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League Cup Final 1970: City v West Brom

By Jason Bardwell

20th August 1970: Manchester City Football Club, the winners of the League Cup and the European Cup Winners Cup, (left to right), back row, D Connor, Glyn Pardoe, George Heslop, Henry Dowd, Joe Corrigan, Ken Mulhearn, Arthur Mann, Tommy Booth, Mike Doyle, Alan Oakes and D Jeffries. Front row, Ian Bowyer, Fred Hill, Mike Summerbee, Francis Lee, Tony Book, Frank Carrodus, Neil Young and Colin Bell. (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images)
20th August 1970: Manchester City Football Club, the winners of the League Cup and the European Cup Winners Cup, (left to right), back row, D Connor, Glyn Pardoe, George Heslop, Henry Dowd, Joe Corrigan, Ken Mulhearn, Arthur Mann, Tommy Booth, Mike Doyle, Alan Oakes and D Jeffries. Front row, Ian Bowyer, Fred Hill, Mike Summerbee, Francis Lee, Tony Book, Frank Carrodus, Neil Young and Colin Bell. (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images) /
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Manchester City do not have long to wait to forget the woes of Monday night. Facing off against Arsenal in the League Cup Final, it is a chance for Pep to get some silverware in the cabinet. Not as old, or prestigious as the FA Cup, the League Cup has been good to City.

Four times winners, another victory on Sunday would see City as the joint second most succesful side in the competition’s history. Victory would make City five time winners, and join Manchester United and Aston Villa in terms of competition success.

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Each day, leading up to the game at Wembley, I will look at a previous cup win. Today, I will look at the first League Cup victory, in the 1969/70 season. Manchester City still had European aspirations and, as Joe Mercer planned for the final, City would be taking part in a European Cup Final.

This season was the tenth running of the competition, but the first to have all 92 League sides entering. To get to the final City had beaten Southport, Liverpool, Everton and QPR before dispatching United over a two leg semi final.

City initially went a goal down after West Brom and England legend, Jeff Astle scored. Opening the scoring in the first five minutes the Burton born striker went against the script. City, much like now, had attack after attack. Bell, Lee and Summerbee couldn’t break down a stubborn Baggies defence.

Despite the pressure City had to wait until the hour mark. I am sure the poor field conditions didn’t help, with Mike Summerbee clearly hurt moments before. In a Kevin DeBruyne moment, Mike managed to hook the ball to Bell, who headed to an unmarked Mike Doyle.

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Doyle made no mistake, and finished well. That tied the game up and sent it to extra time, much like our latest League Cup success. Again, that was in spite of many City chances and immense City pressure.

Again it would be an unlikely source for the winner. In the 102nd minute, Francis Lee chipped the ball into Colin Bell. A classy backheeled from Colin the King despite being marked by two Albion players found Glyn Pardoe, who secured the win.

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