On This Day in Football: 12th May
12th May 1979
On this day in 1979, one of the most dramatic FA Cup finals unfolded at Wembley Stadium. Arsenal faced Manchester United in a match that would be remembered as ‘The Five-Minute Final’. Arsenal took a commanding 2-0 lead by half-time with goals from Brian Talbot and Frank Stapleton. As the match approached its conclusion, the score remained unchanged, and Arsenal seemed poised to secure the trophy. However, the final minutes of the game delivered unexpected drama. In the 86th minute, Manchester United’s Gordon McQueen scored, narrowing the gap. Just two minutes later, Sammy McIlroy equalised for United, setting the stage for extra time. Yet, in a stunning turn of events, Arsenal’s Alan Sunderland scored the winning goal in the 89th minute, securing a 3-2 victory for Arsenal. The match was witnessed by a crowd of 99,219, many of whom may have missed the thrilling conclusion in a bid to beat the rush at the Tube station.
12th May 2007
Fast forward to 2007, and the newly rebuilt Wembley Stadium hosted its first major final. Stevenage Borough captain Ronnie Henry made history by becoming the first player to ascend the 107 steps to the Royal Box to collect a trophy, a significant increase from the 39 steps of the old stadium. Stevenage Borough faced Kidderminster Harriers in the FA Trophy final, with a crowd of 53,262 in attendance. The match concluded with a 3-2 victory for Stevenage Borough, marking a memorable day for the club. Just a week later, the new Wembley would host its first FA Cup final, where Chelsea defeated Manchester United 1-0 in front of a crowd of 89,826.
