at the Riverside.
Fast forward a year and Hednesford were top of the Conference (that's the National League in old money) and found themselves making the trip to Boothferry Park to take on a Hull City team languishing towards the bottom of the Third Division and managed by former England international Mark Hateley. For the second year in succession, The Pitmen were to advance into the second round thanks to a 2-0 win over Hateley's Tigers. The away side, boasting a number of former Football League players, went ahead late in the first half when Mick Norbury powered home a penalty after Hull captain Gregor Rioch had been adjudged to have fouled Carl Beeston. The home side tried in vain to get back into the game and could (possibly should) have had a spot-kick of their own in the second half when Rioch appeared to have been impeded in the box but the day belonged to Hednesford when Joe O'Connor (who had scored twice against Middlesbrough the previous season) calmly slotted the ball under Tigers 'keeper Steve Wilson in second half stoppage time to seal the victory.
Hednesford's 1997-98 adventure ended abruptly by their standards in the second round with a 1-0 home defeat by Darlington although they once again reached round two in the 1998-99 season following a 3-1 win over another established league outfit, Barnet.
Woking Escape The Lion's Den (1996-97)
Surrey-based side Woking already had a taste of giant-killing success earlier in the 1990s when striker-cum-estate agent-cum-cricketer Tim Buzaglo scored a stunning third round hat-trick at The Hawthorns to dump West Brom out the cup in 1991 before narrowly losing to Everton in the next round.
Six years later, The Cardinals were up to their old tricks as they knocked out Millwall, at the time the highest ranked side in the competition. In front of the Sky Sports cameras, Woking went a goal up and then recovered from 2-1 down to draw 2-2 and make sure of a replay date in South London against the Division Two leaders. In the intimidating surroundings of The New Den, it was Woking who prevailed via a famous 1-0 victory. After taming the lions, Woking knocked out another league side by claiming the scalp of Cambridge United in the second round before only losing to Premier League Coventry City in a replay at Kingfield.
Enfield Return To Haunt Cardiff (1994-95)
In the 1993-94 FA Cup, Cardiff City needed a replay at Ninian Park to avoid an embarrassing defeat at the hands of Isthmian League outfit Enfield, eventually seeing off the North Londoners 1-0 after the original game at Southbury Road ended goalless. A year later in November 1994, The Bluebirds were to come unstuck as The E's (who would go on to win the Isthmian League that season) recorded a 1-0 victory of their own as they embarked on a cup run that ended in the third round with a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Premier League Leicester City.
Bedlington Terriers Put Colchester In The Doghouse (1998-99)
Up until 1998, if you asked anyone in Colchester to name a Bedlington Terrier they would have probably though you were talking about the breed of dog. By the end of their first round FA Cup encounter during the 98-99 season supporters of Colchester United were familiar with a rather different beast with the same name.
In front of a record crowd at their Welfare Park home and on what can only be described as a classic 'FA Cup first round' pitch, Bedlington made the most of their first ever appearance in the first round proper by comprehensively dismantling their Division Two opponents. Tommy Ditchburn opened the scoring when he diverted a free-kick home and just a short time later the home side doubled their advantage when John Milner capitalised on a collision between the Colchester 'keeper and a Terriers attacker to calmly roll the ball into an empty net. After an hour had elapsed, Nicky Cross made it 3-0 when his floated ball across the area sailed over the head of Colchester number one Carl Emberson before Milner added his second of the afternoon from the penalty spot in the dying minutes of the game, not even a late Colchester consolation could spoil Bedlington's day.
While Bedlington's FA Cup adventure ended in the second round with a 2-0 defeat away at Scunthorpe United, the club wrapped up the second of five consecutive Northern League Division One titles at the end of the season.
Greatest Hayes (1990-91 & 1991-92)
Some non-league clubs may only ever reach the first round proper once in their history, less will record a victory over a Football League team and even fewer will do it more than once. In the early 1990s though, a non-league side from the London suburb of Hayes bucked that trend.
After managing to hold Cardiff City, then of the Fourth Division, to a goalless draw at Ninian Park in November 1990, The Missioners welcomed the Welsh side to West London for the replay, held at Brentford's former home of Griffin Park. In an entertaining game that could have gone either way, it was the non-league side who claimed a scalp when Paul Clarke stabbed home what proved to be the winner past Cardiff 'keeper Roger Hansbury with only seven minutes left. While Hayes' cup run would end in the second round with an away defeat by Bournemouth, their giant-killing exploits were far from over.
A year later, Hayes found themselves travelling across London to square up to Fulham at Craven Cottage although this was a far cry from the Cottagers of later in the 1990s bankrolled by the riches of Mohamed Al Fayed. After enjoying a number of chances earlier in the game, Hayes were richly rewarded for taking the game to their Football League opponents when Colin Day crashed home a tremendous long-range free-kick which went in off the underside of Jim Stannard's crossbar. The second upset in as many years for Hayes was confirmed when John Stephen gratefully received a through ball and steered the ball past Stannard with four minutes to go to spark wild scenes amongst the travelling Missioners support.
That brings to an end our look back at some classic non-league giant-killings from the 1990s, I hope you have enjoyed this. What is your favourite cup upset from the decade? Tweet me @DanBarkerGray with yours.
Comments
Post a Comment