1969 Football League Cup Final
Encyclopedia
The 1969 Football League Cup Final took place on 15 March 1969 at Wembley Stadium. It was the ninth final and the third to be played at Wembley. It was contested between Arsenal
and Swindon Town
.
Arsenal had lost the previous season to Leeds United
in the 1968 League Cup Final, and were aiming to do better in their second successive appearance. Swindon Town on the other hand were considered the underdogs, being two divisions below Arsenal in the Third Division
, and were appearing in their first League Cup Final and indeed their first match at Wembley.
However, with eight Arsenal players suffering from flu
(which had led to their match the previous weekend being postponed) and the pitch deteriorating badly due both to heavy rain and also being host to the Horse of the Year show the previous week, conditions favoured the Wiltshire side.
As both sides' colours clashed, League Cup rules stated that both would have to play in their alternative kits. Arsenal wore their yellow and dark blue strip, and Swindon Town opted to wear an all-white kit instead of their usual alternative of all-blue.
under heavy pressure early on, resulting in a series of early corners
as Arsenal attempted to finish the game quickly. Swindon's attacking play was kept to a minimum by Arsenal's more experienced and better conditioned defence and the game developed into a one-way affair.
However, the first goal came from Swindon in the 35th minute, against the run of play, scored by Roger Smart
. A mix-up between defender Ian Ure
and goalkeeper Bob Wilson over a backpass led to confusion in the Arsenal defence, and allowed Smart to capitalise and score. Swindon maintained their 1–0 lead until half-time
.
The second half was again one-sided, with Swindon's tactics being those of all-out defence in order to protect their lead. Swindon goalkeeper Peter Downsborough
prevented numerous Arsenal players from scoring, including saving efforts that looked unstoppable from Jon Sammels
and Bob McNab
.
Until the 86th minute, it seemed that a great football upset was sure to occur; however Swindon goalkeeper Downsborough tried to claim a ball and fumbled, allowing Bobby Gould
to equalise with a header and take the game into extra time.
Swindon dominated extra time, with the heavy pitch and illnesses tiring the opposition. A header from Smart rebounded off the post after beating the Arsenal goalkeeper. From the resulting corner, Don Rogers
became a Swindon hero just before the first period of extra time was over; Arsenal failed to clear the corner and in the resulting goalmouth melée Rogers coolly controlled the loose ball and fired it from close range into the net.
Arsenal responded by changing to all-out attack during the second period. However, Ure lost the ball in the Swindon half to Smart, and Arsenal were caught on the counter-attack by a long ball from Smart to Rogers, who receiving the ball midway between the halfway line and Arsenal's penalty area, ran unopposed all the way, rounded Wilson and sealed victory for Swindon in the 109th minute.
However in recent years some players have identified the game as the impetus for Arsenal's later successes in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
of 1970, their first European competition cup, and their first League and FA Cup double
in 1971.
National newspapers reported the story the following day under headlines such as "The shame of Arsenal", for example:
Swindon Town returned to Wiltshire
to a heroes' welcome. On Sunday 16 March 1969, a crowd of 8,000 gathered in Regent's Circus, as the players emerged onto the balcony of the Town Hall
. The Mayor
, Alf Brown, raised a glass to the Club and called for "promotion" – which Swindon achieved after failing to lose any of their nine remaining matches. A draw at Rotherham United
saw the Town move up into the Second Division.
Although League Cup winners, Swindon were ineligible for a place in the UEFA Cup
of 1970. At the time the competition was only open to teams from Division One.
The Anglo-Italian
and Anglo Italian League
Cups were created in lieu of a proper European competition for the club to compete in. Swindon went on to win the Anglo-Italian League Cup in 1969 and the Anglo-Italian Cup in 1970.
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
and Swindon Town
Swindon Town F.C.
Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...
.
Pre-match
First DivisionFootball League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
Arsenal had lost the previous season to Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
in the 1968 League Cup Final, and were aiming to do better in their second successive appearance. Swindon Town on the other hand were considered the underdogs, being two divisions below Arsenal in the Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
, and were appearing in their first League Cup Final and indeed their first match at Wembley.
However, with eight Arsenal players suffering from flu
Influenza
Influenza, commonly referred to as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae , that affects birds and mammals...
(which had led to their match the previous weekend being postponed) and the pitch deteriorating badly due both to heavy rain and also being host to the Horse of the Year show the previous week, conditions favoured the Wiltshire side.
As both sides' colours clashed, League Cup rules stated that both would have to play in their alternative kits. Arsenal wore their yellow and dark blue strip, and Swindon Town opted to wear an all-white kit instead of their usual alternative of all-blue.
