On Saturday 30 March 1974, the day Red Rum became the first horse for 38 years to win successive Grand Nationals, the FA Cup Semi-Final field comprised of a firm favourite, a couple of decent each way bets and based on current form at least, a rank outsider.
Seventeen matches into an unbeaten sequence stretching back to Boxing Day, Liverpool were in the midst of their best run not only of 1973-74 but the decade, including the title-winning triumph of the previous season.
Their status as the team most likely to prevail when the FA Cup Final rolled around on Saturday 4 May was built upon a nigh-on impregnable defence. They arrived at Old Trafford for the semi-final meeting against Leicester City having kept seven consecutive clean-sheets, while also developing the useful knack of scoring late, yet decisive goals. In four of their last six outings manager Bill Shankly had seen his side score with the final whistle looming – ‘Shanks’ seconds left‘, a forerunner perhaps of ‘Fergie-time‘.
Standing between them and a first FA Cup Final in three years were a stylish Leicester side whose positive, eye-catching football was paying off to the extent that in twenty games since mid-December only four had been lost. Boss Jimmy Bloomfield had bought shrewdly in assembling a team who rarely failed to entertain, their goal threat spearheaded by the virtuoso talents of striker Frank Worthington.
In terms of potency when it came to scoring, few were able to keep pace with Newcastle centre-forward Malcolm Macdonald, his personal strike rate key to their collective fortunes.
During the previous autumn when he was in prime condition, The Magpies, for a couple of weeks, only had runaway leaders Leeds United above them, but when ‘Supermac‘ was sidelined through injury things quickly began to slide.
While intermittent appearances since the turn of the year had continued to yield goals, (his tally currently standing at 21 in all competitions), a 2-1 defeat at Manchester City three days before the Hillsborough semi-final clash against Burnley extended their miserable recent trot to one win in ten games – the Maine Road reversal sending Newcastle down to fifteenth place.
In contrast the Turf Moor outfit were writing a success story, Burnley, on their return to Division One following a two year absence, spending the campaign in or around the top six.
Those who thought an impressive August to December return would disappear along with the Christmas decorations were given cause to think again when Jimmy Adamson’s side progressed through March with an impressive 3-1 win over visiting Everton.
Seven days later, however, they pulled off the top flight win of the season in scoring a remarkable 4-1 victory at Elland Road – that proved the only home defeat Leeds would suffer on the way to becoming league champions.
Thus Burnley and Newcastle headed to the home of Sheffield Wednesday in wildly contrasting mood. Yet if there was an FA Cup Semi-Final/Grand National connotation to be had it took the form of Red Rum winning the race back-to-back after Reynoldstown had last done so in 1935/1936 – the latter a year when Arsenal lifted the FA Cup twelve months after winning the title.
Aintree locals Liverpool had obviously taken note…………
The FA Cup Semi-Finals of 1973/74 – Saturday 30 March 1974:
LIVERPOOL 0 LEICESTER CITY 0 (60,000): At Old Trafford the portents and present standing favoured Liverpool, who despite the attacking potential of Leicester were expected to prevail.
Back on the ground of their last FA Cup Semi-Final success, a 1971 victory over neighbours Everton, (Leicester would have preferred Hillsborough, scene of their most recent FA Cup Semi-Final triumph in 1969 and no doubt different opposition), the two league fixtures between them during the season had both ended all-square – the sides initially appearing well-matched again on a blustery Manchester afternoon where chances were at a premium.
After half-time the pattern became more defined as Liverpool gained the upper hand, leading to increased activity around the Leicester penalty area. But even then clear-cut opportunities remained elusive, The Foxes surviving to run another day when full-back Dennis Rofe headed off the line with time almost up.
For below-par Leicester surviving to a midweek Villa Park replay was a triumph of sorts, but for Liverpool a source of frustration. It also meant aggravation for England manager Sir Alf Ramsey, who immediately lost half a dozen players from his squad to face Portugal on the same night.
NEWCASTLE UNITED 2 BURNLEY 0 (55,000): During an era when it was not uncommon to hear a team described as ‘playing badly enough to win the cup,’ Newcastle were the latest embodiment, poor league displays salvaged every few weeks by excellent FA Cup performances.
