27 January 2024 , 02:00
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It's the forgotten cup miracle, probably the greatest comeback of them all, and in the thunderous drama Watford won on pens.
After a 4-0 drubbing at Southampton in the first leg, the Hornets produced an incredible 7-1 win at a disbelieving Vicarage Road. And when they gave away yellow biros with the inscription 'Watford 7-1 Southampton' at the next home game at the turnstiles, dozens of fans sent their ballpoint souvenirs to Saints manager Lawrie McMenemy to remind him.
Years later, at the Hornets' centenary gala dinner at Wembley, McMenemy’s speech brought the house down when he revealed there was no escape from the worst night of his managerial career because of “all those f****** pens” he received through the post.
It was September 1980 when Watford answered Hornets messiah Graham Taylor’s admission that his side’s “inept and woeful” defeat in the first instalment had embarrassed him.
And in an era before pretentious squad ‘rotation’, McMenemy - who had pulled off a huge transfer coup by signing Kevin Keegan that summer - felt safe enough to rest the England captain from the mere formality of the return leg. Oops.
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Some 44 years after that League Cup miracle - Sir Geoffrey Boycott scored a century in the Centenary Test against Australia at Lord’s on the same day, if that helps to jog the memory - Watford and Southampton renew acquaintances in the FA Cup.
They met in the semi-final at Villa Park 21 years ago and now Saints, unbeaten in a club record 21 games, may have bigger fish to fry in the Championship promotion race.
But South Coast royalty McMenemy, the man who led them to FA Cup glory in 1976, remains gracious about the night the pen was mightier than the score.
Now 87 and still in robust health, he said: “It was my own fault. I rested one or two players because I was thinking we were 4-0 up from the first leg, out of sight and they were playing catch-up.
An infamous biro“To lose the second leg 7-1 was probably the biggest defeat of my career - and certainly the worst. About 10 years later, I worked with Graham Taylor as part of his England set-up and I’m sure he reminded me of that night now and again.
It was one of those occasions when you have to put your hand up and say, ‘My mistake, blame me.’ I probably had a right go at the players in the dressing room afterwards because I had to face the press afterwards and explain how we lost a tie from being 4-0 up. You can’t run away and hide when that happens - you have to face up and take what’s coming. Even if it’s a stream of biros in the post.”