Hereford United v Newcastle United 1972
Encyclopedia
Hereford United v Newcastle United was a football match played on 5 February 1972 at Edgar Street, Hereford
. The match was an FA Cup
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 arguably the greatest shock of all time in the history of the FA Cup. It was the first time a non-league club had beaten a top-flight club in a competitive fixture since Yeovil Town
's victory
over Sunderland
in 1949
.
The home team, Hereford United
were a non-league side playing in the Southern League, the equivalent of the Conference National
in the current English football league system. The away team, Newcastle United
played in the old First Division
, the equivalent of the current Premier League.
3–0 before needing a replay to get past King's Lynn
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
2–1 at the Hawthorns. 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
on 24 January 1972 for the scheduled Third Round match, the match having been postponed twice for rain. 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
to give Hereford a dream start. Newcastle quickly went 2–1 after 13 minutes of play thanks to goals from Malcolm Macdonald
and John Tudor
. But then Hereford player-manager Colin Addison
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 recent newspaper interview Macdonald claimed this story was made up.
to get the match played. Edgar Street 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 BBC
were covering the match with a then fairly new voice, 26-year-old John Motson
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
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
, 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, after 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
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
, on the Newcastle right, supplied a deep cross which Macdonald headed in at the far post to finally break the deadlock. With 8 minutes of normal time to go it seemed as if that would be the deciding goal, but Hereford responded by bringing on Ricky George
for Roger Griffiths
. 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
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 30-yard strike 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
who took a couple of touches, then turned and shot. It evaded a last gasp challenge from Bobby Moncur
, 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.
style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align=center>
NEWCASTLE UNITED:
|
GK
1
Willie McFaul
DF
2
David Craig
DF
3
Frank Clark
DF
4
Irving Nattrass
DF
5
Pat Howard
DF
6
Bobby Moncur
(c)
MF
7
Viv Busby
MF
8
Tony Green
FW
9
Malcolm Macdonald
FW
10
John Tudor
MF
11
Terry Hibbitt
Substitute:
DF
12
David Young
Manager:
Joe Harvey
and Leeds United
and Preston North End
versus Manchester United
, but due to the unprecedented result it was made the feature game on Match of the Day
. 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 to this day the giant-killing is mentioned every year in the FA Cup
. At the end of the season it was voted Goal of the Season. Ronnie's goal is also often confused to be the winning goal.
Hereford went on to play West Ham United
in the Fourth Round, drawing 0–0 at Edgar Street. The replay at Upton Park
was played on 14 February, a Monday afternoon, because of power strikes, related to the Three-Day Week
, in front of 42,271 spectators with a further 10,000 locked outside.
Geoff Hurst
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
.
Meanwhile, Newcastle went on to defeat Manchester United
2–0 the following Saturday, eventually finishing 11th in the First Division.
Hereford
Hereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester...
. The match was an 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...
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 arguably the greatest shock of all time in the history of the FA Cup. It was the first time a non-league club had beaten a top-flight club in a competitive fixture since Yeovil Town
Yeovil Town F.C.
Yeovil Town F.C. are an English association football team based in Yeovil, Somerset. The club play in League One after having won the League Two championship in 2004–05...
's victory
Yeovil Town v Sunderland (1949)
Yeovil Town v Sunderland was a football match played on 29 January 1949 at The Huish, Yeovil. The match was a tie in the Fourth Round of the FA Cup. Yeovil Town won the match 2–1, with Alec Stock and Eric Bryant scoring the goals for the winning side...
over Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
in 1949
Yeovil Town v Sunderland (1949)
Yeovil Town v Sunderland was a football match played on 29 January 1949 at The Huish, Yeovil. The match was a tie in the Fourth Round of the FA Cup. Yeovil Town won the match 2–1, with Alec Stock and Eric Bryant scoring the goals for the winning side...
.
The home team, Hereford United
Hereford United F.C.
Hereford United Football Club is an English professional football club based in the city of Hereford. Founded in 1924, they are competing in Football League Two in the 2011–12 season. Hereford have played at Edgar Street for their entire history and are nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites',...
were a non-league side playing in the Southern League, the equivalent of the Conference National
Conference National
Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
in the current English football league system. The away team, Newcastle United
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...
played in the old First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
, the equivalent of the current Premier League.
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 TownCheltenham Town F.C.
