SO NEAR BUT SO FAR!

Sunday, March 23rd 1986!! but... there was a SATISFYING Saturday previously, in the English First Division (the old one-remember?), for Chelsea and Manchester City. Chelsea had won 1-0 at Southampton which helped them in the "Title" Hunt.  Mid-table City were two goals down at Manchester United, but recovered to a 2-2 draw which severely damaged their arch-rivals chances of winning the First Division "title", the first time since 1967. 

Their weekend work was not over however. Less than 24 hours later, BOTH teams would be back at Wembley to contest the first ever, "Full Members' Cup Final". The Full Members' Cup had been set up to fill the void left by the post-Heysel ban on English clubs in Europe. The competition had not been taken too seriously as the scheduling of the Final proved. The Football League’s most embarrassing and ill-conceived competition finished a money spinner at Wembley.

Neither Chelsea nor City had enjoyed a particularly fruitful decade though, as they both had spent time in the "old" Second Division. A day out at the Cup Final was not to be "sniffed" at however as 68,000 turned up at Wembley to see both teams apparently not taking the fixture "too seriously"... March 22nd...end of season...etc. It proved to be a classic!! Loads of money passing through the turnstiles!!

City went ahead after 10 minutes, when Steve Kinsey had scored but Chelsea then ran riot with five unanswered goals...a hat trick for David Speedie and two for Colin Lee. Half time was 2-1 to City. At 5-1, with ten minutes left the game looked done and dusted, BUT in the final stages, City's, Mick McCarthy scored with 6 minutes left...Doug Rougvie then "scored" an own goal (under pressure, no doubt) and then Mark Lillis notched a penalty....but it wasn't quite going to have a fairy tale ending as the game ended 5-4.  Both teams played League fixtures just one day before the Final, with City having played in the Manchester Derby. 

If football is "dying", said Chelsea manager, John Hollins, "I hope its dying like that!" Chelsea's jubilant fans, caught in the moment, sang of winning the League, though their team only claimed NINE more points from the last 33!! ending the season SIXTH! 

Scorers: City Kinsey(9), Lillis(85 & 89 pen), Rougvie(88 og): Chelsea Speedie(23, 51 & 58) Lee(36 & 79). Ref: Alan Saunders.

City: Nixon, Reid, Power, Redmond, McCarthy, Phillips, Lillis, May, Kinsey, McNab, Wilson – subs Simpson(59), Baker(59). David Speedie nets his second goal on his way to the first Wembley hat-trick in 20 years.

Chelsea: Francis, Wood, Rougvie, Bumstead, McLaughlin, Pates, Nevin, Spackman, Lee, Speedie, McAllister – subs Hazard(unused), Dublin(unused) WORTH LOOKING UP THE "VIDEO" ON www.