1969 FA Cup final

As both Leicester City and Manchester City were First Division clubs, they entered the competition in the third round.

Manchester City were appearing in the final for the seventh time. They had won the cup three times previously (in 1904, 1934 and 1956), and had been beaten in the final three times (in 1926, 1933 and 1955). Leicester City were making their fourth cup final appearance, and their third of the decade, having lost on all three previous occasions (in 1949, 1961 and 1963). The clubs had met in the FA Cup in each of the preceding three seasons. In 1966 Manchester City won a fifth round tie 1–0 after a replay, and won again in the third round in 1967.[15] In the 1967–68 season Leicester finally prevailed. After a 0–0 draw at Maine Road, Leicester City came back from 2–0 down at Filbert Street to win 4–3.[16]

Manchester City manager Joe Mercer named his team for the final several days in advance. Glyn Pardoe missed training on Monday 21st with a leg injury,[17] but after the fitness of Pardoe, Tony Coleman and Alan Oakes was tested in a practice match, all three were passed fit.[18] Leicester City named a 14-man squad before travelling to a training camp in Bisham on the Tuesday.[18] Manchester City travelled south on the Thursday, staying in Weybridge.[18] Leicester had fitness doubts over Dave Gibson, Len Glover and John Sjoberg, but initially expected all three to be available for the final.[17] However, in a practice match against Brentford, Sjoberg had to leave the field with a groin injury.[19] His place in the team was taken by Alan Woollett.[20]

Each club received 16,000 tickets for the final from the Football Association.[21] The match was televised live by the BBC and ITV. Both broadcasters devoted several hours to match build-up, incorporating FA Cup-themed versions of other programmes, such as Cup Final It's a Knockout.[22]

As the previous season's league champions, Manchester City were strong favourites, particularly as Leicester were embroiled in a struggle to avoid relegation from the First Division. The Times correspondent anticipated that the condition of the pitch would influence the match, stating that "if — as it is said — it is in a good, lush state Manchester will be happy. If, on the other hand, it proves to be heavy, then it could suit Leicester the better."[20] On the day before the game Joe Mercer criticised the pitch, likening it to a cabbage patch.[23]

At 21, Leicester's David Nish became the youngest ever captain of a cup finalist.[24] His opposite number Tony Book became the third oldest at 35.[20] Book had missed a large part of season through injury,[25] but upon returning his impact was so great that he shared the award for the 1969 FWA Footballer of the Year.[20]

As the teams prepared to leave their dressing rooms, Manchester City deliberately delayed their exit by a short period to play on any nerves the Leicester City players may have had.[26] Manchester City coach Malcolm Allison was not permitted to take his place on the bench, as he was serving a touchline ban. Instead, he had to sit in the stand behind the dugout.[26] Before kick-off, the players were introduced to the guest of honour, Princess Anne.[27]

Fears that the contest would be a mismatch proved to be unfounded, with Leicester playing in a more attacking manner than anticipated. The Observer's Hugh McIvanney wrote: "Suggestions that Leicester would attempt to minimise the discrepancy in talents by a concentration on defensive spoiling were exposed as unjust…offering the deceptively languid dribbles of Clarke, the thoughtful passes of Roberts and Gibson and the thrustful running of Lochhead as proof that the skills were not all on one side."[28] Neil Young and Tony Coleman both had early scoring chances for Manchester City, but missed the target. For Leicester City, a dribbling run by Clarke ended in a shot that was saved by Dowd,[28] and a mishit shot by Len Glover was cleared off the goal-line by a defender.[29] Manchester City scored midway through the first half. Mike Summerbee crossed the ball from wide on the right, and Young hit a left footed shot high into Peter Shilton's net.[29] Few further chances occurred in the first half.[28]

