WHEN YOU DISCUSS football with people of a certain vintage, they will often point at the inexplicable sums of money swimming around the game now, the relentless commercialisation of clubs and how the current crop of players just aren’t as good as what went before.
And so to the League Cup semi-final of 1971 between Stoke City and West Ham.
After the two-legged affair finished level, it went to a replay at Hillsborough and then to a second replay.
That night, Old Trafford looked little like a towering, intimidating stadium and more like a bog.
Given the distinct lack of grass, you can probably guess the type of football both teams offered up.
Still, there was plenty of drama.
The Hammers’ goalkeeper Bobby Ferguson went to collect a ball in the box and Irish international Terry Conroy did his best Roy Keane (‘The ball was there…I think’) and left his boot in as he challenged. There was a fitting moment when Clyde Best claimed the loose ball and tucked it away, thinking he’d scored. As he turned to celebrate, he lost his footing in the deluge and simply fell over, seemingly lost to the mud.
Ferguson was in a heap, clearly concussed, and received treatment for seven minutes. But no-one really wanted to think worse-case scenario and after the West Ham bench used smelling salts to try and pull Ferguson from his haze, he was allowed continue, despite not knowing who or where he was.
Bobby Moore instantly signalled to the coaching staff that his team-mate couldn’t even stand up straight and needed to go off. But the good old days being such, teams didn’t have substitute keepers so Moore volunteered to take his place between the posts.
The awful pitch led to the opening goal. Just as John McDowell attempted a pass back to Moore, the ball bobbled and it fell perfectly for the advancing John Ritchie, who raced towards goal before being unceremoniously and agriculturally brought down in the area.
Mike Branard’s initial effort was inexplicably stopped by Moore but the Stoke man made little mistake from the rebound.
But West Ham were 2-1 at the break thanks largely to the magic of Billy Bonds. He grabbed the equaliser after his long-range shot took a deflection and flew past Gordon Banks before he turned provider and crossed for Trevor Brooking to expertly volley to the bottom corner.
Incredibly, Ferguson returned to the game. In the tunnel, members of the West Ham backroom team were kicking footballs at him to see how fit he was. Instinctively, Ferguson saved a couple but would later admit he remembered nothing about the game, such was the severity of the blow to his head.
It cost West Ham too. Ferguson was beaten at his near-post as Peter Dobing made it 2-2 and then he failed to deal with Conroy’s low strike later in the half, the ball squirming under him on its way to the net.
Stoke claimed the 3-2 win and met Chelsea in the League Cup decider in March 1972. Conroy scored again as the Potters claimed a famous 2-1 victory.
