Golden goals: Andy Rogers (1984)

There is nothing wrong with a fluke in sport. Cliff Thorburn will forever have a place in Crucible history, achieving the first 147 at the venue in the World Championships. But how many people will recall that the first of his 36 balls was a fluke? From good luck to good luck, mate in a little over 15 minutes of pure theatre.

Football is no different. There are numerous examples down the years of a touch of fortune playing a key part in memorable matches. Jimmy Greenhoff's winner in the 1977 FA Cup final, denying Liverpool the chance of a treble; Darren Bent's beach ball goal; Tommy Boyd in France 98; Bruno Bellone's penalty at Mexico 86.

Another example that may or may not slip under the radar depending on your age or nerd levels happened at the Baseball Ground on the evening of March 14, 1984. A significant moment in the history of Plymouth Argyle that added another chapter in their fairy tale FA Cup adventures in the 1983/84 campaign. Step forward Andy Rogers.

There is a lot of ground to cover before Rogers prepared to take a corner in the 17th minute of Plymouth's FA Cup quarter final in the Midlands. The cup run reflected the struggles of the Division Three club that was hovering at the wrong end of the table throughout the season. The road to Wembley was littered with obstacles.

An extra-time win in a replay against Southend started the journey, and it would take an 86th minute winner from centre back Lindsay Smith to see off Isthmian League Barking in the next round. A last gasp Tommy Tynan equaliser at Home Park against Newport County kept the dream alive, with Rogers scoring a later winner in the replay; a come from behind victory against Darlington saw the Pilgrims progress to the last 16.

If the previous rounds had been taxing then the fifth round match at top flight West Brom proved a walk in the park. Totally deserving their 1-0 win - Tynan scoring the winner - manager John Hore and his players celebrated in front of the 5,000 travelling Plymouth fans at the Hawthorns, as the club reached the last eight for the first time in their history.

Hore had returned to Plymouth as manager in October 1983, the Cornishman impressing in his stint as player manager at Bideford that had seen the club win the Western League twice. With over 50 applicants for the position vacated by Bobby Moncur, Hore's ten year playing career at Plymouth and 441 appearances naturally helped.

"They knew about me, knew I was keen, knew I'd work hard, knew I'd work without a contract," Hore stated regarding his return. Despite the average league form, the cup run was creating a feelgood factor around the city, with an offer of a two-year contract rumoured for Hore. A win over Derby would go a long way to boosting Hore's status.

If there was optimism surrounding Plymouth, then the complete opposite could be said about their opponents in the last eight. Derby County were a mess during the 1983/84 season, fully justifying their tag as "crisis-ridden". Sitting in the second division relegation zone was bad enough, but off the field the club was teetering on the brink.

Reported to be £1.4 million in debt and owing the Inland Revenue £130,000, there was a very real possibility that the club would go out of business. Winning against Plymouth would ease the financial strain slightly, and when the two clubs drew 0-0 at Home Park, the extra money earned from the replay would also prove welcome.

In truth, Derby were lucky to escape from Devon with another chance. Plymouth, in front of a crowd of 34,365, swarmed all over Peter Taylor's woeful team. The Guardian's Russell Thomas called the stalemate "a gross soccer injustice", with Taylor frank in his assessment: "I thought we had won the pools today and I'm delighted to have a second chance."

Taylor could be thankful that goalkeeper Steve Cherry was in fine form, yet one moment in particular emphasised Plymouth's lack of fortune on the day. With eight minutes remaining, Cherry tipped an effort by Gordon Staniforth on to his left hand post and turned to see the ball bounce across the goal line and on to the other upright. Somehow Derby held on.

Many felt Plymouth had blown their best opportunity, yet Hore was bullish. "We are far from dead and buried. We'll go up there on Wednesday and give it all once more." With the winners drawn to play Watford at Villa Park in the semi-finals, over 4,000 Plymouth fans made the trip to Derby in the hope that the club would be the sixth from the third tier to reach the last four.

For the eventual match winner there would be anxiety. Rogers had been recovering from a rib injury suffered three weeks before, with a cold complicating matters, requiring him to go for an X-ray. "All the coughing and sneezing of the past few days must have aggravated the trouble because I finished Saturday's match with a pain in my ribs," Rogers said. "Luckily I've been given the all-clear."

The Rogers back story was interesting. After being released by Peterborough, he trained as a teacher and played part-time for Hampton before Southampton plucked him from Isthmian League football. But the winger found it hard to work his way into a Saints team packed with star quality.

"There were always players like Kevin Keegan, Mike Channon, and Alan Ball," Rogers said. "I had to rely on injuries to get the odd game, usually in place of Mike. But I always knew I would be back in the reserves when he was fit again." A £50,000 move to Plymouth in 1981 proved a turning point.

His moment of glory would arrive in the 17th minute of the replay. David Phillips had already gone close for the visitors with a long range effort, as Plymouth continued where they had left off four days earlier. When Derby's Steve Powell headed Rogers' cross slightly behind him, full back John Barton really should have prevented the corner. His sliced clearance proved costly.

Rogers sent in an inswinging corner with his right foot, as the incomparable Barry Davies described the moment. "Uzzell is on the near post, comes away, and Cherry in trouble, and it's straight in." A delighted Rogers ran down the wing in celebration, as thousands of delirious fans celebrated behind Cherry's goal. 

Cherry understandably looked distraught, Davies noting that the hero from Saturday was now seeing a different side of the sport. Getting caught under the ball, Derby's keeper was unable to back pedal quickly enough to deal with a fantastic delivery, as the ball perfectly curved into the net. Rogers must have been just as shocked as Cherry.

"The funny thing is that this morning in training I took three corners just to practice taking them and I messed all three up," Rogers revealed later in his interview with the BBC. "They were three of the worst corners that you could hope to hit." It was then that Hore intervened. "The manager said 'Don't bother taking any more, it'll be alright on the night', and that's the way it turned out."

Rogers also admitted to the luck involved. "I just put the ball down for a corner, kicked it and it went in clean as a whistle. It was a pure fluke. If I could do that sort of thing on purpose, I certainly wouldn't be playing in the Third Division."

Plymouth's win was fully deserved. Twice Smith would hit the woodwork, as Derby's mixture of inexperienced and slightly past their peak players failed to land a blow. Crudgington, Nisbet, Uzzell, Harrison, Smith, Cooper, Hodges, Phillips, Tynan, Staniforth, Rogers. Eleven names that made history for Plymouth Argyle.

"I am proud as punch," Hore declared. "I had a feeling we would win after the disappointments of Saturday. It's a great night for everybody who made the trip from Devon." The players were treated to an overnight stay in a hotel, and there were a few bleary-eyed heroes welcomed home when the coach arrived back at Home Park.

"Wembley is now only one game away - anything is possible for us now," an in-demand Hore stated. "My dream now is to play Southampton in the final," Rogers added. "What a day that would be." Neither would get their wish - Watford winning the semi-final 1-0 - but what a time to be alive for anyone associated with the club. And they had gone one stage further than Exeter had managed in 1981.

The cup run must have seemed like a distant dream for Hore in November 1984. Keeping Plymouth in Division Three and earning that two-year contract, a poor start to the following campaign saw him sacked as the team struggled. Nevertheless, his short reign will forever be remembered for that cup run that captured the imagination of the public and saw Plymouth get within one game of Wembley.

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