Wigan Athletic and the curious case of the relegated FA Cup finalists | Football | The Guardian Sportblog Wigan Athletic and the curious case of the relegated FA Cup finalists Portsmouth, Middlesbrough, Brighton, Leicester City and Manchester City have been relegated Cup finalists – but Wigan Athletic are the first winners to go down Juninho and Fabrizio Ravanelli grimace as Chelsea win the 1997 FA Cup final. Photograph: Mark Thompson/Allsport Wednesday 15 May 2013 05.44 EDT First published on Wednesday 15 May 2013 05.44 EDT Share on Messenger Close Wigan Athletic’s victory in the FA Cup final on Saturday was sold as a fairytale. Dave Whelan, who had broken his leg in the 1960 final, was back at Wembley 53 years later with a club he had taken from the fourth tier to the apex of English football. Whelan was 23 when he lined up for Blackburn Rovers at the old Wembley stadium. By the 43rd minute of the match, his career at the club was over.

With half-time approaching and Blackburn trailing to an own goal, the young left-back flew into a challenge with the Wolves winger Norman Deeley, a moment that changed his life. The most complicated FA Cup draw of all time | The Knowledge Read more “I knew immediately when he hit me that my leg was broken,” says Whelan. “I was running at full pace – obviously you can’t stop.” As both players lay on the grass, the referee waved play on. Eventually Deeley made it to his feet. He went on to score two goals and win the man of the match award. Whelan was taken off on a stretcher and woke up in hospital. “The first thing I remember after coming round is being wheeled down a hospital corridor with the surgeon at my side,” says Whelan. “I opened my eyes and asked him, ‘How have Blackburn got on?’. He said: ‘I’m sorry, you’ve lost 3-0.’ I started crying. It just burst out of me. I was absolutely desperate, in despair as I lay in that hospital bed.” Whelan’s return to a Cup final with Wigan ranks as one of the most remarkable Wembley stories. But football has a cruel way of being kind.

Three days after celebrating the first major trophy in Wigan’s 81-year history, the Cup winners’ careers took a turn for the worse after a 4-1 defeat at Arsenal on Tuesday night. Footballers at the top of the game exist in a cosseted world of privilege, but relegation is about as close to real life as it gets. Going down a division brings with it concerns and worries uncommon to men who receive more in a month that the rest of us earn in our entire careers. Sympathising with top-level footballers is not easy, but as The Secret Footballer has explained , relegation can strip players of their comforts and make them susceptible to the challenges faced by the rest of us: “My contract, as was the case with many of the other players, was about to be cut in half and my assets, mainly property, bought on the back of a Premier League spending spree, were hopelessly exposed. In short, I could not afford to keep up the payments on any of it and as a result everything I owned would be at the mercy of the bank.” Wigan’s players have made an odd kind of history.

No team has ever won the FA Cup and gone down from the top tier in the same season. A few have come close. Manchester City (1926), Leicester City (1969), Brighton & Hove Albion (1983), Middlesbrough (1997) and Portsmouth (2010) were all relegated as Cup finalists, but unlike Wigan, none of them won the trophy. It has been an odd week for Whelan, who said that no words could express the emotions he felt on Saturday afternoon. As his club fall off the Premier League gravy train and he has to consider the possibility of losing his manager and Cup-winning squad to the realities of relegation, Whelan can take comfort from knowing that he has rebuilt his life from more crushing disappointments. And, unlike the clubs below, at least Wigan won their final. Portsmouth 2010: lost to Chelsea Portsmouth, who will play in the fourth tier of English football next season after finishing bottom of League One in 2012-13, were in the Cup final only three years ago.

Didier Drogba scored the only goal of the game to cap a thoroughly miserable end to the season for Portsmouth. Portsmouth’s league campaign was a disaster. They picked up a 10-point penalty for going into administration, but Avram Grant’s team would have finished bottom of the league even without the points deduction. Whether they will ever make it back to the top flight or a Cup final remains to be seen, but after three years in freefall, at least their fans now have a say in the running of the club . Middlesbrough 1997: lost to Chelsea It’s difficult to imagine now, but in the mid-1990s Middlesbrough had one of the most exciting teams in English football. They were spearheaded by Fabrizio Ravanelli, who scored a hat-trick against Liverpool on his debut, but the team’s true star was Juninho , who claimed that winning the League Cup with Middlesbrough in 2004 meant more to him than winning the 2002 World Cup with Brazil. Juninho had three spells with the club , but the 1996-97 season was the dramatic centre of his time in England.

Middlesbrough were docked three points for postponing a league match with Blackburn Rovers and, despite the best efforts of TFL (The Little Fella, as Juninho was nicknamed by the Boro fans), they ended up going down. Had they not been deducted those points, Middlesbrough would have finished well clear of the relegation zone. When their fate was confirmed on the final day of the season, Juninho sank to the floor and began to cry. To add to the heartbreak, Middlesbrough took Leicester City to a replay in the League Cup final before losing to a single goal from Steve Claridge . Their 2-0 defeat to Chelsea in the FA Cup final summed up the brutal disappointment of their season. Pinterest Brighton & Hove Albion 1983: lost to Manchester United Brighton finished bottom of the First Division in 1982-83, the last season they have played in the top tier. Their FA Cup run was, on the other hand, quite incredible. They beat Newcastle in a third round replay, before thumping Manchester City 4-0 in the fourth round. They went to Anfield in the fifth round and beat the eventual league winners Liverpool 2-1.

After victories against Norwich City and Sheffield Wednesday, they faced Manchester United in the final. Brighton have only played in one FA Cup final in their history, so they made sure to enjoy their big day out in 1983. Their sponsors hired a helicopter to take the players from the club’s hotel in Croydon to Wembley. “We were a bunch of jokers,” recalled the Brighton midfielder Jimmy Case. “We knew we were the underdogs against United but we were those types of characters anyway. Before the final, we had a lunch and this comedian, Bob ‘the Cat’ Bevan, who was a Brighton fan, came in and did a show for us before we got on the helicopter.” As the Brighton team touched down in a school carpark down the road from Wembley, the pilot declared: “The Seagulls have landed!” Brighton’s league form had been atrocious, but they played well in the final. With a few minutes left, Gary Steven scored their equaliser to force the game into extra time. Gordon Smith could have won the Cup for Brighton in the last minute, when he was sent through one-on-one with the United goalkeeper Gary Bailey.

