Chelsea vs. City: 5-4 in Full Members Cup (the original North-South game)
Long before petro dollars fuelled the finances of Chelsea and Manchester City, the two nouveau-riche clubs were rivals in much thriftier times. Despite that lack of cash the rivalry was no less intense or competitive.
Chelsea and Manchester City yoyo’d between the first and second tiers of English football, following similar paths throughout the eighties and into the nineties. The expectations of the Chelsea faithful were somewhat lower than they are in these heady times.
Having appeared at Wembley Stadium in 1972 in the League Cup Final, which ended in defeat to Stoke City, the Blues did not play at the national stadium for another 14 years. As a comparison the last 14 years have seen Chelsea supporters travel there 14 times.
That long barren spell was broken, following the introduction of a little-remembered, or supported, competition. The Full Members Cup was introduced in the 1985-86 season following the exclusion of English clubs from European competition after the Heysel Stadium disaster.
Intended for the 32 clubs in the top two divisions, a large number declined the invitation to participate. The tournament kicked off with just 21 teams. Chelsea were one of five First Division teams. The qualifying stages split the country in half, with a Northern section and a Southern section, the winners of each meeting in a Wembley showpiece final.
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In that inaugural season Manchester City won through from the north. Likewise, Chelsea saw off their southern competition. The qualification process was completed before Christmas 1985. However, the final was not programmed in until March 1. That date was not to be, though.
With Chelsea having beaten Oxford United in their semi-final, the Yellows scuppered that initial final date. Oxford were due to play Manchester City on the day of the final, and felt it unfair their game should be cancelled because of it. The League, surprisingly, agreed and the Full Members Cup final was rescheduled. People were angry and, as a result, Oxford received a brick stating their ground would be burned down. All this for a competition of little consequence.
The game was eventually moved to Sunday, March 23. Both Manchester City and Chelsea had league games the day before the final. Such was the regard in which the Full Members Cup was held in, they were not moved. They actually took place. Chelsea travelled to Southampton and came away with a 1-0 win. It was even worse for City, who had a Manchester derby to contest at Old Trafford. They recovered from 2-0 down to draw the game.
The following day the two teams were at Wembley. Both managers fielded nearly unchanged teams. The game itself was a barnstormer. City went in front before a hat-trick from David Speedie and two goals from David Lee saw Chelsea lead 5-1. The Citizens weren’t done, though, and scored three goals in the last six minutes to make the final score 5-4.
The tournament ran for another six seasons before withering away. Chelsea loved the competition, though, winning it again four years later, beating Middlesbrough 1-0 with a Tony Dorigo free-kick.
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It’s not hard to imagine how Antonio Conte’s press conference would go if his current squad were faced with similar circumstances. These are different times, though. These days, there’s so much more to football than just kicking a ball about.