"It's been an unbelievable rollercoaster, it is a humongous achievement," Gould, who managed Wimbledon to FA Cup success in 1988, told the PA news agency. [1][2], https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1987–88_FA_Cup&oldid=974770686, 1987–88 domestic association football cups, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 24 August 2020, at 22:37. But Beasant dived to his left to become the first goalkeeper to save a penalty in a Wembley FA Cup final. Three games went to second replays and one of these to a third replay. The Cup ⦠© 2020 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. They would be one of three clubs other than Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool to win the trophy in the following 20 years (the others being Everton and Tottenha⦠Everything about the day was special. I didn’t care. However, in what was an ominous signal for the result that followed, the Chewits melted in the car. 14 May 1988: The first FA Cup final penalty save Dave Beasant made history when he captained Wimbledon to FA Cup victory over Liverpool in 1988 ⦠The win had been orchestrated by the tactics of their manager, Bobby Gould, and his assistant, Don Howe. Wimbledon were by no means a poor side in 1988. Here, we look at the Crazy ⦠The fifth set of games were played over the weekend 20–21 February 1988, with replays on 23–24 February. Wimbledon emerged as 2-1 winners to reach the FA Cup final, in only their second season in the First Division and their 11th in the Football League. I wish we went to such events more often. The 1987â88 FA Cup was the 107th season of the world's oldest knockout football competition, The Football Association Challenge Cup, or FA Cup for short. They also had an excellent team spirit and had got to this final on merit. The brown Morris Marina was full of sweets and we arrived a mile or so away from the stadium in style (for a sense of how this felt, think Freddie Mercury being whisked to Wembley at the start of the Bohemian Rhapsody film). The stations would alternate between showing a live game and a highlights programme. From the section FA Cup BBC Sport looks back at the 1988 FA Cup final when Wimbledon shocked Liverpool to win the competition. Seemingly everyone wanted a place below the twin towers on May 14th 1988. The right to show FA Cup games were, as with Football League matches, shared between the BBC and ITV. FA Cup finals were staged in searing heat back then and this was no exception. FA Cup Rewind: Relive Wimbledon's shock 1988 win. Liverpoolâs John Aldridge scored twice in the Redsâ FA Cup ⦠cup final. Wimbledon: Beasant, Scales, Young, Thorn, Phelan, Cork, Jones, Sanchez, Wise, Fashanu, Gibson (Cunningham). First, my dad drove us to the match; no getting the tube for this game. In what was one the biggest cup upsets in FA Cup history, Lawrie Sanchezâs goal in the 37 th minute saw Wimbledon crowned FA Cup Champions against all ⦠This result was nailed on! A Dennis Wise free-kick was met by Lawrie Sanchez, who headed beyond Bruce Grobbelaar. 's Crazy Gang who defeated league champions Liverpool through a headed goal by Lawrie Sanchez, thus denying Liverpool the double. On 5 May 2003, to mark the final Combined Counties League Premier Division fixture of the 2002/03 campaign, we welcomed two of our FA Cup winners from 1988 with Dave Beasant and Lawrie Sanchez presented on the pitch to supporters. Wimbledon's "Crazy Gang"âso-called because of the boisterous, eccentric behaviour of the playersâwon the FA Cup in 1988, beating that season's League champions Liverpool, and thereby became one of only three clubs to have won both the FA Cup and its amateur counterpart. Teams from the First and Second Divisions entered at the third round. My dad and I have been to many games since but nothing has matched the thrill of the anticipation of the biggest game in English football and the sheer occasion of the day. And so, when it transpired that we would face Wimbledon in the 1988 FA Cup Final, little Wimbledon, ale-house Wimbledon, a team that housed players called Eric and Clive and could probably fit all its fans in the back of a Vauxhall Nova, thoughts instinctively turned to rewriting the record books. File photo dated 14-05-1988 of Wimbledon manager Bobby Gould is crowned with the FA Cup when he joined his victorious team on the turf at Wembley following their 1-0 win over Liverpool. The tournament started in August 1987 with non-league teams competing in a