Arguably the greatest day in the history of Ipswich Town, the 1978 FA Cup Final holds a certain significance in my life as well. I have no affiliation to either team but for a 6 year old boy, the chance to watch an entire football match on TV was an incredibly rare event in the late 1970’s. I do recall watching the first half of England’s World Cup qualifier against Italy the previous autumn, but this is the first full game of football I ever watched.
It was Cup Final Grandstand in the Clark household and this was at the time when the FA Cup Final was the Sporting highlight of the year and the coverage of the game would start at 11:30. I vividly remember Cup Final Mastermind as part of the build up as well as the traditional journey to the game with the teams on the bus. The game itself was also the last Cup Final that David Coleman would commentate on, back after missing the 1977 final over a contract dispute.
Arsenal entered the field in their change strip of yellow shirts and blue shorts despite their traditional colours not clashing with those of Ipswich, a decision based on previous successes in those colours in 1950 and 1970.
As was often the case at the time, the match was the culmination of a referees career and for this game Derek Nippard was in charge of his final game. Coleman revealed a titbit of information that he was using a Victorian coin, given to him as a christening gift, for the pre-match toss-up.
Arsenal’s team was dominated by Irishmen. Former Northern Ireland international Terry Neill, who had scored a winner for the Irish at Wembley in 1972, selected three of his countrymen with Pat Jennings in goal, and skipper Pat Rice and Sammy Nelson as full backs. There were also three from the Republic of Ireland with David O’Leary, Liam Brady and Frank Stapleton. Alongside Stapleton in attack was Malcolm McDonald, “SuperMac” hoping to perform better than he had in 1974 when he was part of the Newcastle United side battered by Liverpool.
Ipswich Town, under the guidance of Bobby Robson, were entering their golden age. He had a side that played attractive football and was happy to be able to select Kevin Beattie at the heart of his defence. The England international was plagued with injuries throughout his career but was fit enough to take his place in Ipswich’s big day. The goal threat would come from Paul Mariner and John Wark, the Scot proving to be prolific from midfield.
Arsenal started the brighter, strings being pulled in midfield by the mercurial Alan Hudson who created the first opportunity, pulling the ball back from the right hand side to O’Leary who fired an effort wide of the post. Ipswich responded immediately, Mariner shooting wide from the edge of the penalty area.
It was end to end stuff in the opening minutes and the early action grew expectation of an exciting game to follow. Hudson again created an opportunity for Arsenal, a lovely lay off to Alan Sunderland squandered as the forward slipped before regaining his footing and dragging a shot wide.
On 11 minutes Ipswich wasted a golden opportunity to take the lead. Clive Woods, an “old fashioned” winger started the move on the left hand side and pulled the ball across the goal to Mariner but he also slipped as he went to strike the ball and lofted his shot onto the crossbar, Arsenal scrambling the ball to safety. “Hit the bar and the goal was gaping” said Coleman adding “the way this game has started today it promises to be a memorable Cup Final.”
That chance completely shifted the momentum in the game and from that moment onwards, Ipswich began to dominate with Arsenal’s defence looking unsettled. However the Londoners did still offer a threat, particularly when Alan Hudson was on the ball. He created the next chance of the game, chipping a ball into the box for Stapleton who after controlling the ball brilliantly on his chest crossed to the back post where Sunderland headed just wide. Much was expected of Hudson’s partner in midfield, Liam Brady and he created the next chance for the Gunners, threading the ball through to Stapleton who collected the ball neatly before firing wide.
Despite Arsenal creating these chance, it was still Ipswich who looked the better side with Jimmy Hill noting on commentary that there was “no question Ipswich have settled much quicker than Arsenal”. And it was the team from Suffolk who would go close again on 28 minutes. David Geddis partnered Mariner up front and the 20 year old tried his luck from 25 yards out with a shot that bounced just in front of Jennings, the Northern Ireland legend doing well to push the ball away. “A tremendous try by the youngster” said Coleman.
That effort gave Geddis the confidence to try again on 36 minutes, this one a much simpler task for Jennings to save with the shot straight at him. Arsenal responded with a shot of their own, David Price hitting a shot that looped over the bar off a defender, with the referee inexplicably giving a goal kick.
As the first half drew to a close, it was Ipswich who again looked most likely to open the scoring. With three minutes to go before the interval, a deep corner to the back post was met by Beattie who rose the highest and forced Jennings to tip the header over the bar. Then just a minute before the break Ipswich hit Arsenal with a superb counter attack, Geddis skipping past Hudson before driving forward and delivering a square ball which Brian Talbot ran on to and fired a shot wide of the post.