Smith scuffed the shot, Bailey saved it and Brighton’s chance was gone. They were thumped 4-0 in the replay five days later. Pinterest Leicester City 1969: lost to Manchester City Leicester have played in four FA Cup finals, but have never won the tournament. They last reached the final in 1969, the same year they were relegated to the Second Division. Neil Young scored the only goal of the game for Manchester City, the reigning First Division champions. City were not to win another FA Cup until 2011, when Roberto Mancini led the club to their first trophy in 35 years. Remember him? Leicester could at least take comfort from selecting the youngest captain in an FA Cup final. “It was a great honour,” said David Nish, who was 21 years old in 1969 and went on to work at Leicester’s academy and as a postman in his retirement. “Leading them out in front of 100,000 people was special and I will always remember the fantastic reception we got from our fans. Playing-wise, though, I was a bit overawed by it all and didn’t really concentrate enough on the day.

Then there was the Wembley pitch, which had recently staged a horse show, and the state of it was disappointing to say the least.” “After Wembley, we had another five league games to go,” said Nish. “We had to go to Old Trafford for the last game to stay up, which was a big ask. I scored in the first minute but 10 minutes later we were 2-1 down and eventually lost 3-2. Being relegated was just as disappointing as losing a Cup final. It was a horrible feeling just sitting there in the dressing room afterwards.” Nish finished his career playing indoor football for the San Jose Earthquakes, but he stuck around to help Leicester City win the Second Division in the 1970-71 season. Pinterest Manchester City 1926: lost to Bolton Wanderers In a sign of the times, Manchester City kicked off their FA Cup campaign with an away tie against amateur club Corinthians. Although Corinthians had been formed in 1882, they were relative FA Cup novices, having waited until 1923 to “depart from their usual rules and take part in a contest which did not have charity as its primary object”.

City’s Cup run threw up some bizarre scorelines: they drew 3-3 with Corinthians in their first meeting, before beating them 4-0 in the replay; in the fourth round they thrashed the eventual First Division champions Huddersfield Town 4-0; in the fifth round they walloped Crystal Palace 11-4; in the quarter-final they won 6-1 at Clapton Orient; and they beat Manchester United 3-0 at Bramall Lane in their semi-final. Their goalscoring form deserted them during the final, which they lost 1-0 to Bolton Wanderers, who became the first side to win two Wembley finals. In the league, City finished a single point below both Burnley and Leeds United and went down with Notts County, to be replaced by Derby County and The Wednesday, as they were named until 1929. Football: Top 10 'too good to go down' teams: Football - Telegraph Football Top 10: Football teams 'too good to go down' It is just like when your team's manager introduces his latest centre forward by saying "he's scored goals for every club he's played for".

You know then that he'll never hit the target again. The same goes for when some so-called informed expert describes your struggling bunch out-of-form no hopers as "too good to be relegated". From that moment the only way is down.

Image 1 of 6 The legendary Sir Trevor Brooking displays a disconsolate look following West Ham's relegation in 2003 as Paolo Di Canio and Jermain Defoe ponder the future outside the Premier League Photo: Getty Images Image 1 of 6 Paul Robinson consoles Alan Smith after Leeds suffer the drop in 2004 - just three years after a Champions League semi-final appearance Photo: Getty Images Image 1 of 6 Brian Clough's final season in charge of Nottingham Forest reach a sorry conclusion as his celebrated managerial era ended in relegation tears Photo: Getty Images Image 1 of 6 Juninho struggles to comprehend Middlesbrough's relegation from the Premier League in 1997 - the same year the team reached both the Fa Cup and League Cup finals Photo: PA Image 1 of 6 Leicester supporters contemplate a campaign in English football's third tier after being relegated from The Championship on the final day of last season at Stoke Photo: PA Image 1 of 6 Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko shows his disappointment at the dire start the north London club have had so far this season. Too good to go down?

Photo: PA By Nick Hoult 1996 97 fa premier league : definition of 1996 97 fa premier league and synonyms of 1996 97 fa premier league (English) 12 External links Promoted teams Promoted to the Premier League for the 1996-97 season were Sunderland and Derby County as Division One winners and runners up respectively. Leicester City were promoted as playoff winners. [1] Relegated teams Middlesbrough , despite spending millions of pounds on high profile foreign players like Emerson Moisés Costa , Fabrizio Ravanelli (who scored 31 goals in all competitions), Branco and Gianluca Festa , were relegated on the final day of the season and were on the losing side in both the FA Cup and League Cup finals. Middlebrough finished in 19th place, but they would have been placed outside the relegation zone without a 3-point deduction imposed for cancelling a December 1996 fixture against Blackburn Rovers , with the Middlesbrough board blaming the decision on the absence of 23 players ill or injured.

[2] [3] This sanction meant Coventry City , who had been in the top division since 1967, finished in 17th place and avoided relegation. The decision was controversial and resurfaced as a major linchpin in the West Ham saga. Ironically, West Ham was one of the few clubs that insisted on Bryan Robson's men being deducted points. The situation was turned into a farce by the FA after its Assistant Chief Executive had initially sanctioned the postponement. If Middlesbrough had played the game against Blackburn with a team made up of youth and reserve players and lost, they still would have survived relegation quite comfortably, which raised questions why they should be docked points for cancelling the game to gain no advantage. The counter-argument is that they might have gained three points by winning the postponed match, which they might have lost if it had been played on the scheduled date. The other relegation places went to Nottingham Forest , who sacked manager Frank Clark in December. Stuart Pearce took over as temporary player-manager, spending three months in charge and winning the January 1996 Manager of the Month award.

In March, Pearce quit as manager to be replaced by Dave Bassett , formerly of Crystal Palace. Also relegated, due to a 1-0 defeat to Wimbledon in their last game of the season, were Sunderland, who were leaving Roker Park after 99 years and relocating to the 42,000-seat Stadium of Light on the banks of the River Wear for the start of the 1997-98 season in Division One . Team summaries Elonex Managerial changes Arsenal appointed Arsène Wenger in September as permanent successor to Bruce Rioch , after Stewart Houston and Pat Rice had both temporarily served as caretaker managers . Blackburn Rovers manager Ray Harford resigned in October and long-serving coach Tony Parkes was put in charge of the team for the remainder of the season, after which Roy Hodgson was named as manager. Chelsea replaced Glenn Hoddle with 34-year-old Ruud Gullit as player-manager at the start of the season after Hoddle took the job as England coach. Coventry City promoted Ron Atkinson from manager to Director of football in October and gave the manager's job to 39-year-old player-coach Gordon Strachan .