qualifying competition. It was certainly an extra special end of season celebration on this day 17 years ago as AFC Wimbledon hosted Dons stars from the past. Clive Goodyear was wrongly deemed to have fouled Aldridge in the penalty area. Never? All rights reserved. Top scorer John Aldridge found the net twice in a 2-1 win. Lawrie Sanchez got the only goal for Wimbledon as they beat Liverpool to win the 1988 Final! - Average age of the Wimbledon starting lineup: 25.54 - This was the first time that a penalty had been missed in a Wembley F.A. Three minutes later, the unthinkable happened. The last time Plough Lane hosted an FA Cup tie, it was a third round replay victory against Aston Villa in January 1991, with Alan Cork scoring the only goal in extra-time. My dad is an Arsenal fan and was determined his son would follow the side he had watched for most of his life, so he was constantly extolling the virtues of the Gunners (marble halls, Liam Brady). The second round of games were played over 5–6 December 1987, with replays being played at various dates afterwards (no replay was played on the same night as another). No matter, there was still time. H ere, the PA news agency looks at the Crazy Gangâs finest moment. On this day in 1988 Wimbledon completed one of the greatest FA Cup shocks when they beat Liverpool 1-0 at Wembley. Vinnie Jones was part of the 'Crazy Gang' Wimbledon side that won the FA Cup in 1988 Credit: PA:Empics Sport âI have no idea why Tony Adams wears ⦠With 29 goals that season, surely Aldridge couldn’t miss from the spot. Occasional highlights of replays would be shown on either the BBC or ITV. I was one of the 98,000 in the ground that day. Wimbledon were in front. 1988 Wimbledon FC wins the FA Cup, defeating the highly fancied Liverpool FC with a Lawrie Sanchez goal. Wimbledon started well, with Dave Beasant’s drop-kicks threatening to take out the BBC’s helicopter camera. Available for everyone, funded by readers. He made his name at ⦠That being said, the Liverpool team of the 80's was an All-Star team. Laurie Cunningham â only played eight times for Wimbledon, one of which was a substitute appearance in the 1988 FA Cup final. Such was the lure of the FA Cup back then that supporters were to spend the weeks leading up to the final fending off calls from long lost friends begging for tickets. More recently in the 2012/13 FA Cup Final, a struggling Wigan Athletic defeated reigning Premier League champions Manchester City in a match reminiscent of Wimbledonâs 1988 FA Cup win. Wimbledon, on the other hand, had rocketed up from the amateur ranks, having won the Southern League 11 years earlier. But one evening, my dad returned from work with two tickets for the final thanks to a bloke called Charlie, a member of Hertfordshire FA. They also had famous players themselves: John Fashanu, Wise, Sanchez, Vinnie Jones, Eric Young, Beasant and Laurie Cunningham. Last modified on Sat 2 May 2020 15.27 BST. Disguised Wimbledon fans? Why would there be? How long does it take to move on from defeat? Liverpool were going for their second Double in three years. I was devastated. The memories came flooding back. The competition was won by Wimbledon F.C. The 1987–88 FA Cup was the 107th season of the world's oldest knockout football competition, The Football Association Challenge Cup, or FA Cup for short. They demolished teams for fun and won many an FA Cup and League Title during the decade. He would later tell how he had studied Aldridge’s technique. Three months ago, my parents moved house and among boxes of Subbuteo teams were two tickets to the 1988 Liverpool v Wimbledon FA Cup final. Related Video and Audio. Weeks? There were no replays. No games from Rounds 1 or 2 were shown. Video 2 minutes 1 second Video 2 minutes 1 second 2:01. Luton Town's fine season in the cup competitions culminated in a semi-final clash with Wimbledon at White Hart Lane. Sleeve badges issued to teams taking part ⦠- The penalty was saved by Dave Beasant. Heller: "The Saturday night in Wimbledon was insane, absolutely insane. They had a number of good player such as Beasant, Fashanu and Jones. The competition was won by Wimbledon F.C. The Crazy Gang: Wimbledon legend Dennis Wise remembers the 1988 FA Cup final... and a wasted trip to buy Princess Diana flowers. The third round of games in the FA Cup were played over the weekend 9–11 January 1988, with the first set of replays being played on 12–13 January. Dons will be hoping for ⦠The sixth round