Taking Double Diamond beer into stadium and angry fans tipping cars into a canal - some Chelsea and Leeds fans who will be at Sunday's FA Cup semi-final have vivid memories of the 1970 final
Leeds fan Lord Mann holding memorabilia
Leeds fan Lord Mann will be at Wembley on Sunday and has vivid memories of the 1970 FA Cup final(Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)
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Chelsea play Leeds United at Wembley on Sunday in the FA Cup semi-final - for the first time at the national stadium since the clubs' iconic final 56 years ago. Fans of both teams have shared their memories with the Mirror of the “brutal” match. Leeds supporter Labour peer Lord Mann, 66, and Chelsea fan Neil Smith, 69, will both be at the game - at opposite sides of the stadium. Here they recall the 1970 match. Neil’s dad smuggled in Double Diamond beer and, most importantly, an opener into Wembley. Mann watched on a black and white TV in Pudsey Labour Hall and went to the replay where he saw angry fans tip cars into a canal after the game.
It was certainly a different era. The first match at Wembley ended in a 2-2 draw and the second at Old Trafford was watched by 28.5 million people on TV - the highest viewing figure for a domestic match ever.
Chelsea fan Neil Smith holding a scarf above his hand
Chelsea fan Neil Smith was there in 1970 and will be back at Wembley on Sunday(Image: Philip Coburn/Daily Mirror)
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Recently a referee said if that game was played today there would be ELEVEN red cards. Lord Mann said: “We couldn’t get tickets for the Wembley match.
"My dad, Jim Mann, was a huge Leeds fan and he was also a local politician - he stood for Labour in the election later that summer in the Pudsey constituency.
“We ended up watching the match in the Pudsey Labour Hall. It’s still there. I remember it was on a black and white TV which was propped up on a chair in the middle of the room. There were about 20 of us there. “They were mainly local councillors - I could even name most of then today! I remember the game clearly. We took Chelsea to the cleaners. We tore them apart but a mistake from our goalkeeper Gary Sprake cost us in the first half and then Chelsea got a late equaliser.
Labour peer Lord Mann holding memorabilia
Labour peer Lord Mann has vivid memories of the 1970 final(Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)
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“We just couldn’t believe it - we all thought we would win the cup. I was particularly upset at not getting a ticket as I’d been to the games away at Sutton in the 4th round - which we won 6-0 - and the quarter final game away at Swindon - which we won 2-0. “I’d been to all the other FA Cup games as well apart from the semi-final replays But there were not enough tickets given to both clubs for the final."
Chelsea parade the trophy after the match
Chelsea won the 1970 FA Cup final after a replay(Image: Bob Thomas/Getty Images)
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He added: “I was very upset and annoyed by this. It was the first - and certainly not the last time - I had a grievance with the FA!”
Mann saw his first Leeds game in 1964 - a win over Newcastle at Elland Road. He has a season ticket in the East Stand - the same stand where he watched his first game at when he was four years old. In his 61 years of supporting Leeds he has only ever watched four games in the Main Stand preferring his favourite spot in the East Stand where he first stood on a stool at the Newcastle game.
He said: “It was much easier to get tickets for the replay. There were no neutrals at that game. We drove up from Leeds to Manchester I remember Dad parking our car in the Trafford Docks.
Leeds United's Allan Clarke being tackled by Chelsea's Ron "Chopper" Harris
Chelsea won the 1970 FA Cup final after a replay(Image: Bob Thomas/Getty Images)
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“It was not a particularly safe area then. I remember cars being tipped into the Manchester ship canal by angry fans after the game. We stood on a massive terrace at the opposite end to the Stretford End. There must have been 15,000 Leeds fan on that terrace. “The game was brutal. Both games were. I’ve always been a Leeds fan my family actually lived on Elland Road where our ground is. My grandfather was a Co-op butcher for 50 years. Back in 1970 I was a butcher’s boy delivering meat to his customers. Two of Leeds greatest players, John Charles and Jack Charlton, were his customers - he knew them well.
Leeds manager Don Revie speaking to his players as they wait for extra time
Leeds manager Don Revie speaks to his players as they wait for extra time(Image: Bob Thomas/Getty Images)
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“They lived nearby - all the players did in those days. My Uncle Tom was Jack Charlton’s next door neighbour. I was given a signed photo of Jack after the final who then wrote a booklet for the local Labour Party entitled ‘why I vote Labour by Jack Charlton’. "Incredibly it started … “I’m a hunting and fishing man … " Jack was a very popular man in Leeds and we delivered that booklet to every house.” Neil Smith recalled: “We started our journey to Wembley with seven of us crammed into my Uncle’s car from near Maidenhead.
Chelsea fan Neil Smith holding a top made by his mum for the 1970 final
Chelsea fan Neil Smith was there in 1970 and will be back at Wembley on Sunday(Image: Philip Coburn/Daily Mirror)
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“My cousin, Linda, had tried to secure her blue & white teddy bear on the bonnet for the trip but it fell off soon after we departed! Needless to say we had our Chelsea scarves flying from the car windows.
“We then got the tube from Uxbridge to Wembley. As soon as we alighted and made our way to the stadium you could taste the atmosphere - the smell of hot dogs and tobacco smoke wafting through the air. “I remember Chelsea fans in white butcher's coats with the club crest emblazoned on the back together with all the players names. Blue and White top hats and boaters. “
Chelsea fan Neil Smith sitting on a sofa holding the shirt his mum made for him for the 1970 final
Chelsea fan Neil Smith remembers 'tasting the atmosphere' at the 1970 final(Image: Philip Coburn/Daily Mirror)
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“Once through the turnstiles Uncle John and my father quaffed a couple of cans of Double Diamond beer which they’d smuggled in. "Indeed many had the same idea and my Uncle became very popular with those around us as he’d brought an opener with him - there were no ring pulls in those days!"
Neil Smith,a retired banker from Iver, Bucks, saw his first Chelsea game in 1966 - a 6-2 win over West Ham. Since then he has watched the Blues over 2300 times.
He went on: “The week leading up to the final had been a fraught one in our household as we awaited the morning post waiting for our tickets to be delivered. There was great relief when the Registered Envelope arrived and all family members had been successful with our applications.
A moment from the 1970 FA Cup final
A total of 28.5m watched the 1970 FA Cup final on TV(Image: Mirrorpix)
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“It's hard to believe that with Wembley Stadium having a capacity of 100,000 the finalists' allocations were only around 17,000 each! Unlike this semi final where both clubs will receive in excess of 30,000.
“To obtain our tickets from Chelsea we had to submit an application with a coupon from each home programme that season to qualify accompanied by a postal order. We all elected to pay ten shillings (50 pence) for standing tickets.”
He added: “I can’t believe it’s 56 years since I last saw Chelsea play Leeds at Wembley. It’s amazing it’s been so long. It’s one of those matches that has a special ring to it. It’s been a difficult season for Chelsea fans but beating Leeds in the FA cup at Wembley would give us all a great lift. Let’s hope we can win.”