1961 Football League Cup final explained

The 1961 Football League Cup Final was the inaugural League Cup final. It was contested by Rotherham United and Aston Villa over two legs. Aston Villa won 3–2 on aggregate.

Due to fixture congestion, the second leg was not played until after the start of the 1961–62 season. As a result, Villa began their defence of the trophy just eight days after winning it. Though all League clubs were eligible to participate, Arsenal, Sheffield Wednesday, Tottenham Hotspur, West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers did not enter. The prize money for winning the competition was £750.^[1] The two clubs would not play each other again until they met in the same competition in August 2013.^[2] Both clubs received first round byes.^[3]

Players and officials

First leg

1 Roy Ironside 2 Peter Perry 3 Lol Morgan 4 Roy Lambert (c) 5 Peter Madden 6 Ken Waterhouse 7 Barry Webster 8 Don Weston 9 Ken Houghton 10 Alan Kirkman 11 Keith Bambridge Manager: Tom Johnston

1 Nigel Sims 2 Stan Lynn 3 Gordon Lee 4 Vic Crowe (c) 5 Jimmy Dugdale 6 Alan Deakin 7 Jimmy MacEwan 8 Bobby Thomson 9 Ralph Brown 10 Ron Wylie 11 Peter McParland Manager: Joe Mercer

Second leg

1 Geoff Sidebottom 2 John Neal 3 Gordon Lee 4 Vic Crowe (c) 5 Jimmy Dugdale 6 Alan Deakin 7 Jimmy MacEwan 8 Alan O'Neill 9 Peter McParland 10 Bobby Thomson 11 Harry Burrows Manager: Joe Mercer

1 Roy Ironside 2 Peter Perry 3 Lol Morgan 4 Roy Lambert (c) 5 Peter Madden 6 Ken Waterhouse 7 Barry Webster 8 Don Weston 9 Ken Houghton 10 Alan Kirkman 11 Keith Bambridge Manager: Tom Johnston

Road to the final

Aston Villa

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Round 1 Bye Round 2 Aston Villa 4–0 Huddersfield Town Round 3 Preston North End 3–3 Aston Villa Round 3 replay Aston Villa 3–1 Preston North End Round 4 Aston Villa 3–3 Plymouth Argyle Round 4 replay Plymouth Argyle 0–0 Aston Villa Round 4 2nd replay Plymouth Argyle 3–5 Aston Villa Quarter-final Aston Villa 3–0 Wrexham Semi-final (1st leg) Burnley 2–2 Aston Villa Semi-final (2nd leg) Aston Villa 1–1 Burnley Semi-final replay Aston Villa 2–1 Burnley   (at Old Trafford)

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Rotherham United Round 1 Bye Round 2 Leicester City 1–2 Rotherham United Round 3 Rotherham United 2–0 Bristol Rovers Round 4 Bolton Wanderers 0–2 Rotherham United Quarter-final Rotherham United 3–0 Portsmouth Semi-final (1st leg) Rotherham United 3–2 Shrewsbury Town Semi-final (2nd leg) Shrewsbury Town 1–1 Rotherham United   (Rotherham United win 4–3 on aggregate)

References

• Web site: England – League Cup Finals 1961–2001 . Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (rsssf) . 20 February 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080209231956/http://www.rsssf.com/tablese/engleagcuphistfinal.html. 9 February 2008 . live.
• First leg from Soccerbase
• Second leg from Soccerbase

Notes and References

1. News: When Aston Villa beat Rotherham to win the 1961 League Cup. Mat Kendrick. Birmingham Mail. 28 August 2013. 29 December 2016.
2. News: Then and now: Rotherham and Aston Villa revisit 1961 League Cup final with reunion of old players. Ben Curtis. Daily Mirror. 28 August 2013. 29 December 2016.
3. Web site: Holte History: 1961 Football League Cup Final. 29 December 2016.