Memries - When the Cup Was Magic - 1993 Cup Run

[United Aren't Back.]

If we are doing High Storrs teachers' football affiliations, I'd like to throw in Mr Pearsall (sp?) the chemistry teacher, whose claim to fame was getting arrested for violent disorder when his team Chelsea got beaten 6-0 by Rotherham in 1982. I'd like to say he was a hero to us all after that, but the guy was an absolute See You Next Tuesday.

Graham Vardy, Worksop town striker and teacher, c 1977.

 

[espoo blade]

If we are doing High Storrs teachers' football affiliations, I'd like to throw in Mr Pearsall (sp?) the chemistry teacher, whose claim to fame was getting arrested for violent disorder when his team Chelsea got beaten 6-0 by Rotherham in 1982. I'd like to say he was a hero to us all after that, but the guy was an absolute See You Next Tuesday.

Haha, yeah Mr Pearsall was a Chelsea nutter. One lasting memory from his chemistry class was when he was teaching us about the Ozone Layer and Chlorofluorocarbons. He wrote CFC on the blackboard and asked what it meant..."Chelsea FC of course!"

 

[espoo blade]

Round 3 - Burnley (H) D 2-2 (Hodges, Beesley)

Much like I have stated above, this tie had a real air of magic about it. We'd been fairly average in the league up until this point but we were hoping for another 'kick-on' after Christmas that Harry Bassett's sides had become famed for. The cup gave us a much needed break from the league and a chance to get some confidence in the team. We of course were a Premier League team then while Burnley were struggling in the third tier but were in the midst of a mini resurgence having been stuck in Division 4 for several season's (being one kick away from dropping out of the football league altogether at one point). I remember it being absolutely freezing and the pitch was like an ice rink which proved to be somewhat of a leveller. Burnley also had a certain Adrian Heath playing up front and, while at the end of his career he was certainly better than a third tier striker - proved when he sent the entire Bramall Lane away end that was packed to the brim wild with a long range strike. They soon went 2 nil up after defensive mix up and I remember thinking we we're being humiliated. We brought Deane on for the second half and the game turned. I remember I think Glyn Hodges missing a near open goal before scoring with a much harder chance with time running out. Bees then powered in a left foot drive in the last minute, the Kop went wild and we had rescued a replay from nowhere.

I remember it being a highly charged, bad tempered affair - Heath having little big man syndrome and winding us and the ref up at every possible opportunity. I've included a clip below from the game which shows him and Adrian Littlejohn getting sent off. Presumably Heath got sent off for being a cocky little shit, while Littlejohn got sent off for finally having enough of him and belting seven bells of shit out of him. The best thing about the clip by far though are Pembo's two tackles. One a definite red and one a possible red today - not even a free kick or mentioned as such back then!

Was the kick-off delayed? I seem to remember an early "view from" in the Flashing Blade fanzine which had a headline from Burnley's local sports paper that had obviously gone to press before the final result filtered through and claimed they won the match! Can imagine in those pre-internet days some pretty confused Burnley fans after that!

 

[espoo blade]

Didn't their fans have the first 2 gangways of the Kop end of the South Stand as well that day for some bizarre reason? I seem to remember there were in excess of 7 thousand Burnley fans that day?

This might explain it? https://www.uptheclarets.com/messageboard/viewtopic.php?t=11450

 

[United Aren't Back.]

Was the kick-off delayed? I seem to remember an early "view from" in the Flashing Blade fanzine which had a headline from Burnley's local sports paper that had obviously gone to press before the final result filtered through and claimed they won the match! Can imagine in those pre-internet days some pretty confused Burnley fans after that!

Jesus, imagine that. Especially for those of an intellectually challenged nature.

 

[Russ]

30 years later and the FA Cup is still magic.

Wem~ber~ley

Wem~ber~ley

We’re the famous Sheff United and we’re going to Wem~ber~ley!!!

 

[Aganarama]

If we are doing High Storrs teachers' football affiliations, I'd like to throw in Mr Pearsall (sp?) the chemistry teacher, whose claim to fame was getting arrested for violent disorder when his team Chelsea got beaten 6-0 by Rotherham in 1982. I'd like to say he was a hero to us all after that, but the guy was an absolute See You Next Tuesday.

Thankfully I never had Pearsall for chemistry. I think you are being polite there . Funny thing was I worked with his wife and daughter much later and they were really nice.

 

[S8blade]

Pearsall also claimed in one of his lessons that he had a big cfc tattoo on his chest.

 

[HighfieldBlade]

Round 3 - Burnley (H) D 2-2 (Hodges, Beesley)

Utterly freezing that day and it was close to being called off. One of the coldest games I've ever been to.

