1972 FA Cup Final
Encyclopedia
The 1972 FA Cup Final took place on 6 May 1972 at Wembley Stadium. It was the Centenary final (although only the 91st final due to world wars) and the 44th to be played at Wembley.
It was contested between cup holders Arsenal
, who had won the English Championship
and FA Cup
the previous season, and Leeds United
, who had won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
and finished 2nd in the league the previous season. They had never won the trophy before.
Arsenal
planned to make it the third decade for a club to return as Cup-holders and win again for the second successive year, as Newcastle
had done in 1952 and Tottenham
in 1962.
The final is also the origin of the song Leeds! Leeds! Leeds! (commonly known as Marching On Together
) as the B-side of the Leeds cup final song, played to this day by United and several other Leeds sports teams.
were the better team all through. Their back four had no trouble in mastering the Arsenal
attacks and negating the threat posed by strikers George
and Radford
. By contrast, the Leeds
front runners, Clarke
and Jones, continually harassed the Arsenal
defence.
The Jones-Clarke
combination produced a goal in the fifty-third minute. Jones sent across a hard, shoulder-high centre and 'Sniffer' Clarke
headed powerfully past Barnett
's left hand from fifteen yards.
A match that often fell below the highest level began badly with a foul by Clarke
on Ball
in the first five seconds and the first of four bookings — McNab
bringing down Lorimer
as early as the second minute. Neither side played consistently up to their capabilities, yet both had their moments. George
's fierce volley cannoned back off the bar for Arsenal
, and both Clarke
and Lorimer
struck the woodwork for Leeds
.
Leeds
' jubilation at the end was tempered by a last-minute injury to Mick Jones, who dislocated his elbow and had to be helped up the steps by Norman Hunter to receive his winners' medal.
style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center">
ARSENAL:
|
GK
1
Geoff Barnett
RB
2
Pat Rice
LB
3
Bob McNab
MF
4
Peter Storey
CB
5
Frank McLintock
(c)
CB
6
Peter Simpson
W
7
George Armstrong
MF
8
Alan Ball
FW
9
Charlie George
FW
10
John Radford
MF
11
George Graham
Substitute:
FW
12
Ray Kennedy
Manager:
Bertie Mee
Round 3: Leeds United 4–1 Bristol Rovers
Round 4: Liverpool
0–0 Leeds United
Round 5: Cardiff City
0–2 Leeds United
Round 6: Leeds United 2–1 Tottenham Hotspur
Semi-final: Leeds United 3–0 Birmingham City
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Round 3: Swindon Town
0–2 Arsenal
Round 4: Reading 1 –2 Arsenal
Round 5: Derby County
2–2 Arsenal
Round 6: Leyton Orient
0–1 Arsenal
Semi-final: Stoke City
1–1 Arsenal|Villa Park]], Birmingham
)
|}
It was contested between cup holders Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
, who had won the English Championship
English football champions
The English football champions are the winners of the highest league in English football, which is currently the Premier League. Teams in bold are those who won the double of League Championship and FA Cup, or the European Double of League Championship and European Cup in that season.Following the...
and FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
the previous season, and Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
, who had won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was a European football competition played between 1955 and 1971. The competition was the idea of Swiss pools supremo Ernst Thommen, Ottorino Barassi from Italy, and the English Football Association general secretary Stanley Rous, all of whom later became senior officials...
and finished 2nd in the league the previous season. They had never won the trophy before.
Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
planned to make it the third decade for a club to return as Cup-holders and win again for the second successive year, as Newcastle
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
had done in 1952 and Tottenham
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
in 1962.
The final is also the origin of the song Leeds! Leeds! Leeds! (commonly known as Marching On Together
Marching On Together
Leeds! Leeds! Leeds! is the name of the anthem of Leeds United A.F.C. Unlike many football songs that are just new words set to existing music, Leeds! Leeds! Leeds! is an original composition by Les Reed and Barry Mason...
) as the B-side of the Leeds cup final song, played to this day by United and several other Leeds sports teams.
Match summary
LeedsLeeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
were the better team all through. Their back four had no trouble in mastering the Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
attacks and negating the threat posed by strikers George
Charlie George
Charles Frederick "Charlie" George is an English former footballer. He played as a forward in the Football League and he was also capped by England.-Arsenal:...
and Radford
John Radford
For the Canadian broadcaster see John Radford John Radford is a former English football player....
. By contrast, the Leeds
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
front runners, Clarke
Allan Clarke (footballer)
Allan John Clarke , nicknamed "Sniffer", is a former footballer who played in the Football League for Walsall, Fulham, Leicester City, Leeds United and Barnsley, and won 19 international caps for England.-Early career:Clarke started his career at Walsall and made his debut aged 17, in 1963...
and Jones, continually harassed the Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
defence.
