Which team had to wait until 1965 for its first FA Cup win?

Founded in 1892, Liverpool FC is one of the greatest names in English football. However, in one of those odd twists of history, things nearly turned out very differently. The first occupiers of Liverpool's ground which stands on Anfield Road, L4 was actually Everton FC who had played there since their own formation in 1878. The site's landlord, one John Houlding was an important local businessman and politician who reasoned, amongst other things, that he wanted to increase Everton's rent. No middle ground could be reached between the two and in 1892 the great schism occured. On the formation of his new team, Houlding wished for the name Everton, but sensibly enough, Football Association rules prevented two teams from having the same name, so he had to come up with an alternative name for his new club. Of course he settled upon the name Liverpool. Voted into the second division of the Football League in time for the 1893-94 season, Liverpool won the first of its 18 Football League Championships in 1900-01.

For a team with such a long list of honours, it may come as a surprise to learn that Liverpool didn't win their first FA Cup until 1965. The club's only other finals (in 1914 v Burnley and 1950 v Arsenal) were both lost, but in 1965 the Reds were up and coming under Bill Shankly. In the final they played fellow up and comers Leeds Utd, managed by Don Revie. Fans of a certain age will not be surprised to read that Liverpool were the more inventive and adventurous of the two. However, the deadlock wasn't broken until three minutes into extra time. Roger Hunt, perhaps the Reds' best ever goalscorer stooped low to head in from a cross from broken arm victim Gerry Byrne, struggling on at left back - there were no substitutes until 1967. However the advantage was held for just 2 minutes before Billy Bremner thumped home following a header from Jackie Charlton. The game was back to the previous stalemate then, until Ian St John got the first FA Cup winner for Liverpool. This time it was a young Ian Callaghan supplying the centre.

Ian St John was typical of Shankly's first signings. Gritty and determined but with no little ability, he was just the sort of player required to fulfil his leader's vision of escaping the second tier and then to set the first tier alight. Signed from Motherwell St John was then, the club's highest transfer fee - £37,500 an astronomical sum and twice Liverpool's previous record fee. His was an explosion into the first team, plundering all three goals in a 3-4 reversal against Everton in the Liverpool Senior Cup. Alongside Roger Hunt, St John's goals shot Liverpool from second division inferiority, by winning the division in 1961-62, to champions of the football league in 1963-64. Then of course St John scored the winning goal in the 1965 FA Cup final before ably assisting the team to another league title in 1965-66. In total, before his transfer to Coventry City in 1971, St John scored 118 goals in 424 Liverpool appearances. For Scotland he notched 9 goals in 21 games between 1959 and 1965.

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Tags: LIVERPOOL, LIVERPOOL FC, LEEDS UNITED, FA CUP, FA CUP FINAL 1965, ROGER HUNT, IAN ST JOHN, BILL SHANKLY

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Title:	Which team had to wait until 1965 for its first FA Cup win?
Author:	Simon Lewis
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Which team had to wait until 1965 for its first FA Cup win?