Guardian SportsBlog - 1989 and all that

[ExiledAjax]

Really wasn't sure whether to post this piece from the Grauniad. I was a babe in arms when this tie was played (seems crazy that Littlewoods ever sponsored a cup) but for those that lived through these times this is a nice write up of our exploits in 1988/89.  For those like me, it's an education. 

Let's hope for a different result tonight.

"After a few years of turmoil in the early 1980s – three relegations, bankruptcy and the Ashton Gate Eight – Bristol City managed to climb back on to their feet. Terry Cooper led the them out of the Fourth Division at the end of the 1983-84 season and his replacement, Joe Jordan, took over as player-manager in March 1988 and almost secured the club another promotion in his first few weeks in charge.

Bristol City finished fifth in the Third Division in the 1987-88 season, earning a place in the play-offs, where they beat Sheffield United in the semi-finals to set up a topsy-turvy final with Walsall. Walsall won 3-1 in Bristol and Bristol City won 2-0 away in Walsall to leave the scores tied on aggregate. With no away-goals rule in place, the teams played a penalty shootout for the right to host the decisive replay. Walsall won the shootout and went on to win the replay 4-0. Jordan was denied and immediate success and City would have to remain in the Third Division for at least one more season.

Having shrugged off their disappointment in the play-offs, Bristol City went into the 1988-89 season with high hopes, but they just could not could get going in the league. Their excitement was to come from a Littlewoods Cup run that almost took them to Wembley. They beat Exeter City home and away in the first leg to set up a tie with Oxford United, which they won 6-2 over two legs. They swept Crystal Palace aside at Ashton Gate in the one-legged third round. Ralph Milne scored twice in the 4-1 win, his last real contribution for the club before making a £170,000 move to Manchester United a week later.

A goal from Carl Shutt edged them into the quarter-finals at the expense of Tranmere, the scorer maintaining his fantastic form in the cups – he scored eight goals in both major knockout tournaments that season. Next up were Bradford City, who were beaten by a single goal scored by Alan Walsh in the first minute of the quarter-final. Bristol City had made it to the League Cup semi-finals for the first time since 1971.

The run was expected to end against Nottingham Forest in the two-legged semi-final. After all, Brian Clough was in the process of building a team that probably does not receive the credit it deserves. In the next two years they would achieve two third-place finishes in the First Division, play in two FA Cup semi-finals, and win two League Cups and a Full Members’ Cup.

Forest had players such as Stuart Pearce, Des Walker and Nigel Clough but the focus was on their manager, who dominated front and back pages in the build-up to the game. Clough had been fined and given a touchline ban for striking his own fans when they had invaded the pitch after Forest’s win over QPR in the quarter-finals. Clough was hoping for some positive press as he tried to lead Forest to their first major Wembley final since 1980.

With the first leg at the City Ground, there was a real threat that Forest could be out of sight before the two teams met again at Ashton Gate in front of a live ITV audience. Clough’s team were flying – having racked up 10 wins and a draw in their last 11 matches – and it was little wonder the visitors were priced at 9/1 to win. Walker, recently awarded his first England cap, couldn’t force his way back into the Forest team as Clough stuck with his centre-back pairing of Steve Chettle and Terry Wilson.

Nottingham Forest piled on the pressure but Bristol City’s defence stood firm. Keith Waugh had a fine match in goal, with Rob Newman excellent in defence and 37-year-old player-manager Jordan ploughing a lone furrow up front. Forest probed constantly and should have scored when Pearce was clean through, but he hit his volley straight at the imperious Waugh. Even when Forest did put the ball in the net, Lee Chapman’s goal was ruled out due to offside.

When the first goal in the tie arrived, it came from an unexpected source. Defender Paul Mardon, a 19-year-old Bristolian playing in midfield to deal with Steve Hodge, chose a fine time to score his first and only goal for the club. Mark Gavin laid the ball back to Mardon on the edge of the Forest box and he drove it into the corner. City were in the lead and in dreamland.

“It was the best strike in my life,” said Mardon. “One in a million. You don’t hit many like that. I don’t remember it going in. I was swamped by so many players.” As the City fans celebrated wildly, Nigel Clough apprehended a jubilant supporter, with City’s John Bailey also escorting a fan off the pitch. “He was on cloud nine,” said Bailey later. “He kept saying: ‘I can’t believe we have scored.’”

It looked as if Mardon’s goal would give City the advantage going into the second leg but Forest were given a lifeline in the 84th minute. It was heartbreaking for the visitors and for John Pender in particular. He tried to pass the ball back to Waugh but could only look on in horror as it rolled past his keeper and into the corner of the net. Agony.

Bristol City had the better of the first half when the teams met 11 days later for their second leg. Forest had to double up on Walsh; Sutton had to be at his best to save a shot from Steve Galliers that deflected off Jordan; and Galliers, Mardon and Steve McClaren were overrunning Hodge and Neil Webb in midfield. A few stern words from Clough at half-time seemed to do the trick, with Waugh having to save efforts from Garry Parker, Chapman and Pearce after the restart.

With the game seemingly drifting into extra-time, the ball fell to Walsh’s feet in the box and he had the chance to take Bristol City to Wembley. He swivelled and guided his effort past the goalkeeper but against the foot of the post. “In the moment that Forest scrambled the ball away, one felt that the best part of 30,000 hearts had been broken,” wrote Clive White in the Times. With no away-goals rule in place, the tie appeared to be drifting towards a replay at Villa Park but, with just six minutes of extra-time left to play, Parker popped up and scored the winner. “City made it very hard for us,” he said after the game. “I thought it was going to a replay but luckily I got a chance to get the winner.”

Clough senior stole a few more headlines when he dragged Pearce away from ITV’s cameras before he could conduct a post-match interview, but the main focus was on Bristol City. They had battled for 210 minutes, given mighty Forest a fright and been just a few inches away from reaching Wembley."

Full blog with pictures here: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/jan/23/bristol-city-league-cup-semi-final-brian-clough-forest

[Erithacus]

Some readily available nostalgia here:

 

And just to top it all off

 

So close, yet...

[elhombrecito]

Just posted this myself (ooops) before I saw this, so just giving it a bump so others don't miss it too!

[poland_exile]

there was a vid not all that long back floating on youtube showing the build-up to the match - Ashton Gate in full roar for 10 minutes leading up to kick-off. No tannoy, no pre-match 'entertainment', just 25,000 Wurzels in full-blooded voice. Amazing!  Can't for the life of me find it, if anyone else can....