Cub Scouts, Chas and Dave and big afros are my lasting memory of FA Cup Finals.
I want to transport you back to the late seventies and early eighties, when the world was a far bigger place and there was no multi-media revolution.
Aside from the FA Cup Final, live matches were as rare as rocking horse droppings, and this only added to the kudos as terrestrial television companies went to town on the build up.
All kinds of irrelevant facts were relayed to the general public in an era when such events were seen as novel.
Nowadays there is wall-to-wall football, and the big four have dominated the FA Cup to such an extent that the magic of the Cup is somewhat different.
However, for a child of the seventies who still existed when there were only three channels available to watch and the height of technology was the ZX81, recalling my favourite three finals was a difficult choice.
Arsenal beating
Manchester United 3-2 in 1979 was an obvious choice as the climax to this final was so breathtaking it lived in the memory for many a year.
Arsenal were apparently cruising at 2-0 until two goals in the last five minutes restored parity for the Red Devils. A replay seemed a nailed on certainty.
Alan Sunderland stepped up to the plate however, and the man with one of the biggest afros/curly perms of his era slotted home a winner in injury time to send the Gunners’ supporters into raptures.
Find out Clarky’s two other FA Cup Final favourites later here on Givemefootball, and don’t miss Chief Executive Gordon Taylor’s highlights too.
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