Hereford United v Newcastle United was a football match played on 5 February 1972 at
Edgar Street
Edgar Street is a football stadium in Hereford and was the home of Hereford United Football Club from the club's formation in 1924 until December 2014, when the club was wound up. It is now the home of Hereford FC, a phoenix club formed to rep ...
,
Hereford
Hereford () is a cathedral city, civil parish and the county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, south-west of Worcester and north-west of Gloucester. With a population ...
. The match was an
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 ...
Third Round Replay after the first match had resulted in a 2–2 draw. The result, a 2–1 extra time victory for Hereford, is notable for being one of the greatest shocks of all time in the history of the FA Cup, as Hereford were the lowest-ranked non-league side to beat a top-flight opposition in English footballing history. It was the first time a non-league club had beaten a top-flight club in a competitive fixture since
Yeovil Town Yeovil Town may refer to:
* Yeovil Town F.C., an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset
* Yeovil Town L.F.C.
Bridgwater United Women's Football Club are an English women's association football club based in Bridgwater, Somerset who wer ...
's
victory
The term victory (from Latin ''victoria'') originally applied to warfare, and denotes success achieved in personal Duel, combat, after military operations in general or, by extension, in any competition. Success in a military campaign constitu ...
over
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
in 1949.
The home team,
Hereford United
Hereford United Football Club was an association football club based in Hereford, England. They played at Edgar Street for their entire history. They were nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites', after their predominantly white kit, or 'The ...
, were playing in the
Southern Football League
The Southern League is a men's football competition featuring semi-professional clubs from the South and Midlands of England. Together with the Isthmian League and the Northern Premier League it forms levels seven and eight of the English fo ...
, the fifth tier of the
English football league system
The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for men's association football clubs in England, with five teams from Wales, one from Guernsey, one from Jersey and one from the Isl ...
. The away team,
Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
, played in the
English First Division
The Football League First Division was a division of the Football League in England from 1888 until 2004. It was the top division in the English football league system from the season 1888–89 until 1991–92, a century in which the First ...
, the first tier.
The build-up
As a Southern League team, Hereford were required to enter the FA Cup at the Fourth Qualifying Round stage whereas Newcastle, as a top-flight team, entered at the Third Round stage. Hereford had beaten local rivals
Cheltenham Town
Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. From the 2021–22 season, the club compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league syst ...
3–0 before needing a replay to get past
King's Lynn
King's Lynn, known until 1537 as Bishop's Lynn and colloquially as Lynn, is a port and market town in the borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk in the county of Norfolk, England. It is located north of London, north-east of Peterborough, no ...
in the First Round. More was to follow in the Second Round as the non-leaguers needed two replays to progress, this time defeating
Northampton Town
Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team plays in , the fourth tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1897, the club competed in the Midland ...
2–1 at
the Hawthorns
The Hawthorns is an all-seater association football, football stadium in West Bromwich, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England, with a capacity of 26,688. It has been the home of EFL Championship, Championship club West Bromwich Albion F ...
. Hereford had reached the Third Round for the first time in six years, and only the third time in their history.
The two sides had met at
St James' Park
St James' Park is a football stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the home of Premier League club Newcastle United F.C. With a seating capacity of 52,305 seats, it is the eighth largest football stadium in England.
St James' Park ...
on 24 January 1972 for the scheduled Third Round match, the match having been postponed twice for rain.
[The winner of the FA Cup poll: Hereford v Newcastle](_blank)
''Guardian Unlimited Football''. URL accessed on 5 February 2007 5,000 Hereford supporters made the journey to the North-East with Newcastle clear favourites, fielding six internationals in their side.
With St James' Park open on only three sides, due to the ongoing construction of the East Stand, the match kicked off and Hereford took a shock lead after 17 seconds. They had won a free kick straight from the kickoff, which was quickly lofted into the Newcastle box. Brian Owen ran around the Newcastle defence onto the end of the free kick, and put the ball past
Willie McFaul
William Stewart McFaul (born 1 October 1943), known as Willie or Iam McFaul, is a Northern Irish former football player and now coach. He spent most of his career with Newcastle United.
McFaul was born in Coleraine. He joined Newcastle Unit ...
to give Hereford a dream start. Newcastle quickly went 2–1 after 13 minutes of play thanks to goals from
Malcolm Macdonald
Malcolm Ian Macdonald (born 7 January 1950) is an English former professional footballer, manager and media figure. Nicknamed 'Supermac', Macdonald was a quick, powerfully built prolific goalscorer. He played for Fulham, Luton Town, Newcastle U ...
and
John Tudor. But then Hereford player-manager
Colin Addison
Colin Addison (born 18 May 1940) is an English former professional footballer and manager.
