Fifteen years ago the Guardian published an article with interviews of some of those, both on and off the pitch, involved in what to this day remains the 'best ever FA Cup tie'.
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| Images Copyright Rob Mitchell |
On February 5th 1972 Hereford United defeated Newcastle United 2-1 and Ronnie Radford's goal is still played before coverage of Cup games.
A look back remembering this was originally published in 2007.
Malcolm Macdonald, 57
Then Newcastle and England centre-forward
Now Century FM pundit
The tie wasn't a one-day affair, it was a saga that took five postponements, two games and three weeks to complete. We were called off at St James' Park twice for rain before we finally played on 24 January, a Monday evening. It was a 2-2 draw - an awful lot is made of the goals scored in the replay, but people forget that Hereford produced two phenomenal strikes at Newcastle, long shots by Colin Addison and Brian Owen. The replay at Edgar Street was then called off three times. We were trying to fit in league games while seeming to live most of January in limbo land down in Worcester. The replay was scheduled for 26 January. We went down three times for it and it became a 10-day wait before we finally played the match. We packed an overnight bag for one of the trips and because we had to hang around for days, our clothes began to stink. Cecil Gees in Worcester had never known a time like it. We were their best customers. It was a very bizarre situation. On 5 February - fourth-round day - the pitch still wasn't fit enough, but the match had to be played. Seven minutes from the end, Viv Busby knocked over a cross and I headed in. We thought it was finally over. But of course there was Ronnie Radford's phenomenal goal. I was four yards behind him. The ball sat up on a divot. He didn't know that was going to happen. Without that, it would've been a mishit and a throw-in to us. So all the fates colluded on Hereford's behalf.
Then, Ricky George came on and scored the winner. We hit the bar, we hit the post, the keeper made tremendous saves. You would think Ricky would never have a bit of luck like that again, but of course he did. He bought a jumper that won the Grand National [Earth Summit in 1998]. On the coach back to Tyneside we felt utter disbelief because we hadn't played badly. I've taken a bit of stick because of a story that appeared before the tie that claimed I was going to beat Ted MacDougall's record of nine goals in an FA Cup game. Well, I never said that. I was a North-East football columnist and my paper saw this as an opportunity to get one over a rival. So they made up the story saying I'd promised to score 10.
Years later, I was invited by Hereford to their annual dinner and it exorcised the ghost a little.
Martin Brain, 46
Then 11-year-old ballboy
Now media marketing manager
There was no room for ballboys that afternoon - the club placed crates behind the goals to pack in more spectators - so I sat on the Newcastle dugout. Joe Harvey [the Newcastle manager] didn't even know I was there. Radford's equaliser was unbelievable, but Ricky George's winner took for ever to trickle in. I hadn't run on for the first goal but now I couldn't resist. I thought: 'Bugger it, we're going to win, so who cares?' As I jumped off I hit Joe Harvey! I was one of the first to Ricky and when we came off there were people everywhere, absolute chaos, so I sat on the ground.
It was nothing like football today. A similar shock could never be repeated. Neither will the run. A side like Hereford will never again play against a very top club's first-choice team. In last year's third round Burton played Manchester United's second XI. And, there was the unique nature of our pitch that day.
Barry Griffiths, 65
Then Hereford Times chief photographer
Now retired
There were 64 press requests for the match, plus photographers - I know, because I dealt with them. Together with Ted Woodruff, the sports editor of the Hereford Times, I also organised the match programme. All 6,000 copies sold out. They weren't plush affairs like today's programmes, but after the tie another 2,000 were printed.
The victory had a wider significance beyond getting through to the FA Cup fourth round. For the previous two seasons Hereford had sought election to the Football League. I helped Ted, who led the campaign along with the directors of the club. The previous year we failed by four votes. At the end of that season we tied with Barrow but won a revote easily.
Grenville Smith, 64
Then police constable No 578
Now director of Hereford United
I've been a Hereford fan all my life - I'd cycle 13 miles as a youngster to watch them. That day I was on duty and Edgar Street was rammed with fans of all ages. They were on the roof of the stand, in the trees, behind the goals, everywhere.
