WATFORD 1987

Drawing Watford in the League Cup in 1987-88 meant that it would be the fifth time in two years that the clubs had played each other in knock-out competitions (3 FA Cup games and a Full Members' Cup match had produced a win each and two draws). 

City, languishing in the middle of the 2nd division after the previous season's demotion, had already dealt with Wolves and Nottingham Forest to get this far (4th round). More impressively, ten days earlier the Blues had knocked 10 past Huddersfield Town in the league and followed it up with a 6-2 demolition of Plymouth in the Simod Cup. Goals were flowing liberally through a side with David White, Paul Stewart and Tony Adcock ably supplied through the middle by an emerging Paul Lake and off the flanks by Paul Simpson.

In 1987, Manchester City versus Watford meant midtable second division versus midtable first. With Dave Basset newly installed as manager after Graham Taylor's flight to Aston Villa, a continuation of the club's agricultural approach to tactics was assured.

City's scoring spree attracted the BBC cameras to Maine Road, with John Motson in attendance in the commentary box.

The teams lined up like this:

City relied heavily on members of the 1986 Youth Cup winning side, Mel Machin in the throes of building an excellent young team that would gain promotion the season after. The likes of Lake, Simpson, White, Steve Redmond and Ian Brightwell all making the cut for this game, with Ian Scott on the bench.

"Well the way this lad Lake is coming through from midfield deserves special mention..." - John Motson, BBC commentary.

 

In a first half dominated by the home side, it was Lake who ran the show, revealing, at just 19, a maturity that would bring him quickly to wider attention. Lake had played at centre-half with aplomb, shown positional awareness at right back too, but was in his element striding through central midfield to link play to the forward line.   

Malcolm Allen's wildly swinging effort late in the first half that came back off Eric Nixon's far post was ample warning for what the Watford winger would come up with at the start of the 2nd period, hammering in an audacious volley that bounced off the bar and came back out, having crossed the line. Replays were inconclusive and, with no goal line technology in those days, the Kippax was left to grumble about hasty decisions from motherless referees with poor eye sight. 

Gary Porter's strike against the bar just after this showed City were living dangerously. However, cometh the hour, cometh the man. Lake, striding upright through the middle like a young Franz Beckenbauer, fed White who put City back in front at 2-1.

Worrell Sterling's thoughtless handball gave City the chance to seal the tie, with future City 'keeper Tony Coton saving Paul Stewart's kick (his second penalty save at Maine Road in two years) but Stewart netted the rebound to make it 3-1.

City would go no further in that season's Littlewoods Cup, knocked out 0-2 at the home of the reigning champions Everton in the quarter finals. To complete a Merseyside double, Liverpool would knock City out of the FA Cup quarter finals that season too. But Machin's youngsters were beginning to flourish and would be back in the top flight for the beginning of the 1989-90 season, where the world would hear more about a certain Paul Lake.

  

Brief highlights of the game here: