On This Day (7th April): Ten Takeaways from the 1973 FA Cup Semi-Final
So much has been written about this game over the years, I thought on the anniversary of this game I would identify ten things/oddities the reader may or may not have known in relation to this match.
An emotional Bob Stokes after Sunderland's victory over Arsenal. 7th April 1973. Arsenal 1-2 Sunderland.
FA Cup Semi-final match held at Hillsborough Stadium (Photo by Monte Fresco/Mirrorpix via Getty Images) | Mirrorpix via Getty Images Did you know in the 1972/73 season a player involved in this game played for both teams in the FA Cup? Brian Chambers, who was an unused substitute for Sunderland at Hillsborough in 1973, was transferred to Arsenal shortly after the final for £30,000 and played for them against Wolves in the 3rd/4th play-off game. The game was played at Highbury in August 1973 and 21,000 fans turned up to see Wolves win 3-1 in the sunshine.
The crowd was not the biggest attracted for this game; that accolade belongs to the 1972 game between Birmingham and Stoke. The FA had decided, given the apparent apathy toward the game, to play it at the venue of one of the two clubs involved and stage the game in August after the final, instead of somewhere in London on the Friday night before the final. 25,000 people turned up at St Andrews and saw second-division Birmingham become the first team to win an FA Cup tie by a penalty shoot-out.
The 3rd/4th play-off was scrapped after 1974 when only 4,432 people turned up at Filbert Street to see Burnley take 3rd place by virtue of a Ray Hankin goal. For the record – 3rd/4th play-off winners: April 1970 Man Utd 2 – 0 Watford at Highbury (15,105 att). May 1971 Stoke 3 – 2 Everton at Selhurst Park (5,031 att).
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