Heroes & Villains – Norwich City
Heroes – The Cup team of 1958/59
I will be writing a more detailed article about this team in the ‘Great FA Cup Runs’ series, but for now I’ll just give a summary of City’s run in the Cup.
The team went on a great run in the FA Cup in 1958/59, reaching the Semi Final before losing to Luton Town. The run was all the more impressive as they were a Third Division club at the time.
Victories over non-league Ilford and fellow Third Division outfit Swindon Town saw them draw Manchester United’s Busby Babes in the Third Round.
United had lost eight of their players in the Munich Air Disaster the year before but had gone on to reach the Final before losing to Bolton Wanderers. The club were still one of the best in the land and City somehow upset the odds with a resounding 3-0 win at Carrow Road.
Cardiff City were beaten after a replay before another First Division scalp was added in their Cup run. This time the unfortunate victims were Tottenham Hotspur, who City held to a draw at White Hart Lane before beating them 1-0 in a replay at Carrow Road.
Second Division Sheffield United were City’s Quarter Final opponents. After a 1-1 draw at Brammall Lane, City won 3-2 in yet another Cup replay to set up a Semi Final with First Division Luton Town.
The Semi Final was played at White Hart Lane, the second time in The Canaries would visit the North London venue in their Cup run. It ended 1-1 and Luton Town lost 1-0 in the replay at Birmingham City’s St Andrew’s.
Villain – Steve Bruce
It would appear that Steve Bruce is high on the list of most Norwich City fan’s most-hated former players.
Fans of a certain age recall Bruce openly saying on television that he no longer wanted to play for the club when Norwich upped their valuation of him. The club initially accepted a bid of £800,000 from Manchester United but then asked for £900,000. The deal looked to have collapsed but after Bruce refused to play another match for the club, an agreement was made and he joined United.
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