The Archive

The greatest non-League FA Cup run of the past 100 years could have been even better. Ken Sproat remembers when a floppy corner flag robbed Blyth of more glory

When you support a non-League team it can feel enough, and be a matter of quiet pride, that the club is known and respected in its own town. This has largely been the case in the Northumberland port of Blyth for generations, but in 1978 the town’s team transcended their apparent lot completely. Blyth Spar­tans became one of the most famous teams in the entire football-speaking world.

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The weblog – an online diary rather than a standard website – is a simple way to let the world know what you’re thinking. Ian Plenderleith looks for the football blogs by people with thoughts worth reading

Blessed with unlimited internet access and the feeling that the world really wants to know, a lot of football fans keep weblogs. It doesn’t cost anything, it’s less time consuming than running a website, and it provides a platform for the entire online world, if it so chooses, to read ill-considered, unedited partisan rants that are, in terms of worthwhile wisdom, barely one step removed from the tedious, repetitious abuse of the standard message board.

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Dear WSC
York City’s announcement, after a new sponsorship deal with Nestle Rowntree, that their stadium will be known as KitKat Crescent for two years makes it clear who now runs the game. Yes, it’s the journalists. For years this gallant profession have struggled to build any workable puns around us. At Sunderland, say, sub- editors could claim that The Team Shone Brightly At the Stadium of Light or The Black Cats Needed All Their Luck To­night. But York play at Bootham Crescent and are nicknamed The Minster Men and there’s nothing much you can do with either of those. But all is different now, thankfully. Now when we are getting stuffed at home to someone like Gravesend, await the deluge of remarks that York Took A Break At The KitKat…
Andrew Traynor, York

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Jonathan Baker recalls a season when Howard Wilkinson refined his managerial tactics and Kevin Keegan had a glimpse of what his would be

The long-term significance
This was the season that launched the careers of two influential modern managers – Kevin Keegan and Howard Wilkinson – with radically contrasting footballing philosophies. In the north-east Keegan, in his last playing season, was inspiring a Newcastle team managed by Arthur Cox to adopt the swashbuckling passing game that would become his managerial hallmark. He was ably assisted by two rookie local-born forwards, Peter Beardsley and Chris Waddle.

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Saturday 1 Chelsea stride on, with a controversial 1-0 win at Liverpool who are denied a clear penalty in the first half before Joe Cole gets the late, deflected, winner. “Sometimes you have the luck of champions,” says José, cupping an ear for the squawks of outrage from Old Trafford and Highbury. Arsenal stay in pursuit after a 3-1 win at Charlton. “No one is playing as well as us,” says Sir Alex following Man Utd’s eighth win in nine, 2-0 at Middlesbrough, though Spurs might contest that after their 5-2 thrashing of Everton. Bolton stop the rot, just, a late equaliser forcing a 1-1  home draw with West Brom. Palace’s 3-1 defeat to Fulham returns them to the bottom three, below Norwich who play 85 minutes with ten men after Marc Edworthy’s dismissal at Portsmouth but still get a  1-1 draw. Wigan regain the lead in the Championship, winning 2-0 at Sheffield Utd, while Ipswich lose by the same score at home to West Ham. In League One Hull’s 2-1 victory over Huddersfield brings them level with leaders Luton, held at home by Sheffield Wed. Yeovil’s 2-0 defeat  of Swansea allows them to catch up League Two leaders Scunthorpe, beaten at home by Darlington. The FA will probe a half-time incident during Bristol City’s 2-0 win over Peterborough that makes it a happy new year for  City defender Tony Butler, who suffers “eight displaced teeth”.

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