Hereford's feat 1972, when football was still romanticism

Last update 23 July, 2024 by Alberto Llopis

Nowadays, football is giving away moments and epic feats, where not always the richest, powerful or handsome always win. Unfortunately, because of marketing, greed and economic issues, these things happen less and less.

Formerly, football had most romantic moments, being true that phrase that measures the human melancholy of : “Any time in the past was better”. And the story we want to tell here today.

Where is Hereford?

Let the reader in a position, we are going to 1972, England, a party of the legendary and even romantic English FA Cup. The draw featured a Newcastle United against the Hereford. We're going to give you an idea, It was like matching a Real Madrid team against a local team from a preferential regional team..

And the Hereford, It was a team of amateurs who played football for the essence of the same, but not life earned with the ball and just playing for the fun of it. Newcastle face a, full of professionals and internationals. The tie, they played a single match at St James Park, the fief of Newcastle, so the outcome was foreseen clear and no one had any hope in the modest Hereford.

El Newcastle, He is thinking about winning the match with cap, He fielded a team full of alternate thinking it was all done, and they did not know how they were wrong. The first leg ended tied at two goals, so another playoff match had to be played in the field of the modest English team.

The Hereford field, It was the typical English stadium of the time. Little, with only capacity 4000 spectators, fact that made many climb the trees behind the field to watch the game for free..

Malcom McDonald: “meter 10 goals by myself”

The lawn had four inches of mud and local fans, They were eager to see the idols that only having forced the playoff game, they had already achieved a feat. To encourage more if possible ” roost”, Malcolm McDonald, star of “Magpies”, He even said that in the tiebreaker game he was going to score ten goals against Hereford by himself, in order to beat the record for top scorer in one match. I didn't know how much I would regret his words.. Newcastle faced the second leg with all its headlines.

Hereford's feat 1972

The match, Epic and fought on the muddy grass of the tiny stage of Hereford, would yield a capital surprise. the meeting, he went scoreless until the minute 80, McDonald, that man who was a star of the time and who I was going to score ten goals, he managed to score the only goal for his team.

There were ten minutes left and it seemed like the game was going to end., that there was nothing more to do. At that moment, Ricky George jumped on the quagmire that was the lawn of the stadium Hereford, something that would later be of vital importance. With the Newcastle stars already almost celebrating the victory on a field that looked like a cow pasture, the locals, all honor and claw, They were going to tie the game with a great goal from outside the area scored by Redford, thus tying the match and forcing extra time.

At that moment, McDonald, He had already realized that he was not going to score 10 pobrecitos goals to amateur players of Hereford,. And I was also mud to the pins to discover what is discussed about the grass and not the press.

Epic final, Film worthy

During the extension, Hereford players as if from a Soccer movie It was, They ate the stars team. In min 108, Ricky George, the semi-balding blond player who had left the field just after the goal McDonald, I was going to score the goal that gave the victory to Hereford, bringing madness to all the people, to present at the stadium, They were going to jump on the grass to celebrate it with the players. At the end of the game, McDonald no longer knew where to hide and had to bow his head to discover that the heart and courage can more than chulería, the millions and airs.

PD: Yes you liked the story, we leave the video with the report on the party. Do not miss it, it's worth it.