Everton manager Joe Royle resigned in March and 35-year-old captain Dave Watson was named as manager on a temporary basis. After the season was over, Howard Kendall began his third spell as manager of Everton . Leeds United sacked manager Howard Wilkinson in September and replaced him with George Graham . Newcastle United appointed Kenny Dalglish after Kevin Keegan quit in January 1997 after five years in charge. Nottingham Forest manager Frank Clark resigned in December 1996 and Stuart Pearce was given the job on a temporary basis before Dave Bassett of Crystal Palace took over three months later. Southampton manager Graeme Souness quit after just one season in charge and was replaced by Dave Jones of Stockport County . Player and managerial awards 1The home team is listed in the left-hand column. Colours: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win. Club-by-club review Arsenal After little more than a year as manager, Bruce Rioch was sacked before the season started, and his assistant Stewart Houston took charge of the first team for the opening weeks of the season until Frenchman Arsène Wenger took over.

During the early weeks of Wenger's reign, Arsenal briefly topped the table but in the end were forced into third place, level on 68 points with runners-up Newcastle United and fourth-placed Liverpool. Consequently, Arsenal had to settle for a UEFA Cup place, while the newly-introduced second place in the European Cup went to Newcastle United. The most notable addition to Arsenal's side was 20-year-old French midfielder Patrick Vieira , who proved to be a far more effective player than John Jensen , the man whose place in the side he was taking. Aston Villa There was no silverware this season for last season's Coca-Cola Cup winners, but Brian Little's competent Villa side achieved UEFA Cup qualification for the second season running by finishing fifth in the league. The autumn of the season saw the departure of veteran defender Paul McGrath to Derby County , while the injured Gary Charles was replaced at right-back by the Portuguese Fernando Nelson . The end of the season saw the arrival of Liverpool striker Stan Collymore for a club record fee of £7million.

Blackburn Rovers An early exit from the Coca-Cola Cup at the hands of Division Two side Stockport County was the final straw for manager Ray Harford , who stepped down on 25 October with Rovers also bottom of the Premier League with no wins from their opening 10 games. 18 months earlier, they had been league champions. Long-serving coach Tony Parkes was appointed caretaker, remaining in the post until the end of the season, when he handed over the reins to Roy Hodgson after Sven Goran Eriksson changed his mind about accepting the manager's job. Parkes steered Blackburn to safety as they finished 13th. The world record £15million sale of striker Alan Shearer to Newcastle United in the 1996 close season was seen as the biggest factor in Blackburn's lowest top flight finish since they returned to the elite in 1992. But his strike-partner Chris Sutton helped keep the club alive after recovering from a drastic loss of form triggered by a spate of injuries the previous season, and the acquisition of Swedish striker Martin Dahlin at the end of the season enhanced Blackburn's attack and gave fans hope for a higher finish next time round.

Chelsea With Glenn Hoddle leaving to become England manager, Chelsea gave the managerial role to midfielder Ruud Gullit , who used his continental connections to bring in world class international players such as France center-back Frank Leboeuf , and Italian superstars such as midfielder Roberto Di Matteo , the incredible Gianfranco Zola and the Champions League winning striker Gianluca Vialli , former captain of Juventus . Ruud Gullit had a dream start to his managerial career as Chelsea won the FA Cup with a 2-0 win over Middlesbrough , ending Chelsea 26-year trophy drought and making him the first foreign manager to win a major trophy with an English club. Italian striker Gianfranco Zola was voted Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year after a brilliant first season at Stamford Bridge in which he scored many spectacular league and contributing to many key assists, while fellow countryman and record £4.5 million signing Roberto Di Matteo scored one of Chelsea's goals in the triumphant Wembley final. The club suffered a tragedy in late October when director Matthew Harding was killed in a helicopter crash in Cheshire , when returning home from the club's Coca-Cola Cup exit at Bolton .

Coventry City Manager Ron Atkinson stepped up to the role of Director of Football at struggling Coventry City in early November, with assistant Gordon Strachan stepping up to the manager's seat. A good run of form saw Coventry climb to 11th place in January, but then a decline set in and defeat in the penultimate game of the season made Coventry's 30-year stay in the top flight appear to be over. But thanks to beating Tottenham on the final day of the season, and Sunderland and Middlesbrough both losing, the Sky Blues pulled off a miraculous survival act to book themselves a 31st successive top flight campaign. The key player in the great escape act was striker Dion Dublin , who scored 13 Premier League goals to attract attention from several larger clubs, and encourage calls for an international call-up from many observers. However, Coventry only ultimately avoided relegation due to the three-point deduction imposed upon Middlesbrough , who had been penalised in mid-season for cancelling a fixture at short notice.

Derby County Back in the top flight after a five-year exile, Jim Smith's Derby County side never looked in any real danger of an immediate return to Division One, and their 12th place finish in the final table was their highest final position in eight years. Young striker Dean Sturridge received many plaudits for his goalscoring exploits, which sparked talk of a £7million transfer to Middlesbrough, but the move never happened. Everton After finishing sixth the previous season, Everton started the new season with much hope and ambitions of qualifying for Europe or winning a major trophy. But the mid-season sale of top scoring winger Andrei Kanchelskis to Fiorentina sabotaged Everton's chances of more success, and manager Joe Royle resigned in March, less than two years after guiding the club to FA Cup glory. Caretaker Dave Watson confirmed Everton's survival with a 15th place finish, before Howard Kendall returned to Goodison Park for his third spell as manager. Leeds United A 4-0 home defeat to Manchester United in September prompted Howard Wilkinson 's dismissal after eight years as manager.

His successor was George Graham , back in football after a one-year ban arising from the "bung" scandal that had cost him his job as Arsenal manager back in February 1995. Graham was unable to improve the club's dismal goalscoring record (they finished with the division's lowest total of just 28 goals) but he managed to steer them well clear of relegation in a respectable 11th place. Record signing Lee Sharpe failed to live up to expectations and by the end of the season it was rumoured that he would be on his way out of the club, while Tony Yeboah made just six appearances after recovering from a long-term injury and he too appeared to be heading for the Elland Road exit door. Full-back Tony Dorigo 's future at the club was also thrown into doubt by the emergence of Ian Harte , while centre-back Carlton Palmer 's days at the club were also looking numbered. Leicester City Most observers had tipped Leicester for an immediate return to Division One, so Martin O'Neill 's ultimate task for this season was to achieve survival for Leicester City.

