Saints fans relive FA Cup glory 50 years on

Supporters who witnessed Southampton's greatest day are heading back to Wembley almost 50 years later. In 1976, Saints shocked Manchester United 1-0 to win the FA Cup for the first and only time in the club's history. Now they face another Manchester giant in Manchester City, with a place in the final at stake.

Those who saw the underdog triumph first-hand hope a new generation can experience the magic of cup glory. The style of the 70s was all around for cup final day [Getty Images] John Sorrell was 14 when he stood outside a pub in North Baddesley with his best friend Kevin Screech, waiting for the coach to Wembley. A big fan of Slade and the glam rockers of the era, he remembers wearing his best flares for the occasion.

"If your jeans didn't cover your shoes you weren't cool," says Sorrel. With a silk Saints scarf tied around his wrist, sandwiches in hand and a yellow and blue rosette pinned to his chest, he boarded the coach with Screech, then 13. "No parents or anything, just unbelievable.

You wouldn't imagine that now," Sorrell says. It was the one and only time that the south coast side achieved FA Cup glory [Getty Images] Manchester United were strong favourites, but Sorrell remembers Southampton fans were full of belief. "All the shops had displays and the whole city got behind the team.