Crewe v Aston Villa in 1996: Aston Villa's Alan McInally heads the ball.
Alan McInally jumps higher than Aston Vila teammate David Platt during the FA Cup victory at Crewe in 1989.
(Image: Mirrorpix)
Aston Villa's long and elusive quest to lift the FA Cup takes them to Preston North End in the quarter-finals this weekend. Villa will be clear favourites to progress to the last four by beating their Championship hosts on Sunday afternoon.
But they travel to Deepdale with a cautionary tale not to underestimate lower league opposition in the North West in this competition. David Platt and Alan McInally have been reminiscing about a close escape against Crewe Alexandra on The Offical Aston Villa Podcast.
The tie in question happened on January 7 1989 when Graham Taylor's top flight team found themselves 2-0 down against their Division Four opponents. Mark Gardner opened the scoring for Crewe before Martin Keown headed into his own net to unexpectedly double the advantage for Platt's former club.
Speaking to his old team-mate McInally on the podcast, Platt takes up the story. "What I remember about that game is I'd asked him (manager Graham Taylor) in the week whether I could stay up because obviously my wife was from that area," recalls Platt. "Rather than coming back to Birmingham, getting in the car and driving back to Crewe, can I stay up after the game? He said 'Yeah sure, no problem whatsoever'.
"It was the FA Cup third round and I've gone back with Villa to Crewe Alexandra. We kicked off at 12 o'clock. It was something to do with keeping people out of the pubs at that time. We're 1-0 down in the game, typical third round of the FA Cup from yesteryear, it doesn't happen so much now. Just before half time I can still picture it now, Martin Keown at the near post, diving header, 2-0 down, own goal. We're 2-0 down against a Fourth Division team and, by the way, lucky to be 2-0 down, it should have been more."
Platt goes on to explain what happened next as Taylor barges into the away dressing room at Gresty Road to deliver one of the briefest, angriest and ultimately most effective team-talks in claret and blue history. "Crewe's dressing room then, basically it was in the eaves. They were just tiny dressing rooms," he explains.
Legendary Aston Villa manager Graham Taylor during his remarkable first spell at the club in the late 1980s.
"We've come in and you're expecting it when he comes in so we're all sat trying to fade into the wallpaer so he doesn't see you. And the door bursts off its hinges and he's come in and he's literally turned around and he's gone 'You've got yourselves into this **** get yourselves out of it' and walked out. I mean it's the shortest half time team talk that you've ever heard in your life."
It did the trick. Villa recovered from their 2-0 half-time deficit to prevail 3-2 with Platt himself sparking the revival before Kevin Gage equalised and McInally bagged to winner to fire Villa into the fourth round. On the podcast McInally laughs at the memory as he proudly shows Platt the chevron-shouldered, half blue pinstripes, half white Hummel 'Mita Copiers' away jersey he still possesses as a keepsake from that match.
Alas, Villa's FA Cup run that year was soon over as they lost their fourth round tie 1-0 at home to Wimbledon when a tame Vinnie Jones shot sqirmed past Nigel Spink. As every Aston Villa fan is all too aware, the club have not lifted domestic football's most famous trophy since 1957. Let's hope Unai Emery and the class of 2025 can keep this season's dream alive, without the need for an infamous dressing room rant.
You can read Mat Kendrick's verdict on the Platt podcast here - and listen to his thoughts on Villa's long FA Cup drought on our own Claret & Blue podcast here.