Top flight survival was achieved - for the first time in 11 years - but ninth place in the final table was an excellent finish for a relatively young side who had been tipped for relegation by so many outsiders. The season was capped by a victory over Middlesbrough in the Coca-Cola Cup - Leicester's first major trophy for 33 years - which was their passport to the following season's UEFA Cup . Liverpool Until late March, Liverpool had led the Premier League for most of the season, even opening up a five point lead at the top before New Year's Day 1997. However, the team were overtaken by Manchester United, who remained top of the league for the rest of the season, despite Liverpool having two or three more chances to reclaim the position before falling away badly due to mistakes and a lack of discipline. [8] Steve McManaman and Robbie Fowler continued to excel for the club, but Fowler's suspension for the final four games of the season effectively ended any lingering hopes of title glory, and the side were marred both by the rise of their Spice Boys culture, as well as by defensive aberrations; dropping points at their previously impregnable Anfield home.

Liverpool's finishing in 4th place was the shock of the season as they had been challenging for the title all along, with the additional fact that on the final day of the season, even having lost the league title to Manchester United, they were in 2nd place, two points over Newcastle and Arsenal, [9] leaving Roy Evans and his team with a UEFA Cup place as scant consolation for what might have been. Manchester United A 5-0 defeat at Newcastle, a 6-3 defeat at Southampton, the loss of their 40-year unbeaten home record in European competition to Turkish side Fenerbahçe , and the end of a two-year unbeaten home record in the league (all in the space of two weeks) saw many observers write off Manchester United's hopes of retaining the Premier League title. However, manager Alex Ferguson refused to despair, and insisted that the league could still be won. United did not top the Premier League until late January, and from then on they remained top and were crowned champions at the beginning of May without kicking a ball - their title status was confirmed by Liverpool's failure to beat Wimbledon in the penultimate game of the season.

After the season was over, iconic striker Eric Cantona stunned the club with his decision to retire from football. Midfielder David Beckham , who began the season with a wonder 57-yard (52 m) goal at Wimbledon , was voted PFA Young Player of the Year , while new Norwegian striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer topped the club's goalscoring charts with 19 goals in all competitions. United reached the European Cup semi-finals for the first time since 1969, and their hopes of glory were ended as they lost both legs 1-0 to a Borussia Dortmund side who went on to win the trophy. Middlesbrough The multi-million pound signings of Brazilian midfielder Emerson and Italian striker Fabrizio Ravanelli suggested that Middlesbrough could compete with the very best after finishing 12th the previous season, but ahead lay quite a unique season which ultimately ended in disappointment. By Christmas, Middlesbrough were deep in relegation trouble, despite Fabrizio Ravanelli proving himself as one of the league's top goalscorers. Added to this, Middlesbrough were faced with the wrath of the Football Association for postponing a fixture against Blackburn Rovers at short notice.

The club's officials insisted that manager Bryan Robson had been unable to field a team due to a severe injury and illness crisis among his players, but this did not prevent the Football Association from docking the club 3 points. Middlesbrough managed to put together a good run of results and look like decent bets for survival, but the Football Association's refusal to restore Middlesbrough's 3 points counted against them and a 1-1 draw at Leeds on the final day of the season, when they needed a win, resulted in relegation that would have been avoided (at the expense of Coventry City) if the points had not been deducted. Middlesbrough also hit the headlines with two brilliant cup runs. As a club who had never won a major trophy or even reached a domestic cup final before, history was made in February when Middlesbrough reached the League Cup final. They drew 1-1 with Leicester City at Wembley in the first match, but lost the replay 1-0 at Hillsborough . Two months later, they took on Chelsea in the FA Cup final , but lost 2-0.

Newcastle United A 5-0 win over deadly rivals Manchester United on 20 October - arguably Newcastle's greatest performance of all time - brought renewed hope that the club could end its 70-year wait for the title by lifting the Premier League crown. Things turned sour when Alan Shearer , the club's £15 million world record signing, missed seven games due to a hernia operation, and Newcastle's title bid was threatened by Manchester United's recovery from a bad spell. Arsenal and Liverpool, meanwhile, were also mounting a serious push for the title. On 7 January, Kevin Keegan dropped a bombshell on Newcastle by announcing his resignation as manager, stating that he felt he had taken the club as far as he could. Kenny Dalglish , the man who had replaced Keegan as Liverpool striker 20 years earlier, now replaced him as manager, but the best he could manage was a runners-up finish in the final table. Nottingham Forest A dismal start to the season saw Nottingham Forest bottom of the Premier League by Christmas, and their manager Frank Clark gone, with Stuart Pearce taking over as player-manager on a temporary basis.

A good run of form in January saw Pearce receive the Manager of the Month award, but by the time he stepped down to make way for Dave Bassett in March, Forest had endured another setback and were left needing a miracle to beat the drop. The acquisition of Dutch striker Pierre Van Hooijdonk did little to change the club's fortunes, and they were relegated in bottom place. Sheffield Wednesday A four-match winning start to the season saw Sheffield Wednesday top the Premier League and manager David Pleat receive Manager of the Month award for August, but they soon fell out of the title frame and in the end they finished seventh in the final table - not even enough for UEFA Cup qualification. In the close season, Pleat paid a club record £4.5million for Celtic's Italian forward Paolo Di Canio , giving his squad a much-needed boost to their hopes of challenging for honours. Southampton For the fourth time in five seasons, Southampton managed to avoid relegation. Manager Dave Merrington had been dismissed at the end of the previous season to be succeeded by Graeme Souness , who brought in quality new players including Claus Lundekvam and Egil Østenstad .

A 6-3 win over Manchester United in late October, which saw Ostenstad scoring a hat-trick, was the highlight of the season, and Southampton entered the final game of the season only needing a draw to confirm their survival. Survival was achieved, but it did not prevent Souness from quitting the club after just one season, and handing over the reins to Stockport's Dave Jones . Sunderland Just one year after they had almost slipped into Division Two, Sunderland had returned to the top flight under new manager Peter Reid . With a new 42,000-seat stadium due to be ready in the summer of 1997, Reid and his players were determined to secure survival in the final season at historic Roker Park and give the new stadium at Monkwearmouth a debut season in the Premier League. The first half of the season went well for club, finding themselves in a comfortable 11th position by the end of January, boasting a strong home form going into the February. However a run of 4 consecutive defeats against Aston Villa, Leeds, Blackburn and Tottenham saw them slip down the table into 16th by March.

