Losing your team because of mismanagement just sucks
As a Bradford fan, I know only too well how this feels. Southampton will go out of business in eight days unless they can find a buyer. The Championship club, who went into administration last month, were relegated to League One on Saturday, for the first time since 1960 they will be in the third tier, should they survive of course. The players are understood to have been paid last week thanks only to £130,000 raised by fans under the ‘Save Our Saints’ appeal. Time then, to look back at the Saints’ finest moment, the 1976 FA Cup.
The 1976 FA Cup Final took place on 1st May 1976; none of this league extending into the middle of May nonsense back then. It was contested between Manchester United and Southampton. United, having finished third in the First Division that season in the first year back up from the old second division (yes folks, in those days even Man Utd could get relegated), and were strong favourites, while unfancied, lower division Southampton had finished sixth in the second division. In one of the biggest shocks in the history of the final, Southampton won 1–0 thanks to an 83rd-minute goal from Bobby Stokes.
Manchester United started the stronger, missing several early opportunities, with Southampton goalkeeper Ian Turner making a series of impressive saves to deny Gerry Daly (as an Irishman, the only player from outside the UK on the pitch that day) and Gordon Hill. Southampton gradually worked their way into the game, Mick Channon being put through on goal before being denied by goalkeeper Alex Stepney. As extra time loomed, Southampton’s Bobby Stokes received Jim McCalliog’s pass and slotted the ball past Stepney to score a late winner and with it his side’s first major trophy.
The winning goal:
The victory parade:
Good luck for the continuing existence of this great club.
Increasingly middle-aged and increasingly disillusioned by modern football, I want to share with you how good football used to be before it was ruined by money. 