When Ronnie scored the crowd ran on, but I was ahead of them, cheering! I threw my police hat in the air, caught it, then remembered myself and shouted: 'Off the pitch!' When Ricky scored everybody invaded again, then began biting their nails until the final whistle.
It was a great day. But unfortunately our supporters' club burnt down about 10 years ago, so although there are photos in the boardroom, there's nothing dedicated to the Cup run.
John Shrewsbury, 68
Then Match of the Day assistant producer
Now retired and living in Spain
It was the first time Motty [John Motson] and I worked together, and only my third game for Match of Day, so I was terrified. I'm sure we were sent there because the BBC believed Newcastle would win and only a few minutes would be needed. It turned out to be the biggest FA Cup shock in history. Sam Leitch, a legend of Fleet Street, was the editor of Match of the Day and he was going bananas, frantically telling me to do this and that interview.
The cameraman, Dave Gautier, did superbly for the Radford goal by keeping the ball in frame from 30 yards. It's very daunting to follow the play, listen to the commentator and respond to his words. When Ricky George hit the winner and the crowd came on it was a true challenge to capture it with only five cameras. Today around 30 would be used. When everyone rushed on I remember thinking: 'Crikey if they don't get off the match will be abandoned!' Today an invasion like that would close the ground.
Afterwards, we returned to London in time to see it. I sat in Television Centre absolutely in awe that I'd made the opening game on Match of the Day. What would I change? Well, I didn't cut to the Newcastle manager after Hereford's winner - I'd love to have seen Joe Harvey's face.
Paul Tully, 51
Then schoolboy Newcastle fan
Now Newcastle Utd publications editor
There was a sense of numbness here on Tyneside. The papers made hay from the defeat and there was a satirical TV show that lined up the Newcastle players' names to spell 'The Comedians'. I'd been at the first game, when Malcolm Macdonald said he'd get 10, and listened to the replay on radio.
When Supermac scored, my friends and I began talking about tickets for West Ham - in those days you queued up on Sunday for them. It was inconceivable we could lose to a Southern League team [then equivalent to Conference level]. Our side included Terry Hibbitt, Willie McFaul, John Tudor and Tony Green - after Peter Beardsley, the best player I've seen watching Newcastle. Yet Hereford had the greater stamina - Tudor told me that when he lost the ball before Radford scored he was too tired to chase him. Joe Harvey was a Yorkshireman but an honorary Geordie - he'd skippered the club to our two FA Cup victories in the 1950s. He was so upset on the way back that the team coach had to be stopped for him to be sick. Me? I was afraid to go out on the Monday and face the world.
Peter Isaacs, 71
Then Hereford physio and club factotum
Now retired
The town is all about football and farming. I played for Hereford - a family-run club where the directors cleaned the windows - for eight seasons as a goalkeeper and worked there for 30 years, and this was an unbelievable fairytale feeling. All the press came down from London - they loved a pint in the bar, so we shared a few. Roy Short was a regular policeman at Edgar Street and was always in the dressing room enjoying a drink - at the end of a game there would be eight empty pint glasses on the ledge outside. Well, after Ricky's winner he took off some of the players' boots, and a photograph got into the national newspapers. He got a right rollicking from his boss.
Roger Griffiths, our right-back, was injured early on. When I treated him, Roger -who died last year - said: 'I'm in pain, but I'll be all right.' So I put on cold water and he continued. It turned out to be a broken leg. Adrenalin and the atmosphere must have kept him going until he was subbed by Ricky George after Malcolm Macdonald's goal.
Ronnie Radford, 63
Then part-time footballer and joiner
Now retired.
It was an unbelievable feeling when my goal went in. It could have finished in the car park, but as soon as it left my foot I knew it was going for the top corner and Willie McFaul [the Newcastle goalkeeper] had no chance. There's a marvellous picture taken side-on - McFaul's in midair and hasn't yet realised that the ball is in the back of the net. What a time to score! Especially after going behind having played so well.
I've not seen Willie since. But I'd love to see him or any of the Newcastle players again. These kind of memories are what make football the great game. The day's significance did not sink in until later - I didn't realise how famous it would become.