The match
Arsenal began the game by putting Swindon's defenceDefense (sport)
In many team sports, defense or defence is the action of preventing an opponent from scoring. The term may also refer to the tactics involved in defense, or a sub-team whose primary responsibility is defense...
under heavy pressure early on, resulting in a series of early corners
Corner kick
A corner kick is a method of restarting play in a game of association football. It was first devised in Sheffield under the Sheffield Rules 1867...
as Arsenal attempted to finish the game quickly. Swindon's attacking play was kept to a minimum by Arsenal's more experienced and better conditioned defence and the game developed into a one-way affair.
However, the first goal came from Swindon in the 35th minute, against the run of play, scored by Roger Smart
Roger Smart
Roger Smart is a retired football Inside Forward.He made his way from schoolboy teams to work up through the youth ranks at Swindon Town before making his début in the reserves in April 1960....
. A mix-up between defender Ian Ure
Ian Ure
John Francombe "Ian" Ure is a Scottish former footballer. Ure began his career in his native Scotland with Dundee, before moving to England to play for Arsenal and Manchester United. After eight years in England, Ure returned to Scotland with St. Mirren; however, after two years with St...
and goalkeeper Bob Wilson over a backpass led to confusion in the Arsenal defence, and allowed Smart to capitalise and score. Swindon maintained their 1–0 lead until half-time
Half-time
In some team sports such as association football and rugby, matches are played in two halves. Half-time is the name given to the interval between the two halves of the match...
.
The second half was again one-sided, with Swindon's tactics being those of all-out defence in order to protect their lead. Swindon goalkeeper Peter Downsborough
Peter Downsborough
Peter Downsborough is a retired goalkeeper.A Centre Forward as a schoolboy, he transferred into the role of goalkeeper after deputising for an injured team mate during a school match....
prevented numerous Arsenal players from scoring, including saving efforts that looked unstoppable from Jon Sammels
Jon Sammels
Jonathon Charles "Jon" Sammels is an English former footballer.Sammels joined Arsenal, the club he supported as a boy, in 1961. He was a regular in the reserves and a successful youth international winning seven caps for England. He scored on his first-team debut for the Gunners on 27 April 1963,...
and Bob McNab
Bob McNab
Robert "Bob" McNab is an English former footballer.McNab started out at his local club, Huddersfield Town, playing nearly seventy times in three seasons...
.
Until the 86th minute, it seemed that a great football upset was sure to occur; however Swindon goalkeeper Downsborough tried to claim a ball and fumbled, allowing Bobby Gould
Bobby Gould
Robert Anthony "Bobby" Gould is an English former footballer and manager.-Playing career:Born in Coventry, Gould started his career at Coventry City, making his debut for the club whilst still an apprentice at the age of 16. He did not sign professional until June 1964...
to equalise with a header and take the game into extra time.
Swindon dominated extra time, with the heavy pitch and illnesses tiring the opposition. A header from Smart rebounded off the post after beating the Arsenal goalkeeper. From the resulting corner, Don Rogers
Don Rogers (footballer)
Donald Rogers is an English former footballer who has often been seen as the most exciting player to pull on a Swindon Town shirt; his principal rival in this respect being Harold Fleming...
became a Swindon hero just before the first period of extra time was over; Arsenal failed to clear the corner and in the resulting goalmouth melée Rogers coolly controlled the loose ball and fired it from close range into the net.
Arsenal responded by changing to all-out attack during the second period. However, Ure lost the ball in the Swindon half to Smart, and Arsenal were caught on the counter-attack by a long ball from Smart to Rogers, who receiving the ball midway between the halfway line and Arsenal's penalty area, ran unopposed all the way, rounded Wilson and sealed victory for Swindon in the 109th minute.
Post-match
Arsenal initially claimed that the heavy pitch and illnesses were a major contributing factor to the shock loss.- "I'm not attempting to make any excuses because I thought Swindon were terrific on the day, but six of us had flu and it didn't help that the pitch was cut up so badly. I certainly don't think the game would have gone ahead today. I performed very strongly for the 90 minutes but then when it got to extra-time my legs just went completely." Frank McLintockFrank McLintockFrancis "Frank" McLintock MBE is a Scottish former football defender who played for Leicester City, Arsenal and QPR.-Leicester City:...
However in recent years some players have identified the game as the impetus for Arsenal's later successes in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was a European football competition played between 1955 and 1971. The competition was the idea of Swiss pools supremo Ernst Thommen, Ottorino Barassi from Italy, and the English Football Association general secretary Stanley Rous, all of whom later became senior officials...
of 1970, their first European competition cup, and their first League and FA Cup double
The Double
The Double is a term in association football which refers to winning a country's top tier division and its primary cup competition in the same season...
in 1971.
