| Founded | 1970 |
|---|---|
| Abolished | 1973 |
| Region | England |
| Teams | 8 |
TheWatney Mann Invitation Cup (normally referred to as simply theWatney Cup) was a short-lived Englishfootball tournament held in the early 1970s.
It was held before the start of the season, and was contested by the teams that had scored the most goals in each of the four divisions ofthe Football League the previous season who had not been promoted or admitted to one of the European competitions.[1] Two teams from each division took part, making eight participants in total.[1]
The competition was a straight knockout format, each match was a one-off with no replays. The final took place at the home ground of one of the finalists, rather than a neutral venue.[2]
The competition was so named thanks to asponsorship deal with theWatney Mann brewery; the first tournament forFootball League clubs to sell its naming rights.[1][3] The tournament ran four times, from 1970 to 1973, before being discontinued.[1]
From the second season of the competition, the off-side law was applied from the edge of the penalty areas only (instead of the half-way line).[1] This measure was designed to reduce midfield congestion and promote more goals, at a time when defences were becoming much better organised.[4]
Thefirst ever penalty shoot-out in England took place in a semi-final of the1970 tournament betweenHull City andManchester United, and was won by Manchester United.[1] The first footballer to take a kick wasGeorge Best, and the first to miss wasDenis Law, whose attempt was saved by Hull goalkeeperIan McKechnie. McKechnie became the first player to miss a deciding kick, when he shot wide after taking the fifth kick for Hull in the shoot-out.[5]
Following the dissolution of the competition in 1975 the trophy itself was put up for sale and purchased byDerby Museum, who presented it back to the first ever winner,Derby County. It was put on display in theclub trophy cabinet where, in 2018, it was spotted by the chairperson ofStoke City fan's council who helped arrange a share deal between Derby and Stoke City, who had been the last ever winner.[6]
| Year | Winner | Score | Runner-up | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Derby County | 4–1 | Manchester United | Baseball Ground |
| 1971 | Colchester United | 4–4 (4–3p.) | West Bromwich Albion | The Hawthorns |
| 1972 | Bristol Rovers | 0–0 (7–6p.) | Sheffield United | Eastville Stadium |
| 1973 | Stoke City | 2–0 | Hull City | Victoria Ground |
A total of 26 teams competed in the competition during its existence.Peterborough United took part in three of the four tournaments and four teams took part twice.
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