TWIH: Andy Peake's Wonder Goal

Thirty-three years ago this week, on 23 August 1980, Leicester City fans packed into Filbert Street not only witnessed one of the biggest upsets in the old First Division that season, they also witnessed one of the best goals ever scored by a Leicester City player in the Club’s long history.

The victory was a 2-0 win over League Champions Liverpool. The goal was scored by the young midfielder Andy Peake, who had been given his debut by manager Jock Wallace as a 17 year-old in January 1979, a week after the young 18 year-old Gary Lineker had made his debut alongside the 16 year-old Dave Buchanan.

When Bob Paisley’s Liverpool arrived at Filbert Street 33-years-ago this week, they arrived as League Champions for the second year running. Their team boasted such great players as Ray Clemence, Alan Hansen, Kenny Dalglish, Graeme Souness and Ray Kennedy, to name only a few. At the end of the season they were to be crowned European Champions after defeating Real Madrid in the European Cup Final.

Leicester City, by contrast, were First Division novices. The previous season they had won the Second Division title for a then record sixth time. They had a very young side with an average age of 21. Their only new signing was striker Jim Melrose, a £250,000 addition from Partick Thistle.

Despite a characteristically widely reported upbeat and ebullient prophecy from Jock Wallace that his untried side would win the First Division title that season, the campaign had not started well for The Foxes. They had lost their first two fixtures, a home game against Ipswich Town and an away game at Everton. They hadn’t managed to score a goal.  Before the Liverpool game, they looked like lambs up for the slaughter, despite Wallace’s insistence that his team could give Liverpool a run for their money. He also said that the attitude of the City players was first class, that the players were enjoying being in the First Division and that he could sense a wave of optimism everywhere he went in Leicester.

What happened next surprised everyone.

After a predictable period of early Liverpool pressure Leicester gradually took control of the game. Two minutes before half-time, the young left-back Billy Gibson, who had only made his league debut the previous week, took a free kick on the left and found Andy Peake, unmarked, on the edge of the radius near the centre of the pitch. Peake took the pass in his stride. Initially unchallenged, he ran towards the Filbert Street end, feinted past Terry McDermott and set himself up for a right footed, swerving shot, which screamed into the net with Ray Clemence well beaten.

Brian Moore’s excited TV Commentary expressed what had happened perfectly. “What a goal! That is beautiful! Andy Peake! His first ever First Division goal! He’ll never score a better one! He’s beaten one of the greatest goalkeepers in the world from what?..Thirty yards!”

Peake raised his right arm in triumph and was mobbed by his team-mates. There was deafening acclaim from the crowd.  People heard the celebratory roar a good distance away from the stadium. Andy Peake had arrived on the national stage.

The afternoon got better. In the second half, eleven minutes before the end of the game, substitute striker Martin Henderson smoothly side-stepped his marker and scored a second goal, a right-footed drive from the edge of the area. This sealed a memorable victory.

Seven days later, Wallace’s young side beat Leeds United 2-1 at Elland Road. For a brief moment it looked as if Jock’s confident pre-season prediction might not have been too outrageous. However it was a false dawn. The Foxes lost 12 of their next 15 league games, only picking up eight points. They sunk to the bottom of the table and were inevitably relegated, in 21st position at the end of the season, along with Crystal Palace and Norwich City.

There is a postscript to this remakable victory over Liverpool.

At the end of January, on the back of another five successive league defeats, Leicester City went to Anfield to face a Liverpool team who had not lost at home for an incredible 85 games. Despite an own goal by Alan Young, goals from Pat Byrne, (playing only his second league game that season) and from top scorer Jim Melrose secured an incredible double over the League Champions, a feat forever recorded on a framed commemorative display in the Club’s memorabilia collection.

Looking back, despite the disappointment of relegation, the abiding memory of that season was Andy Peake’s spectacular goal 33 years ago this week. Those of us fortunate enough to have witnessed it will never forget it!