The Glory of the FA Cup: From Ricky Villa to Dave Beasant (When the Fa Cup Really Mattered)

From Ricky Villa to Dave Beasant is the third and final installment in Matthew Eastley's Cup Final series. It tells the story of the 1980s, when it wasn't just the giants of the game who enjoyed Cup success, but also clubs such as West Ham, Coventry City, and Wimbledon. It tells the stories of Wembley heroes—Houchen, Sanchez, Brooking—recounts great performances and recalls the joy of first-time finalists such as QPR and Watford. But most important are the amazing first-hand stories of the fans inside Wembley. Who were they, and how do they look back on those halcyon days? Here are gripping tales of soccer, social change, love, and kinship—all played out against a backdrop of pop music, films, and contemporary news. For this was the decade which saw an ominous increase in live televised football, and ended in tragedy at an FA Cup semi-final at Hillsborough.