1st May

Wonder if any other 'oldies' still get the tinge of excitement reflecting back to this date 41 years ago

Lovely sunny day.

Looking forward to Saints first ever game at Wembley.

Expecting a heavy defeat.

Overjoyed at the result, probably a feeling never to be recreated in my lifetime, at least.

Wonder if any other 'oldies' still get the tinge of excitement reflecting back to this date 41 years ago

 

Lovely sunny day.

 

Looking forward to Saints first ever game at Wembley.

 

Expecting a heavy defeat.

 

Overjoyed at the result, probably a feeling never to be recreated in my lifetime, at least.

What a day...

What a day...

......what a weekend!!

......what a weekend!!

What a week.......

What a win!

Every time I see Bobby's Goal I still get a shiver down my spine.

What a time to be a Saints Fan.

Every time I see Bobby's Goal I still get a shiver down my spine.

 

What a time to be a Saints Fan.

Yep! Absolutely this. Every time without fail these last 41years

As a 25 year old, I was still some years off being born when this happened but it brings it home that, regardless of our different opinions about Saints and where Tadic should play, whether Puel should be sacked, whether Chinese investment would be a good thing, we're all on the same side and have this one fantastic day to share/listen to stories about. I just can't imagine you get this as a United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea ect fan because there must be so many of these days, it must be meaningless. The day I spent at Wembley three months ago, is something that I'll remember forever but even if we'd won, I can only imagine that if we'd won, it still wouldn't have quite matched up to 76 (for those that were around for both).

The only story I have to share is that apparently my grandad (who was a Millwall fan, so no bias) guaranteed we'd win the Cup when we got the late equaliser against Villa.

Any older fans care to share memories and stories about, not just the game but the day itself? Or the days leading up to it?

Already watched it back twice on U tube memory still so vivid, brilliant day, fantastic support and atmosphere euphoric last few minutes never experienced since!

It meant much more in those days to win the FA Cup. Euphoria's a good description. I came out of Wembley feeling 10 feet tall.

This just made me think of a friend who I met quite a while after the event, he was the Landlord of the Kestral Pub in Kempshott Basingstoke........ he said that he could not remember a thing between getting home on the Saturday night and sometime on Thursdays afternoon!!!

Being a nipper with no one else in the family having any inkling of taking me, we were staying in Southampton with our Granny and Grandad as it was the school holidays, wow the hubbub in the City that week before the game was tangible even to an 11 year old. Watching FA Cup it's a Knockout on Grandstand, think we watched the highlights from the then all powerful Southampton Ladies football team winning their Cup Final yet again. Having lunch quickly to get in front of the box again, most of the game passed as a bit of a blur until that moment! Granny had nodded off and was woken up by my grandad, my sister, and me going absolutely mental in the living room (along with most of Dale Valley Road and the rest of Southampton still at home) Have we won??!! No we scored!!! And so began still the longest 7 minutes of my life!!

Seeing Arsenal fans ambling in to the Millenium stadium in 2003 and United fans meandering into Wembley this year, there is no way the majority of their fans can have memories like that................... it would be nice to give Saints fans of today a day like that and memories to keep into the next 41 years.

outside by two sons being born, greatest day of my 63 years life

outside by two sons being born' date=' greatest day of my 63 years life[/quote']

 

There was an old chap in front of us at Wembley on the day

 

At the final whistle he raised his arms to the sky and said ....'You have made my wish come true..you can take me now Lord'

 

We all laughed but I guess there was some meaning to the statement as not many of us ever expected to win a major trophy (or indeed move to a new stadium later on).

 

Whilst that day will never be repeated, it would have been absolutely great for the younger generation (and us oldies) if the woodwork had not denied us the third goal and the Saints had hung on to come back from 2-0 down to win the recent League Cup Final.

What a week.......

I still blame my poor results in my Southampton University finals on the day and its aftermath!

Wonder if any other 'oldies' still get the tinge of excitement reflecting back to this date 41 years ago

 

Lovely sunny day.

 

Looking forward to Saints first ever game at Wembley.

