Hugh helped FA Cup win by staying on the bench!
Southampton will be the underdogs in today’s FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea at Wembley.
The Saints have had a hugely disappointing season and will need all of their top players to be 100% fit.
It’s often hard for a player to admit he’s injured and miss out on a massive match.
Former Southampton midfielder Hugh Fisher did just that when the club won the FA Cup back in 1976.
He still collected a winners’ medal, but had to watch the action from the bench.
It’s now 42 years since he played a massive part in the Hampshire club’s only major trophy success, but has no regrets.
Hugh recalled: “I’d played in every match up to the semi- final, but began to feel a bit of discomfort before we played Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge.
“I’d been with a team in the US during the previous close-season, so I really didn’t have a break from football for two years and it finally caught up with me.
“We went away to prepare for the semi-final and I was training on my own. I had this niggling injury and was feeling a sharp pain every time I kicked the ball.
“The boss, Lawrie McMenemy, asked me to be honest with him and I admitted I wasn’t 100%.
“I was left out and we beat Palace 2-0. The injury stayed with me for another few months. I wasn’t really free of it until the start of the next season.
“I was quite surprised when Lawrie named me as substitute for the Final against Manchester United. “I’ve no regrets about admitting to the injury. “The club were great to me. I didn’t miss out on anything.
“I got my FA Cup winners’ medal and was part of an amazing day.
“It would have been nice to get on for a few minutes. But the score was 1-0 so I understood why the manager didn’t want to change things.
“My team-mate, Jim Steele, said he was going to fake an injury near the end to get me on the pitch at Wembley.
“You can see him rubbing his calf and looking over to the bench, but Lawrie McMenemy wasn’t fooled!
“He did give me some playing time in the Charity Shield. a couple of months later”
Southampton would never have won the Cup if Hugh hadn’t come up with a dramatic goal earlier in the run.
They were 1-0 down against Aston Villa, in the Third Round, and looked to be heading out of the competition.
Hugh said: “It was the 92nd minute when the ball fell to me in a crowded penalty area.
“I took a swing with my left foot, the one I normally used for standing on, and it went through a ruck of legs into the net. “That earned us a replay that we won 2-1. “I remember Mick Channon saying our name was on the Cup if I was scoring. We were 10-1 to win and he was going round everyone saying we had to get a slice of the action.”
Hugh spent 10 years at the Dell, having arrived from Blackpool in 1967.
He went on: “I played for Gowanbank Youth Club in Glasgow, and was spotted playing in trials to represent the city.
“There was a knock on the door one Sunday morning, and a scout from Blackpool invited me down for a two-week trial.
“I was working at a factory that made nuts and bolts and had to take holidays.
“They asked me to stay for another week and then I signed for the club.
“My dad, who played for teams like Watford and Burnley, wasn’t pleased. He said I should have come home and got myself a better deal.
“Blackpool were in the First Division, and I was in digs with Emlyn Hughes and Alan Ball.
Hugh had a short spell as player-manager at Southport before playing for a few semiprofessional sides.
Now 74, he still lives near Southampton after a successful career in sales.