Iconic Moments In Football No.6
Jim Montgomery makes an amazing double save, FA Cup Final 1973
Montgomery mid-air diving to block Peter Lorimer’s shot
“Reaney, Leeds are really pushing forward! Cherry – brilliant save! And Lorimer makes it one each! NO! Astonishing!”
Those were the words that David Coleman shouted excitedly from the commentary box as Jim Montgomery made one of, if not, THE best double save of all-time.
You can see the commentary box in the background of the action shot above. Coleman was positioned up there and so you could forgive his distance away from the action being to blame for him thinking that Peter Lorimer had just equalised.
However, most of the crowd thought that the ball was in the net and even Lorimer’s team mate Allan Clarke (pictured in the middle of the shot) standing two yards from Montgomery raised his arms in celebration.
The save was also incredible as it was remembered more than the actual winning goal by people who watched the Final itself!
Leeds United were the favourites for the game. They were holders of the Cup and had finished third in the First Division that season and had a team full of international players.
Sunderland on the other hand had finished sixth in the Second Division and no one gave them a chance.
Sunderland shocked everyone by taking a 32nd minute lead from midfielder Ian Porterfield who blasted home from a corner. Leeds then spent the remainder of the game attacking the Sunderland goal, trying desperately to get an equaliser.
Bob Stokoe the Sunderland manager had worked miracles in getting Sunderland to the Final. It was now down to the players to perform miracles to keep Leeds at bay and bring the FA Cup home with them.
Leeds bombarded the Sunderland goal but time and again their efforts were thwarted. Sunderland’s defenders and goalkeeper Jim Montgomery were having the game of their lives at the back. It looked as if it would only be a matter of time before Leeds would finally grab an equaliser.
Then midway through the second half, Jim Montgomery the Sunderland goalkeeper made a world-class double save.
The ball was hit into the Sunderland box from the right wing and Leeds’s Trevor Cherry headed the ball across goal.
Montgomery dived to his left and pushed the ball away but only as far as Peter Lorimer, the Leeds forward.
Lorimer hit the ball hard at goal as Montgomery sprang up off the floor but Montgomery managed to stretch out and push the ball onto the crossbar. A Sunderland defender managed to scramble the ball away and away from danger.
Sunderland held on to famously win the FA Cup. They haven’t won anything since but did reach the FA Cup Final in 1992 but they lost 2-0 to Liverpool.
Leeds won the First Division championship the following season and followed that up by reaching the European Cup Final in 1975 but they lost that game to Bayern Munich.
Below is a video of the famous save by Jim Montgomery:
About Author