Willie McFaul, 64
Then Newcastle goalkeeper
Now Northern Ireland coach
It was a cold, windy, foggy, horrible day. The pitch was awful, but there was no excuse because both teams played on it. When the top sides go to places like Edgar Street there's always apprehension, but really our team had enough quality; our 2-0 defeat of Manchester United the following Saturday proved that. But that day we never took our chances. Radford's famous goal? Well, every time I see it I swear I'm getting closer. I only wish I was on the payroll every time it's shown.
Fred Potter, 67
Then Hereford goalkeeper
Now retired
I had only been a keeper since I was 18 - I replaced the regular at Aston Villa one Boxing Day through injury and played 11 first-team games there. Supermac made a big mistake before the tie. At the hotel bar in Newcastle he said: 'I'm going to get effing 10 against you.' That wound me up and I did make a few decent saves that afternoon, the most memorable in the second half when Macdonald produced a bullet header from a Newcastle corner.
John Motson, 61
Then BBC football commentator
Now the same
I was on trial at the BBC, as I'd only been there three months. I was concerned with my capacity to do the match - if I could identify the players, see over the crowd, all those kind of nervous things. I've thought many times since that no goal is shown on the BBC as often as Radford's and it was 35 years ago. I often shudder when thinking about if I'd got the scorer wrong - you wouldn't spot it, but when I say, 'What a goal!' there's a pause between the 'a' and 'goal' so that I could say 'shot'.
Ricky George, 60
Then Hereford's 84th-minute substitute and match-winner
Now newspaper columnist
The night before John Shrewsbury, Motty, Billy Meadows [the centre-forward] and I went out dinner. We returned to the Green Dragon hotel in Hereford at around 10.30 and bumped into Jackie Milburn [Newcastle's greatest centre-forward, a star of the 1950s]. He said: 'Nice to meet you son, but if I was your manager I'd have you in bed by now.' I replied: 'If I come on tomorrow and score the winning goal, nobody will mind will they?'
I lived in Barnet and a convoy of four cars drove back to Billy Meadows' house in London to watch Match of the Day over fish and chips and a few cans of lager. On the way we stopped for petrol. A very schoolboyish Motty ran from his car and said: 'Its just dawned on me that you've created history!'
If somebody had said that in 35 years people would still be talking to me about it, I would've laughed. But Motty put it into perspective.
For me to regard the experience as less than the greatest moment of my life would be insulting to the dreams of millions of school kids. It changed my life.
Colin Addison, 66
Then Hereford player-manager
Now retired
Hereford had good facilities and a nice little ground. I could see the League potential. They paid three grand to Sheffield United for me. It was my first management job - a real crash course. Everyone else was part-time and the players were scattered everywhere. Ricky George and Billy Meadows lived in London, Ronnie Radford in Cheltenham, Alan Jones in Swansea, Brian Owen and Tony Gough, the skipper, in Bath. I was lucky if I saw them one night a week. It was the games that kept us fit [Hereford played 79 matches that season].
When we drew Newcastle I thought it was a great incentive, because we'd yet to beat Northampton in the second round.
The FA Cup was really special then. And there was a bigger gap between League and non-League clubs - now many Conference teams are full-time. Mick McLaughlin, for example, had a job in Newport, so after the draw at Newcastle he travelled back on the supporters' train. He arrived at Hereford at 3am, had a few hours' sleep in his car at Edgar Street, then drove to work for eight.
During one of the periods when we were trying to put the game on, I was at the ground with Joe Harvey and his assistant Keith Burkinshaw. When the match was called off again - this was the second occasion - Joe was absolutely distraught. I took them to my house. Joe had a whisky. And I thought: 'They're having to go home again, this will help us.' They absolutely did not fancy it at Edgar Street. Before the game there was a meeting with Frank Miles, the Hereford chairman, and local police. There was a knock at the boardroom door and a man said: 'Frank, we've sold out of tickets.' He said: 'Don't worry about it. Print some more.' Officially the crowd was 16,100, but the true number will never be known.
Every day I walk through the town someone mentions it. I'm from Somerset, but I'm adopted here. They named a street after me, Addison Court. That was nice. Five years ago I went back to St James' Park for the first time. I saw Malcolm Macdonald. The fag fell out his mouth and he said: 'Fucking hell, not you again!'