The 1976 FA Cup Final was the 95th final of the
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
. It took place on 1 May 1976 at
Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...
and was contested between
Manchester United and
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
.
United had finished third in the
First Division that season, and were strong favourites, while unfancied Southampton had finished sixth in the
Second Division
In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...
, Southampton had more players with FA Cup Final experience than Manchester United,
Peter Rodrigues
Peter Joseph Rodrigues (born 21 January 1944) is a retired footballer. He was the captain of Southampton's 1976 FA Cup-winning team.
Cardiff City
Rodrigues was born in Cardiff, Wales, and originally turned out for his local schools. He went o ...
(1969),
Peter Osgood
Peter Leslie Osgood (20 February 1947 – 1 March 2006) was an English footballer who was active during the 1960s and 1970s. He is best remembered for representing Chelsea and Southampton at club level, and was also capped four times by Englan ...
(1970) and
Jim McCalliog
James McCalliog (born 23 September 1946) is a Scottish former football player and coach. He played in the Football League for Chelsea, Sheffield Wednesday, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Manchester United, Southampton and Lincoln City, as well as in ...
(1966). In one of the biggest shocks in the history of the final, Southampton won 1–0 through an 83rd-minute goal from
Bobby Stokes
Robert William Thomas Stokes (30 January 1951 – 30 May 1995) was an English footballer, best known for scoring the winning goal in the 83rd minute of the FA Cup Final for Southampton against Manchester United in 1976.
Early career
Stokes w ...
. It was the first time Southampton won a major trophy, and the last time that the
Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
attended a final and presented the trophy to the winners.
Road to Wembley
Match summary
Manchester United started stronger, and missed several early goalscoring opportunities, with Southampton
goalkeeper
In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...
Ian Turner making a series of impressive saves to deny
Gerry Daly
Gerard Anthony Daly (born 30 April 1954) is an Irish former footballer who played in the Football League for Manchester United, Derby County, Coventry City, Leicester City F.C., Leicester City, Birmingham City F.C., Birmingham City, Shrewsbur ...
and
Gordon Hill. Southampton in turn began to create chances;
Mick Channon
Michael Roger Channon (born 28 November 1948) is an English former professional footballer who played as a forward, most notably for Southampton, and went on to represent the England national team in the 1970s. Scoring over 250 goals in his c ...
was put through on goal before being denied by goalkeeper
Alex Stepney. As
extra time
Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played onl ...
loomed, Southampton's
Bobby Stokes
Robert William Thomas Stokes (30 January 1951 – 30 May 1995) was an English footballer, best known for scoring the winning goal in the 83rd minute of the FA Cup Final for Southampton against Manchester United in 1976.
Early career
Stokes w ...
received
Jim McCalliog
James McCalliog (born 23 September 1946) is a Scottish former football player and coach. He played in the Football League for Chelsea, Sheffield Wednesday, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Manchester United, Southampton and Lincoln City, as well as in ...
's pass and slotted the ball across Stepney and into the far corner to score a late winner and with it his side's first major trophy.
Match details
In popular culture
Jasper Carrott
Robert Norman Davis (born 14 March 1945), best known by his stage name, Jasper Carrott, is an English comedian, actor and television presenter.
Early life
Born in Shaftmoor Lane, Acocks Green, in Birmingham, Carrott was educated at Acocks Gr ...
immortalised the match in his song "Cup Final '76", which appeared on the album ''Carrott In Notts''.
References
Print
*
Internet
External links
Game factsat soccerbase.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:1976 Fa Cup Final
Final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
FA Cup Finals
Fa Cup Final 1976
Fa Cup Final 1976
FA Cup Final
The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the Football Association Challenge Cup. It has regularly been one of the most attended domestic football events in the world, with an official atten ...
FA Cup Final
The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the Football Association Challenge Cup. It has regularly been one of the most attended domestic football events in the world, with an official atten ...