 

Expecting a heavy defeat.

 

Overjoyed at the result, probably a feeling never to be recreated in my lifetime, at least.

This "oldie" does.

Never been a day like it - before or since.

Indelibly imprinted in memory Jan to May 76. From Hughies last minute saver against Villa, through Paul Bennett's pile driver against Blackpool, an aborted trip to The Hawthorns ended by a broken radiator and the excitement on the Milton as we made short order of West Brom in the replay. There we were two games from Wembley pinching ourselves that we were up against a 4th Division team in Bradford. The days when the excitement wasn't just on the pitch. Twas a lively day on the terraces. Jim McCalliog's goal and the reaction from the Bradford fans gives you a taste of the atmosphere. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wc49wdiFXYA Then it was the semi-final. Palace under Malcolm Allison with his feckin stupid Fedora, but I wasn't there that day. Cheers BWS, Salisbury for organising an A Level Geography field week in North Wales. We even manged to make the best of that. Atop Cader Idris we listened to the faint radio broadcast of Rag Trade winning the National' before descending into a radio black hole back to Llyn Cau, only at the bottom to be able to pick up the Radio 2 commentary of Man U v Derby. The afternoon erupted and no more fieldwork was done when the broadcast cut to Stamford Bridge to say we were two up. We didn't even know we were one up. Some of you may read this and have been there, stuck in North Wales the following day trying in vain to find somewhere we could see 'The Big Match'.

And so to the day itself, a coach from Whiteparish because it was cheap and half way between Salisbury and Romsey. Getting to Wembley and it swarming with MU fans like some kind of Zombie apocalypse. Getting in the ground and waiting while Lawrie Mac and the team came out. The game began and almost immediately our worst fears were almost realised as Ian Turner flapped like a demented bird just managing to put something in the way of a Coppell shot with Macari and Stuart Pearson way to close to comfort in the first minute. In the end Macari's feet were high and a free kick was given. Turner spilled another from a shot on the turn by Pearson and batted the ball away shortly after and by the time he saved again from Gordon Hill when he was clean through you began to feel that at least we might be in with a fighting chance. Saints might not have shown too much as a threat but Bobby Stokes and Mick Channon made the runs and all of a sudden we were containing 'the bright, young' Man U side rather than being under the cosh. It wasn't pretty, we broke the game up, stopping United sweeping fluid game with fouls that would have resulted in yellows these day. The second half started pretty much as the first ended. Saint's defending resolutely without being stretched with the only moment of panic being when an in swinging near post corner was headed on to Sammy McIlroy who nodded it on to the bar. Hearts in mouth time. We'd just played the game so well that far it would have been an injustice if we'd gone one down then. The moment Gordon Hill was substituted was a plus in the afternoon. He'd terrorised Division 1 defences the whole season and with him out the way and Saints coming more and more into the game you began to sense something was on the cards. It was a heavy, humid and very warm day and United were beginning to flag as our more experienced heads took control.

The run up to the goal is lost to time. Man U weren't looking like scoring and we really didn't pose much of a threat going forward and I think a lot of us were thinking of extra-time. I've looked back on those last ten minutes on YouTube to see if anything really stood out but it is all a blur. Even now all I can see is Bobby with a march on Brian Greenhoff hitting a left foot shot across Stepney which he was never getting to. Anyone that was near to where I was could see the moment that the ball left his foot it was in. Euphoria, disbelief even before the ball hit the back of the net. Offside! Not a bit of it Martin Buchan was playing him on. I can remember that the crazy celebrations on Wembley's Tunnel End upper tier were cut short as United went close, but those last seven or eight minutes are just lost. Nothing registers apart from the nervous anticipation I felt as the minutes ticked away. Suffice to say it just seemed to drag. We knew it was done when United were offside in the last minute and again in injury time, that much I do remember. Then the whistle went!!!!

