Its hard to believe but on this day in 1976 Saints travelled to Wembley as perhaps the biggest underdogs in living memory for an FA Cup Final and defeated Manchester United.

There cannot be a Saints fan alive who doesnt know the story of the 1976 FA Cup Final and how Saints then in the second division as was, took on the might of Manchester United and returned victorious.

Football is about winning trophies or at least it was back in those days when FA Cup winners were not always about who was the top side in the league, but the magic of the cup prevailed and this year it was our turn as we took advantage of good draws throughout, but there was no luck about who we would face at Wembley itself, United were on the up under Tommy Docherty after several years of decline, they had an attacking side and it was seen as only a formality by most outside of Southampton, the only thing that would prevent United winning the Cup was if their coach broke down and they didnt reach the stadium.

History of course informs us that they did reach the stadium on time and that it wasnt the formality they thought it would be, of course every football club needs to move on and progress, but it should never forget its past and how it has had to evolve to reach the point its at in the present, when we again visit some of the big stadia next season back in the Premier, be it United, Liverpool, Arsenal or even some of the former giants like Everton or Spurs, we should look around and see how both the club and supporters still remember and respect the past, after all in life in general, how can you hope to know who you are if you dont know where you came from.

May 1st 1976 was a proud day for Southampton Football Club, I have had many proud days both before and since, but so far this one is the best, the FA Cup is a little frayed at the edges at the moment, but I for one dont feel its finished yet, as Clubs realise that the league is beyond the reach of all bar a priveledged few, they will wake up to the fact that a day out at Wembley and lifting a trophy, not to mention European qualification is a far better target than finsishing 8th in the premier.

Photo: Action Images

arfurdent added 12:28 - May 1 I was there and it was something special. Also the look on Bobby Charlton's face in the post match reviews was priceless
0

simmo400 added 15:57 - May 1 Yeah was a great day. Coulnt go coz of my age was was on TV with Ed Stewpot during the pre-match television. Got the DVD to prove lol.
0

Blogs 31 bloggers

Southampton Polls