Northwich Victoria V Bangor City - FA Trophy Final – 1984
Saturday 12th May 1984 was the first
time I saw a football game at Wembley Stadium, 40 years ago this year!
I’m not sure what made a thirteen year old
Bromley fan decide that this was the game to go to, but it’s a decision I’m
still happy I made four decades later. Bromley had reached the Third Qualifying
Round of the trophy that season, beating Lewes & Boreham Wood in a replay,
before losing 3-1 at home to Aylesbury Utd, who were then knocked out by
Northwich Victoria in the second round proper on their way to the final. It
seemed impossible at that time that The Ravens would ever reach the final, 1949
was a distant memory even then and they’d never really gone through more than a
couple of rounds in my time supporting them. With Bromley having been relegated
to the Isthmian League Division One at the end of the 1983/94 campaign maybe I
just needed a day out to cheer me up!
I’d looked up the fixture and found out how
much it cost, but understandably my Mum wasn’t keen on me going across the
capital from South East London to North West London on my own, but a call to my
mate Jon and a hard sell at what a prestigious game Northwich V Bangor was,
meant that we were going to head up together, although I have a feeling he
didn’t tell his parents where we were going!
On the way up from Chislehurst into Charing
Cross we decided to go in the Northwich end, one because we liked the green
& white colours and two because we thought South London accents may not be
that welcome in the Bangor end. By the time we were approaching Wembley Park on
the Jubilee line we were both really looking forward to the prospect of seeing
the game and then when we saw the twin towers from the tube and we couldn’t
stop smiling.
The first walk on to Wembley Way is a special
thing, the murals on the walls of the different sports hosted at the stadium
and arena next door, the stalls selling slightly un-official merch, burger
vans, drunk blokes staggering about singing and a the view of the stadium at
the end of it. We paid £4 at the turnstile to go on the side of the stadium and
sit on the benches among the Northwich fans and the programme was only 40p. I
don’t remember if we bought anything inside the stadium to eat or drink, I do
remember the catering looked pretty grim with boil in the bag burgers and
dubious looking drinks. Fans were still able to take alcoholic drinks into the
ground at this stage.
We did get there really early and saw the
players strolling out on the pitch in their suits, warming up and finally
walking out from the tunnel at the end to be greeted by what was only just over
14,000, but felt like a lot more. Bangor fans away to the left at the tunnel
end in their blue & white and Northwich at the other and long the right
side of the 39 steps. On the benches in front of us were a group of guys that
looked like extras from Auf Wiedersehen Pet, they were playing cards while
waiting for the game to start, knocking back the over priced lager and telling
very rude jokes. They were great entertainment for two 13 year olds, who kept
quiet in the row behind.
Bangor City were looking to be the first Welsh
club side to win at Wembley since Cardiff City won the FA Cup in 1927 and
apparently had been tipped by Jimmy Greaves to win the Trophy on his Saint
& Greavsie TV Show, despite having been relegated from the Allianec Premier League (now National League). Northwich, who fiished midtable in the APL, had reached the final the year before losing
to Telford Utd and were hoping to make up for that disappointment this time
round.
The first half was typical cagey stuff and
things didn’t really come to life until just before the hour mark when Paul
Whelan put Bangor in front, racing off to the fans at the tunnel end and
celebrating with them as they climbed the fence. Were The Vics going to suffer
FA Trophy heartbreak two years in a row?
It looked that way until the 71st minute when a move down the
left saw the ball crossed into the box and Colin Chesters met it with a diving
header that crashed into the back of the net to send the Northwich fans
wild and level the score. It stayed that
way until full time, extra time came and went with no more goals, and the final
went to a replay the following Tuesday at Stoke City’s Victoria Ground.
We stayed right until the end of proceedings,
clapping the players as they did a joint lap of honour, before heading back to
the station. Outside one of the merch sellers was selling stuff at cut prices,
I bought a green & white hat for a quid much to Jon’s amusement. On the
train back south of the river the ticket inspector asked me ‘what team is that
that?’ pointing at the hat. Slightly surprised by the answer, ‘Northwich
Victoria mate’.
Northwich Victoria won the replay 2-1, I didn’t
find out until the Wednesday when the result appeared in The Daly Mirror, but I
did send off for the local Northwich paper to get a full report the following
week. I think I kept it along with the hat, right up until I moved out of my
Mum & Dad’s house.
Both sides have had a pretty turbulent time since this special day. Northwich Victoria have split into two teams and lost their own ground, Bangor City sadly folded in 2022.
A week later I watched Everton beat Watford 2-0
in the FA Cup Final on TV, I think my mate Paul got fed up with me keeping on
saying I was there last week, that’s where I was sitting…
Col.
There is a six minute Welsh Language
documentary about the final and replay on You Tube, the link is below:
