25 February 2010

Manchester City fans don’t have much cup joy to ponder today after last night’s FA Cup defeat to Stoke, but they still have their memories of happier days, and now one of them, Dennis Tueart’s spectacular winning goal against Newcastle United in the 1976 League Cup final, has been voted the greatest moment in the competition’s history.

Sunday’s Carling Cup Final between Aston Villa and Manchester United is the 50^th League Cup final and more than 20,000 supporters cast their votes on the 50 golden moments as nominated by supporters on The Football League’s special 50^th anniversary website.

Reflecting on his overhead kick which secured the Manchester club a famous 2-1 win, Tueart said: “For my goal to be voted for by the people of the game, the supporters, as the number one League Cup moment makes me feel very proud. I’m of the opinion that emotion, passion and pride is what makes football special.  Football supporters are unique. They make the game what it is.”

The Football League’s chairman, Lord Mawhinney, congratulated Tueart and said: “Dennis Tueart’s memorable goal is a worthy winner of this accolade.  To win a cup final with a moment of such supreme skill is an outstanding feat. Fifty years is an important milestone for the Football League’s showpiece cup competition. The League Cup is essential to the financial welfare of English professional football.  It generates the income that sustains the most developed professional football pyramid in the world game. Long may it continue.”

In second place came goalkeeper Paul Robinson’s heroics for Leeds United against Swindon Town in 2003.  Having already scored the equalising goal with 15 seconds remaining, Robinson saved two penalties in a shoot-out to take the Yorkshire club through.

York City’s sensational 3-0 win at Old Trafford in 1995 against a Manchester United side containing David Beckham and Ryan Giggs came third.

Sunday’s finalists are also represented in the Top 50 League Cup moments.  Savo Milosevic’s thunderbolt for Villa in the 1996 Final is in 17^th place and Chris Nicholl’s 40-yard winning goal from 1977 is 23^rd. Ben Foster’s man-of-the-match performance in last season’s final for United has been voted the 26^th favourite moment, with Lee Sharpe’s hat-trick against Arsenal in 1990 coming 30^th.

The Football League will make a special presentation to Tueart at Sunday’s Carling Cup final and all 50 moments are featured in a special 162 page Carling Cup Final matchday programme.

See details and footage of the top 50 moments at www.leaguecup50.com