Sheff Weds 4 Chelsea 4

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League Cup 5th Round Replay. Wednesday January 30, 1985.

Sheffield Wednesday v. Chelsea

Sheffield Wednesday: M.Hodge, M.Sterland, P.Shirtliff, L.Madden, M.Lyons, N.Worthington, B.Marwood, A.Blair, I.Varadi, L.Chapman, G.Shelton. sub: G.Oliver.

Chelsea: E.Niedzwiecki, J.Jones, D.Rougvie, C.Lee, J.McLaughlin, D.Jasper, P.Nevin, N.Spackman, K.Dixon, D.Speedie, M.Thomas. sub: P.Canoville.

Those were the days. Not only did the pitches get muddy and frozen enough for games to get postponed in the winter and first division teams had to cram in 42 league games a season they also had the prospect of limitless cup replays to negotiate.

Thanks to a penalty save by Martin Hodge from Kerry Dixon at Stamford Bridge on the Monday night these two teams were now having to replay this League Cup tie at Hillsborough on the Wednesday. The desperately heavy pitch would not be an ally to any aching limbs that might be taking the field.

Wednesday were unchanged from two days earlier whereas Chelsea were now missing the injured Colin Pates and Keith Jones. The atmosphere was bubbling as the biggest crowd of the season crammed into the famous old ground with a healthy contingent from London to add spice to the occasion.

The home side started at a frantic pace and immediately had their visitors penned back. Plenty of high balls were sent in the direction of Lee Chapman but Andy Blair was also able to make light of the boggy central areas to set a series of attacks in motion.

The liveliest attacker on view was Wednesday's Brian Marwood who was operating mainly down the right flank but with some licence to wander. Supported keenly by Mel Sterland from full back Marwood was mainly responsible for the numerous free kicks and corners that Wednesday gained in the opening quarter of an hour which had the Chelsea defence consistently under pressure.

Colin Lee conceded a cheap free kick by barging into the back of Chapman from a punt forward by Martin Hodge and when Blair chipped this into the box the visitors were unable to clear properly leading to another foul by Lee, this time on Marwood, down the left hand side of the box.

Blair trotted forward to take this one as well and Mike Lyons got his head to the whipped centre at the near post to send the ball, perhaps with the aid of a deflection, into the far corner.

The pattern was set and Howard Wilkinson's side rammed home their advantage. Nothing was sticking up front for Chelsea with the ball coming back constantly at their harrassed defence. The strapping Chelsea rearguard was ideally suited to dealing with corners but the sheer volume of set pieces being won by the home side seemed certain to bring its' reward.

Blair, controllintg the game at this point, eased past a challenge in midfield before releasing Marwood whose driven centre was well cleared by Joey Jones at the expense of a throw in which in turn led to yet another corner.

This was inevitably sent over by Blair and Jones was again up to head clear although on this occasion he took the ball away from Eddie Niedzwiecki as he attempted to punch clear. The ball landed back at the feet of Blair who skipped past Mickey Thomas to the byeline and chipped over a centre to the back post where Lee Chapman headed back across goal into the net.

Imre Varadi dived in ahead of Marwood to make absolutely sure but the ball was already over the line when he made contact and the goal was Chapman's, the striker looking just as happy as Bertie Bassett celebrating joyously in front of the Wednesday kop.

Chelsea provided an indication of the threat they could pose when a punt forward by Joe McLaughlin enabled David Speedie to shrug off Peter Shirtliff for a run on goal but the defender recovered just in time to get a toe onto the strikers' shot and the ball deflected against the base of the post with Speedie unable to profit from the rebound.

The visitors could not build any momentum, however, and when Wednesday scored again shortly before half time it appeared to be game over. Mel Sterland hooked a long ball forward from the right touchline and Marwood got the better of Colin Lee, albeit with the aid of what looked a blatant foul, before drifting onto his left foot to send a sweet, curving drive beyond Niedzwiecki which rippled the side netting as it entered the Chelsea goal.

Three quarters of Hillsborough was absolutely rocking as the whistle sounded for half time.

Half Time: Sheffield Wednesday 3 Chelsea 0

Chelsea boss John Neal responded to his teams' plight by throwing on his one substitute, Paul Canoville, for the centre half Colin Lee. Canoville lined up on the left wing with Dale Jasper dropping back into the back four. Basically Chelsea were going to play a 4-2-4 formation.

Cheslea sent the kick off back to Joey Jones to launch the ball forward. Kerry Dixon won the ball in the air, Speedie flicked it on towards the goalmouth and Canoville arrived off his flank in behind the centre halves to drill a low shot into the corner of Martin Hodge's goal. He had been on the pitch for 11 seconds.

This startling goal gave Chelsea a foothold in the match but it did not appear as though it would do them much good as Wednesday came forward again in response to this effort.

Chapman flicked on a huge punt by Hodge and Marwood looked to be clear on goal only for a desperate saving challenge from Jones to deflect his drive behind for a corner. When Blair floated this into the centre Imre Varadi lost his marker to send in a fine header that flashed just wide with Niedzwiecki stranded.

Ironically it was Chelsea who began to get a grip in midfield, however. While Wednesday became increasingly eager to hoist high balls into Chapman Pat Nevin began rambling all over the pitch in search of the ball and thereby combined with Mickey Thomas and Nigel Spackman in gaining control of the central areas.

As the game progressed there was less and less shape about Chelsea but their instinctive approach seemed to suit mavericks such as Nevin, Thomas and Speedie and with the game becoming increasingly stretched the outcome no longer seemed dead and buried.

This approach was evident when Canoville suddenly popped up on the right flank and joined with Speedie in nicking possession halfway inside the Wednesday half. Speedie shifted the ball inside to the supporting Thomas and his clever pass sent Dixon completely clear of the defence.

The home side looked for an offside flag but Sterland was playing Dixon on and the forward was free to go. Perhaps Dixon himself was expecting the flag as he took an age to carry the ball on but when Hodge advanced to meet him his predatory instincts took over and he sidestepped the keeper before stabbing home into the bottom corner as defenders raced to recover.

Now the atmosphere had completely changed with anxiety rolling down in waves from the home sections while the visiting fans roared their men on.

Spackman robbed Varadi as Wednesday looked to retaliate and fed Speedie whose first time lay off sent Nevin breaking towards the Wednesday area. Mike Lyons was treading water as the nimble winger raced into the box and when Nevin checked back he was able to tee up the arriving Thomas who scored with a sumptuous side footed first time shot high into the net.

Fifteen minutes remained and the tie was, incredibly, back level. Bertie Bassett was now also conspicuous by his absence.

Lee Chapman was able to chest a long ball off into Andy Blair's path and the midfielder slipped the ball back to him for a shot but from 25 yards the effort flew straight at Niedzwiecki.

When Blair tried a back heel up the right touchline, however, he surrendered possession to Thomas and Nevin was able to scamper forward on a sudden break. Having ignored the challenge of Blair he broke through the centre before releasing Dixon running through the inside right channel.

Initially Canoville had gone for the same ball but seeing Dixon better placed he checked inside and when the centre forward drew the covering defenders and slipped a simple ball inside Canoville was through on goal again.

Hodge dashed out and got something on the hurried shot but the ball lobbed forwards and dropped into the net before any retreating defender could clear.

Howard Wilkinson sat on the bench with glazed eyes, probably wondering why there weren't any coaching courses you could take to tell you what to do in such circumstances.

All his players could do was throw bodies forward in the remaining few minutes and hope to save themselves.

Salvation came when Chelsea's luck finally ran out. Time and again they had broken from their own half to attack Wednesday but when Nevin tried to run his way out of another tight spot inside his own half he was caught in possession and when the ball was moved forward Mel Sterland was storming into the Chelsea penalty area.

Sterland knocked the ball past Doug Rougvie and tried to stride beyond the defender. Rougvie looked favourite to clear but missed with two nervous prods at the ball and when he tried a third Sterland, breaking past him, went down and the referee pointed straight to the spot.

Sterland had to get up and take the kick himself and simply thrashed the ball low down the middle, Niedzwiecki obliged by diving out of the way and the game was going to extra time.

Full Time: Sheffield Wednesday 4 Chelsea 4

Both teams seemed to be catching breath in the first period of extra time although Canoville did spark danger when he robbed a tired looking Lyons and set off on a run which took him past four Wednesday defenders. Having driven into the box he cut the ball back for Thomas in the same position from which he had scored earlier but this time he decided to have a touch which was not the greatest and could only stab his eventual shot wide of the near post.

In the second period both sides summoned whatever energy they had left to try and find a winner, probably in the hope of avoiding another replay.

Another massive punt from Hodge caused panic in the Chelsea defence and after two efforts had been charged down by desperate defenders the ball was returned into the box where Marwood had found space. His centre to the far post found Chapman unmarked but having taken an ungainly touch he sent his shot wide of the target.

Wednesday threatened again when Nigel Worthington lumped a ball forward from tight to the touchline which put Marwood in behind the defence. His chest control was excellent but on the run he could not keep his shot beneath the bar.

A similar punt forward by Rougvie saw Dixon challenging in the air and when the ball dropped for Speedie his sweet first time pass had Canoville racing through. The winger took one touch too many before shooting, however, which allowed Hodge to get out to make a crucial block.

Moments later the whistle sounded and a remarkable game had failed to produce a winner. When the teams' returned to Stamford Bridge a week later, however, Chelsea would finally prevail by two goals to one.

This, however, would be the part of the trilogy to go down in footballing folklore.

Full Time (after extra time): Sheffield Wednesday 4 Chelsea 4