Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Nobby was always up for the FA Cup
1966 hero Stiles’ son backs Mirror replay campaign
THE son of 1966 World Cup hero Nobby Stiles has blasted the decision to axe FA Cup replays and backed our campaign to save them.
John Stiles, 59, recalled how his dad would spend all day watching the finals with his family after he finished playing.
Nobby “punched the air” when striker Stuart Pearson scored for his old club Manchester United against Liverpool in their 2-1 1977 FA Cup final win.
John said yesterday: “I am very, very disappointed at the decision to drop replays. We should bring replays back.
“They are part of the charm of the FA Cup and it is one of the greatest competitions ever. The decision is all about the money for the big boys rather than income for smaller clubs.”
John, who is from Doncaster, South
Yorkshire, and played for Leeds and Doncaster Rovers said FA Cup final day was always special for his family.
He said: “We’d get up in the morning and watch the Cup Final It’s a Knockout then we’d be there for the full day.
“The FA Cup had a magic. When United played Liverpool in 1977, my dad fist-pumped when Stuart Pearson scored the first goal. It is just a great day for us and so many families who loved football. It is a shame it is not treated how it used to be.”
When Man United beat Leicester City 3–1 in the 1963 FA Cup final, Nobby was not picked. But he won the First Division with United in 1965, the World Cup in 1966 and European Cup in 1967 – one of just three Englishmen to achieve the feat. Nobby died in 2020 aged 78, after suffering prostate cancer and dementia. The FA last month said it would axe replays from the first round proper from next season to ease a calendar congested by European club competitions.
The Football Supporters’ Association yesterday called on the FA to reinstate replays.
Yesterday we revealed the FA will take part in top-level talks next week after our call to save the magic of the FA Cup.
Almost 8,000 people have signed the Mirror’s online petition to keep replays: tinyurl.com/bdzkhjse
Me and my dad loved the FA Cup ..replays are part of its charm JOHN STILES SON OF 1966 ENGLAND LEGEND NOBBY