1988: The Calcutta Cup affair

If you were a regular follower of the England rugby union team during the 1980s, then the decade was not particularly kind to you. After the 1980 Grand Slam success, it was very much a case of disappointing rugby matches almost ruining great weekends away in Edinburgh, Cardiff, Dublin, and Paris.

Between 1981 and 1987, England won just two away matches in the championship - the last coming in Paris in 1982 - and the start of the 1988 competition did not improve matters. A narrow loss in Paris extended the poor run, and when Wales won 11-3 at Twickenham, it was evident that the new manager/coach partnership of Geoff Cooke and Roger Uttley had a big job on their hands.

Golden goals: Tony Morley (1981)

Generally there are always matches that a team will look back on at the end of a title winning season as the moment they knew something special was happening. The belief-affirming victory that convinced players, fans and media alike that this team could last the duration. Think Everton at Anfield in 1984/85; Arsenal at the same ground in 2001/02; Chelsea at Blackburn in 2004/05; Leicester at the Etihad.

In February 1981, Aston Villa travelled to Goodison Park neck and neck in a title race with Bobby Robson's Ipswich Town. A month earlier hopes had been raised in the claret and blue section of the second city that the title could be coming to Villa Park for the first time in 71 years. The 2-0 victory over champions Liverpool was a vital step towards the ultimate goal, and another would come at Everton.

1989/90: Aston Villa v Manchester United

As the decade drew to a close, the pressure on Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson was growing, as he prepared to take his expensively assembled team to Aston Villa.

After three years in the Old Trafford hotseat, it appeared as if Alex Ferguson was no nearer to unlocking the door to success at Manchester United. In fact, as 1990 approached, speculation grew that the former Aberdeen manager was about to go the way of many of his predecessors. 

Seemingly unable to get a tune out of his squad - which the press regularly pointed out had been assembled at a vast cost - performances during the winter of 1989 lurched from one disaster to another. Sliding towards the relegation zone, it was little wonder that some fans had decided that enough was enough.