Sunderland Lost 1-0 to Wimbledon on the final day of the season along with Coventry's win at Tottenham meant that the Wearsiders were cruely relegated with 40 points. On a high note, Sunderland did manage to beat Chelsea (3 - 0), Arsenal (1 - 0) and Manchester United (2 - 1) all at home during the season. Tottenham Hotspur For two seasons running, Tottenham had narrowly missed out on a UEFA Cup place. 1996-97 could have been the season when Gerry Francis finally got it right and secured either a top-five finish or victory in one of the cups, but early exits from the FA Cup and Coca-Cola Cup ended their chances of a Wembley final, and a 10th place finish in the final table was the club's lowest since Francis took over in November 1994. This disappointment saw the manager's future thrown into serious doubt, with fans calling for him to be dismissed. West Ham United The season began with much excitement at Upton Park , as a whole host of foreign signings arrived. However, most of the acquisitions were short-lived and unsuccessful.

Romanian striker Florin Radiciou walked out in mid-season after scoring just two goals and Portuguese winger Paulo Futre played just nine games for the club before giving in to a knee injury and announcing his retirement in November. It was a season of struggle for Harry Redknapp and his east Londoners, but in the end a new wave of players helped save the day and keep West Ham in the Premier League. Exciting young defender Rio Ferdinand broke into the side and so impressed that an international call-up appeared imminent, while newly-signed strikers Paul Kitson and John Hartson gave the attack the much-needed boost that Radiciou and Futre had failed to deliver. With survival confirmed by the final day of the season, there was now talk of pushing for a UEFA Cup place in the following campaign. Wimbledon The opening day of the season saw Wimbledon lose 3-0 at home to Manchester United in a game mostly remembered because of David Beckham's late goal from inside his own half, but Wimbledon got their own back of United later on in the season by eliminating them from the FA Cup .

Wimbledon reached the semi-finals of both domestic cups, but lost both and were left with nothing but the memories after an eighth place finish in the final table saw them blow their final chance of European qualification. The sale of Oyvind Leonhardsen to Liverpool at the end of the season left manager Joe Kinnear with a big hole to fill in a squad which had so far achieved so much on a shoestring budget.

Top goal scorers THE FOOTBALL LEAGUE CUP THE FOOTBALL LEAGUE CUP The Football League Cup began in 1960/61 and has now been played for 47 seasons up to and including 2006/07.ï¿½ It has been a sponsored competition since 1981/82: 1981/82 to 1985/86ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ The Milk Cup 1986/87 to 1989/90 ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ The Littlewoods Challenge Cup 1990/91 & 1991/92ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ The Rumbelows League Cup 1992/93 to 1997/98ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ The Coca Cola Cup 1998/99 to 2002/03ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ The Worthington Cup 2003/04 onwardsï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ The Carling Cup The Football League originally proposed the League Cup as part of a scheme to reduce the number of clubs in each division and consequently the number of games played each season.ï¿½ The reduction in numbers was not agreed to by the Leagueï¿½s member clubs, causing the ties to be squeezed into the existing fixture list.

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ The new competition soon attracted a good deal of criticism.ï¿½ The Wolves chairman thought it ï¿½not in the best interests of the gameï¿½.ï¿½ The Timesï¿½ correspondent stated ï¿½our game is now further to be saddled by a pointless, prosaic, parochial new tournamentï¿½.ï¿½ Opposition to the tournament has a familiar ring even today, being based largely on the assumption that clubs already had too many games to play in League, FA Cup and Europe.ï¿½ However, the Football League saw the competition as a useful money-spinner for the smaller clubs.

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ Ties were intended to be played mid-week under floodlights.ï¿½ However, some 3pm kick-offs were needed since not all clubs had floodlights in 1960.ï¿½ Weeks in the season are now set aside for ties, but the first season was not organised this way; with a number of clubs having byes in round one, some second round ties were played before first round games.

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ Entry to the competition was not mandatory for League clubs until 1971/72.ï¿½ 1960/61 saw 87 entrants, the missing clubs being Arsenal, Sheffield Wednesday, Tottenham Hotspur, West Bromwich Albion and Wolves.ï¿½ These clubs had filled four of the top five places in the First Division of 1959/60.ï¿½ Entries in subsequent years were as follows: 1961/62ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 82 1962/63ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 80 1963/64ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿

½ï¿½ï¿½ 82 1964/65ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 82 1965/66ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 83 1966/67ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 90 1967/68ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 90 1968/69ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 91 The increase in the number of clubs entering in 1

966/67 reflected the decision to play the final at Wembley and also to grant entry to winner to the European Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (later the UEFA Cup).ï¿½ 1969/70 was the first season when all 92 clubs entered.ï¿½ Everton missed the 1970/71 season.ï¿½ After entry became compulsory in 1971/72, Luton Town were disqualified in 1986/87 because of the clubï¿½s ban on away supporters entering their ground.

The first games took place under floodlights on 26th September 1960.ï¿½ Bristol Rovers beat Fulham 2-1 and West Ham beat Charlton Athletic 3-1.ï¿½ The first goal in the competition was scored by Maurice Cook, Fulhamï¿½s centre forward, in the 9th minute. ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ The first final was between Aston Villa (who finished 9th in the First Division) and Rotherham United (15th in the Second).ï¿½ The two-legged final was held over until the start of the next season.ï¿½ Rotherham won 2-0 at home.ï¿½ The second leg, played in heavy rain, saw Villa leading 2-0 after 90 minutes.ï¿½ Extra time was played, during which Peter McParland scored the deciding goal for Villa.

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ The next season saw Norwich City of the Second Division playing Rochdale of the Fourth, after both clubs had beaten First Division opponents in the semi-finals.ï¿½ Rochdale remain the only club from the lowest of the four divisions to have played in the final.ï¿½ Norwich built up a commanding lead in the away leg of the final so that the second leg was something of a formality. ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ Aston Villa reached their second final in 1963.ï¿½ The first ï¿½all First Divisionï¿½ final saw Birmingham City perform well enough at home to win the first major trophy in their history.ï¿½ The next season produced a win for Leicester City over Stoke City, some reward for them perhaps after a sequence of losing Wembley finals in the FA Cup.

