Debenhams Cup
Encyclopedia
The Debenhams Cup was one of several short-lived football competitions introduced in the 1970s and 1980s, along with the Watney Cup
, Texaco Cup
, Anglo-Scottish Cup
, the Screen Sport Super Cup and Simod Cup. It lasted for just two seasons (1976-77
and 1977-78
) and was competed for between the two sides from outside the top two divisions of the Football League to have progressed furthest in the FA Cup
. If teams had made the same stage of the competition, a system was in place (beginning with replay eliminations being superior to going out at the first attempt) to determine which two would play in the Debenhams Cup - one of the first sponsored competitions in English football. This was the first time a sponsor had been associated with the FA Cup.
) saw Football League Division Three sides Port Vale
and Chester
meet. They had both reached the fifth round before losing to Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers respectively. Ironically if the competition had been played 30 years earlier during the 1946–47 season
, Chester and Vale would have again been the finalists.
The games were played at the end of the campaign, shortly after a league meeting between the sides at Vale Park
, which was to host the first leg. Goals from Neil Griffiths
and Ken Beamish
gave Vale a 2-0 victory that left them as firm favourites to win the trophy. But on a memorable night at Sealand Road
, Stuart Mason
, David Burns
, Neil Griffiths
(own goal) and Ian Howat
found the net for Chester to give them a 4-1 victory on then night and a 4-3 success on aggregate. It was their first national trophy.
was Blyth Spartans
' incredible run in the FA Cup
, as they reached the fifth round and came within seconds of knocking out Wrexham, who then beat the non-leaguers in a replay. The clubs were paired together again in the final of the Debenhams Cup over two legs in May, with Blyth this time claiming the glory.
With Third Division champions Wrexham having players away on international duty, Blyth took advantage and claimed a 2-1 win in North Wales thanks to goals from Terry Johnson and Dave Varty. The latter scored again in the return game as Blyth hung on to draw 1-1 and win 3-2 on aggregate and become the second name on the trophy. They were to be the last.
and the match programme contained an article by the club historians of the two teams. The article said the whereabouts of the Debenhams Cup trophy are not known by either club, Debenhams or the FA
.
There has not been a similar competition since, although the Football League Trophy
has given lower division teams the chance to win a national cup competition.
Watney Cup
The Watney Mann Invitation Cup was a short-lived English football tournament held in the early 1970s....
, Texaco Cup
Texaco Cup
The Texaco Cup was an association football competition involving clubs from England, Ireland and Scotland that had not qualified for European competitions. Irish clubs withdrew from the competition after 1971-72 due to political pressure, and in 1973-74 and 1974-75 competed in a separate Texaco Cup...
, Anglo-Scottish Cup
Anglo-Scottish Cup
The Anglo-Scottish Cup was a tournament arranged for teams in the English and Scottish football leagues during the summer for several years during the 1970s...
, the Screen Sport Super Cup and Simod Cup. It lasted for just two seasons (1976-77
1976-77 in English football
The 1976–77 season was the 97th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:The Football League revamped the tie-breaking criteria for teams level of points, replacing the traditional goal average tie-breaker with one based on goal difference to try to encourage more scoring...
and 1977-78
1977-78 in English football
The 1977–1978 season was the 98th season of competitive football in England, from August 1977 to May 1978:-First Division:Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest side took on the First Division by storm, by winning the League Cup on 22 March and confirming themselves as league champions the following month...
) and was competed for between the two sides from outside the top two divisions of the Football League to have progressed furthest in the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
. If teams had made the same stage of the competition, a system was in place (beginning with replay eliminations being superior to going out at the first attempt) to determine which two would play in the Debenhams Cup - one of the first sponsored competitions in English football. This was the first time a sponsor had been associated with the FA Cup.
Chester grab the glory
The first season (1976-771976-77 in English football
The 1976–77 season was the 97th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:The Football League revamped the tie-breaking criteria for teams level of points, replacing the traditional goal average tie-breaker with one based on goal difference to try to encourage more scoring...
) saw Football League Division Three sides Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
and Chester
Chester City F.C.
Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the...
meet. They had both reached the fifth round before losing to Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers respectively. Ironically if the competition had been played 30 years earlier during the 1946–47 season
1946-47 in English football
The 1946–47 season was the 67th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:The 1946–47 season was the first to feature a full football programme since the 1938–39 campaign. Eighty-eight teams competed over four divisions. Liverpool went top of the First Division with a 2–1 away win over...
, Chester and Vale would have again been the finalists.
The games were played at the end of the campaign, shortly after a league meeting between the sides at Vale Park
Vale Park
Vale Park is a football stadium in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England. It is the home ground of Port Vale F.C., who have played at the ground since 1950....
