Saints Success Adds To The Pure Nostalgia
Jim McCalliog…..a highly popular Molineux figure.
Giddy days these for Southampton – and Jim McCalliog is not letting the South Coast euphoria pass him by.
Last weekend, the former Wolves midfielder and occasional skipper attended a Saints v Manchester United legends match at St Mary’s to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the FA Cup final meeting of the clubs.
Now he is buzzing at the thought of his former club heading back to Wembley in search of another giant-killing following their epic triumph over Arsenal on Saturday teatime.
McCalliog played a key part in that unlikely 1976 conquest by Second Division hopefuls against First Division might by setting up the late only goal of the game for Bobby Stokes.
The assist – not that they were called that then – cemented a place in Dell folklore for the man who had also struck the decider in the 1-0 victory at Bradford in the quarter-final with a brilliant volley from a free-kick scooped up by Peter Osgood.
A few weeks earlier, he also netted both goals in a fourth-round replay win at Villa, who had John Burridge in goal, and then played home and away when Albion were emphatically brought down at The Dell in another replay.
The semi-final line-up this time is sure to set his heart racing. As well as the in-form Saints, his first professional club, Chelsea, are in there, so too Leeds, who he served as an amateur before deciding he didn’t like Don Revie’s ways. They will face each other, with the Championship’s only survivors up against Manchester City.
The quartet provide some consolation for him at seeing two more of his former clubs, Wolves and Sheffield Wednesday, bottom of their respective divisions.
McCalliog had proved his flair for the big occasion by scoring in an FA Cup semi-final and final for Wednesday, those accomplishments both having come 60 years ago this spring.
How McCalliog’s free-kick winner at Bradford was captured, thanks to a Southern Daily Echo photo, in the ‘Tie A Yellow Ribbon’ book – complete with comment from another famous Southampton goal ace.
But, as anniversaries go, the Southampton one is a level above, especially as Tonda Eckert’s side have marked FA Cup games this season by playing in the yellow and blue change strip made famous by Lawrie McMenemy’s heroes 50 seasons ago.
The legends game, from which some of the proceeds went to those history-making stars of yesteryear, attracted a 13,000 crowd, with Matt Le Tissier, Francis Benali, Rickie Lambert and former Wolves midfielder Andrew Surman all playing.
United had Dimitar Berbatov, Louis Saha, Antonio Valencia and Danny Webber on view and McCalliog’s presence in the stadium didn’t just bring him the chance to meet up with Saints pals.
He later posted on Facebook: “Great to catch up with my Manchester United team-mate, Stuart Pearson, aka Pancho. He is a great lad and when I was at United, we shared digs with Arnie Sidebottom. Here’s to the next meeting, Pancho. Well done, Southampton FC, for staging this match. It was great to catch up with my ex-team-mates.”