Peter Shilton played just one FA Cup Final in his long career – and lost, 1-0 to Manchester City. City were on their best run for many years, and here David Colman interviews Mercer, Malcolm Allison and players at the Cup Victory Banquet:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cksnFMeWaK0]
A year earlier, they’d gone what might be considered one better, taking the league title away from local rivals Manchester United during the last game of the season – against Newcastle, here:
In 1970, City completed their domestic collection, with a League Cup Final victory over West Brom.
A second trophy followed – the European Cup Winner’s Cup, later that year:
It is no kind of coincidence that Joe Mercer was one of a number of English football men to take the challenge of the 1953 Hungarian victory at Wembley head on. I’ve video – not on the web, alas – of Mercer leading skills training for boys in the mid-50s and referring to the game as he does so. He’d go on to manage England, briefly but entirely successfully, but only after City made the kind of decision that – current company excepted – they’ve been making ever since:
Here’s a brief profile of that last great City side:
And here’s the boss of the next one, celebrating his impending appointment!