Cheltenham Town Football Club is an English football club playing in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. Founded in 1887, the team has played at four different grounds, namely Agg-Gardner's Recreation Ground, Carter's Field and now the Abbey Business Stadium, although it is more...
3–0 before needing a replay to get past King's Lynn
King's Lynn F.C.
King's Lynn F.C. was an English football club based in King's Lynn, Norfolk. Established in 1879, they were wound up at the High Court on 25 November 2009 with debts of £77,000 and went out of business in December after a failed appeal...
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 F.C.
Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season...
2–1 at the Hawthorns. 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
St James' Park, known for sponsorship reasons as the Sports Direct Arena, is an all-seater stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the home of Newcastle United Football Club and is the sixth largest football stadium in the United Kingdom with a capacity of between 52,387 and 52,409.St James'...
on 24 January 1972 for the scheduled Third Round match, the match having been postponed twice for rain. 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
Willie McFaul
William Stewart McFaul, known as Willie and Iam, is a former Northern Irish football player and now coach....
to give Hereford a dream start. Newcastle quickly went 2–1 after 13 minutes of play thanks to goals from Malcolm Macdonald
Malcolm Macdonald
Malcolm Ian Macdonald is a former English footballer nicknamed Supermac, famed for scoring goals for Luton Town, Newcastle United and Arsenal.-Football career:...
and John Tudor
John Tudor (footballer)
John Tudor was a football player for Coventry City, Newcastle United, Sheffield United and Stoke City.-Biography:...
. But then Hereford player-manager Colin Addison
Colin Addison
Colin Addison is an English former professional footballer and manager.Addison has managed a wide variety of clubs in the UK, as well as in countries such as Spain, South Africa, Kuwait and Qatar. Notably he was the player-manager of Hereford United during their famous 1971-72 FA Cup run, which...
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 recent 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 WorcesterWorcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
to get the match played. Edgar Street 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 BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
were covering the match with a then fairly new voice, 26-year-old John Motson
John Motson
John Walker Motson OBE ,AKA Motty, is an English football commentator on both television and radio as well a well known moter. He made his name as 'Moty' after he moted out the entire Huddersfield huddersfield cheerleaders team. writer.-Biography:The son of a Methodist minister, Motson was educated...
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
Ronnie Radford
Ronnie Radford is a former English footballer who notably scored a memorable goal in the 1971-72 FA Cup for Hereford United during their famous 2-1 giant-killing of Newcastle United.-Career:...
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
Dudley Tyler
Dudley Tyler is an English former footballer, born in Salisbury, who played as a winger in the Football League for West Ham United and Hereford United.-Career:...
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
Irving Nattrass , was a midfielder for Newcastle and MiddlesbroughBorn in Fishburn, England Nattrass attended Ferryhill Grammar School and Signed with Newcastle at age 16 on an apprenticeship....
, 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
Pat Howard (footballer)
Patrick "Pat" Howard is an English former professional footballer who played as a central defender.Born in Dodworth, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, Howard made more than 500 appearances in the Football League. He started his career at Barnsley, spending seven seasons there before signing for Newcastle...
poised to score.
Newcastle had the ball in the net soon after, after 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
Terry Hibbitt
Terence Arthur "Terry" Hibbitt was an English football player, who was on the books at Leeds United, Newcastle United and Birmingham City during his career. His position was midfielder...
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
Ken Mallender
Kenneth "Ken" Mallender is a retired English footballer who played during the 1960s and early 1970s. He played as a left-sided defender....
at the back post. However the Hereford defender saw his header rebound off the post which Alan Jones
Alan Jones (footballer born 1945)
Alan Jones is a former Welsh footballer who played during the 1960s and 1970s as a central defender.He started his career at hometown club Swansea City, then known as Swansea Town, and turned professional in October 1963. He went on to make 61 league appearances, scoring 6 goals, before joining...
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
Viv Busby
Vivian Dennis "Viv" Busby is an English former footballer and manager.-Playing career:Born in Slough, Berkshire, Busby started his playing career at Wycombe Wanderers in 1966, but was unable to hold down a regular place in their team, despite his emerging talent...
, on the Newcastle right, supplied a deep cross which Macdonald headed in at the far post to finally break the deadlock. With 8 minutes of normal time to go it seemed as if that would be the deciding goal, but Hereford responded by bringing on Ricky George
Ricky George
Ricky George is a former English footballer, businessman and columnist. He is notable for scoring the winning goal for Hereford United in the famous 1971-72 FA Cup match against Newcastle United...
for Roger Griffiths
Roger Griffiths (footballer)
Roger Griffiths was a professional footballer with Hereford United. Griffiths was the first player to be substituted in Hereford United's then-42 year existence in 1966. Griffiths was a defender who made 250 appearances for the club...