The adage had been given a new, somewhat darker twist when in the quarter-final they had trailed 3-1 to second division visitors Nottingham Forest. These circumstances prompted a pitch invasion by home supporters that held-up play for ten minutes – the tie then turned on its head when United stormed back to win 4-3.
But the disorder was not without ramifications. Forest lodged a protest on the grounds the incursion and subsequent delay had affected their players and subsequently the result. Despite the match being completed The FA went against protocol (and their own rule book) by ordering the game be replayed in the neutral surroundings of Goodison Park.
With a large degree of inevitability the match ended in a goalless draw, a second such fixture three days later decided by a similar sense of the inevitable in Macdonald scoring the only goal – Newcastle finally advancing to the last four after surviving calls to be thrown out of the competition due to the crowd misconduct at the original Tyneside fixture.
At Hillsborough they survived a sluggish, nervy start that saw Burnley midfielder Geoff Nulty head against the crossbar. During a first half where The Clarets generally held sway, certainly in terms of possession, Newcastle replied with a couple of off-target Macdonald efforts that nevertheless served as range-finders for the salvo about to come forth.
Making an altogether more encouraging start to the second half, Newcastle found themselves ahead in the 55th minute. Macdonald on shrugging off his marker was presented with a clear run on goal and although his initial effort was well saved by Burnley ‘keeper Alan Stevenson, the England forward showed sufficient composure to take control of the rebound before shooting home – in the process maintaining a record of scoring in every round of the FA Cup that season.
In reply Burnley were twice denied by Newcastle goalkeeper Willie McFaul, but in the 72nd minute their efforts to respond were delivered a significant, yet spectacular blow.
There was plenty to admire in the way Macdonald slammed the ball beneath Stevenson in extending the lead – yet even more to extol about the sublime pass from midfield man Terry Hibbitt that sent him clear of the defence.
Fifty years on and despite having seen the footage several times, the through ball from Hibbitt still draws applause from your genial host here at SAMTIMONIOUS.com – who has no hesitation in naming it the supreme moment of ’70s FA Cup Semi-Finals.
Burnley continued to test the mettle of McFaul who made a brilliant reflex save to deny Frank Casper, the notion Newcastle would progress no matter what underlined when Peter Noble saw his late header hit the woodwork – manager Joe Harvey and his side winning through on the ground where north-east rivals Sunderland had triumphed at the same stage on reaching Wembley twelve months earlier.
Such was the way of things Newcastle remained woefully out of sorts on the league front and bumped along to finish fifteenth – Burnley on the other hand finished a creditable sixth and in the last month of the season took three points (in days of two for a win) off their semi-final conquerors.
Indeed, of their last nineteen first division matches The Magpies won only two. Teams had gone all the way to Wembley and won the cup without a shred of league form to speak of – and then in 1973-74 along came Newcastle…………..
LIVERPOOL 3 LEICESTER CITY 1 (Replay 3/4/1974 – 55,619): The Old Trafford stalemate of four days before extended into the opening 45 minutes at Villa Park, the replay continuing an established theme of Liverpool dominating possession while unable to breakdown resolute opposition.
Come the second half, however, things immediately changed. Within 60 seconds of the restart Brian Hall was on hand to score at close range for the Anfield side after Welsh striker John Toshack sent a back post header into the goalmouth.
Sensing hopes of reaching Wembley were fading, Leicester offered their most concerted spell of pressure in either game and in the 56th minute drew level – the first goal Liverpool had conceded since early February a strangely scrappy affair, City winger Len Glover punishing red shirted hesitancy in tapping into an empty net.
Goalkeeper Ray Clemence atoned for his part in the scramble that led to Leicester levelling by saving well from Keith Weller shortly afterward, but at the other end fellow England international Peter Shilton had no answer when Liverpool mounted their next significant raid – the lead restored on 62 minutes when Kevin Keegan scored with a delightfully deft volley on receiving a lofted pass from strike partner Toshack.
From that point onward a feeling of certainty took hold. Liverpool never looked likely to cough-up a second equaliser after the shock of conceding the first, their victory made emphatic when Scottish midfielder Peter Cormack sent Toshack away to shoot past Shilton with four minutes left.
Out in Lisbon Sir Alf had, unknowingly, just taken charge of England for the final time in a goalless draw against Portugal, while Leicester reached the end of their FA Cup road for the season – both meeting a ‘Waterloo‘ three days before Swedish pop act Abba were to win the Eurovision Song Contest…………
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