 

[Bladepicker]

Fourth Round weekend so the perfect time for my Semi Final memries....

Yes, it hurt. Yes it was absolutely awful at the time and took teenage, United obsessed me some time to get over it, but yes it was a brilliant day up to about the 2nd minute....

Having dispatched of Blackburn in the most dramatic of ways we knew we had an all Sheffield semi final to look forward to. It was going to be an immense occasion and one that I could genuinely see us winning. Yes, the pigs had one of the best teams in the country at that time, but we seemed to have their number on the occasions we had met and I thought we could do them again. We were in good form in the league and this was our chance to get to the final and win the blooming thing - whilst stopping that lot in the process.

The first thing I remember is that originally we weren't even meant to be playing at Wembley. These were the days where semi finals were never played at Wembley; added to that play off finals at Wembley were a relatively new phenomenon and therefore for lots of clubs, us included, visits to the twin towers were as rare as rocking horse shit. Our semi final had been scheduled for Elland Road, while the other semi final, another local derby between Arsenal and Spurs, was given the honour of being held at Wembley due to the number of fans that would want to go. The FA said it was the only ground that could host them. I can't remember the details of how/why because these were just pre internet and easily accessible news/awareness raising days, but there was a big furore from the good folk of Sheffield because we felt we deserved the same honour too.

I do remember one day later, vividly hearing a rumour at school that the game had been switched to Wembley. Running home, checking Ceefax and there, on the 'news in brief' section, page 1/4, the first story was that the FA had changed the venue to Wembley. Cue 14 year old me running round the house singing... "Wemberlee...". In hindsight, the occasion, size and pristine condition of the pitch at Wembley did us no favours and, had we played at Elland Road we would have a much better chance, but we got to play there and at the time I loved it.

I remember queuing for hours and hours in the car park outside the south stand to get our tickets. Crazy times that just wont be repeated in the modern era. the tickets when we got them were absolutely massive things, had a kind of lamination to them and were all in colour print. Basically like a ticket is now but that was rare back then. Prized possession in hand we got ready for the big day. The excitement and nervousness was like for no other football game that I could remember. Maybe the play off finals or Wigan at home have come close since but I still don't think I've ever felt a s sick before a game. Things I remember are getting there mega early with my dad, brother and my brother's best mate who was a pig. A game of football breaking out early am on Wembley car park. I remember it filling up, seeing some old Mainline double decker buses with the hard seats parking up and feeling sorry for the poor bugger who had just had 5 hours on the M1 in those! Randomly I also remember a giant blow up Sonic the hedgehog, but then it was onto the game, Sheffield had taken over Wembley. We had Dave Kilner playing 'Annie's song' for the red and white half of Wembley on a turntable on the pitch. Balloons everywhere and poignantly Mel Rees, looking extremely poorly, was led out onto the pitch for a lap of honour that both United and, something I will always tip my hat towards, the Wednesday fans gave him a fantastic and tear-jerking reception.

Then the game. Most arses had barely touched the seat when that free kick was given 40 yards out. It was the sign of what was to come. The only standout's from a dire performance being Alan Cork's slow motion goal that made me think we might escape this battering with a replay, that would have been at Elland Road and, I still think we would have won easily. The other highlight was probably the best goalkeeping performance I have ever seen live. One save from Hirst was truly magnificent and Alan Kelly did not deserve to lose that day. Lose we did though and the season we really could have won the cup, our one big chance was extinguished by the worst opponents in the cruellest of places. How I fucking hate Wembley.

One little caveat to the day that not many will remember, it was played on the day of 'The Grand National That Never Was' when a false start in the great steeplechase wasn't stopped in time and three quarters of the field completed the Aintree course for a race that was voided. We had the commentary on in the car as we were getting out of the car park and the one happy member of our party, the one pig, had got money on this outsider called Esha's Ness. It made the day slightly sweeter when the radio confirmed that despite the horse winning at 66/1, bookies would not be paying out and all bets were void!

Oh and at least we didn't have to go home on a fucking Mainline bus.

Onto Wrexham.... "Wemberleeeee......"

 

[HighfieldBlade]

Fourth Round weekend so the perfect time for my Semi Final memries....

Yes, it hurt. Yes it was absolutely awful at the time and took teenage, United obsessed me some time to get over it, but yes it was a brilliant day up to about the 2nd minute....

Having dispatched of Blackburn in the most dramatic of ways we knew we had an all Sheffield semi final to look forward to. It was going to be an immense occasion and one that I could genuinely see us winning. Yes, the pigs had one of the best teams in the country at that time, but we seemed to have their number on the occasions we had met and I thought we could do them again. We were in good form in the league and this was our chance to get to the final and win the blooming thing - whilst stopping that lot in the process.