The Jones-Clarke
Allan Clarke (footballer)
Allan John Clarke , nicknamed "Sniffer", is a former footballer who played in the Football League for Walsall, Fulham, Leicester City, Leeds United and Barnsley, and won 19 international caps for England.-Early career:Clarke started his career at Walsall and made his debut aged 17, in 1963...
combination produced a goal in the fifty-third minute. Jones sent across a hard, shoulder-high centre and 'Sniffer' Clarke
Allan Clarke (footballer)
Allan John Clarke , nicknamed "Sniffer", is a former footballer who played in the Football League for Walsall, Fulham, Leicester City, Leeds United and Barnsley, and won 19 international caps for England.-Early career:Clarke started his career at Walsall and made his debut aged 17, in 1963...
headed powerfully past Barnett
Geoff Barnett (footballer)
Geoffrey Colin "Geoff" Barnett is an English former footballer.Barnett played as a goalkeeper and started out at Everton in 1962, and there he gained schoolboy and U21 honours with England...
's left hand from fifteen yards.
A match that often fell below the highest level began badly with a foul by Clarke
Allan Clarke (footballer)
Allan John Clarke , nicknamed "Sniffer", is a former footballer who played in the Football League for Walsall, Fulham, Leicester City, Leeds United and Barnsley, and won 19 international caps for England.-Early career:Clarke started his career at Walsall and made his debut aged 17, in 1963...
on Ball
Alan Ball (footballer)
Alan James Ball, Jr., MBE was a professional English footballer and football club manager.He was the youngest member of England's 1966 World Cup winning team and played for various clubs, scoring more than 180 league goals in a career spanning 22 years...
in the first five seconds and the first of four bookings — McNab
Bob McNab
Robert "Bob" McNab is an English former footballer.McNab started out at his local club, Huddersfield Town, playing nearly seventy times in three seasons...
bringing down Lorimer
Peter Lorimer
Peter Patrick Lorimer is a former footballer who formed part of the much-admired and feared Leeds United team of the 1960s and 1970s....
as early as the second minute. Neither side played consistently up to their capabilities, yet both had their moments. George
Charlie George
Charles Frederick "Charlie" George is an English former footballer. He played as a forward in the Football League and he was also capped by England.-Arsenal:...
's fierce volley cannoned back off the bar for Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
, and both Clarke
Allan Clarke (footballer)
Allan John Clarke , nicknamed "Sniffer", is a former footballer who played in the Football League for Walsall, Fulham, Leicester City, Leeds United and Barnsley, and won 19 international caps for England.-Early career:Clarke started his career at Walsall and made his debut aged 17, in 1963...
and Lorimer
Peter Lorimer
Peter Patrick Lorimer is a former footballer who formed part of the much-admired and feared Leeds United team of the 1960s and 1970s....
struck the woodwork for Leeds
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
.
Leeds
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
' jubilation at the end was tempered by a last-minute injury to Mick Jones, who dislocated his elbow and had to be helped up the steps by Norman Hunter to receive his winners' medal.
Match facts
style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> | LEEDS UNITED: | ||
GK | 1 | David Harvey David Harvey (footballer) David Harvey is a former Scottish internationalist professional association footballer. A goalkeeper, Harvey is best known for his successes with Leeds United.-Leeds United:... |
|
RB | 2 | Paul Reaney Paul Reaney Paul Reaney was a long-serving full back with the Leeds United team of the 1960s and 1970s.Reaney wore the No.2 shirt for Leeds and in a team renowned for its hard approach to the game, he more than held his own.... |
|
LB | 3 | Paul Madeley Paul Madeley Paul Madeley was a footballer during Leeds United's glory era of the 1960s and 1970s and the last high-profile 'utility' player.... |
|
MF | 4 | Billy Bremner Billy Bremner William John "Billy" Bremner was a Scottish professional footballer, most noted for his captaincy of the Leeds United team of the 1960s and 1970s. He has since been voted Leeds United's greatest player of all time and has a statue outside the South East corner of Elland Road... (c) |
|
CB | 5 | Jackie Charlton Jack Charlton John "Jack" Charlton, OBE, DL is a former footballer and manager who played for Leeds United in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, and was part of the England team who won the 1966 World Cup... |
|
CB | 6 | Norman Hunter | |
RW | 7 | Peter Lorimer Peter Lorimer Peter Patrick Lorimer is a former footballer who formed part of the much-admired and feared Leeds United team of the 1960s and 1970s.... |
|
FW | 8 | Allan Clarke Allan Clarke (footballer) Allan John Clarke , nicknamed "Sniffer", is a former footballer who played in the Football League for Walsall, Fulham, Leicester City, Leeds United and Barnsley, and won 19 international caps for England.-Early career:Clarke started his career at Walsall and made his debut aged 17, in 1963... |
|
FW | 9 | Mick Jones | |
MF | 10 | Johnny Giles Johnny Giles Michael John "Johnny" Giles is a former association footballer and manager best remembered for his time as a midfielder with Leeds United in the 1960s and 1970s... |
|
LW | 11 | Eddie Gray | |
Substitute: | |||
MF | 12 | Mick Bates | |
Manager: | |||
Don Revie Don Revie Donald George 'Don' Revie, OBE, , was an English footballer who played for Leicester City, Hull City, Sunderland, Manchester City and Leeds United as a deep-lying centre forward. After managing Leeds United he managed England from 1974 until 1977... |
Geoff Barnett (footballer)
Geoffrey Colin "Geoff" Barnett is an English former footballer.Barnett played as a goalkeeper and started out at Everton in 1962, and there he gained schoolboy and U21 honours with England...