, which was to host the first leg. Goals from Neil Griffiths
Neil Griffiths (footballer)
Neil Griffiths is a former English footballer.-Playing career:Griffiths joined Port Vale from Chester in exchange for £5,000 and Tony Loska in December 1973. He lined up against his old club in the final of the 1977 Debenhams Cup and scored an own goal in a 4–1 defeat...
and Ken Beamish
Ken Beamish
Kenneth George "Ken" Beamish is an English former football player, coach and manager. In his playing days he was a forward, and he scored a total of 159 goals in 554 league games....
gave Vale a 2-0 victory that left them as firm favourites to win the trophy. But on a memorable night at Sealand Road
Sealand Road
Sealand Road was the home stadium of Chester City Football Club from 1906 until 1990. Although officially known simply as The Stadium, it was more commonly referred to as Sealand Road...
, Stuart Mason
Stuart Mason
Stuart Mason was an English professional footballer who made appearances in The Football League for five clubs...
, David Burns
David Burns (footballer)
David Burns is a former English footballer. He played in The Football League for Chester City.-Playing career:...
, Neil Griffiths
Neil Griffiths (footballer)
Neil Griffiths is a former English footballer.-Playing career:Griffiths joined Port Vale from Chester in exchange for £5,000 and Tony Loska in December 1973. He lined up against his old club in the final of the 1977 Debenhams Cup and scored an own goal in a 4–1 defeat...
(own goal) and Ian Howat
Ian Howat
Ian Howat is a former Welsh professional footballer who played in The Football League for Chester City and Crewe Alexandra. He later appeared for several non-league clubs.-Playing career:...
found the net for Chester to give them a 4-1 victory on then night and a 4-3 success on aggregate. It was their first national trophy.
Blyth gain revenge
The story of the 1977-781977-78 in English football
The 1977–1978 season was the 98th season of competitive football in England, from August 1977 to May 1978:-First Division:Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest side took on the First Division by storm, by winning the League Cup on 22 March and confirming themselves as league champions the following month...
was Blyth Spartans
Blyth Spartans A.F.C.
Blyth Spartans A.F.C. are a professional football club who play in the Conference North, and are based in the town of Blyth, Northumberland, England. They are often the most Northerly team in whichever league or cup they are playing in. They are managed by former Spartans player Steve Cuggy.They...
' incredible run in the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
, as they reached the fifth round and came within seconds of knocking out Wrexham, who then beat the non-leaguers in a replay. The clubs were paired together again in the final of the Debenhams Cup over two legs in May, with Blyth this time claiming the glory.
With Third Division champions Wrexham having players away on international duty, Blyth took advantage and claimed a 2-1 win in North Wales thanks to goals from Terry Johnson and Dave Varty. The latter scored again in the return game as Blyth hung on to draw 1-1 and win 3-2 on aggregate and become the second name on the trophy. They were to be the last.
What happened next?
The reasons why the competition did not continue are not clear. In February 2001, Chester met Blyth in the FA TrophyFA Trophy
The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a knockout cup competition in English football, run by and named after The Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams...
and the match programme contained an article by the club historians of the two teams. The article said the whereabouts of the Debenhams Cup trophy are not known by either club, Debenhams or the FA
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
.
There has not been a similar competition since, although the Football League Trophy
Football League Trophy
The Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...
has given lower division teams the chance to win a national cup competition.
Summary
| Year | Winners | Score | Runners up | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Chester Chester City F.C. Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the... |
4-3 (agg) | Port Vale Port Vale F.C. Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as... |
0-2 Vale Park Vale Park Vale Park is a football stadium in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England. It is the home ground of Port Vale F.C., who have played at the ground since 1950.... ; 4-1 Sealand Road Sealand Road Sealand Road was the home stadium of Chester City Football Club from 1906 until 1990. Although officially known simply as The Stadium, it was more commonly referred to as Sealand Road... . |
| 1978 | Blyth Spartans | 3-2 (agg) | Wrexham | 2-1 Racecourse Ground Racecourse Ground The Glyndŵr University Racecourse Stadium AKA The Racecourse Ground is a stadium located in Wrexham, North Wales. It is the home of Wrexham F.C. and, since 2010, the Crusaders Rugby League team who play in the engage Super League... ; 1-1 Croft Park Croft Park Croft Park is a football stadium in Blyth, Northumberland. It is home to Blyth Spartans A.F.C., who play in the Blue Square Conference North. It was opened by Mrs Clarke of Bellister Castle, Haltwhistle on 1 September 1909.... . |