Manchester City, the League Cup winners, travelled to Turf Moor for a League game with struggling Burnley on this day (13 March) in 1976. It was a strange day with City in control for much of the game. It seemed inevitable Tony Book’s side would win, especially when they were awarded a penalty in the 44th minute. Burnley’s centre-half Jim Thomson was sent off for kicking Dennis Tueart while he lay on the ground following a collision with the ‘keeper. Tueart said afterwards: ‘When Thomson was sent off the goalie and I stood looking at each other wondering what had happened. It was a bit silly really! There was a bit of a skirmish with Thomson, but I didn’t even feel a blow of any kind.’
Wembley hero Tueart stepped up to take the resulting penalty but Burnley ‘keeper Gerry Peyton saved brilliantly.
The game became ill-tempered and former City hero Mike Summerbee, playing for Burnley, clashed with Tueart at times, causing both men to be spoken to by the referee.
In the second half City, playing in red & black stripes, were awarded another penalty. This time Tueart’s spot-kick entered the net, but the referee judged that a City played had encroached the area and the penalty was retaken. This time Tueart’s shot hit the post!The game ended goalless and City were now sixth, eleven points (2 points for a win) behind leaders QPR with three games in hand.
You can read more on the 1975-76 season with this 5,320 word article – a season which saw Tony Book guide the club to major success. If you want to know more on this incredible decade for Manchester City Football Club then why not subscribe and read it all? You could even subscribe for a month and see what you think. The following 5,320 word article is on the 1975-76 season and is available to subscribers below. Enjoy!
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Manchester City travelled to Wembley for the League Cup final on this day (28 February) in 1976. Here’s a story of that day…
The huge demand for tickets had seen City secretary Bernard Halford take the unusual step of writing to all the other League clubs, apart from Newcastle of course, asking for any spare tickets from their allocations for the final. Many clubs obliged but still thousands of Blues were denied tickets.
Reaching Wembley was an extraordinary achievement considering the injuries (most notably Colin Bell) and suspensions, and demonstrated a wonderful team spirit that had been galvanised by manager Tony Book and captain Mike Doyle following the controversy surrounding former captain Rodney Marsh earlier in the season. Doyle told the media: ‘The success of this City is the complete team work – and individuals don’t count. I’m sorry Colin [Bell] hasn’t made it, but I’m damned sure it hasn’t weakened our chances, because we’ve proved it. We’ve been without him for three months and still reached Wembley.’
Significantly, every member of the side had already played at Wembley except youngsters Peter Barnes and Ged Keegan. When questioned whether those players would be the weak links Doyle said: ‘Peter is not only a tremendously talented player – he’s got his head screwed on the right way. He just isn’t the sort to get all worked up. In fact, I’ll bet that he could prove the biggest success of the whole match. He’s a natural. He does things superbly without having to think or worry. Keegan is in the same mould. He’ll feel at home, because he’s already one of the City first team pool. If he wasn’t something special, he wouldn’t be in it!’
The final began with both teams playing attractive football. Newcastle seemed to have the edge for a while, but a foul by Newcastle’s Keeley on Joe Royle brought an important free-kick. Hartford sent the ball to Royle, who headed the ball across the face of the goal. Barnes stormed in to fire a half-volley into the net to give City an eleventh minute lead.
Barnes, who would be announced as the PFA Young player of the Year that weekend, immediately ran off the pitch towards the stands in celebration.
Twenty-four minutes later Newcastle’s Macdonald sent in a low centre. Watson and Corrigan raced for it, but Newcastle’s Gowling managed to get to it first and stab home the equaliser.
The second half started with City determined to get an early goal – and they did! Years later Dennis Tueart explained: ‘The goal itself… [Donachie’s] going, I’ve gone to the far post, then come away from the far post because Tommy [Booth’s] gone there. But as I’ve checked back into the centre, I’d gone in too far, the ball’s gone over to Tommy. Tommy’s got half a head on it and knocked it back. It just went a wee bit behind me. Well, I’d always been fairly good at volleying right from an early age, and I’d scored a goal, probably it was the first or second game of the season, against Norwich. Which I think was technically a better goal, it flew in the net, overhead kick. I’d scored overhead kicks at school, I’d side volleyed which is slightly different, but timing and volleying had always been a strength, and it just came… Any balls that come to you as a forward, no matter which way they come to you, you just try and twist your body and get some kind of contact onto it. Because you know the general area where the goal is, and I connected pretty well, it went across and bounced in.
‘It was important because it was the 46th minute, just after half time, when we got ourselves back in front.’
Manchester City’s Mike Doyle celebrates with the League Cup (PAPhotos/Alamy)
Manager Tony Book, who became the first man to win the trophy as a player and as a manager, was delighted with City’s 2-1 win: ‘This was my greatest moment. It was a tremendous final and Tueart’s goal was something special… quite out of this world.’
On the Sunday, City returned home to an incredible tour of Manchester. It was a great day of celebration, and the final would be shown on ITV later that day. In the days before the League Cup was shown live on television, this gave those unable to get a ticket the chance to see the game for the first time.
Match Stats
28 February 1976
Manchester City 2 (Barnes & Tueart)) Newcastle United 1 (Gowling)
Attendance 100,000
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You can read more on the 1975-76 season with this 5,320 word article – a season which saw Tony Book guide the club to major success. If you want to know more on this incredible decade for Manchester City Football Club then why not subscribe and read it all? You could even subscribe for a month and see what you think. The following 5,320 word article is on the 1975-76 season and is available to subscribers below. Enjoy!
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Read more of this content when you subscribe today. It costs £3 per month (cancel anytime) to access everything posted since 1 October 2022 or there’s a special annual rate below which gives greater access and works out much cheaper.
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If you enjoy all the free material on my website and would like to support my research and keep this website going (but don’t want to subscribe) then why not make a one-time donation (or buy me a coffee). All support for my research is valued and welcome. It allows me to keep some free material available for all. Thanks.
Fifty years ago today (23 February 1976) Manchester City manager Tony Book had hoped to give Colin Bell a run out in a rearranged Reserve game but sadly Book’s hopes were dashed when the player pulled up in a training session. The City boss commented: ‘He is still feeling the effects of a calf strain and there was no point in gambling him for this afternoon’s match.’
The news was released several hours before the Central League meeting with Sheffield United when a bumper afternoon crowd was expected to see their hero. In the end his absence kept the attendance down to 2,017 – not bad for a Monday afternoon – for this 2-2 draw but it was still more than double the previous reserve game.
Once the reserve game was out of the way, City focused on Wembley. Colin Bell did travel as part of a 17-man squad to a health farm as part of the League Cup final preparations, but it was clear he was unlikely to play. Book told the Manchester Evening News: ‘We will take the situation from day to day, but frankly I can’t see him making it by Saturday. I am disappointed not only for myself and the team, but for Colin himself.’
Despite the news about Bell, City’s second League Cup final in three seasons was eagerly anticipated. The opponents would be Newcastle on 28 February.
While you’re here why not subscribe and read a 5,320 word article on the entire 1975-76 season – a season which saw Tony Book guide the club to major success. You can read this below.
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Fifty years ago today there was lots of discussion around Manchester of the prospect of Colin Bell returning to action for the League Cup final, planned for Saturday 28 February 1976. Much of the talk throughout February had been on who manager Tony Book would pick for the final with Newcastle. Injuries and suspensions had impacted City significantly throughout the season and reaching the final had been seen as the major achievement it was. Alongside this the Blues had maintained a challenge for the title, though there had been mixed results so far during January and February. A disappointing 2-1 defeat at Birmingham on 14 February had left City seventh, eight points behind leaders Liverpool.
During the week that followed the Birmingham game Book decided to move a Reserve match in the Central League to Monday 23 February, five days before the League Cup final. He explained: ‘I had been hoping that my ideas on the [Cup Final] line-up would have taken firmer shape by now, but the recurring problem of getting our key midfield player Colin Bell fully fit for his first [first team] match action since early November and a doubt about the best defensive formation at my disposal, has left the situation uncertain until the last minute.’
The move of the Reserve game with Sheffield United meant that, in Book’s eyes, there were now two games to have a proper assessment of who would be in his Wembley team – a League match with Everton on 21 February and the reserve game two days later. The hope that Bell could return was greeted extremely positively by fans desperate to see their hero. He had started a Reserve game on 17 January but, in the days that followed, he had suffered a reaction.
As City approached their League game with Everton Book admitted: ‘I will decide the team on Wednesday or Thursday of next week and part of those plans will be structured around the situation with Colin. I made it clear recently that I considered it important for our inside forward to get a couple of games under his belt to rate consideration, but whatever this weekend’s events I shall not dismiss his chances of returning until a final talk with Colin and the medical staff in midweek.’
