Before their meeting in the 1982 FA Cup fourth round, the financial state of both clubs was as far removed from the current situation as possible. Both Division Two clubs were facing huge debts. With Chelsea reportedly £1.6 million in the red, the future of Stamford Bridge was in doubt as property developers hovered. Relegation-threatened Wrexham would spend the rest of the decade merely trying to survive.
Along with the their inconsistent league form and financial woes, Chelsea also had problems concerning their supporters. After trouble at Derby in November 1981 that caused £2,500 of damage, the FA banned Chelsea fans from travelling to away matches and made the club pay £1,000 compensation to each home club impacted.
However, policing the ban proved next to impossible. Chelsea fans continued to travel to matches, managing to get into the home ends at places like Bolton and Watford, and by February the ban was lifted. Yet the whole episode had done little to improve the reputation of a club that was struggling on and off the pitch.
At least Wrexham had some positive news. In a season that would see them drop into Division Three, the club pulled off a major shock in the FA Cup third round, winning 3-1 at Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest. Despite going behind to an second minute Mark Proctor free-kick, three goals in 12 second half minutes from Steve Dowman, Mick Vinter, and Dixie McNeil handed Wrexham a richly deserved win.
The cold snap enveloping the UK in the winter of 1981/82 delayed Chelsea's third round match against fourth division Hull City by over two weeks. A 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge led to a less than appetising replay at Boothferry Park, but late goals from Alan Mayes and John Bumstead edged Chelsea through. Relief for a team that had lost to fourth division Wigan in the League Cup.
Chelsea's win set up a romantic tie for their manager John Neal. Manager of Wrexham between 1968-1977, Neal's spell in charge saw the club promoted from Division Four, win the Welsh Cup twice, reach the last eight of the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1975/76, and narrowly miss out on promotion to the second tier in his final season in charge.
When Neal departed, his assistant Arfon Griffiths carried on the good work, with the club reaching Division Two for the first time in their history in 1977/78. Winning the Welsh Cup and reaching the quarter finals of both domestic cup competitions in the same season, these were heady days for Wrexham's supporters.
Three solid seasons followed in Division Two, and when Griffiths left after a dispute with the board, Wrexham hoped that their history of promoting within would prove successful again. But Griffiths' assistant Mel Sutton inherited a team on the decline, and with no money available, inevitably the club slid towards relegation.
With so many postponements, the last thing Chelsea needed was an FA Cup marathon. But three games against Wrexham followed in a short period of time that would undoubtedly have the modern day manager shaking their head in disbelief. The first match, a dull 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge, was Chelsea's fourth game in eight days.
Understandably, Neal cut his players some slack. "A few of our players were still carrying knocks from earlier in the week," he noted. "I was not sure if some of them would complete the tie." Neal also had praise for 17-year-old goalkeeper Steve Francis, who played despite suffering facial injuries after a brick had been thrown through the Chelsea coach window at Hull.
If there was any incentive needed to win the replay then both clubs were handed a boost when the draw was made for the fifth round. Awaiting the winners in the next round were Bob Paisley's all-conquering Liverpool at home. For Wrexham defender Joey Jones, the chance to play against his former club loomed. "I have been waiting years for that game," he said excitedly.
For both there was now the nagging "look what you could have won" feeling hanging in the air when the teams met again at the Racecourse Ground three days later. Both teams would hit the woodwork in the first half, but as the match progressed it seemed Jones would get his wish for a reunion with his previous club. A 66th minute goal from club legend McNeil edged Wrexham closer to a glamour tie.
But with just six minutes remaining, Mayes bundled home a Peter Rhoades-Brown cross to delight the estimated 500 Chelsea fans defying the FA ban. With both Francis and Wrexham goalkeeper Eddie Niedzwiecki pulling off decent saves in the extra half hour, the teams could not be separated. Sutton won the toss for home advantage in the second replay six days later.
Monday February 1: Chelsea's seventh match in 17 days and the final part of the trilogy with Wrexham. Chelsea skipper Micky Droy would take centre stage in the first half, flicking a header over Niedzwiecki to give Chelsea the lead in 29th minute, and then getting booked after a clash with Steve Jones and Wayne Cegielski.
"I was only protecting our goalkeeper," Droy claimed, after substitute Jones had collided with Francis. "It was a nasty and unnecessary incident," Neal added. "We had to plug Steve's nose after the match because it was still bleeding throughout the second half."
An injury to Vinter after half an hour hardly helped Wrexham's cause, the forward forced to limp around with a hamstring injury after Jones had been introduced after just 15 minutes due to Ian Edwards going off. Effectively playing against ten men, Chelsea took full advantage when Mayes fired home after combining once again with Rhoades-Brown in the 66th minute.
There was a brief scare when the hobbling Vinter pulled a goal back with four minutes remaining. Yet after 300 minutes of action, Chelsea had finally made it through to the fifth round. "We deserved it," Neal stated. "We took a gamble. I knew we had to get some goals, so I played 4-2-4 and it worked. This was a battle again but we took our chances and our lads were just that bit better than them."
"We were punished for what we did wrong," Sutton said. "But we battled well. I was pleased with some of the performances." Missing out on the chance to play Liverpool was bad enough, but come the end of the season Wrexham would be relegated and Sutton was sacked. Another relegation followed in 1982/83. The glory days soon became a distant memory, although at least there was Porto to enjoy.
For Chelsea there was a brief moment of hope. Beating Liverpool 2-0 in the fifth round, for the second time in four years the London club had knocked the reigning European champions out of the FA Cup. But a disappointing defeat against Tottenham in the sixth round ended the dream. A year later they were scrapping to stay in Division Two.
What a difference a few decades make. Chelsea's recent history changed when a certain Russian arrived in 2003, and Wrexham's rise through the divisions has been well documented (and filmed) since the arrival of Hollywood pair Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. Neither is what you might call a fairy tale. But try telling that to any Chelsea or Wrexham fans old enough to remember a time when the very existence of their clubs was in doubt.
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