Lawrie McMenemy, manager of the Southampton side that had won the Cup a couple of years earlier, had popped into the commentary box to deliver his verdict on the first half with Jimmy Hill heading back to present the half-time coverage. He thought it was ” a tremendous first half…I think Ipswich have surprised everyone…they’re really playing some excellent football.”
The second half followed much the same pattern, Ipswich on the whole the better side with Arsenal occasionally threatening. In fact it was the Gunners who had the first chance of the second half, although Willie Young’s weak 20 yard shot hardly posed any threat to Paul Cooper in the Ipswich goal.
On 52 minutes Ipswich hit the woodwork for the second time in the match. A long ball forward was controlled superbly by Mariner and he laid the ball off to John Wark just inside the penalty area and he struck the ball sweetly only to see the ball crash back off the post with Mariner skying the rebound over the bar.
Paul Mariner was giving the Arsenal defence a torrid time, with Willie Young in particular having a difficult afternoon. “Mariner is leading Young all over the place” said Coleman as the striker won another battle before shooting over the bar. Young’s central defensive partner though was key to Arsenal’s next attack, David O’Leary bursting forward to the edge of the Ipswich box before slipping a pass to Sunderland, but the forward was denied by the on rushing Ipswich keeper who was out quickly to extinguish the danger – “He was out like a sprinter from the blocks” said Coleman who would know with Athletics commentary in his extensive portfolio.
As the game entered the last half hour, Ipswich Town’s dominance was growing. Woods again caused problems with a twisting and turning run into the left hand side of the penalty box before firing a cross/shot across the face of goal and just beyond the far post.
Arsenal’s cause was hampered by an injury to Liam Brady, the midfielder limping off to be replaced by Graham Rix on 66 minutes, the substitute almost making an instant impact by crossing from the left but Stapleton could only head wide.
That Stapleton chance was just a brief respite for Arsenal and their goal was leading an increasingly charmed life as on 72 minutes Ipswich hit the woodwork for a third time. Again it was Wark and it was a carbon copy of his earlier effort, another sweet strike from 15 yards out hitting practically the same spot on the post. “That is incredible. He’s done it twice” said an astonished Coleman in the commentary box.
Two minutes later Ipswich came even closer, this time denied by an excellent save by Pat Jennings. It was George Burley who popped up from left back arriving late to get on the end of a Woods deep cross into the box only to see Jennings claw the effort away at full stretch.
Finally, with just 13 minutes to go Ipswich got the goal their football had deserved. David Geddis created the chance, beating a defender on the right hand side of the box and drilling the ball low and hard across the six yard box. Willie Young could only get a foot on the ball to divert away but it fell to unsung midfielder Roger Osborne who drove the ball home to give Ipswich the lead with Coleman’s trademark commentary of “Osborne. One Nil” greeting the goal.
It was to be the Ipswich hero’s final contribution to the game. The restart was held up while he received treatment and it transpired that he had passed out in the celebrations, the emotion of scoring the goal and the mobbing he received from his team mates too much for him to take. He was replaced by Mick Lambert for the final 12 minutes.
Arsenal almost responded instantly as they went Route One from the kick off, a big lump up the field falling for Rix on the edge of the area but he volleyed an effort wide of the goal. Jimmy Hill in the commentary box felt that Arsenal had missed their chance and opined “If Ipswich hadn’t have won this it would have been one of the most unjust results in Cup Final history.”
Arsenal had one last chance and it fell to the man they would have wanted it to. Malcolm McDonald had been virtually invisible again in a Cup Final but he did get one sniff with six minutes to go with a quick turn and shot on the edge of the area but his effort was straight at Cooper, and with that weak effort went Arsenal’s hopes of turning things around and forcing extra time. Ipswich comfortably saw out the final minutes and with the game deep into added time Coleman noticed “Derek Nippard has got two watches out there, they say time and Ipswich have won the Cup for the first time.”
Bobby Robson’s men had put on a great show,and gave notice that they would be a coming force in the English game. Over the next three seasons they would become League Championship contenders and triumph in Europe. Arsenal, despite the disappointment, would bounce back and became fixtures in the FA Cup Final as the Seventies moved on to the Eighties.
Clarkyboy's Football History 