. 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
Ronnie Radford
Ronnie Radford is a former English footballer who notably scored a memorable goal in the 1971-72 FA Cup for Hereford United during their famous 2-1 giant-killing of Newcastle United.-Career:...
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 30-yard strike that, in the words of commentator Motson
John Motson
John Walker Motson OBE ,AKA Motty, is an English football commentator on both television and radio as well a well known moter. He made his name as 'Moty' after he moted out the entire Huddersfield huddersfield cheerleaders team. writer.-Biography:The son of a Methodist minister, Motson was educated...
, "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
Ricky George
Ricky George is a former English footballer, businessman and columnist. He is notable for scoring the winning goal for Hereford United in the famous 1971-72 FA Cup match against Newcastle United...
who took a couple of touches, then turned and shot. It evaded a last gasp challenge from Bobby Moncur
Bobby Moncur
Robert "Bobby" Moncur is a Scottish former professional footballer. He is most famous for his role as captain of Newcastle United F.C. in the late 1960s, and of the Scottish national side in the early 1970s.-Career:...
, 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
| style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> | HEREFORD UNITED: | |||
| GK | 1 | Fred Potter Fred Potter Fred Potter is a retired English footballer who played as a goalkeeper.He was born in Cradley Heath and played for his local side before signing for Aston Villa in July 1959. Originally an inside forward, he made his debut on Boxing Day 1959 and made three appearances in total in the First Division... |
||
| DF | 2 | Roger Griffiths Roger Griffiths (footballer) Roger Griffiths was a professional footballer with Hereford United. Griffiths was the first player to be substituted in Hereford United's then-42 year existence in 1966. Griffiths was a defender who made 250 appearances for the club... |
||
| DF | 3 | Ken Mallender Ken Mallender Kenneth "Ken" Mallender is a retired English footballer who played during the 1960s and early 1970s. He played as a left-sided defender.... |
||
| DF | 4 |  Alan JonesAlan Jones (footballer born 1945) Alan Jones is a former Welsh footballer who played during the 1960s and 1970s as a central defender.He started his career at hometown club Swansea City, then known as Swansea Town, and turned professional in October 1963. He went on to make 61 league appearances, scoring 6 goals, before joining... |
||
| DF | 5 | Mick McLaughlin |
||
| MF | 6 | Colin Addison Colin Addison Colin Addison is an English former professional footballer and manager.Addison has managed a wide variety of clubs in the UK, as well as in countries such as Spain, South Africa, Kuwait and Qatar. Notably he was the player-manager of Hereford United during their famous 1971-72 FA Cup run, which... |
||
| MF | 7 | Tony Gough (c) |
||
| MF | 8 | Dudley Tyler Dudley Tyler Dudley Tyler is an English former footballer, born in Salisbury, who played as a winger in the Football League for West Ham United and Hereford United.-Career:... |
||
| FW | 9 | Billy Meadows |
||
| FW | 10 | Brian Owen |
||
| MF | 11 | Ronnie Radford Ronnie Radford Ronnie Radford is a former English footballer who notably scored a memorable goal in the 1971-72 FA Cup for Hereford United during their famous 2-1 giant-killing of Newcastle United.-Career:... |
||
| Substitute: | ||||
| MF | 12 | Ricky George Ricky George Ricky George is a former English footballer, businessman and columnist. He is notable for scoring the winning goal for Hereford United in the famous 1971-72 FA Cup match against Newcastle United... |
||
| Player/Manager: | ||||
| Colin Addison Colin Addison Colin Addison is an English former professional footballer and manager.Addison has managed a wide variety of clubs in the UK, as well as in countries such as Spain, South Africa, Kuwait and Qatar. Notably he was the player-manager of Hereford United during their famous 1971-72 FA Cup run, which... |
||||
Willie McFaulWillie McFaul
William Stewart McFaul, known as Willie and Iam, is a former Northern Irish football player and now coach....
David CraigDavid Craig (footballer)
David Craig is a Northern Irish retired football player. His position was right-back.David Craig was a great footballer who played as a defender for Newcastle and Northern Ireland...