- "It's never going to remain the happiest day of my life but I will go to the grave telling people that what we achieved in the years following that League Cup defeat we owe to Swindon. There were certain players who dropped by the wayside, but those who were part of the abuse we got from the London press – who thought there was no way we could lose to a Third Division side – used it as a spur." Bob WilsonBob Wilson (footballer)Robert "Bob" Primrose Wilson OBE is a former Scotland international football goalkeeper and later broadcaster.As a player, Wilson is most noted for his career at Arsenal between 1963 and 1974...
National newspapers reported the story the following day under headlines such as "The shame of Arsenal", for example:
- "Arsenal, slaves of their own system, methodical but utterly predictable, were finally unhinged by the individual brilliance and flair of the Swindon stars — the small town Cinderellas whom cynics expected to lose to the North London favourites by a bucketful of goals."
- "And there could have been a fourth to add to their goal total. A drive from Trollope was sailing into the Arsenal net when it struck the referee, and all Swindon got was a corner."
Swindon Town returned to Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
to a heroes' welcome. On Sunday 16 March 1969, a crowd of 8,000 gathered in Regent's Circus, as the players emerged onto the balcony of the Town Hall
Swindon Town Hall
The current Swindon Town Hall, England was built in the late 19th century to be a centrepiece of New Swindon, powers transferred to it from the Old Town Hall in 1891.The Whole building is currently used by SWINDON DANCE a National Dance Agency...
. The Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
, Alf Brown, raised a glass to the Club and called for "promotion" – which Swindon achieved after failing to lose any of their nine remaining matches. A draw at Rotherham United
Rotherham United F.C.
Rotherham United Football Club are an English professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, who compete in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club's colours have traditionally been red and white, although these have evolved through history...
saw the Town move up into the Second Division.
Although League Cup winners, Swindon were ineligible for a place in the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
of 1970. At the time the competition was only open to teams from Division One.
The Anglo-Italian
Anglo-Italian Cup
The Anglo-Italian Cup is a defunct European football competition that was played intermittently between 1970 and 1996 between clubs from England and Italy. Founded by Gigi Peronace in 1970, following the success of the Anglo-Italian League Cup, it was played as a professional tournament until 1973...
and Anglo Italian League
Anglo-Italian League Cup
The Anglo-Italian League Cup was a short-lived football competition between clubs in England and Italy.-History:...
Cups were created in lieu of a proper European competition for the club to compete in. Swindon went on to win the Anglo-Italian League Cup in 1969 and the Anglo-Italian Cup in 1970.
Match facts
| Arsenal Yellow shirts/Blue shorts/Yellow socks |
1 — 3 (after extra time) |
Swindon Town White shirts/White shorts/White socks |
| Manager: Bertie Mee Bertie Mee Bertram "Bertie" Mee OBE was an English football player and manager, noted for managing Arsenal to their first Double win in 1971. He was the younger brother of fellow footballer Georgie Mee.-Early life:... ---- Team: Wilson (GK) Storey Peter Storey Peter Edwin Storey is an English former football player.Storey spent most of his career at Arsenal, joining the club as an apprentice in 1961 and turning professional the following year... McNab Bob McNab Robert "Bob" McNab is an English former footballer.McNab started out at his local club, Huddersfield Town, playing nearly seventy times in three seasons... McLintock Frank McLintock Francis "Frank" McLintock MBE is a Scottish former football defender who played for Leicester City, Arsenal and QPR.-Leicester City:... Ure Ian Ure John Francombe "Ian" Ure is a Scottish former footballer. Ure began his career in his native Scotland with Dundee, before moving to England to play for Arsenal and Manchester United. After eight years in England, Ure returned to Scotland with St. Mirren; however, after two years with St... Simpson off 71' Radford John Radford For the Canadian broadcaster see John Radford John Radford is a former English football player.... Sammels Court David Court David John Court is an English former footballer, now turned coach.Court joined Arsenal as a schoolboy in 1959, turning professional in January 1962. Initially a centre forward or inside forward, he was a regular goalscorer for the Gunners' youth and reserve sides... Gould Bobby Gould Robert Anthony "Bobby" Gould is an English former footballer and manager.-Playing career:Born in Coventry, Gould started his career at Coventry City, making his debut for the club whilst still an apprentice at the age of 16. He did not sign professional until June 1964... Armstrong George Armstrong (footballer) George "Geordie" Armstrong was an English football player and coach, primarily associated with Arsenal.Born in Hebburn, County Durham, Armstrong had trained as an electrician while playing in youth football, and was rejected by both Newcastle United and Grimsby Town. Nevertheless, he succeeded in... ---- Substitutes: Graham George Graham (footballer) George Graham is a Scottish former football player and manager. He is best remembered for his success at Arsenal, as a player in the 1970s and then as manager from 1986 until 1995.-Early life:... on 71' ---- Scorers:
|
