The FA Cup has produced no shortage of upsets over the years. In many ways, this is the appeal of the competition. Larger than life Premier League clubs can get thrown in the mix with teams as far down the footballing pyramid as non-league, leaving the door open for potential shock victories. 20 years ago, Cardiff City managed just that, when they defeated Leeds United at Ninian Park by two goals to one in a highly tempered affair.
It was a fixture which many had predicted to go comfortably in Leeds’ favour, an understandable prediction given where the two clubs were at the time. The Bluebirds were languishing in the Football League Division Two (which would go on to be called EFL League One) however amongst their squad lay the talents of Danny Gabbidon, Scott Young, Robert Earnshaw and Graham Kavanagh, with the latter having a key part to play in the tie.
Leeds’ squad however were far and away superior as they boasted a squad which had saw them top the Premier League at the time of the game. This included a strike partnership of Mark Viduka and Robbie Fowler, as well as a defence which included Jonathan Woodgate and a young Rio Ferdinand. Everything looked set for Leeds to advance to the fourth round, but the Bluebirds, then managed by Alan Cork, had other plans.
An impressive long-range effort from the aforementioned Viduka saw the visitors take an early lead, however it was quickly cancelled out when Kavanagh scored a sublime free kick at 21 minutes. The goal remains one of the playmaker’s most impressive in a city shirt. The tie was then blown wide open as Alan Smith received marching orders from referee Andy D’Urso.
Scott Young wrote his name into City folklore by grabbing the winner just as the final whistle loomed whilst the 22,000+ fans in attendance erupted. Fans of a certain age will undeniably cite this game as one of their favourite Cardiff City memories. The reaction on Twitter from Bluebirds displays this in abundance as fans shared their stories from the game.
One fan wrote “My best CCFC memory ever. I’d recently lost my granddad and wasn’t going to the game. So glad I did now”, whilst another confessed that they “started the game in the Canton [stand], and was on the pitch at the end and sat in the home dugouts”.
Many fans had commented on how electric the atmosphere was. One wrote “Probably the best atmosphere in my 50 years of watching the City!”, whilst another wrote “Sam walking around the pitch. What a legend. Best days following City under his ownership”. This is of course in reference to then-owner Sam Hammam controversially doing laps of the pitch to fire up home supporters whilst also teasing the away end.
What ever your opinion on the game, and in particular Sam’s behaviour, there is no doubting the scale of this FA Cup giant-killing, and one can only hope that similar days are to come for the Bluebirds in the future.
Owen Gardner's Sports Blog 