Born in Taunton, Somerset, Addison started his playing career with York City before moving to Nottingham Forest, Arsenal and Sheffield United. His man ...
equalised with a 25-yard shot and the match finished 2–2, in front of 39,301 spectators.
At the time, it was written that Malcolm Macdonald said he would score ten goals against Hereford in the replay, to beat Ted MacDougall's record. However, in a later newspaper interview Macdonald claimed this story was made up.
Match summary
The replay was postponed three times and was eventually played on 5 February, the day allocated for fourth-round matches. Newcastle had been forced to travel down to Herefordshire on three separate occasions, in the end staying for much longer than anticipated in a hotel in
Worcester
Worcester may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England
** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament
* Worcester Park, London, Englan ...
to get the match played.
Edgar Street
Edgar Street is a football stadium in Hereford and was the home of Hereford United Football Club from the club's formation in 1924 until December 2014, when the club was wound up. It is now the home of Hereford FC, a phoenix club formed to rep ...
was packed to its 14,313 capacity for the match, with every vantage point taken. There were even spectators in trees and standing on floodlight pylons. Therefore, it is unknown what the exact attendance was, as Hereford also printed extra tickets, but it was estimated to be over 16,000. The
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were covering the match with a then fairly new voice, 26-year-old
John Motson
John Walker Motson (10 July 1945 – 23 February 2023) was an English football commentator. Beginning as a television commentator with the BBC in 1971, he commentated on over 2000 games on television and radio. From the late 1970s to 2008, Mot ...
on trial as commentator. Before the kick-off the pitch was in a very muddy condition, and it quickly deteriorated into a quagmire.
Almost immediately Newcastle were on the attack as Macdonald latched onto a misdirected header from
Ronnie Radford
Ronald Radford (12 July 1943 – 2 November 2022) was an English footballer who was known for scoring "one of the most iconic goals in FA Cup history", in the 1971–72 FA Cup for Hereford United during their shock 2–1 giant-killing of Newc ...
and broke into the Hereford penalty area. However Fred Potter in the Hereford goal saved well at the feet of 'Supermac'. Hereford's
Dudley Tyler had a couple of shots in the early stages which McFaul was equal to, before Addison was booked for a late challenge on
Irving Nattrass
Irving Nattrass (born 20 December 1952) is an English former footballer who played primarily as a right back for Newcastle and Middlesbrough.
Born in Fishburn, England, Nattrass attended Ferryhill Grammar School and signed with Newcastle at ag ...
, a foul the Newcastle centre half did not appreciate. From the resulting free kick on the Newcastle left, Potter made a brave save with
Pat Howard poised to score.
Newcastle had the ball in the net soon after, when Macdonald's looping header dropped in. However Tudor had clearly fouled Potter and the goal was disallowed by referee Turner. There followed a frantic moment when, from the free kick,
Mick McLaughlin's clearance hit Tudor and rebounded back towards the goal, only to hit the bar.
Terry Hibbitt followed up with a shot, which crashed off the crossbar again before Hereford finally got the ball away.
Tyler had another chance saved at the near post from the edge of the area, as the non-leaguers made a good start to the second half. With Newcastle on the back foot somewhat, Hereford won a corner which found
Ken Mallender
Kenneth Mallender (born 10 December 1943) is an English retired footballer who played during the 1960s and early 1970s. He played as a left-sided defender.
Born in Thrybergh, South Yorkshire Mallender began his senior career in 1961 at Sheffiel ...
at the back post. However the Hereford defender saw his header rebound off the post which
Alan Jones then hit just wide. At the other end Newcastle won a corner themselves with Macdonald's bullet header destined for the corner of the Hereford goal. However Potter dived across to make another great save.
As Newcastle turned up the pressure, Macdonald had a golden chance when he received a pass from Hibbitt and rounded Potter. But somehow he missed an open goal, much to the amusement of the Hereford supporters. He was to make up for this miss soon after when
Viv Busby
Vivian Dennis Busby (born 19 June 1949) is an English former professional footballer and manager. He played for Wycombe Wanderers, Luton Town, Newcastle United, Fulham Norwich City, Stoke City, Sheffield United, Tulsa Roughnecks, Blackburn R ...
, on the Newcastle right, supplied a deep cross which Macdonald headed in at the far post to finally break the deadlock. With eight minutes of normal time to go it seemed as if that would be the deciding goal, but Hereford responded by bringing on
Ricky George
Richard Stuart George (born 28 June 1946) is an English former footballer, businessman and columnist. He is notable for scoring the winning goal for Hereford United in their giant killing 1971–72 FA Cup match against Newcastle United. He was ...
for
Roger Griffiths
Roger Griffiths (born 6 February 1965) is an English actor who has had several roles in television.
