From Struggle to glory: The Saint’s first glorious cup win against Man United
Saints were momentarily forced to transfer home matches to their close rivals Portsmouth’s venue at Fratton Park during World War II after a bomb crashed on the Dell pitch, producing an 18-foot crater which destroyed an underground culvert and flooded the surface.
Promotion was almost missed in 1949 and 1950 by a margin of one point and then goal average as Charlie Wayman banged in a total of 56 goals. Then relegation in 1953 brought Saints tumbling back into Division 3 (South).
It took until 1960 for Saints to restore Second Division status, Derek Reeves plundering 39 of the winners’ 106 League goals. In 1963 a crowd of 68,000 at Villa Park watched them lose 1-0 to Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-final.
The ambition of Division One football at The Dell for the first time was eventually achieved in 1966 when Ted Bates’s squad were promoted as runners-up. It was a never-to-be-forgotten feat.
For the next year Ron Davies came to score 43 goals in his debut season and Saints remained among the best for eight years. Twice they qualified for Europe before becoming the first victims of the new three-down relegation system in 1974.
The most memorable day in Southampton Football Club’s history came in 1976 when the Second Division side, managed by Lawrie McMenemy, won the FA Cup for the first time with a sensational 1-0 victory at Wembley over odds-on favourites Manchester United, thanks to a late winning goal from Bobby Stokes (pictured).
In 1978 Saints achieved promotion back to Division One and a year later they were again at Wembley, losing 3-2 to Nottingham Forest in the League Cup Final. Alan Ball was on the Saints squad, one of many notable names to join the club.
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