Coventry 3 Spurs 2 1987 Cup Final
Yesterday afternoon ITV showed extended highlights of the 1987 Cup Final, generally acclaimed as one of the great Cup Finals.
Can it be 33 years ago that I attended that Final with my now departed mother?
My late father was medical advisor on inoculation and foreign travel to the England team. What a joy as a young lad to accompany him to some leafy hotel in North London’s outer suburbs and see the players.
For his services he was on the accredited list for 2 Cup Final tickets. In those times the Cup Final was a huge occasion, one of the few games shown live with broadcasting between the rival terrestrial channels beginning in the early morning.
It was Coventry’s first Cup Final appearance, Tottenham Hotspurs’ eighth and they had never been beaten. Coventry under their innovative manager Jimmy Hill had achieved promotion to the top flight in the mid sixties.
Since 1961 – before that if you include the push-and-run side of Arthur Rowe – Spurs had been the one of wealthiest, and most dominant English clubs.
So it was an attractive clash of journeyman v aristocrat.
Spurs fielded a midfield of Ossie Ardiles, Glenn Hoddle and Chris Waddle, an experienced keeper in Ray Clemence and Clive Allen – on 49 goals – the most predatory of strikers.
Coventry, aside from Cyrille Regis, were lacking in comparable stars but they had heart and a collective spirit.
Spurs were managed by David Pleat who had done well at Luton, Coventry by the duo of John Sillett and George Curtis, both of whom never stopped smiling on the day.
The game swung one way and another with an early Clive Allen goal but it was the Midland side that triumphed 3-2 after a Gary Mabbutt own goal in extra time.
The match commentator was Brian Moore and his summariser Ron Atkinson.
Brian Moore was an underrated commentator. Unlike the modern ones, he seemed to appreciate that he had one of the best seats in the house and, without being bland, liked to extol football.
His Big Match progamme, with him commentating and Jimmy Hill analysing, was groundbreaking – not least the camera behind the goal.
There was some doubt who scored the Coventry equaliser late in the first half. Was it a Brian Kilcline own goal or did Gary Mabbutt head it ?
The camera could not be conclusive so Brian Moore said he would clear it up up at half time. Nowadays the determination would be quicker but it did not seem to matter and, when Brian Moore returned, he also informed us that Spurs were concerned about defending the cross into the penalty area and Coventry by the space afforded to Spurs in midfield.
I imagine that Moore had spoken to all the managers at half time.
Coventry were worthy winners and my mother, who could not bear to see an unhappy child, had to console a distraught Spurs toddler at the final whistle.
It was Coventry’s greatest day but 33 years on they are two division away from the top tier.
They no longer have their own ground at Highfield Road and have none of their own: an abject lesson of how not to run a football club.
I have had the privilege of knowing Garth Crooks, who had left Spurs by then. On one occasion later I accompanied him to Coventry as he was covering the game for Match of the Day. I’m always conscious that he is working so kept out of his way.
As the kick-off approached I stood behind a group of forty-somethings with a towering man at the head waiting to get on the pitch. Suddenly Garth’s arm appeared from nowhere to haul me from the queue.
It was only the 1987 cup winning team with Brian Kilcline leading them.