Half-time: 0-1 Competition: Football League Cup Football League Cup The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis... (Final) Date: 15:00 BST British Summer Time Western European Summer Time is a summer daylight saving time scheme, 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. It is used in the following places:* the Canary Islands* Portugal * Ireland... Saturday 15 March 1969 Venue: Wembley Stadium, London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... Attendance: 98,189 Match rules: 90 minutes. 30 minutes extra-time if necessary. Match replayed if scores still level. One named subsititute. |
Manager: Danny Williams ---- Team: Downsborough Peter Downsborough Peter Downsborough is a retired goalkeeper.A Centre Forward as a schoolboy, he transferred into the role of goalkeeper after deputising for an injured team mate during a school match.... (GK) Thomas Rod Thomas Rod Thomas is a Welsh former professional footballer who represented Wales at International level.During his career Thomas played for Gloucester City, Swindon Town, Derby County, Cardiff City, Gloucester for a second spell and Newport County.Swindon Town manager Bert Head brought Thomas to the... Trollope John Trollope (footballer) Norman John Trollope MBE is a former footballer, manager and coach who served Swindon Town for twenty years.A Swindon Town legend, Trollope holds the record for the number of league appearances made for one club - turning out for the Town in 770 games between 1960 and 1980, an achievement which... Butler Burrows Frank Burrows Frank Burrows is a Scottish soccer manager, and former player.-Biography:Frank Burrows began his football career at Scottish club Raith Rovers. In 1965 he moved south to England and joined Scunthorpe United. Impressive performances as a defender for Scunthorpe led to him being signed by Swindon... Harland Stan Harland Stan Harland was an English football centre half.-Career:Born in Liverpool, Harland's football career began at local club New Brighton. It was from here that he attracted interest from Everton who signed him in 1959... Heath Don Heath Don Heath is a former football Outside Right.Beginning his football career as an apprentice at local club Middlesbrough in 1962, Heath did not play first team football until he signed a professional contract with Norwich City... Smart Roger Smart Roger Smart is a retired football Inside Forward.He made his way from schoolboy teams to work up through the youth ranks at Swindon Town before making his début in the reserves in April 1960.... Smith John Smith (footballer) John Smith was a footballer, a West Ham Academy product who was born in Shoreditch, London. He made 136 appearances for the club between 1956 and 1960, playing right half and inside right. He scored 23 goals for the east London club before being transferred to Tottenham Hotspur where he was one of... off 77' Noble Peter Noble Peter Noble is a retired football forward.Noble began his career with Consett where he combined a career in painting and decorating with football... Rogers Don Rogers (footballer) Donald Rogers is an English former footballer who has often been seen as the most exciting player to pull on a Swindon Town shirt; his principal rival in this respect being Harold Fleming... ---- Substitutes: Penman Willie Penman Willie Penman was a football player from Scotland. He played the majority of his career for Raith Rovers, and is their all-time leading goal scorer with 211 goals in 328 appearances. Later in his career he had short spells with Montrose and Dundee United.Penman was signed in 1940 and made his... on 77' ---- Scorers:
|
Road to Wembley
Home teams listed first. Information taken from andArsenalRound 1: ByeBye (sports) A bye, in sports and other competitive activities, most commonly refers to the practice of allowing a player or team to advance to the next round of a playoff tournament without playing... Round 2: Arsenal 1–0 Sunderland Sunderland A.F.C. Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League... Round 3: Scunthorpe United Scunthorpe United F.C. Scunthorpe United Football Club is an English association football team based in the town of Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, who play in the Football League One.... 1–6 Arsenal Round 4: Arsenal 2–1 Liverpool Liverpool F.C. Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups... Round 5: Arsenal 5–1 Blackpool Blackpool F.C. Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the... Semi-final:
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Swindon TownRound 1: Swindon Town 2–1 Torquay UnitedTorquay United F.C. Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley... Round 2: Bradford City Bradford City A.F.C. Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two.... 1–1 Swindon Town
Round 3: Swindon Town 1–0 Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers F.C. Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football.... Round 4: Coventry City Coventry City F.C. Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry... 2–2 Swindon Town
Round 5: Derby County Derby County F.C. Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English... 0–0 Swindon Town
Semi-final:
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External links
- Club Heroes 1969 - News articles from the Swindon AdvertiserSwindon AdvertiserThe Swindon Advertiser is a daily tabloid newspaper, published in Swindon. The newspaper was founded in 1854, and had a circulation in 2006 of 22,321....
of the victory - Game facts at soccerbase.com
- Full Results from the 1969 Football League Cup competition at soccerbase.com
- League Cup 1969 at The English Football Archive
- Don Rogers audio interview on swindonweb.com
- 1969 League Cup Winners - Video highlights and national newspaper extracts from swindon-town-fc.co.uk
- Pathe Newsreel highlights from British Pathe