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ Leicester reached the final again the following year, losing to Chelsea.ï¿½ Leicester thus became the first in the list of clubs who have defended the League Cup well enough to reach the next final, only to lose.ï¿½ The other clubs with this sad record are West Bromwich Albion, Nottingham Forest, Arsenal and Luton Town. ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ The last two-legged final in 1966 was the only occasion on which a club overcame a first leg deficit to win the trophy. West Ham had a 2-1 lead after the first leg at home, but West Bromwich played well in the second leg to win 5-3 on aggregate.

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ The first Wembley final in 1967 produced a major upset.ï¿½ West Bromwich were hot favourites to retain the trophy against Third Division Queenï¿½s Park Rangers.ï¿½ At half time, West Bromwich held a 2-0 lead and the game looked to be over.ï¿½ However, a great fightback, with Rodney Marsh prominent, saw the Rangers home by 3 goals to 2.ï¿½ Queenï¿½s Park Rangers were denied a place in the Fairs Cup because they were not a First Division club; West Bromwich took their place. ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ Leeds United and Arsenal fought out a close game in 1968, the winning Leeds goal from Terry Cooper being hotly disputed following a charge on goalkeeper Jim Furnell.

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ Arsenal returned to Wembley in 1969, only to become the victim of another piece of ï¿½giant killingï¿½. Swindon Town had beaten two First Division teams to reach the final, but were given little chance against Arsenal.ï¿½ On a poor Wembley pitch the game went to extra time, when two goals for Swindon gave them a deserved victory.ï¿½ Don Rogers had an outstanding game, scoring two of Swindonï¿½s goals. ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ No third division club has won the League Cup since then; indeed the second division can only claim two wins.ï¿½ The 1970s saw five of the leading clubs of the time achieve two wins each; Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Wolves, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest. West Bromwich played their third final in 1970.

On a muddy pitch, with snow piled up behind the goals, West Bromwich took a five-minute lead against Manchester City through Jeff Astle.ï¿½ There used to be a saying in the FA Cup that the first club to score would win the cup, but this has proved not to be a reliable forecast in League Cup finals.ï¿½ Manchester City fought back to win 2-1 after extra time. ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ In 1971 it was Aston Villaï¿½s turn to play their third final, this time as a third division club.ï¿½ Martin Chivers of Tottenham Hotspur scored the first goal against the run of play and the Spurs went on to win 2-0.

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ Stoke City achieved their first major cup win in 1972 when they beat Chelsea in the final.ï¿½ They needed two replays and a Gordon Banks penalty save from Geoff Hurst to beat West Ham in the semi-final.ï¿½ George Eastham, by then reaching the veteran stage, scored the winning goal for Stoke in the final. ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ Tottenham Hotspur became the first club to win the trophy twice.ï¿½ Their opponents in 1973 were Norwich City, so one of the finalists was certain to achieve the honour!ï¿½ A Ralph Coates goal in the 72nd minute was the only one of the game.

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 1974 saw one of those goalkeeping performances where the natural laws of the universe seem to have been overcome.ï¿½ Gary Pierce in the Wolves goal made outstanding saves from a Manchester City forward line that reads like a ï¿½whoï¿½s whoï¿½ of British football in the 1970s; Summerbee, Bell, Lee, Law and Marsh.ï¿½ Wolves won 2-1.

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 1975 was unusual in that no First Division clubs reached the semi-finals.ï¿½ Fourth Division Chester City came within a whisker of beating Aston Villa, then of the Second Division, in the semi-final, but Villa won through to meet Norwich City.ï¿½ Having lost the 1973 final, Norwich had then lost narrowly to Wolves in the 1974 semi-final, so both clubs were regarded as League Cup experts.ï¿½ An interesting twist was that the Villa manager, Ron Saunders, was leading a team out at Wembley for the third successive year; he had been manager of the losing Norwich and Manchester City teams.ï¿½ It was third time lucky for Ron, as Villa won the first all Second Division final with a penalty goal from Ray Graydon after Mel Machin had dived full length to punch away a Chris Nicholl header.

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ A spectacular overhead kick by Dennis Tuert won an entertaining 1976 final for Manchester City against Newcastle United.ï¿½ 1977 saw Aston Villa back again, once more as a First Division club.ï¿½ A dull 0-0 draw against Everton was followed by another draw in the replay, thanks to a last minute Everton equaliser.ï¿½ The second replay would have been settled by a penalty shoot-out, but this proved unnecessary as Villa won 3-2. Chris Nicholl scored one of the Villa goals with a tremendous long-range drive and the winner from Brian Little came with just two minutes left to play.

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 1978 saw Nottingham Forest matched with Liverpool.ï¿½ Forest had a sensational season, taking Liverpoolï¿½s championship the year after they were promoted from the Second Division.ï¿½ Some of the Forest championship team were ï¿½cup-tiedï¿½ and unable to take part in the final.ï¿½ This gave teenage Chris Woods his opportunity in the Forest goal, and he made some good saves to keep the Wembley final to 0-0.ï¿½ The replay saw John Robertson score from the penalty spot after a professional foul by Phil Thompson on John Oï¿½Hare, which a TV replay later seemed to show was outside the penalty area.ï¿½ This was enough to win the cup for Forest, who thus became the first club to achieve a League and League Cup double.

Forest became the first club to retain the trophy when they beat Southampton in the 1979, despite falling a goal behind.ï¿½ Their fine run continued to a third final against Wolves in 1980, but a mix-up in defence gave Andy Gray a goal and Wolves the trophy. ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ If Liverpool were upset by the events of the 1978 final, they put the record straight with an amazing four consecutive wins, a record unlikely to be repeated.ï¿½ None of the wins were easy, all four of the Wembley finals needing extra time.ï¿½ Second Division West Ham took them to a replay in 1981, taking the lead at Villa Park before Liverpool fought back to win 2-1.ï¿½ Tottenham Hotspur took the lead in the 1982 final, the first League Cup sponsored by the Milk Marketing Board.ï¿½ Ronnie Whelan equalised with four minutes remaining and Liverpool scored two more in extra time.

Manchester United reached the final for the first time in 1983, scored first through 17 year old Norman Whiteside, but were unable to stop Liverpool winning 2-1 after extra time.ï¿½ Bob Paisley collected the cup in his retirement season. ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ Liverpoolï¿½s fourth win was against Everton.ï¿½ The all-Merseyside final was drawn 0-0; a Graham Souness volley in the replay was enough to keep the trophy at Anfield.ï¿½ Liverpool had just one defeat in these four seasons, a second leg semi-final against Burnley.

