On This Day – 30th January
Bobby Stokes, scorer of the winning goal in the 1976 FA Cup Final was born on this day in 1951.
Stokes was playing for Southampton in the FA Cup Final against Manchester United, with the Saints playing in the old Second Division at the time. They were widely expected to lose to United who were from the First Division but against the odds, came away with a 1-0 win .
Going into the game, the players had an added incentive as a brand new car was offered for the first goalscorer.
Bobby Stokes was apparently so sure that he would win the prize that he took driving lessons before the Final in preparation for winning the car!
As the game entered the 83rd minute, Southampton’s Jim McCalliog hit a first-time looping ball over the top of the United defence for Stokes.
Stokes latched onto the ball and let it bounce before hitting a hard shot across Alec Stepney in the United goal an in to the far corner of the net.
(I have included a video of the goal at the bottom of the article).
United had no answer and Southampton won the Cup for the first, and so far only time of their history. It remains their greatest success in their history.
The story does not have a happy ending though as in 1995, a few months after Stokes turned 44 years of age, he contracted bronchial pneumonia and passed away on 30th May 1995.
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