Just after half-time, Leicester City had their strongest scoring chance, when Andy Lochhead received a headed knockdown from Allan Clarke, but Lochhead's shot went high above the goal.[29] A dominant period by Manchester City then followed, which included a chance for Colin Bell from a free-kick.[28] Len Glover was forced to move into defence with his team under pressure, but was injured shortly afterward and had to be substituted.[28] Defender Malcolm Manley came on in his place.[30]

A poll of journalists named Allan Clarke as man of the match.[28]

Summary

26 April 1969

15:00 BST

Manchester City	1–0	Leicester City
Young 24'	Report

Wembley, London

Attendance: 100,000

Referee: George McCabe (South Yorkshire)

Manchester City

Leicester City

GK 1 Harry Dowd RB 2 Tony Book (c) LB 3 Glyn Pardoe CB 4 Mike Doyle CB 5 Tommy Booth CM 6 Alan Oakes RW 7 Mike Summerbee CM 8 Colin Bell FW 9 Francis Lee FW 10 Neil Young LW 11 Tony Coleman Substitutes: DF 12 David Connor Manager: Joe Mercer

GK 1 Peter Shilton DF 2 Peter Rodrigues DF 3 David Nish (c) MF 4 Bobby Roberts DF 5 Alan Woollett DF 6 Graham Cross MF 7 Rodney Fern MF 8 Dave Gibson FW 9 Andy Lochhead FW 10 Allan Clarke MF 11 Lenny Glover  70' Substitutes: DF 12 Malcolm Manley  70' Manager: Frank O'Farrell

Match rules 90 minutes. 30 minutes of extra-time if necessary. Replay if scores still level. One named substitute.

The Manchester City team returned to Manchester the following evening. They travelled by train to Wilmslow, from where they undertook a 13-mile parade in an open-topped bus. 25,000 people lined the route, with a further 3,000 people in Albert Square, where the parade finished.[31] Three days later, the team paraded the cup in front of their supporters before their match against West Ham United at Maine Road.[32]

The good conduct of the supporters of both teams was praised in Parliament by MPs Barnett Janner and Tom Boardman.[33]

Manchester City's cup was their fourth. In winning the trophy, Joe Mercer became the first person to win the league championship and FA Cup as both a captain and a manager.[29] By winning the competition, Manchester City earned the right to compete in the 1969–70 European Cup Winners' Cup. City went on to win the Cup Winners' Cup, beating Górnik Zabrze 2–1 in the final.[34] Leicester City continued to struggle in their remaining league matches and were relegated to the Second Division. Leicester became only the second club to reach a cup final and suffer relegation in the same season. By coincidence, the other club to have done so was Manchester City, who were subject to the same fate in 1926; and Wigan Athletic, who won the FA Cup in 2013 against Manchester City, but were relegated in the same season.[35]

• Book, Tony; David Clayton (2004). Maine Man. Mainstream publishing. ISBN 1-84018-812-X.
• Doyle, Mike; & Clayton, David (2006). Blue Blood: the Mike Doyle Story. Liverpool: Bluecoat. ISBN 1-904438-38-5.
• Goldstone, Phil; Saffer, David (2005). Manchester City Champions 1967/68. Stroud: Tempus. ISBN 978-0-7524-3611-1.
• Pawson, Tony (1972). 100 Years of the FA Cup. London: Heinemann. ISBN 0-330-23274-6.
• Penney, Ian (1996). Blue Heaven: Manchester City's Greatest Games. Edinburgh: Mainstream. ISBN 1-85158-872-8.
• Summerbee, Mike (2008). Mike Summerbee: The Autobiography. London: Century. ISBN 978-1-8460-5493-8.
• Tossell, David (2008). Big Mal: The High Life and hard Times of Malcolm Allison, Football Legend. Edinburgh: Mainstream. ISBN 978-1-84596-478-8.
• Ward, Andrew (1984). The Manchester City Story. Derby: Breedon. ISBN 0-907969-05-4.

• FA Cup Finals Match Report
• "Richard Tucker's Website" – contains numerous photographs related to Manchester City, including many of the 1969 Cup-Final.