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ Norwich City achieved their second win in 1985, against Sunderland.ï¿½ Both finalists had the misfortune to be relegated from the First Division at the end of the season.ï¿½ Chris Woods was now playing for Norwich, and had a penalty to save, but the shot was pulled wide of the goal.ï¿½ A deflected shot was enough to give Norwich their victory. ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ Only one non-First Division club had reached the quarter-finals in 1985, and this was repeated in 1986 and 1987.ï¿½ Oxford United and Queenï¿½s Park Rangers reached the 1986 final.ï¿½ It was Oxfordï¿½s day, and they won a one-sided final by three goals to none. ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ The first Littlewoods Cup final in 1987 was a heavyweight affair between Arsenal and Liverpool.

Liverpool scored first, but two Charlie Nicholas goals gave Arsenal the trophy. ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ With twelve minutes remaining of the 1988 final, few would have doubted that Arsenal were going to retain the cup; 2-1 up, and with a penalty awarded in their favour.ï¿½ However, Andy Dibble saved the penalty and Luton scored twice in the last 7 minutes to snatch an amazing victory. ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ Luton returned to Wembley in 1989, scored first, but lost 3-1 to Nottingham Forest.ï¿½ Forest had also won the Full Members Cup that season, then known as the Simod Cup.ï¿½ Forest were back next season, to face Second Division Oldham Athletic who were having an outstanding season.ï¿½ A single Nigel Jemson goal gave Forest the cup, so equalling Liverpoolï¿½s (then) record of four wins.

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ A Second Division club was at Wembley in 1991 for the first Rumbelows Cup final, and this time were successful.ï¿½ Sheffield Wednesday beat Manchester United with a single goal from John Sheriden.ï¿½ Manchester United reached the final again in 1992, where they met Nottingham Forest.ï¿½ A Brian McClair goal enabled United to become the first losing finalists in the League Cup to return in the next season and take the trophy.

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 1992/93 was the first season of the FA Premier League.ï¿½ At the time of writing, only Premiership clubs have won the League Cup since that season, 9 different ones in the 14 seasons.ï¿½ Liverpool and Chelsea have each won three times in the 14 seasons, Aston Villa and Leicester City twice.ï¿½ Sheffield Wednesday took an early lead in the 1993 final before Arsenal fought back in the second half to win 2-1.ï¿½ Aston Villa enjoyed an emphatic win over Manchester United in 1994 and two Steve McManaman goals helped Liverpool beat Football League Division One Bolton Wanderers in 1995.ï¿½ Villa won again, 3-0 against Leeds United in 1996.

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ Leicester City and Middlesbrough were unable to score in the 90 minutes of the 1997 final.ï¿½ Ravanelli scored for Middlesbrough in extra time, then an Emile Heskey goal two minutes from the end of the game earned Leicester a replay at Hillsborough.ï¿½ There was again no score in the first 90 minutes of the replay; a Steve Claridge goal for Leicester in extra-time won them the Cup.ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ The 1998 final between Chelsea and Division One Middlesbrough was the third consecutive final game with a 0-0 scoreline at the end of normal time.ï¿½ Sinclair and Di Matteo scored for Chelsea in extra-time to win the Cup for the first time since 1965.ï¿½ Leicester City were back at Wembley for the finals of 1999 and 2000.ï¿½ Spurs beat

 them with a last minute goal from Neilsen in 1999.ï¿½ Division One Tranmere Rovers fought hard in the 2000 final, but had a player sent off as Leicester won 2-1.

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ A fifth round tie in 1999/2000 between West Ham and Aston Villa was seemingly won by the Hammers in a penalty shoot out when Gareth Southgate missed for Villa.ï¿½ However, when the Football League checked the team sheets it noticed that West Ham had used Manny Omoyinmi as a substitute.ï¿½ Unfortunately he had also played for Gillingham in the competition whilst on loan earlier in the seaon.ï¿½ There was the possibility of disqualification for West Ham, but the League decided the game should be played again.ï¿½ Villa won the re-arranged game 3-1.

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ Another Division One club, Birmingham City, reached the first final to be played at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff.ï¿½ A dramatic last minute penalty, converted by Darren Purse, took the game with Liverpool to extra-time, followed by the first penalty shoot-out in a final.ï¿½ Westerveld saved Andrew Johnsonï¿½s effort to win the Cup for Liverpool by 5 penalties to 4.

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ The Millennium Stadium roof was closed for the 2002 final between Blackburn Rovers and Tottenham Hotspur.ï¿½ Goals from Jansen and Andy Cole won a close-fought game to give Rovers their first League Cup triumph.ï¿½ Liverpool resumed their outstanding League Cup form in 2003 with a 2-0 win over Manchester United.ï¿½ Middlesbrough won a final at the third time of trying in 2004.ï¿½ They were 2-0 up after 7 minutes; Bolton scored through Davies in the 21st minute, but there were no more goals.

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ Liverpool were back again in 2005, with the first ï¿½first minuteï¿½ goal in the finals, thanks to Riise.ï¿½ An own goal from Gerrard for Chelsea took the game to extra-time.ï¿½ Two goals in five minutes tipped the game Chelseaï¿½s way; Nunez scored for Liverpool just a minute later but they could not find an equalizer. ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ Manchester United ended their run of losing League Cup finals with an easy win over Wigan Athletic in 2006.ï¿½ Three second-half goals in the space of six minutes gave United a 4-0 win, only the second time that 4 goals have been scored in the final.

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ The 2007 final was between the youngsters of Arsenal and ï¿½150 million of talent from Chelsea, in the first all-London final.ï¿½ A keenly contested game was won for Chelsea with two goals by Drogba.ï¿½ The final moments were marred by three sendings off when tempers boiled over.ï¿½ This doubled at a stroke the sendings-off tally from previous finals.ï¿½ Toure and Adebayor of Arsenal and Mikel of Chelsea joined Andrei Kanchelskis (Manchester United, 1994), Justin Edinburgh (Spurs, 1999) and Clint Hill (Tranmere Rovers, 2000) in the record books.

