In the first of a daily series this week we look at each of the FA Cup rounds in the 1976 FA Cup Run.
When Saints were drawn at home to Aston Villa in the FA Cup 3rd round, few Saints fans were dreaming of Wembley, especially as we were playing a First Division side whilst we in our second season back down in the Second Division were more concerned with joining Villa back in the top flight.
Indeed five straight wins in December had moved us up the table to 4th and we were looking more towards the first home game of January a home game with fellow promotion hopefuls Bolton Wanderers.
So on 3rd January 24,138 assembled in the Dell hoping to cause an upset, but more concerned about the long term.
The Archers Road end was a mass of Aston Villa fans and as the teams came out they released masses of yellow & blue balloons, something that made a big impression on Saints supporters who repeated this trick at Wembley just under four months later.
Playing for Villa was future Saints player and manager Chris Nicholl who was outstanding in the centre of the visitors defence and it was his second half header in the 64th minute that hit the bar and fell kindly for Andy Gray (Yes THAT Andy Gray, younger readers) who gratefully put the ball in from close range.
That looked about it, Villa were in charge and Saints were going out of the FA Cup, no FA Cup shocks here, the game entered the last minute and Villa fans were celebrating and Saints fans talking of the league, but then came the shot that changed the history of Southampton Football Club.
Little looked on (Literally given that Brian Little was playing for Villa back then) when David Peach chipped the ball into the Villa box, Pat Earles touched it on to Channon who laid it back to Hugh Fisherwho just outside the area hit a low shot through a crowded area into the corner of the goal to stun the Villa masses on the Archers Road terrace behind.
A minute later and the final whistle went, Saints fans were delighted but most though that this was little more than a stay of execution till the replay on Wednesday evening.
It is fair to say that very few Saints fans made the journey up to Villa a few days later, I can virtually count on one hand the people I have met over the years who claim to have been up there and the numbers were in the hundreds rather than thousands.
I'm not sure why this was the case, back then the cup was big, but replays were played in the week after the first tie and that along with the fact that few Saints supporters actually believed that we had a chance up at Villa meant that few travelled and those that did were swamped on the massive away terrace that was opposite the Holte End back in those days.
But Villa fans were sensing that this was their year and 44,623 packed into a Villa Park that has now been completely rebuilt and was far different to the ground Saints fans visited at the weekend.
But Saints looked a different side, Peter Osgood was back in after missing the first game through injury and they had several good chances in the first half which tested another future Saint in the Villa goal John Burridge, but this was only the start of things and just after the half hour mark Saints took the lead when Osgood released Channon who put in a pin point cross for Jim McCalliog to head home.
It was almost two but Burridge somehow kept out a Channon effort.
But Villa fans were relieved in the 39th minute when against the run of play David Peach underhit a back pass allowing future Saints assistant manager Ray Graydon to equalise and the same player nearly made it two but Ian Turner made a tremendous save to send the sides in level at the break.
The second half would remain goal less although on 66 minutes Ray Graydon had to go off injured and perhaps the tie turned in Saints favour at that moment.
Paul Gilchrist was Saints substitute for Peter Osgood at the end of 90 minutes and he should have put Saints ahead in the first minutes of extra time, then came the Villa onslaught, but Saints stood firm and Jim McCalliog got his second of the night a minute or so before the break when he fired home from a Peach corner to put Saints ahead in the tie again.
Villa threw everything at Saints in the final period of extra time, but Saints dug in and that with some superb goalkeeping from Ian Turner meant that Saints were through and Villa were out.
Saints had Blackpool at home in the 4th round and the feeling was that perhaps we could have a cup run, but even the most optimistic of Saints fans was not predicting what was going to come next.
