It was a good day to bury bad news. As all and sundry debated the reign of Jose Mourinho at Manchester United, the FA announced that there will be no FA Cup fifth round replays from this season onwards. I’m not sure there is any more space for the organising body to hammer another nail into the coffin of the famous old competition.
Perhaps it is time for dinosaurs like myself to let it go. Let’s face it, the magic of the FA Cup vanished years ago, suffocated by greed, with most clubs now viewing it as a bit of an inconvenience. Bit by bit, all the elements that made the FA Cup what is was have been chipped away.
Maybe there isn’t room in the crowded football schedules for replays anymore. But it doesn’t stop me lamenting the disappearance of this tradition. Surely it is only a matter of time before replays are scrapped completely, robbing us of some of the drama of years gone by. Imagine no Villa Park replay in 1999; and that’s coming from an Arsenal fan.
The concept of the FA Cup marathon has long gone. From 1991/92 onwards, the FA took the decision to switch to one replay and, if necessary, a penalty shoot out to separate teams. Again, you can see the logic, yet it was a key component of the FA Cup in my childhood, and I’m glad I grew up in an era that saw many teams play a series of matches against each other.
One of the last examples of the FA Cup marathon was in January 1989, with Newcastle and Watford requiring four matches to see who would make it through to the fourth round. In all there would be 7½ hours of football played in 11 days, with over 90,000 spectators attending, as the two teams threatened to drag the tie to fourth round weekend.
For Newcastle, the saga was a welcome distraction from their struggles in Division One. Rooted to the bottom of the table in December, Willie McFaul made way for Jim Smith, and despite some new manager bounce, the Magpies were still in the drop zone as Watford came to town on January 7.
As an appetiser, the two clubs had already met in Smith’s second match in charge, with Second Division Watford winning 2-1 in the Simod Cup. Although one team was desperately trying to stay up, and the other hoping to get back to the top flight, fortunately squad rotation was not an option in 1989; the FA Cup was all the stronger for it.
Steve Harrison, Watford manager for almost a year, had been unable to reverse the slide started by Dave Bassett in the previous campaign, with the club relegated as a consequence. But now flying high in Division Two, Watford looked capable of making an instant return, possibly at the expense of the club they were about to get very familiar with.
That the four matches featured just five goals highlights the role played by the goalkeepers in the tie, with Watford’s Tony Coton a star throughout. Another keeper, and a high profile signing at that, would not make it through the saga.
The first match at St James’ Park, watched by 24,217, saw the teams play out a goalless draw, although Watford thought that a Garry Thompson header had crossed the line before Ray Ranson cleared the ball. With Paul Wilkinson also hitting the bar, the away team would have been confident of finishing the job three days later at Vicarage Road.
If Watford felt hard done by after part one, then it would be Newcastle that had cause to feel aggrieved after the next instalment. Watford may have taken the lead after just 90 seconds through a Neil Redfearn free kick after Dave Beasant handled outside the box, but from that point on Newcastle dominated.
A Kevin Brock equaliser, and a penalty from Brazilian Mirandinha gave the visitors a deserved lead, but a controversial penalty awarded against Ranson saw Redfearn level matters, and the same man almost won the tie for Watford in the 118th minute, his effort striking the bar.
Smith was far from happy with referee Roger Dilkes, and admitted that his side really should have put the tie to bed. “If Watford’s penalty was not an accidental handball, I don’t know what is. We should have been 4-1 up at half-time. We outplayed them.”
Coton’s display was outstanding, with his reputation enhanced during the series of matches. But for Beasant, his unhappy stay at Newcastle was over. Transferred to Chelsea two days after the first replay, the £850,000 summer signing mirrored the fortunes of his struggling team. After the third match between the clubs, Smith must have been tempted to sign Coton as a replacement.
It would be Tommy Wright who took Beasant’s place, and he would play his part in another no score draw, played in front of over 28,000 fans at St. James’ Park on January 16. Wright pulled off a fine double save from Wilkinson and Thompson, but his moment of glory was dwarfed by the heroics of Coton.
“Tony Coton tore the heart out of Newcastle last night to keep Second Division Watford on course for their FA Cup dream,” wrote Colin Diball in the Mirror. A superb save from a Glenn Roeder header was the highlight of Coton’s display, Harrison not alone in praising his keeper.
Just two days later, the teams met again at Watford, with Coton serving up a repeat show. Denying Kevin Scott, Kenny Wharton, and Liam O’Brien, it appeared as if the teams would need a fifth match to separate them.
With just six minutes to go in extra-time came the cruel moment to finally settle matters. Rick Holden’s drive into the area was sliced past his own keeper by Roeder, the unfortunate incident putting an end to the marathon. Newcastle could count themselves unlucky.
“Coton could not be overcome,” Jack Steggles stated in the Mirror. “He more than anyone has stood between them [Newcastle] and FA Cup progress, and Newcastle boss Jim Smith will curse him for a long time to come.”
Watford would defeat First Division Derby at the first attempt, before losing to Nottingham Forest in the fifth round. But ultimately it would be a disappointing season for both clubs. Newcastle dropped into Division Two, joining Watford, who lost the play-off semi-final on away goals to Blackburn.
It is hard to get your head around a replay soap opera like Newcastle-Watford happening in today’s footballing world. Both teams playing their strongest elevens, with replays a few days apart, desperate to progress in a competition despite First Division status up for grabs.
Get over it, Grandad. These days, just like the hairs that used to be on my head, are never coming back. But it is important to look back at a time when the FA Cup thrived to analyse one of the components that made it such a success. Money may have killed the competition, yet at least some of us still have the memories of the good times.
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