Chelsea's Highs and Lows in League Cup Finals | Bleacher Report Chelsea's Highs and Lows in League Cup Finals By Garry Hayes , Featured Columnist Feb 24, 2015 Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse the slideshow Alex Livesey/Getty Images Comments This season marks the 50th anniversary since Chelsea first won the League Cup . The Blues defeated Leicester City 3-2 on aggregate in their two-legged final, becoming the first club from London to lift the trophy in the process. Since that time, Chelsea have featured in a further five finals, winning the League Cup a total of four times. Their most recent appearance came in 2008 when they faced Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley, but they lost out that day, going down 2-1. As a matter of coincidence, it is Spurs whom Chelsea face in the Capital One Cup final on Sunday. To kick-start our countdown to that game, Bleacher Report looks at some of Chelsea's highs and lows in League Cup finals. Tweet With no strikers available for selection, Tommy Docherty must have been cursing his bad luck ahead of the first leg of the 1965 League Cup final against Leicester City.

Chelsea were entertaining the Foxes at Stamford Bridge and with Barry Bridges on the treatment table, the manager had no choice but to play Eddie McCreadie—a full-back—up front. We can only imagine what the reaction must have been on the terraces, but come the final whistle, it was proven to be a masterstroke from Docherty. With the game level at 2-2 in the 81st minute, McCreadie picked up possession on the edge of his own box and went on an amazing solo run, running the length of the pitch before beating Gordon Banks in goal. Judging by accounts of McCreadie's strike, it was a golazo of epic proportions, one that would be discussed the world over even today. The only problem is that there weren't any TV cameras inside Stamford Bridge to capture it! McCreadie reflected years later in a Chelsea magazine interview: It was pretty heavy going. I saw their two centre-backs coming at me and I knew they were going to give me some! I was pretty quick and I hit the ball between the both of them and I just went.

Before I knew it, I had covered a lot of ground and I could see Gordon Banks coming out of the goal towards me and I dived, I got my toe on the ball and it dribbled over the line. If he had stayed put, he could have thrown his hat on it. It was exciting, I never scored many goals—five in my entire Chelsea career. That goal has gone down in Chelsea folklore and has been dubbed the Greatest Goal Never Seen. McCreadie is caught on camera in the Chelsea TV clip above, discussing his time at Stamford Bridge. Tweet The Chelsea team of the late 1960s and early '70s were the golden boys in the club's history until the more recent successful Blues sides. They came close to winning the title on a number of occasions and in 1970 won the FA Cup. A year later they even defeated the mighty Real Madrid to lift the European Cup Winners' Cup. So when they faced an aging Stoke City side in the 1972 League Cup final at Wembley, they were the outright favourites. They had Peter Osgood, Alan Hudson, Charlie Cook, John Hollins and Ron Harris in their team. The list went on.

As for Stoke, Gordon Banks and George Eastham were both 35 years old and nearing the end of their careers. By this time the League Cup final had evolved to being just one game, different to the format of when Chelsea first won the trophy in 1965 over two legs. So anything could happen in one game—and it did! Stoke pulled off a major shock by winning the game 2-1. Midfielder Terry Conroy gave them a surprise lead after just three minutes, but Osgood levelled for Chelsea right on half-time. The Blues weren't their usual selves, though, and Stoke kept themselves in the game before that man Eastham scored the winner with just over 15 minutes remaining. To this day, it's the only major trophy Stoke have ever won. You can watch highlights of the final in the YouTube clip above. Tweet Chelsea ended a 26-year wait for a trophy when they defeated Middlesbrough 2-0 in the 1997 FA Cup final. And just like a public transport cliche, another major honour arrived soon after. This time it was the League Cup and, you've guessed it, Middlesbrough were the team losing out once again.

To rub salt in the wound, the 1998 League Cup final finished with the same scoreline—2-0 to Chelsea. Whereas Roberto Di Matteo had put the Blues ahead within the first minute of the FA Cup final, this game was somewhat more closely contested. Indeed, with the game goalless after 90 minutes, it went to extra time. Frank Sinclair scored Chelsea's opener just five minutes in and Di Matteo returned to haunt Boro at Wembley once again, sealing victory in the 107th minute when he converted Gianfranco Zola's corner. Watch the highlights in the YouTube clip above. Given that Chelsea lifted the League Cup for the second time in three years in 2007, it's hard to look back at the game as having any low points. Then John Terry's collision with Abou Diaby's boot comes to mind. The Chelsea captain took the full force of the Arsenal midfielder's clearance in the second half at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, attacking the ball from a corner only to get knocked out. It was completely unintentional from Diaby, but it did mean Terry's match was over from that point.

Didier Drogba scored Chelsea's winner late on as the game finished 2-1. With their captain in hospital, Frank Lampard lifted the trophy. Tweet We're hearing it discussed right now that victory for Chelsea in this year's Capital One Cup final will be all the inspiration the Blues need to repeat the success of Jose Mourinho's first spell in charge. The theory is such that the floodgates will open for the current squad of players; getting that first taste of success will lead to more. Well, that's exactly what happened in 2005, too. Mourinho had helped transform Chelsea from also-rans to a team looking like champions when he inherited Claudio Ranieri's team in 2004. But he needed a trophy to make them believe and he got it within eight months of being in charge as Chelsea defeated Liverpool in the League Cup final. It was a thrilling game, too. John Arne Riise put Liverpool ahead within the first minute, and despite dominating for large parts, it took a 79th-minute own goal from Steve Gerrard to get Chelsea back on level terms.

The game went into extra time when Didier Drogba and Mateja Kezman scored to put Chelsea in control at 3-1. Within 60 seconds of Kezman scoring, an Antonio Nunez goal had got Liverpool back into the game, but Chelsea did enough to hold on. And with it, the Mourinho era of success was officially up and running. Tweet For those of you who are superstitious, look away now. The last time Chelsea reached the League Cup final was in 2008 and they faced Tottenham Hotspur, losing 2-1. Spurs are their opponents again this year, so can they pull off another shock? Indeed, it was a major surprise when Spurs defeated Chelsea in 2008. The White Hart Lane club had been struggling in the Premier League and their record against Chelsea was terrible—recording just one win against them in 18 years. So when Didier Drogba fired Chelsea into a first-half lead, it was expected that Avram Grant's side would go on to win from there. Not so.

Dimitar Berbatov levelled with a penalty midway through the second half, and when the game went into extra time, Jonathan Woodgate was the unlikeliest of heroes, with his header proving to be decisive. It was one of the many low points in Grant's short reign as Chelsea manager. Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes

Question: In 1997, which team lost in both the FA Cup and League Cup finals, to Leicester City in the League Cup and Chelsea in the FA Cup and were also relegated from the Premier League?
Answer: Middlesbrough