Frank Clark Irving NattrassIrving Nattrass
Irving Nattrass , was a midfielder for Newcastle and MiddlesbroughBorn in Fishburn, England Nattrass attended Ferryhill Grammar School and Signed with Newcastle at age 16 on an apprenticeship....
Pat HowardPat Howard (footballer)
Patrick "Pat" Howard is an English former professional footballer who played as a central defender.Born in Dodworth, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, Howard made more than 500 appearances in the Football League. He started his career at Barnsley, spending seven seasons there before signing for Newcastle...
Bobby MoncurBobby Moncur
Robert "Bobby" Moncur is a Scottish former professional footballer. He is most famous for his role as captain of Newcastle United F.C. in the late 1960s, and of the Scottish national side in the early 1970s.-Career:...
(c)
Viv BusbyViv Busby
Vivian Dennis "Viv" Busby is an English former footballer and manager.-Playing career:Born in Slough, Berkshire, Busby started his playing career at Wycombe Wanderers in 1966, but was unable to hold down a regular place in their team, despite his emerging talent...
Tony GreenTony Green (footballer)
Anthony "Tony" Green is a Scottish former professional footballer.-Club career:Glasgow-born Green began his career at Albion Rovers in his native Scotland.-Blackpool:...
Malcolm MacdonaldMalcolm Macdonald
Malcolm Ian Macdonald is a former English footballer nicknamed Supermac, famed for scoring goals for Luton Town, Newcastle United and Arsenal.-Football career:...
John TudorJohn Tudor (footballer)
John Tudor was a football player for Coventry City, Newcastle United, Sheffield United and Stoke City.-Biography:...
Terry HibbittTerry Hibbitt
Terence Arthur "Terry" Hibbitt was an English football player, who was on the books at Leeds United, Newcastle United and Birmingham City during his career. His position was midfielder...
David YoungDavid Young (footballer)
David Young , is an English footballer who played as a central defender in the Football League.-External links:*...
Joe HarveyJoe Harvey
Joe Harvey was an English football player and later manager. He spent much of his career at Newcastle United; he was the club's longest serving captain, manager, and, as of the 2009 – 10 season the last to win a major trophy....
MATCH RULES
|
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 LiverpoolLiverpool 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...
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...
and Preston North End
Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
versus Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
, but due to the unprecedented result it was made the feature game on Match of the Day
Match of the Day
Match of the Day is the BBC's main football television programme. Typically, it is shown on BBC One on Saturday evenings during the English football season, showing highlights of the day's matches in English football's top division, the Premier League...
. 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 to this day the giant-killing is mentioned every year in the 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...
. At the end of the season it was voted Goal of the Season. Ronnie's goal is also often confused to be the winning goal.
Hereford went on to play West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
in the Fourth Round, drawing 0–0 at Edgar Street. The replay at Upton Park
Boleyn Ground
The Boleyn Ground, more commonly referred to as Upton Park due to its location in Upton Park, London is the football stadium of West Ham United.-History:...
was played on 14 February, a Monday afternoon, because of power strikes, related to the Three-Day Week
Three-Day Week
The Three-Day Week was one of several measures introduced in the United Kingdom by the Conservative Government 1970–1974 to conserve electricity, the production of which was severely limited due to industrial action by coal miners...
, in front of 42,271 spectators with a further 10,000 locked outside.
Geoff Hurst
Geoff Hurst
Sir Geoffrey Charles Hurst MBE is a retired England footballer best remembered for his years with West Ham. He made his mark in World Cup history as the only player to have scored a hat-trick in a World Cup final. His three goals came in the 1966 final for England in their 4–2 win over West...
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 Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
.
Meanwhile, Newcastle went on to defeat Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
2–0 the following Saturday, eventually finishing 11th in the First Division.
See also
- Hereford UnitedHereford United F.C.Hereford United Football Club is an English professional football club based in the city of Hereford. Founded in 1924, they are competing in Football League Two in the 2011–12 season. Hereford have played at Edgar Street for their entire history and are nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites',...
- Newcastle UnitedNewcastle 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...
- Ronnie RadfordRonnie RadfordRonnie Radford is a former English footballer who notably scored a memorable goal in the 1971-72 FA Cup for Hereford United during their famous 2-1 giant-killing of Newcastle United.-Career:...
- Ricky GeorgeRicky GeorgeRicky George is a former English footballer, businessman and columnist. He is notable for scoring the winning goal for Hereford United in the famous 1971-72 FA Cup match against Newcastle United...