of FA Cup games were played over the weekend 12–13 March 1988. Wimbledon recorded a shock victory against Liverpool in the 1988 FA Cup final Late is one way of describing Vinnie Jones tackle on Steve McMahon during the 1988 FA Cup final. On the same day, First Division leaders Liverpool took on a resurgent Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough. On this day in 1988 Wimbledon completed one of the greatest FA Cup shocks when they beat Liverpool 1-0 at Wembley. I thought my hero had scored. The memories came flooding back. 32 years ago today, 'The Crazy Gang' won The FA Cup! AFC Wimbledon will screen a special director's cut of the 1988 FA Cup final to mark the 25th anniversary of the clubâs historic victory against⦠Defeat felt raw for years but in all the games I have gone to with my dad since, nothing has matched the magic of this occasion, Sat 2 May 2020 12.00 BST They would be one of three clubs other than Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool to win the trophy in the following 20 years (the others being Everton and Tottenham Hotspur) before Portsmouth's victory in the 2008 final. I had witnessed history. Years? A second replay was then played on 9 February. Replays were played in the midweek fixtures on 16th-17th. 's Crazy Gang who defeated league champions Liverpool through a headed goal by Lawrie Sanchez, thus denying Liverpool the double. FA Cup third round draw: Liverpool face AFC Wimbledon in re-run of 1988 final while holders Arsenal take on Hull City again. Here, the PA news agency looks at the Crazy Gangâs finest moment. The tickets cost £25 each and my dad said they had an “obstructed view”. This was Wimbledon's only FA Cup title during its lifetime. The FA has become embroiled in a row with AFC Wimbledon over who actually won the 1988 FA Cup final. 'The crazy gang have beaten the culture club': Wimbledon's upstarts shocked all-conquering Liverpool in the 1988 FA Cup final courtesy of a set-piece and a famous penalty save We got to our seats (the “obstructed view” turned out to be a slim pillar to my left) and watched as the teams walked on to the pitch to be greeted by Princess Diana. From nowhere, people leapt up in front of me. But after 20 minutes Beasant blocked John Aldridge’s shot before clawing the rebound away from Barnes. Result aside, it was a magical occasion. Here, the PA news agency looks at the Crazy Gangâs finest moment. In the 60th minute came the game’s pivotal moment. I’m not sure, but Aldridge fell to his knees with his head in his hands, the stadium quietened and Wimbledon held on. The Cup runs. WATCH MORE: 50 iconic FA Cup goals At this point, there were no Wimbledon fans in sight. The first round of games were played over the weekend 14–15 November 1987, with the exception of the Welling United – Carshalton Athletic game. Three months ago, my parents moved house and among boxes of Subbuteo teams were two tickets to the 1988 Liverpool v Wimbledon FA Cup final. A new documentary on Wimbledon's Crazy Gang to ⦠At 11 years old, the prospect of seeing the Reds in the season’s showpiece event never entered my head. And I do wish Aldridge had taken a better penalty. Dave Beasant made the first ever penalty save in an FA Cup final, from John Aldridge, and also became the first goalkeeper to captain an FA Cup-winning side. The fourth round of games were played over the weekend 30 January – 1 February 1988, with replays being played on 3 February. My hopes were further dashed when Peter Beardsley’s chip was ruled out. The 1988 FA Cup was the only major trophy Vinnie Jones won in a 15-year senior career. The Wimbledon side were known to be full of working-class men, contrasted with Liverpoolâs roster of superstars including John Barnes and Alan Hansen. On this day in 1988 Wimbledon completed one of the greatest FA Cup shocks when they beat Liverpool 1-0 at Wembley. On this day in 1988 Wimbledon completed one of the greatest FA Cup shocks when they beat Liverpool 1-0 at Wembley. Wimbledon boss Bobby Gould is crowned with the FA Cup after their victory On this day in 1988 Wimbledon completed one of the greatest FA Cup shocks when they beat Liverpool 1-0 ⦠All other replays were played on 28 November. Minor setback brushed aside, we walked to the stadium, the Twin Towers finally appearing above a sea of red. More important, I remember a brilliant day out with my dad. Looking back, Wimbledon weren’t simply a Crazy Gang. 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