1987 League Cup final: Arsenal v Liverpool

"He's the Bonnie Prince this afternoon". The words of the excellent Barry Davies at the conclusion of the 1987 League Cup final were typically well chosen. For on that glorious sunny Sunday April 5 at Wembley, Charlie Nicholas delivered on the biggest stage. Arsenal's eight year wait for a trophy was over.

In truth, Nicholas' time at Arsenal had not lived up to the excitement and hype that surrounded his move from Celtic in 1983. Occasionally there were glimpses of his magic - happily for Arsenal fans he often saved his best for Tottenham - but generally his performances were as inconsistent as the team during the Terry Neill and Don Howe reigns.

During George Graham's first season in charge, there were constant murmurings that Nicholas' days at the club were numbered. A player that hardly fitted into the Graham mould of energy and hard work, Nicholas would indeed depart for Aberdeen in January 1988. Yet before Nicholas left he would provide Arsenal fans with an ideal parting gift.

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.

Golden goals: Zbigniew Boniek (1983)

Some times you just have to hold your hands up after a defeat in sport. You recognise that maybe your loss was more down to the skills of your opponent rather than your own failings. Sport hurts, but it can ease the pain a little when true quality or a genius such as Warne or Maradona do something that mere mortals can only dream of achieving. 

Take Aston Villa's defeat against Juventus in the 1983 European Cup quarter final first leg. Thousands of home fans would have left Villa Park on that March evening disappointed to have their club's grip on the European Cup loosened. Yet there was no disgrace in losing to that Juventus team, their calibre clear for all to see in the sublime winning goal that combined grace and power. 

Golden goals: Peter Beardsley (1987)

It seems a bit strange to consider that Peter Beardsley was under pressure at the start of his Liverpool career in 1987. Admittedly the forward had only scored three league goals in his opening nine league matches for the club. But Beardsley had always been more a scorer of great goals rather than a great goal scorer.

Obviously the £1.9 million Liverpool paid Newcastle had a lot to do with the added scrutiny. The record deal between British clubs was part of a summer spending spree by manager Kenny Dalglish, with John Barnes and Ray Houghton also arriving. John Aldridge had joined in January 1987, as Liverpool aimed to prepare for life without Ian Rush.

1981 European Cup final: Liverpool v Real Madrid

Sometimes an idea for a future blog just falls on my lap. But with a minute to go at the Bernabeu during the second leg of Real Madrid's semi-final against Manchester City, I have to admit that the prospect of me reminiscing about the 1981 European Cup final seemed distant.

Yet there is something about this Real Madrid team that throws all logic out of the window. Somehow they dragged the match into extra-time before they finished off a shellshocked City. "Improbably, miraculously, beyond their dreams and expectation," as the wonderful Peter Drury declared.

1981 FA Cup Fifth Round: Peterborough v Man City

Despite a revival in the fortunes of the club since the appointment of manager John Bond in October 1980, many Manchester City fans would still have been apprehensive when they were drawn away to fourth division Peterborough United in the 1981 FA Cup fifth round. "There's no way Manchester City can afford to be complacent," Peterborough manager Peter Morris announced. 

City fans would have been nodding wisely at this advice. The previous two seasons had seen the club humilated against lower league opponents in Shrewsbury and Halifax, so there may have been a fair amount of trepidation amongst the 8,000 City supporters making the trip to London Road. The BBC were obviously hoping for a shock; Barry Davies and the Match of the Day cameras would be present.

1989: Poland v England

It is often stated that the line between success and failure is thin. On October 11, 1989, English football fans would witness a prime sporting example of this. The national football team may have qualified for the 1990 World Cup after a 0-0 draw in Chorzow, Poland. But it could have all been oh so different. As the clock ticked towards the 90-minute mark and Rysard Tarasiewicz pulled back his right foot, that line between success and failure was wafer thin.

England manager Bobby Robson really didn't need one final scare. After the disastrous showing at Euro 88, the pressure placed on Robson's shoulders may even have left Titan Atlas needing a rest. "A contributing factor was that the circulation war between the Sun and the Daily Mirror was turning medieval," Robson wrote in Farewell, But Not Goodbye. "The office of England manager was one of their battlegrounds."

The BBC and live top flight football

As news broke that Premier League football would be returning from June 17, one bit of the announcement stood out to me. Live top flight football would be returning to BBC television after an absence of 32 years.

In fact, the relatonship between the BBC and live Division One football was a relatively brief affair. Between December 1983 and March 1988, 26 live league matches were shown - plus a Division Two match between Manchester City and Chelsea - as a revolution swept the game.

1982 FA Cup Sixth Round: Leicester v Shrewsbury

The last time Leicester City won an FA Cup Sixth round match, they had to do it the hard way, using three different keepers on an afternoon of gripping drama.

After suffering relegation to Division Two at the end of the 1980/81 season, Leicester City initially struggled for consistency at the start of the next campaign. But come the start of a very wintry 1982, the team turned the corner. The combination of a memorable FA Cup run, and an upturn in league form, made for exciting times.

1982 World Cup draw

The independent state of FIFA can be accused of a lot of things - probably best I don't expand on those for fear of legal action - but something that cannot be levelled at the governing body is that they don't know how to turn the World Cup draw into an event. Normally a very, very, very long event, that will probably last longer than England's three matches in Russia next year.