TWIH: Lochhead Stuns Anfield

In the history of any football club there are some games, which enter into folklore, sometimes living in the memory for decades. Leicester City’s remarkable 4-3 FA Cup win over Manchester City in 1968 and the famous 5-2 victory over Shrewsbury Town in 1982 (both featured in previous TWIHs) are just two examples. Another famous victory, against all the odds, was Leicester City’s 1-0 victory at Anfield in an epic fifth round FA Cup tie, the first game of which began on 1 March 1969, 45 years ago this week.

Leicester City had started the 1968/69 season with great optimism. They were embarking on their 12th successive season in the top flight. Before the season started, and as a declaration of intent, they had smashed the British transfer record by signing Fulham striker Allan Clarke for a then staggering £150,000.

By the end of October however, the City had sunk to the bottom of the table. Manager Matt Gillies resigned in protest against the sacking of his Assistant Manager Bert Johnson and a new manager, Frank O’Farrell, had been appointed in December.

Matt Gillies’ last signing was Burnley striker Andy Lochhead who had been watched by Leicester City for over a year. He was signed following a failed attempt to re-sign Frank Large who had gone to Fulham as a very reluctant makeweight in the deal, which had brought Allan Clarke to Filbert Street.

O’Farrell’s appointment did little to improve Leicester’s league position but it did herald an FA Cup run which ended up at Wembley five months later.

This run started with victories over Barnsley (after a replay) and Millwall. For the fifth round, Leicester were drawn at home against high-flying Liverpool whose team included such great players as Tommy Smith, Ron Yeates, Ian Callaghan, Ian St John and World Cup winner Roger Hunt.

Despite their lowly league position, Leicester’s team for the day was a strong one: PeterShilton, Peter Rodrigues, David Nish; Bobby Roberts, John Sjoberg, Graham Cross; Rodney Fern, Davie Gibson, Andy Lochead, Allan Clarke and Len Glover. Malcolm Manley was the substitute.

A crowd of 42,002 turned up at Filbert Street to watch the first game in this tie.  The Filbert Street pitch was a disgrace. It was covered with a thick surface of sand. There were only a few patches of grass on a pitch which strongly resembled a sea shore. The tie had already been postponed seven times, first due to frost and then due to mud. In fact Leicester had only played one game in the whole of February, creating a backlog of fixtures. Leicester were to pay a heavy price for this later in the season. Having to play so many catch up games after the FA Cup Final was definitely a contributory factor in their eventual relegation.

In the first half, Leicester had the edge on chances, but in the second half, Liverpool looked the more likely to score.

Although the referee made allowances for the pitch, it wasn’t a classic game. It was evenly balanced. Two minutes from the end, Leicester had an amazing escape. Both Evans and Hunt tried desperately to get the ball into the net from close range but Leicester managed to scramble the ball away. From the resulting corner kick, Hunt slammed the ball over the bar. Leicester City survived to fight another day. However few gave them much chance in the replay at Anfield, which was scheduled for only two days later.

55,000 turned up at Anfield on that famous Monday night. Leicester City fielded an unchanged side.

The Leicester Mercury in one word described what happened next: “Incredible”. Against all the odds Leicester City won 1-0.

The game had strong echoes of Leicester’s 1-0 victory over Liverpool in the FA Cup semi-final at Hillsborough six years earlier.

On that occasion Leicester had snatched a headed winner through Mike Stringfellow and had then withstood constant Liverpool pressure for the rest of the game.  Some of the Leicester players in that game players have told me it that was like the Alamo.

And so it was six years later at Anfield. City snatched the vital goal and then stood up to everything the Merseysiders threw at them.

After surviving a Liverpool hurricane onslaught for the first quarter of an hour, Leicester started to play some clever, sharp football which brought the goal in the 34th minute.

Clarke and Gibson started the move, but Glover, who had a superb match, really made the goal.

He shot down the wing, beat Lawler beautifully and, as he neared the line, crossed the perfect ball to Lochhead, who rose high and headed it home. Recalling this goal a couple of months ago, Andy Lochhead said he just “popped it in”. It is harder to imagine a greater understatement!

Liverpool reacted in predictable fashion.Their pressure mounted and with it, Shilton’s work rate.

Then the game took an even more dramatic turn.

Five minutes after the goal Liverpool were awarded a penalty for a handling offence in the area, right in front of the towering, seething Kop.

Tommy Smith took the penalty but what he didn’t know was that Leicester had studied his habit of shooting to the right. With this in mind, manager O’Farrell had given Shilton a special training session that morning in which he practiced saving penalties to the right.

Shilton timed his dive to perfection. He knocked the ball sideways and Leicester scrambled it away for a corner.

Liverpool’s pressure grew in intensity, and in the second half Leicester fought one of the greatest defensive battles in their history but Liverpool couldn’t break down the wall of blue shirts.

Everybody except Fern was back for much of the game fighting an amazing rear guard action.

Sjoberg and Cross played absolute blinders.

Full backs Nish and Rodrigues harried tirelessly.

Roberts and Gibson broke up all sorts of attacks.

It is also worth noting that despite their stonewalling defence, Leicester still had, in Glover, the cleverest forward on the field. He was everywhere. His energy was astonishing.

It was a truly memorable night. Even the Kop was outsung by Leicester’s supporters.

O’Farrell said he proud he was of the team, summing up the performance as a great team effort.

Leicester’s reward was an away tie at giant killers Mansfield Town five days later when Rodney Fern scored the winner, setting up the semi-final at Hillsbrough against West Brom, another step on the road to Wembley.

Pics

Header: Andy Lochhead, whose goal stunned Anfield.

2: Peter Shilton, who saved the penalty.

3: John Sjoberg (left), dominant in defence.

4: Leicester City’s 1968 69 squad, including all of the players who won at Anfield.