He first rose to prominence opposite Lenny Henry as Gareth Blackstock's foil Everton Stonehead in BBC One 1990s sitcom ''Chef!''. Before starri ...
. The Hereford-born full back had broken his leg earlier in the match, but had played on through the pain.
George's fresh legs were to pay dividends minutes later when he won possession on the Hereford left, turned well and found Mallender. Mallender's long ball was headed on by
Billy Meadows and was not fully cleared. In the midfield
Ronnie Radford
Ronald Radford (12 July 1943 – 2 November 2022) was an English footballer who was known for scoring "one of the most iconic goals in FA Cup history", in the 1971–72 FA Cup for Hereford United during their shock 2–1 giant-killing of Newc ...
challenged Tudor for the loose ball, won it and played a one-two with Brian Owen. The return pass bobbled on the muddy surface but sat up kindly for Radford who unleashed a strike from out that, in the words of commentator
Motson, ''"flew into the top corner of McFaul's net"''. The memorable scenes that followed saw a pitch invasion by many Parka-clad spectators, to be endlessly replayed for years to come.
Radford's 85th-minute equaliser forced extra time and the part-time carpenter also had a hand in the winning goal in the 103rd minute. He found Tyler on the right who hit a powerful pass to
Ricky George
Richard Stuart George (born 28 June 1946) is an English former footballer, businessman and columnist. He is notable for scoring the winning goal for Hereford United in their giant killing 1971–72 FA Cup match against Newcastle United. He was ...
who took a couple of touches, then turned and shot. It evaded a last gasp challenge from
Bobby Moncur
Robert Moncur (born 19 January 1945) is a Scottish former professional footballer. Moncur is most famous for his role as captain of Newcastle United in the late 1960s and of the Scottish national side in the early 1970s. Moncur was part of the ...
, and went past McFaul into the far corner to spark another pitch invasion. The stunned Newcastle players could not respond and Hereford held on for their most famous victory.
Match details
Legacy
The BBC had originally only planned to show a small clip of the match, with the main focus being the fourth-round ties between
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
and
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road S ...
and
Preston North End
Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syste ...
versus
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
, but due to the unprecedented result it was made the feature game on ''
Match of the Day
''Match of the Day'' (abbreviated to ''MOTD'') is a football highlights programme, typically broadcast on BBC One on Saturday nights, during the Premier League season. The show's current presenter is former England international striker Gary L ...
''. The footage of Ronnie Radford's wonder goal has been replayed endlessly and the images of him celebrating with arms aloft, and the crowd invading the muddy pitch have become immortalised in FA Cup history. For many years, the clip was part of the ''Match of the Day'' opening titles and it was voted
Goal of the Season
In English football, the Goal of the Season is an annual competition and award given on BBC's ''Match of the Day'', in honour of the most spectacular goal scored that season. It is typically contested between the winners of the preceding ten Goa ...
by the programme at the end of the season. Due to the coverage of it, Radford's goal is often mistaken to be the winning goal.
Hereford went on to play
West Ham United
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...
in the Fourth Round, drawing 0–0 at
Edgar Street
Edgar Street is a football stadium in Hereford and was the home of Hereford United Football Club from the club's formation in 1924 until December 2014, when the club was wound up. It is now the home of Hereford FC, a phoenix club formed to rep ...
. The replay at
Upton Park was played on 14 February, a Monday afternoon, because of power strikes, related to the
Three-Day Week
The Three-Day Week was one of several measures introduced in the United Kingdom in 1973–1974 by Edward Heath's Conservative government to conserve electricity, the generation of which was severely restricted owing to industrial action by coal ...
, in front of 42,271 spectators with a further 10,000 locked outside.
Geoff Hurst
Sir Geoffrey Charles Hurst (born 8 December 1941) is an English former professional footballer. A striker, he became the first man to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final when England recorded a 4–2 victory over West Germany at Wembley St ...
bagged a hat-trick in a 3–1 win to end Hereford's cup run. At the end of the season, Hereford finished as runners-up in the Southern League and were elected to
the Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
.
Meanwhile, Newcastle went on to defeat
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
2–0 the following Saturday, eventually finishing 11th in the First Division.
The Football Association
The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the Sports governing body, governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the ...
created the
FA Cup Giant-Killing Award from
2010–11
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
, for the season's biggest shock result in the FA Cup. It was initially named after Radford, who presented the award to representatives of the winning team during the half-time interval of the
FA Cup Final
The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the FA Cup, Football Association Challenge Cup. It has regularly been one of the List of sports attendance figures, most attended domestic football ev ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hereford United V Newcastle United 1972
1971–72 FA Cup
FA Cup matches
FA Cup Third Round Replay 1972
FA Cup Third Round Replay 1972
February 1972 sports events in the United Kingdom
20th century in Herefordshire