The Mercantile Credit Centenary Trophy was played in the 1988-1989 season to celebrate the 100th birthday of the Football league. "[7] Newcastle United needed extra time to overcome their opponents Wimbledon; the tie was settled by Michael O'Neill's goal in the 109th minute. The match was held at Villa Park, considered the birthplace of the Football League. Goals from Paul Davis and Michael Thomas gave Arsenal a 2â1 victory, with Clayton Blackmore the scorer for United. “I know it’s been criticised. Watching the highlights, it is impossible to ignore the empty terraces, although the atmosphere inside the ground still sounds better than any stadium you will visit in England now. The Football League Centenary Trophy (also known as the Mercantile Credit Centenary Trophy for sponsorship reasons) was an English football tournament held during the 1988â89 season to celebrate the 100th birthday of The Football League. Anusol Cream Use, It won the Mercantile Credit Centenary Trophy in 1989 to go with its 13 FA Charity Shield championships. In April 1988, a whole set of League fixtures were cancelled to allow the staging of the Mercantile Credit Football Festival, which turned out to be as naff as it sounded. You are encouraged to share your thoughts and memories about anything related to this article. [7] Gordon Strachan scored the game's only goal in the second half, heading in at the far post. But if you’re going to enter a competition, win it,” said Graham firmly. [15] Newcastle came close to scoring the winner two minutes before normal time was up, only for substitute Mirandinha to miss. Tony Adams climbed up what looked like temporary scaffolding to lift the strange trophy and the players looked slightly embarrassed passing it around, but Steve Curry was spot-on in his assessment in the Express: “The League’s centenary celebrations have, overall, been a shambles, but this rousing finale at least left one worthwhile memory.”. [15] Defender Steve Bruce scored inside 44 seconds of extra time, and ten minutes later McClair headed in to give United a 2â0 win. Liverpool recorded the biggest win of the round, defeating Nottingham Forest 4â1 at a half-capacity Anfield. Qualification for the Mercantile Credit Football Festival was based on league performance over a portion of the season and brought the following 16 teams to the event (NB: a separate knockout competition, the Mercantile Credit Centenary Trophy took place throughout the season and involved NUFC): Foley died on 26 June 2020, aged 83. (Part 1) 1987 (August 8) Football League XI 3-Rest of World 0 (Football League Centenary).avi [2], The Football League marked its centenary during the 1987â88 and 1988â89 seasons with a number of events; an exhibition game between a Football League XI and a World XI in August 1987,[3] followed by a Centenary Friendly Tournament eight months later. This page lists English association football clubs whose men's sides have won competitive honours run by official governing bodies. United had the better of the second half, Clayton Blackmore halving the deficit after 84 minutes, but Arsenal held on to win an exhilarating match. Visit the official website of the Premier League for more details. Squad rotation was still a distant concept back in 1988 and there was no European football to overload the players, so strong teams were fielded. Dies geschieht in Ihren Datenschutzeinstellungen. [12] The trophy would develop into the FA Charity Shield in 1908, which was later renamed the … The International Football Cup, also known as the UEFA Intertoto Cup, started in 1961, was a competition for clubs not participating in the European Cup, UEFA Cup, and Cup Winners Cup. "Matchdetails from Liverpool â Nottingham Forest played on Monday 29 August 1988", "Matchdetails from Arsenal â Liverpool played on Tuesday 20 September 1988". [2][4] The final centrepiece was the Football League Centenary Trophy, a one-off tournament which commenced at the start of the 1988â89 season. Mercantile Credit Centenary Trophy Correctly entitled "The Football League Centenary Trophy" this competition was more commonly known as "The Mercantile Credit Centenary Trophy" for sponsorship reasons. He volleyed home a Marwood cross after 36 minutes to give Arsenal the lead and then, four minutes later, spotted Michael Thomas charging through the midfield and set him up for the second goal. This was the case off the pitch too, with fans involved in a number of running battles in and around the stadium, as Andy Townsend might put it. Fortunately my club, Arsenal, have managed to steer clear of most of these, but in 1988 the club qualified for a cup competition that was organised by the Football League to commemorate their 100th anniversary. King A. The Football League Centenary Trophy (also known as the Mercantile Credit Centenary Trophy for sponsorship reasons) was an English football tournament held during the 1988–89 season to celebrate the 100th birthday of The … The Mercantile Credit Centenary Trophy. Tony Adams, Steve Bould and Paul Merson enjoy the moment at Villa Park in 1988. here have been a number of awful football competitions organised throughout the history of the sport, from the Anglo-Scottish Cup to the Zenith Data Systems, taking in such delights as the Texaco Cup, ScreenSport Super Cup and Watney Cup along the way. Nevertheless, fans voted with their feet. Only 16,439 people watched Manchester United beat Everton in their quarter-final; only 17,141 went to St James’ Park for Newcastle’s 1-0 win over Wimbledon; and Liverpool could only bring in 20,141 for their 4-1 victory against Nottingham Forest.