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August 1, 2006

The television cup

This England fan has probably had enough of penalty shootouts as he watches England lose to Portugal at this year's World Cup — AFP

The summer of 1970 was a wonderful time for football enthusiasts, as a gloriously entertaining Brazil team beat Italy in Mexico City. The match was played in front of more than 100,000 people, and millions more watched at home on colour television.

The match inspired a new football tournament, the Watney Mann Invitation Cup, which would be held in England during the summer, before the regular season started. The Watney Cup - as it became known - is fondly remembered by those of us of a certain age.

New ideas

The competition was backed by the Watney Mann brewery, and was one of the first sponsored events in English football. It was also the first football tournament to use penalty shootouts to decide the winners of drawn matches.

In 1970, live, televised football was rare and reserved for major football occasions such as cup finals and international matches. So the Watney Cup was something of a novelty, and a gamble. Another experimental aspect of the tournament was the method of selecting teams to play. The two highest-scoring teams from each of the four divisions of England's Football League were invited.

The aim was to bring the eight most attack-minded teams in English football together to provide an entertaining spectacle for fans and viewers. It was also an attempt to change the image of English football, which at the time was often dour.

The format was unusual too. A knockout system was used from the start, with matches played at the home grounds of one of the teams, including the final. Drawn games were settled with a penalty shootout, a concept that now seems so familiar, but was an innovative concept in 1970.

The first tournament

The first trophy was won by Derby County, who triumphed 4-1 against Manchester United in the final. The tournament is best remembered, however, for the penalty shootout that settled the semi-final encounter between United and Hull City at Hull's Boothferry Park ground.

United's once great European Cup-winning team was disintegrating, but they still had stars like Bobby Charlton, Denis Law and George Best.

A crowd of 34,000 filled the stadium and witnessed a truly memorable occasion, as Chilton gave the underdogs a surprise lead.

Unfortunately for the home supporters, they were unable to add to their slender lead and "The Lawman", Denis Law, grabbed an equaliser with just 12 minutes remaining. Extra time followed with no further goals, so the revolutionary idea of a penalty shootout was put into action.

The first shootout

The legendary George Best was the first to walk up to the penalty spot. He scored, but Hull's new player-manager, and fellow Northern Ireland international, Terry Neill, matched the achievement. Kidd and Charlton scored for United and Butler and Simpkin for City, before Law stepped up. Incredibly, the master marksman was thwarted as Ian McKechnie saved his shot, putting Hull within reach of the final.

Sadly, Hull legend Ken Wagstaff missed as well, leaving Willie Morgan to put United back in the lead. Finally, McKechnie, the Hull goalkeeper, stepped up to take the decisive penalty. The keeper's left-foot shot struck the bar and flew over and the hopes and dreams of the little team from Humberside disappeared.

On the spot again

The following year, the minnows of Colchester United claimed the trophy from the penalty spot, winning the shootout 4-3 after a thrilling 4-4 draw at West Bromwich Albion.

This was followed in 1972 by an even more thrilling contest, when Bristol Rovers edged out Sheffield United 7-6.

The final tournament was won by Stoke City, in 1973, who defeated the neutrals' favourite, Hull City, 2-0.

The event would never return, but it had inspired the creation of the penalty shootout, summer pre-season football tournaments and live televised football that we take for granted today.

Questions

Understanding the story

1. What was the full official name of the tournament?
2. What was its simpler name?
3. When did the tournament begin?
4. When was the final tournament?
5. In what season was the tournament played: winter, spring, summer or autumn?
6. Were the matches televised live?

How many?

1. How many tournaments were held?
2. How many teams played each year?
3. How many games were played each year?
4. How many penalties were scored in the first ever penalty shootout?
5. How many finals were decided by penalty shootouts?

Who?

1. Who won the first tournament?
2. Who was the first player to score in a penalty shootout?
3. Who was the first player to have a penalty saved in a penalty shootout?
4. Who was the first goalkeeper to take a penalty in a shootout?
5. Who were the last winners of the tournament?

Meaning
Match the words and phrases in the story to these meanings.

1. very small and only just enough
2. in a way that shows you care about or like someone or something.
3. someone who doesn't support a particular team.
4. unexciting and uninteresting
5. falling apart.
6. not happening very often.
7. a humorous way to say "old".
8. stopped someone from doing something they wanted to do.
9. unimportant people or organisations
10. person or team that seems least likely to win.

Answers

Understanding the story
1. The Watney Mann Invitation Cup
2. The Watney Cup
3. 1970
4. 1973
5. Summer
6. Yes
How many?
1. 4
2. 8
3. 7
4. 7
5. 2
Who?
1. Derby County
2. George Best
3. Denis Law
4. Ian McKechnie
5. Stoke City
Meaning
1. slender
2. fondly
3. neutral
4. dour
5. disintegrating
6. rare
7. of a certain age
8. thwarted
9. minnows
10. underdogs

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