Colchester United won the Watney Cup on this day in 1971

Manager Dick Graham’s ageing U’s heroes had already sent shock-waves reverberating around the football world six months earlier when sensationally knocking mighty Leeds United - rated the best team in Europe at the time - out of the FA Cup on Saturday February 13, 1971.

Here they were again lighting up the prelude to the ‘71-72 Division Four season by beating top division rivals West Bromwich Albion in their own Hawthorns stadium to win the Watney Cup final in the the first ever live television penalty shoot-out!

The two sides had finished all-square at the end of normal time, but what was to follow was even more incredible as young rookie midfielder Phil Bloss stepped out of the shadows into the history books by slotting the final spot-kick just inside the post to seal another remarkable David and Goliath triumph.

IT was fitting that teenager Bloss scooped the final glory, for, brought into the team less than an hour before kick-off, he was one of the stars of the game.

He said afterwards: “I didn’t have time to be nervous because I didn’t know I was playing until just before kick-off!

“It was probably because I wasn’t nervous that I volunteered to take one of the penalties, but I never thought I would end up taking such a crucial spot-kick.

“Nerves never came into it. I knew where I was going to place the ball and I just ran up and hit it there!”

The talented 18-year-old could not believe what he had just achieved, or the enormity of his vital strike, until sometime after.

He said: “It didn’t sink in what had just happened out on the pitch until I was back in the dressing room celebrating with the rest of the lads and drinking out of that massive silver cup.

“The Watney Cup was ours!”

The sensational Leeds United shock was still uppermost in the U’s fans’ memory yet here their Layer Road heroes were again writing yet another chapter of giant-killing history.

Saturday afternoon August 7 had the excitable U’s fans all agog again as their battle-worn heroes slayed top division (today’s Premier League) West Bromwich Albion 4-3 on penalties after the two sides had finished all-square at 4-4 at the end of normal time.

Graham’s Grandads - minus talisman centre-forward Ray Crawford (already on his way to South Africa), hard-man half-back John Kurila (set to join Lincoln City), left-back Brian Hall and inside-forward Ken Jones (both injured) - pulled off another shock following a see-saw eight-goal thriller, to win the impressive Watney Mann Invitation Cup - better known simply as the Watney Cup.

West Brom’s Hawthorns stadium was buzzing with excitement and the near 19,000 crowd - would have been thousands more but for a nearby friendly between Aston Villa and Birmingham - plus an estimated 12-million TV viewers were kept on their toes as the two teams fought out a mind-boggling, hammer and tongs, end-to-end final.

Going into the game with Eric Burgess replacing Hall, Brian Owen in place of Kurila and Bloss in for Crawford, the U’s soon found themselves ahead as star-man Mick Mahon’s angled shot screamed into the corner of the net after just eight minutes.

Mahon’s goal was cancelled out by Len Cantello eight minutes later before England international striker Jeff Astle scored the first of his two goals to put “The Baggies” in front for the first time on the half-hour.

Big Dave Simmons smacked home a 2-2 equaliser two minutes later and Colin Suggett was in the right spot two minutes later to deflect Albion’s third goal past U’s keeper Graham Smith. Mahon then crashed home an unstoppable 67th minute equaliser to make the score 3-3.

The thrills and spills didn’t end there either. There was more to come as Mahon was hacked down in the penalty area, enabling Brian Lewis to send Albion keeper Jimmy Cumbes the wrong way from the resultant spot-kick four minutes from fulltime.

Just when it looked as though Colchester were going to record another great upset, Astle popped up 60 seconds from fulltime to stab home a fourth goal off his knee to take the final into a first ever televised, live penalty shoot-out.

The excitement and intrigue continued to grip the fans and the tension was unbearable as England international Tony Brown scored at the second attempt after referee David Smith ruled U’s ‘keeper Smith had moved when saving the first kick.

Lewis netted Colchester’s first with ease before Astle restored Albion’s lead with another twice taken kick.

Brian Gibbs made it 2-2 at the second attempt after Cumbes moved when saving his first spot-kick.

The pressure was by now clearly getting to the players as Albion’s Ray Wilson blazed high over the bar, but Cumbes kept the scores level by saving U’s skipper Bobby Cram’s spot-kick.

Cantello suffered the same fate as his Albion team-mate Wilson, but Brian Owen made no mistake when shooting the U’s ahead at 3-2.

Bobby Hope levelled the scores from West Brom’s fifth and final kick - enter rookie Bloss with the nerve-tingling finale of having to score the winner from the U’s last kick.

Colchester had never scored on a First Division ground before, now they had to score eight goals to win the match!

The U’s fans needn’t have worried as the talented teenager coolly slotted the ball low into the net to the right of Cumbes, who stood no chance of saving it.

The Watney Cup was Colchester’s and another giant-killing was in the bag.

The fairytale ending also provided a special moment for U’s captain Cram as he proudly hoisted the giant trophy aloft on the ground where he had spent so many happy days as an Albion player.

Watney final teams: U’s - Graham Smith, Bobby Cram (capt), John Gilchrist, Brian Garvey, Eric Burgess, Brian Lewis, Phil Bloss, Brian Owen, Dave Simmons, Brian Gibbs, Mick Mahon.

WBA - Jimmy Cumbes, Lyndon Hughes, Ray Wilson, Len Cantello, John Wile, John Kaye, Colin Suggett, Ally Brown, Jeff Astle, Bobby Hope, Asa Hartford.

The Watney Cup proved a great pay day for the U’s as they picked up a £5,000 top prize, plus a share of the gate receipts and TV income.

Colchester beat Second Division Luton Town 1-0 in the first round in front of a Layer Road crowd of 8,186 thanks to a Lewis penalty.

They followed up by defeating Division Two’s Carlisle United 2-0 in the semi-finals with goals from Gibbs and Lewis before a home crowd of 7,871.

West Bromwich Albion roared into the final with wins over Wrexham and Halifax Town (who had sensationally knocked out Manchester United).

An estimated 5,000 fans lined the streets of Colchester a few days later as manager Dick Graham and his U’s heroes paraded the handsome trophy from Layer Road through the town centre to Colchester Castle.

Held before the start of each season, the competition was contested by the teams that had scored the most goals in each of English football’s four divisions the previous season who had not won promotion or gained a place in any of the European competitions.

West Bromwich Albion (58 league goals) and Manchester United (65) represented Division One - today’s Premier League.

Carlisle United (65) and Luton Town (62) represented Division Two - today’s Championship. Halifax Town (74) and Wrexham (72) represented Division Three - today’s League One and Colchester United (70) and Crewe Alexandra (75) represented Division Four - today’s League Two.

The Watney Cup was straight knock-out - no replays - and decided by a penalty shoot-out in the event of a draw.