Indelibly imprinted in memory Jan to May 76. From Hughies last minute saver against Villa, through Paul Bennett's pile driver against Blackpool, an aborted trip to The Hawthorns ended by a broken radiator and the excitement on the Milton as we made short order of West Brom in the replay. There we were two games from Wembley pinching ourselves that we were up against a 4th Division team in Bradford. The days when the excitement wasn't just on the pitch. Twas a lively day on the terraces. Jim McCalliog's goal and the reaction from the Bradford fans gives you a taste of the atmosphere. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wc49wdiFXYA Then it was the semi-final. Palace under Malcolm Allison with his feckin stupid Fedora, but I wasn't there that day. Cheers BWS, Salisbury for organising an A Level Geography field week in North Wales. We even manged to make the best of that. Atop Cader Idris we listened to the faint radio broadcast of Rag Trade winning the National' before descending into a radio black hole back to Llyn Cau, only at the bottom to be able to pick up the Radio 2 commentary of Man U v Derby. The afternoon erupted and no more fieldwork was done when the broadcast cut to Stamford Bridge to say we were two up. We didn't even know we were one up. Some of you may read this and have been there, stuck in North Wales the following day trying in vain to find somewhere we could see 'The Big Match'.

And so to the day itself, a coach from Whiteparish because it was cheap and half way between Salisbury and Romsey. Getting to Wembley and it swarming with MU fans like some kind of Zombie apocalypse. Getting in the ground and waiting while Lawrie Mac and the team came out. The game began and almost immediately our worst fears were almost realised as Ian Turner flapped like a demented bird just managing to put something in the way of a Coppell shot with Macari and Stuart Pearson way to close to comfort in the first minute. In the end Macari's feet were high and a free kick was given. Turner spilled another from a shot on the turn by Pearson and batted the ball away shortly after and by the time he saved again from Gordon Hill when he was clean through you began to feel that at least we might be in with a fighting chance. Saints might not have shown too much as a threat but Bobby Stokes and Mick Channon made the runs and all of a sudden we were containing 'the bright, young' Man U side rather than being under the cosh. It wasn't pretty, we broke the game up, stopping United sweeping fluid game with fouls that would have resulted in yellows these day. The second half started pretty much as the first ended. Saint's defending resolutely without being stretched with the only moment of panic being when an in swinging near post corner was headed on to Sammy McIlroy who nodded it on to the bar. Hearts in mouth time. We'd just played the game so well that far it would have been an injustice if we'd gone one down then. The moment Gordon Hill was substituted was a plus in the afternoon. He'd terrorised Division 1 defences the whole season and with him out the way and Saints coming more and more into the game you began to sense something was on the cards. It was a heavy, humid and very warm day and United were beginning to flag as our more experienced heads took control.

The run up to the goal is lost to time. Man U weren't looking like scoring and we really didn't pose much of a threat going forward and I think a lot of us were thinking of extra-time. I've looked back on those last ten minutes on YouTube to see if anything really stood out but it is all a blur. Even now all I can see is Bobby with a march on Brian Greenhoff hitting a left foot shot across Stepney which he was never getting to. Anyone that was near to where I was could see the moment that the ball left his foot it was in. Euphoria, disbelief even before the ball hit the back of the net. Offside! Not a bit of it Martin Buchan was playing him on. I can remember that the crazy celebrations on Wembley's Tunnel End upper tier were cut short as United went close, but those last seven or eight minutes are just lost. Nothing registers apart from the nervous anticipation I felt as the minutes ticked away. Suffice to say it just seemed to drag. We knew it was done when United were offside in the last minute and again in injury time, that much I do remember. Then the whistle went!!!!

I can even begin to read that, it hurts my head, but I am sure it is really good.

I can even begin to read that, it hurts my head, but I am sure it is really good.

Oh well! It was a fun day.

Oh well! It was a fun day.

Yeah alright I was 1! Cannot believe my sad did not take me! Ha ha

I really hope as a now 31 year old, that I too get to see a day like that at some point before I die. Also hope that it doesn't take another 14 years to reach a major cup final.

And 39 years ago yesterday saw the country get its first Mayday Bank Holiday. I like to think it was in celebration of us winning promotion back to the top flight 2 days before.

That game against Hull on Saturday dampened the good memories of this time of year.