The first thing I remember is that originally we weren't even meant to be playing at Wembley. These were the days where semi finals were never played at Wembley; added to that play off finals at Wembley were a relatively new phenomenon and therefore for lots of clubs, us included, visits to the twin towers were as rare as rocking horse shit. Our semi final had been scheduled for Elland Road, while the other semi final, another local derby between Arsenal and Spurs, was given the honour of being held at Wembley due to the number of fans that would want to go. The FA said it was the only ground that could host them. I can't remember the details of how/why because these were just pre internet and easily accessible news/awareness raising days, but there was a big furore from the good folk of Sheffield because we felt we deserved the same honour too.

I do remember one day later, vividly hearing a rumour at school that the game had been switched to Wembley. Running home, checking Ceefax and there, on the 'news in brief' section, page 1/4, the first story was that the FA had changed the venue to Wembley. Cue 14 year old me running round the house singing... "Wemberlee...". In hindsight, the occasion, size and pristine condition of the pitch at Wembley did us no favours and, had we played at Elland Road we would have a much better chance, but we got to play there and at the time I loved it.

I remember queuing for hours and hours in the car park outside the south stand to get our tickets. Crazy times that just wont be repeated in the modern era. the tickets when we got them were absolutely massive things, had a kind of lamination to them and were all in colour print. Basically like a ticket is now but that was rare back then. Prized possession in hand we got ready for the big day. The excitement and nervousness was like for no other football game that I could remember. Maybe the play off finals or Wigan at home have come close since but I still don't think I've ever felt a s sick before a game. Things I remember are getting there mega early with my dad, brother and my brother's best mate who was a pig. A game of football breaking out early am on Wembley car park. I remember it filling up, seeing some old Mainline double decker buses with the hard seats parking up and feeling sorry for the poor bugger who had just had 5 hours on the M1 in those! Randomly I also remember a giant blow up Sonic the hedgehog, but then it was onto the game, Sheffield had taken over Wembley. We had Dave Kilner playing 'Annie's song' for the red and white half of Wembley on a turntable on the pitch. Balloons everywhere and poignantly Mel Rees, looking extremely poorly, was led out onto the pitch for a lap of honour that both United and, something I will always tip my hat towards, the Wednesday fans gave him a fantastic and tear-jerking reception.

Then the game. Most arses had barely touched the seat when that free kick was given 40 yards out. It was the sign of what was to come. The only standout's from a dire performance being Alan Cork's slow motion goal that made me think we might escape this battering with a replay, that would have been at Elland Road and, I still think we would have won easily. The other highlight was probably the best goalkeeping performance I have ever seen live. One save from Hirst was truly magnificent and Alan Kelly did not deserve to lose that day. Lose we did though and the season we really could have won the cup, our one big chance was extinguished by the worst opponents in the cruellest of places. How I fucking hate Wembley.

One little caveat to the day that not many will remember, it was played on the day of 'The Grand National That Never Was' when a false start in the great steeplechase wasn't stopped in time and three quarters of the field completed the Aintree course for a race that was voided. We had the commentary on in the car as we were getting out of the car park and the one happy member of our party, the one pig, had got money on this outsider called Esha's Ness. It made the day slightly sweeter when the radio confirmed that despite the horse winning at 66/1, bookies would not be paying out and all bets were void!

Oh and at least we didn't have to go home on a fucking Mainline bus.

Onto Wrexham.... "Wemberleeeee......"

All the while during that I game I kept telling myself "Come on Blades, let's win it for Mel". I felt sick and was in tears after that game. Just to rub salt into the wound, a group of pigs nearby were singing "Tell mi mam, mi mam/To put the champagne on ice/We're going to Wembley twice/Tell mi mam, mi mam ". Twats

Anyway, it's our turn to lift the cup this year! UTB

 

[speedymcgeady]

When we played Burnley and Deane got a hat trick in the replay he got a hat trick on the Saturday v Ipswich as well. That was the last man to score a hat trick for us in the Prem.

Us, like loads of other Blades, were stuck in traffic, missing most of the match, and to add insult to injury, a miscommunication meant we went to the wrong place, to pick up Silent Blade, and he didn't even get there, after queueing for our tickets

 

[Silent Blade]

Us, like loads of other Blades, were stuck in traffic, missing most of the match, and to add insult to injury, a miscommunication meant we went to the wrong place, to pick up Silent Blade, and he didn't even get there, after queueing for our tickets

I waited at the one near your home but you went to the one in West Street!

 

[speedymcgeady]

I waited at the one near your home but you went to the one in West Street!

View attachment 152345

I know mate