1971 served up a Cup classic
THE day after New Year’s Day 1971 was more dark and dank than cold and crisp, but the fact that it was FA Cup round three meant that expectation was high – if muted by the Ibrox disaster that had left 66 dead and over 200 injured.
Visitors Norwich City were pitched against Hughie Curran, a man whose £60,000 transfer two years earlier still then represented the record fee paid to the East Anglians, but the Scottish international was only on the bench.
A spectacular goal from teenager Kenny Hibbitt was the highlight of the third-round meeting. Wolves were having a useful season, sixth in the First Division and benefiting from the arrival in the side of the ex-bradford Park Avenue midfielder. Hibbitt had marked his first time in the league starting line-up by scoring in a 2-1 win at Chelsea earlier in the campaign and now, a month short of his 20th birthday, he scored on his FA Cup debut with a thunderous header into the North Bank net to restore Wolves’ lead in the second half.
On a slippery surface thanks to a frozen pitch thawing, the teams had an unusual look because of the rule that in those days applied when sides had similar colours.
Change
Both sides were required to change and so Wolves wore white shirts and black shorts while Norwich were in all-red. Red would also be the colour of the card Clive Payne would see today for what he did after only six minutes.
The Norwich full-back, standing on the line, fisted the ball over the bar when Derek Dougan’s header from a Mike Bailey leftwing corner at the South Bank end was bound for the roof of the net. You Tube provides six minutes of highlights from ATV’S Star Soccer coverage and Hugh Johns commented: “That is the first time that Dougan has exploded his majestic height on this
Norwich defence.”
Norwich’s only punishment though was a penalty and Jim Mccalliog made no mistake from the spot. Mccalliog employed his trademark stuttering run-up to send Kevin Keelan the wrong way and fire right-footed into the bottom left-hand corner of the keeper’s net.
However, just two minutes later, ex-albion man Ken Foggo drew the Canaries level and established a parity that remained until after the half time interval. Duncan Forbes punted a long ball forward that Frank Munro headed clear but only as far as Trevor Howard. Wolves keeper Phil Parkes could not hang on to Howard’s powerful shot and winger Foggo snapped up the rebound to fire home from inside the six-yard box.
Bandaged
Red was again much in evidence a little later when Norwich defender Dave Stringer sustained a cut to the head and had to leave the field. It looked serious but he returned a few minutes later with his head heavily bandaged.
Although the first half saw a corner count of 8 to 1 in favour of Wolves, their Second Division opponents were very much in the game and Peter Silvester nearly gave them the lead close to half-time when his shot struck John Mcalle on the arm, only for referee Leo Callaghan to wave play on.
Dramatic
If Norwich fans were starting to believe their side could cause an upset, their hopes were shattered after four minutes of the second half, by which time Wolves had scored twice, roaring into the North Bank end in waves of attacking frenzy.
Hibbitt’s dramatic intervention came after 47 minutes. In the build-up Dave Wagstaffe played in Mccalliog on the lefthand side of the penalty area, but Stringer sent him to ground with an uncompromising challenge. Hugh Johns described it as, “like a boxer sent to the canvas” but it only resulted in a corner kick that Bailey ran over to take.
The skipper played it short to Derek Parkin and received a return pass enabling him to put in a centre which was headed in by Hibbitt, running in full pelt at the near post. Randall Northam was fulsome in his praise in the Birmingham Post: “Hibbitt was my man of the match and scored a goal that relied purely on ability and bravery. It absolutely demoralised Norwich.”
Two minutes later another Wolves corner led to a third goal. Bailey’s throw-in from the Molineux Street touchline found Mccalliog on the right-hand side of the box. He hooked the ball towards the penalty spot but Bobby Gould’s effort was deflected behind by Alan Black. From the resulting right-wing corner Wagstaffe set up a Dougan flick-on that found the buoyant Hibbitt. His powerful leftfooted volley rattled the post only for the everalert Gould to nod the ball over the line from point-blank range.
Wolves had employed
the unusual tactic of Mccalliog, Gould, Dougan, Hibbitt and Mcalle all lining up at the far post when the flag kick was taken. Whatever its merits it certainly caused confusion in the visiting defence.
Roasting
Northam shed some light on Wolves’ inspired second-half display: “Norwich supporters must have been counting their pennies ready to buy tickets for the replay but they reckoned without [Wolves manager] Bill Mcgarry’s tongue during the interval.
“As Bailey admitted: ‘The boss gave us a bit of a roasting and it brought back our enthusiasm.’ Wolves came out like lions.”
If the tie was virtually over four minutes after the break then it certainly was on the hour mark when Gould was on the spot again. Keeper Keelan’s long kick out set up another Wolves attack as Hibbitt dispossessed a Norwich player on the halfway line. The number
eight sped up the right wing and fed Dougan who allowed Black to put the ball out.
Bailey’s long throw from the right was flicked on by Dougan to Mccalliog whose header was pushed onto the bar by Keelan, only for Gould to nod the ball home right on the line.
The scoring was completed on 72 minutes when Wolves bagged their fourth goal at the North Bank end. This time Phil Parkes launched a long kick forward. Dougan rose to meet the ball and although he was nudged by Forbes the ball ran free to Hibbitt, who once again advanced up the Molineux Street touchline.
Lashed
A Hibbitt-gould onetwo led to another throwin that Bailey launched into the penalty area. He found Wagstaffe, who laid it back to find full-back Bernard Shaw, who lashed a shot from 20 yards that looked goalbound even before Mccalliog deflected it high into
the Norwich net.
Five minutes later, City could have narrowed the gap after John Mcalle had tripped Doug Livermore. Although described by Hugh Johns as the “coolest customer in the Norwich front line”, Foggo took the resultant penalty but powered the ball high and wide into the cheering fans on the South Bank.
Wolves had progressed in some style but three weeks later their FA Cup journey was mired and ultimately suffocated in the mud of Derby County’s Baseball Ground. A week after the Norwich game the Wanderers had won 2-1 there in a league clash, but on 23 January ex-wolf Alan Hinton put the home side ahead on 27 minutes.
With only ten minutes left substitute John Richards forced the ball over the line after a Dougan header hit the bar. This was the first of his 24 goals in the competition, still a club record. But hopes of a replay were dashed deep into added time as John O’hare gave the Rams victory.