Arsenal FA Cup 5th Round 1978 Were you there?

I went to this match, and my memory tells me that Malcolm Macdonald scored a hat-trick in our 4-1 defeat, with Alan Buckley being set up unselfishly by Miah Dennehy for a consolation goal.

But, recently I looked up the match stats and every source I can find on the web tells me that Stapleton scored 2, Sunderland 1 and Macdonald only scored 1. Fair enough I thought, my memory has gone to pot over the last 40 years and I have mis-remembered the game.

Buuuut, a short while ago I was reading the Alan Buckley book Pass and Move and in it he says “Malcom Macdonald’s class told and his hat-trick helped the gunners to a 4-1 win.”

Were you there? Can you remember? Is it possible that the Buck and I both mis-remember exactly the same thing?

Here’s the first…

The main thing I recall is coming out of the tube and asking a policeman where the away end was. He asked me if I had a ticket and I said no whereupon he gave me one for the best stand! Hard to sit amongst all the Arsenal fans which was a bit grim given what was going on on the pitch though!

Yes i was there, went on a coach from The Hamemakers pub. I also have believed all these years that Supermac scored a hatrick.

I do remember Stapleton scoring the other goal, but also Macdonald scoring three.

What do you remember about the goalscorers?

I wasn’t born until 1984 @Chanticleer, so in no position to comment!

I was there also and the one thing i remember was an ex dingle scoring (Alan Sunderland).

Stapleton with a couple and we had to let MacDonald have the other one to make up for him being absolutely useless at fellows park in 75 :grinning:

This is a job for @Fellows1926

:slight_smile:

Would this be Buckley`s mate who was SADLAD ?

I can’t possibly betray a confidence :wink:

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Was one of the many who travelled to the smoke. I went with ex brother in law and his son and dad in his Volvo .I’m not sure if super Mac got 3 but sure he punched one the line ( we were down the end he scored level with the penalty area). Not looked at any records so could be mistaken but its what I think… Good day out with no trouble well apart from the result.

Goarn, you know you want to :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

The Arsenal goalscorers were Sunderland, MacDonald (with his Andy Cook style chest), and two for Stapleton. I always used to scribble the scorers on my program back in those days, and have just checked it. Would post a picture if my son was here!

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I only remember McDonald scoring one almost on the line .

Do you recall the Tottenham fans in the away end supporting us ?

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https://blog.woolwicharsenal.co.uk/archives/9494

Looks like i was wrong all these years !

I went down on one of the WMPTE buses - had to park at a bus garage so it was a bit of a walk to the ground. Passed some mean looking spurs fans outside a pub, but once they worked out we were Walsall fans, they left us alone. Anyone end up in that cage in the corner (apart from Chunkster, obs).
I remember McDonald titting it in, and also Jeff King flattening him with a shoulder charge - the ref judged it fair as well.

I think Spurs fans did the same when we beat the Arse in the Milk Cup at Highbury a few years later. There was certainly several hundred sitting in the lower tier seats around the halfway line who made a right noise when we scored on that famous night. They were completely separate from the 2,000 of us on the terracing in the corner and the 500 or so Saddlers in the seats in the top stand. I always wondered who they were as we would not have been allocated seats in that position, so I’ve always assumed they were Spurs fans on a ‘wind up’.

I was not at Highbury in 1978, but listened to reports on what was then BBC Radio Birmingham. It was so exciting to see us on Match of the Day later, waiting for Buckley to score his goal. I was at the Swansea/Leicester matches in the previous two rounds - both memorable victories in their own right (a young Alan Curtis upfront for the Swans). The win at Arsenal is a never-to-be-forgotten moment. I made sure I was the last fan out of the away end that night.Little did I know that the nights to come at Milmoor and Anfield would be just as good. God, we were spoilt in those days.

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I am happy that I have mis-remembered, but what I find really strange is the Alan Buckley (and Pinnacle) mis-remembered the exact same thing. Very odd. :slight_smile:

I was there, unfortunately 17 years old, ■■■■■■, and don’t remember a thing!!