Inside:

NUFC League Cup history

History of the Competition

The League Cup was the brainchild of League Secretary Alan Hardaker. The relationship between the Football League and the Football Association was at a pretty low ebb and the League wanted their own cup competition to capture some of the glamour of knock-out. He also believed extra cup games would boost the revenues of the smaller teams.

It's arrival during the first season of the sixties was greeted with little enthusiasm. Many top clubs shunned it; with English clubs at last being allowed to compete in Europe they didn't need or want the extra games from another domestic trophy.

It wasn't just the clubs who were apathetic; the early attendances were fairly pitiful too. But gradually interest amongst the fans rose and the financial gains became more attractive to clubs facing reduced attendances and increasing wage bills .

Then in 1967 the League played their trump card. The Final was to be played at Wembley and the winner would gain entry to the Fairs Cup. In the first season this rebounded on them as the trophy was won by Third Division QPR and the admission rules of The Fairs Cup stated that only clubs from the countries top division were allowed in.

The European bait worked and the last season of the decade saw all 92 teams entering for the first time. This year also saw the average attendance better that of the FA Cup for the first time. Throughout the seventies and eighties the competition maintained it's credibility.

The eighties saw the Football League take the controversial move to have the competition sponsored and in 1982 it became The Milk Cup after a tie up with the Milk Marketing Board. They were to be the first in a long line of suitors.

In 1994/95 Man United were heavily criticised for playing youngsters rather than the first team. Since then many other clubs - especially from the Premiership - have followed suit as survival in the top League has become paramount. Newcastle have tended to stick with their best players, but continue to fail to impress.

Newcastle's record

We have taken part in the League Cup in every season since it's incarnation: 45 years in all. The word "competed" was not used because it would overestimate our efforts in this competition

Our overall record is dire. In nearly half the competitions (21) we have been knocked out in the first round we entered and in 80% of seasons (36) we have failed to negotiate more than one round.

Things have actually improved recently; prior to 1992/93 (31 seasons) we failed to negotiate more than one round in a staggering 90% of seasons (29 out of 32) and never won through any rounds in approximately 60% (18 out of 32).

It wouldn't be so bad if we could blame it on unlucky cup draws, but only half of our vanquishers were from First Division (old) and the Premier League. Of the others there have been 11 "2nd Tier" teams, 9 "Third Tier" reams and 3 "Fourth Tier" teams. Once again these figures have been "boosted" recently.

Our illustrious vanquishers have included such "greats" (with apologies to them) as Colchester, Bury, Lincoln, Bournmouth and Lincoln. Indeed our first game sums up our record. We were thrashed by a team who finished 91st in the League.

Our only good years have been 1975/76 when we actually made it to the Final and three recent runs to the Quarter Finals.

Year by Year Record

Key

The key provides a colour coded indication of the "tier" of each opponent

D1-PL
D2-Ch
D3-D1
D4-D2
R1 R2 R3 R4 QF SF
1960/61 Colchester [a 1-4]
1961/62 Scunthorpe [h 2-0] Sheff Utd [a 2-2 h 0-2]
R2 R3 R4 QF SF F
1962/63 Orient [h 1-1 a 2-4]
1963/64 PNE [h 3-0] Bournmouth [a 1-2]
1964/65 Blackpool [a 0-3]
1965/66 Peterborough [h 3-4]
1966/67 Leeds [a 0-1]
1967/68 Lincoln [a 1-2]
1968/69 Southport [a 2-0] Southampton [a 1-4]
1969/70 Sheff Utd [a 0-2]
1970/71 B Rovers [a 1-2]
1971/72 Halifax [h 2-1] Arsenal [a 0-4]
1972/73 Port Vale [a 3-1] Blackpool [h 0-3]
1973/74 Doncaster [h 6-0] Birmingham [a 2-2 h 0-1]
1974/75 Nottm F [a 1-1 h 3-0] QPR [a 4-0] Fulham [h 3-0] Chester [h 0-0 a 0-1]
1975/76 Southport [h 6-0] B Rovers [a 1-1 h 2-0] QPR a [3-1} Notts C [h 1-0] Spurs [a 0-1 h 3-1] Man C [n 1-2]
1976/77 Gillingham [a 2-1] Stoke [h 3-0] Man U [a 2-7]
1977/78 Millwall [h 0-2]
1978/79 Watford [a 1-2]
1979/80 Sunderland [a 2-2 h 2-2 lp]
1980/81 Bury [h 3-2 a 0-1]
1981/82 Fulham [h 1-2 a 0-2]
1982/83 Leeds [a 1-0 h 1-4]
1983/84 Oxford [h 1-1 a 1-2]
1984/85 Bradford [h 3-1 a 1-0] Ipswich [a 1-1 h 1-2]
1985/86 Barnsley [h 0-0 a 1-1] Oxford [a 1-3]
1986/87 Bradford [a 0-2 h 1-0]
1987/88 Blackpool [a 0-1 h 4-1] Wimbledon [a 1-2]
1988/89 Sheff Utd [a 0-3 h 2-0]
1989/90 Reading [a 1-3 h 4-0] WBA [h 0-1]
1990/91 M,brough [a 0-2 h 1-0]
1991/92 Crewe [a 4-3 h 1-0] P,brough [a 0-1]
R1 R2 R3 R4 QF SF
1992/93 Mansfield [h 2-1 a 0-0] M, brough [h 0-0 a 3-1 Chelsea [a 1-2]
R2 R3 R4 QF SF F
1993/94 Notts C [h 4-1 a 7-1] Wimbledon [a 1-2]
1994/95 Barnsley [h 2-1 a 1-0] Man Utd [h 2-0] Man City [a 1-1 h 0-2]
1995/96 Bristol C [a 5-0 h 3-1] Stoke [a 4-0] Liverpool [a 1-0] Arsenal [a 0-2]
1996/97 Oldham [h 1-0] M, brough [a 1-3]
1997/98 Hull [h 2-0] Derby [a 1-0] Liverpool [h 0-2]
1998/99 Tranmere [a 1-0] Blackburn [h 1-1 lp]
1999/00 Birmingham [a 0-2]
2000/01 Orient [h 2-0 a 1-1] Bradford [h 4-3] Birmingham [a 1-2]
2001/02 Brentford [h 4-1] Barnsley [a 1-0] Ipswich [h 4-1] Chelsea [a 0-1]
2002/03 Everton [h 3-3 lp]
2003/04 WBA [h 1-2]
2004/05 Norwich [h 2-0] Chelsea [h 0-2]
2005/06 Grimsby [a 1-0] Wigan [a 0-1 ]