As City fans looked forward to their League game with Everton some were already talking about attending the Reserve game with Sheffield United simply in the hope of seeing their hero. Fifty years on, it’s difficult to stress how significant the prospect of Colin Bell returning to action was viewed. It seemed unlikely he’d play at Wembley, but everyone hoped he would pass Book’s final tests and make it. Sadly, things didn’t work out, but this week back in 1976 there was still hope.
If you enjoy all the free material on my website and would like to support my research and keep this website going (but don’t want to subscribe) then why not make a one-time donation (or buy me a coffee). All support for my research is valued and welcome. It allows me to keep some free material available for all. Thanks.
If you’d like to know more about this period in Manchester City’s history why not read the following 5,320 word article on the entire 1975-76 season – a season which saw Tony Book guide the club to major success.
This article is available to subscribers below. Enjoy!
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If you enjoy all the free material on my website and would like to support my research and keep this website going (but don’t want to subscribe) then why not make a one-time donation (or buy me a coffee). All support for my research is valued and welcome. It allows me to keep some free material available for all. Thanks.
For the second successive FA Cup game there was a controversial head-butting incident involving Dennis Tueart fifty years ago today (28 January 1976). If you’d like to know what happened and its significance read the following subscriber feature:
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There’s also the following 5,320 word article on the entire 1975-76 season – a season which saw Tony Book guide the club to major success. You can read this below. You could even subscribe for a month and see what you think. Enjoy!
Subscribe to get access – Monthly
Read more of this content when you subscribe today. It costs £3 per month (cancel anytime) to access everything posted since 1 October 2022 or there’s a special annual rate to access everything posted since the site was created in December 2020. This special rate works out about £1.67 a week and gives access to everything posted, including PDFs of 3 of my books.
Read more of this content when you subscribe today. It costs £3 per month (above) or £20 a year (here) to access everything posted since the site was created in December 2020. This special rate works out about £1.67 a week and gives access to everything posted, including PDFs of 3 of my books.
If you enjoy all the free material on my website and would like to support my research and keep this website going (but don’t want to subscribe) then why not make a one-time donation (or buy me a coffee). All support for my research is valued and welcome. It allows me to keep some free material available for all. Thanks.
Here’s an odd item from my collection. It’s a compliment slip by a Star Press (the ‘champion printers’) which lists the players in Manchester City’s 1967-68 title winning team. There are a couple of spelling mistakes. See if you can spot them. One side of the compliments slip shows the League Champions and the other side looks like this:
I’m not certain if there was a close connection between Manchester City and Star Press at this time.
You can find out more about the 1967-68 season by reading the following subscriber article. If you’d like to read this 7,600 word article (yes, 7,600 words on one season!), plus all other articles on the site, then please subscribe (see below). As with most of the other seasonal features it includes words from interviews I have performed with those who were there.
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If you enjoy all the free material on my website and would like to support my research and keep this website going (but don’t want to subscribe) then why not make a one-time donation (or buy me a coffee). All support for my research is valued and welcome. It allows me to keep some free material available for all. Thanks.
Happy Christmas! Here’s a great image of Tony Book, Francis Lee and Mike Summerbee participating in the annual pantomime at Manchester City. These were the days before Peter Swales took the panto theme too far and turned running the club into one great big pantomime.
City’s pantomimes involving star players took place for many, many years and became part of the regular Junior Blues calendar of events. This image was published in January 1971 and shows the three players in the 1970-71 Cinderella show at the City Social Club.
Here’s a nice cover from the Radio Times featuring Manchester City’s 1969 FA Cup winners. They defeated Leicester 1-0 thanks to a goal from prolific City scorer Neil Young.
Almost 46 years since their first ever meeting Manchester City and Real Madrid meet tomorrow (10 December 2025) in the Champions League. I doubt anyone in the media covering the game will mention the first meeting but if there is anyone interested it took place on 19 December in 1979. Back in 1979 the game was considered a prestigious friendly, or at least that’s what it was supposed to be, but it turned out to be a controversial game with implications for the Blues for some time. Here for subscribers is an 1800 word article with images of that game and the controversy surrounding it.
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You’ve got to watch this film of Manchester City v Wolves from today (29 November) in 1975. City win the game but there’s a deliberate handball that prevents a goal but doesn’t end up with a dismissal; a missed penalty; the referee taking out Mike Doyle and much more. Enjoy:
You can also read more on the game below if you subscribe to my site.
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Gary James' Football Archive 