Pat Rice
Patrick James "Pat" Rice is a former Northern Irish football player and coach. As a player he made over 400 appearances for Arsenal, winning the Double, and later made a hundred more appearances for Watford. He also won 49 caps for Northern Ireland...
Bob McNab
Robert "Bob" McNab is an English former footballer.McNab started out at his local club, Huddersfield Town, playing nearly seventy times in three seasons...
Peter Storey
Peter Edwin Storey is an English former football player.Storey spent most of his career at Arsenal, joining the club as an apprentice in 1961 and turning professional the following year...
Frank McLintock
Francis "Frank" McLintock MBE is a Scottish former football defender who played for Leicester City, Arsenal and QPR.-Leicester City:...
(c)
George Armstrong (footballer)
George "Geordie" Armstrong was an English football player and coach, primarily associated with Arsenal.Born in Hebburn, County Durham, Armstrong had trained as an electrician while playing in youth football, and was rejected by both Newcastle United and Grimsby Town. Nevertheless, he succeeded in...
Alan Ball (footballer)
Alan James Ball, Jr., MBE was a professional English footballer and football club manager.He was the youngest member of England's 1966 World Cup winning team and played for various clubs, scoring more than 180 league goals in a career spanning 22 years...
Charlie George
Charles Frederick "Charlie" George is an English former footballer. He played as a forward in the Football League and he was also capped by England.-Arsenal:...
John Radford
For the Canadian broadcaster see John Radford John Radford is a former English football player....
George Graham (footballer)
George Graham is a Scottish former football player and manager. He is best remembered for his success at Arsenal, as a player in the 1970s and then as manager from 1986 until 1995.-Early life:...
Ray Kennedy
Raymond Kennedy is an English former football player who won every domestic honour in the game with Arsenal and Liverpool in the 1970s...
Bertie Mee
Bertram "Bertie" Mee OBE was an English football player and manager, noted for managing Arsenal to their first Double win in 1971. He was the younger brother of fellow footballer Georgie Mee.-Early life:...
MATCH RULES
|
Leeds United
Home teams listed first.Round 3: Leeds United 4–1 Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers F.C.
Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....
Round 4: Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
0–0 Leeds United
- Replay: Leeds United 2–0 Liverpool
Round 5: Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
0–2 Leeds United
Round 6: Leeds United 2–1 Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
Semi-final: Leeds United 3–0 Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
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Arsenal
Home teams listed first.Round 3: Swindon Town
Swindon Town F.C.
Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...
0–2 Arsenal
Round 4: Reading 1 –2 Arsenal
Round 5: Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
2–2 Arsenal
- Replay: Arsenal 0–0 Derby County
- 2nd Replay: Arsenal 1–0 Derby County (at Filbert StreetFilbert StreetFilbert Street, in Leicester, England, was a football stadium, and the home of Leicester City from 1891 to 2002. Although officially titled "The City Business Stadium" in the early 1990s, it remained known almost exclusively by its address, like many English football stadia.- Early years :The club,...
)
Round 6: Leyton Orient
Leyton Orient F.C.
Leyton Orient F.C. are an English professional football club in East London. They currently play in Football League One and are known to their fans as the O's.Leyton Orient have spent one season in the top flight of English football, in 1962–63...
0–1 Arsenal
Semi-final: Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
1–1 Arsenal|Villa Park]], Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
)
- Replay: Arsenal 2–1 Stoke City
- (at Goodison ParkGoodison ParkGoodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...
, Everton)
- (at Goodison Park
|}
External links
- Match Programme at fa-cupfinals.co.uk
- Game facts at soccerbase.com
- Full Results from the 1972 FA Cup competition at soccerbase.com