Sheffield United Football Club are not the must successful Club in United Kingdom, but however seem to be on a five year Cup semi-final cycle.
In 1993 The Blades made it to the FA Cup Semi-Final where they played Sheffield Wednesday at Wembley and went back again to the twin towers in 1997 First Division Play-Off Final against Crystal Palace.
Ten years on from that 1993 Cup Semi-Final brings you to the 2002/03 season where the Blades have made it all the way to the Worthington Cup Semi-Final and will play Liverpool in a two legged competition. This is the furthest the Blades have got to in the League Cup.
The Blades trip to Wembley in 1993 was their first visit since they lost to Arsenal in the 1936 Cup Final 1-0, so United fans where making sure they made a day out of it.
The game was going to be very special as it brought two local derbies, firstly was the Blades as they faced Sheffield Wednesday, the following semi-final brought Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur together in their North London Derby.
The game against Wednesday (3 April 1993) made it that bit more special for Sheffield Football when Mel Rees marched the Blades team out where both Blades and Owls fans gave a huge standing ovation for Rees, later that year the Welsh goalkeeper sadly past away after his battle with cancer.
Being only eight years old at the time I cannot remember too much but I do know that the Stadium was not what I expect, in fact it greatened all expectations of my vivid imagination.
The game had a great atmosphere and was sent electrified with two minutes gone when England International Chris Waddle swung a thirty yard free-kick straight into the top corner, a stunning goal which Blades wished never happened.
With only seconds to spare in the first half United made their mark on the game, Mitch Ward's superb pass sent the Wednesday defence pare shaped and left veteran Alan Cork one-on-one with goalkeeper Chris Woods, Cork calm and collected carefully placed the ball under Woods which went into the goal.
The game finished Blades 1-1 Owls after ninety minutes which sent the game into extra-time. Sheffield Wednesday forced their way into the final when a Owls corner was met by the head of Mark Bright which found the net, United could not get back into the game and lost 2-1, Owls played Arsenal in Final where the Gunners won 2-1.
Our next visit to Wembley came on 26 May 1997 where after a hard and long season faced Crystal Palace in the Play-Off Final. United had to over come Ipswich Town in the semis, in the league United had lost to Blues 3-1 on both occasions and could not see United winning the games.
In the first leg the Blades drew 1-1 at Bramall Lane (I had the misfortune of missing the game because of a wedding), however in the second leg United again drew (2-2) but went through on away goals.
The final was on a sunny day in May, we'd traveled all the way from South Yorkshire having got up very early to travel to the game. We decided that we would park the car at a train station (not sure
which one) and then travel on the train to Wembley Stadium, I was familiar with this as I had already done it in our last visit.
Once we got their we walked up Wembley Way with the Twin Towers at a distance, it took us around ten minutes to make that journey from the bottom of Wembley Way all the way to Twin Towers. Once near the stadium we noticed some stalls that where selling flags and programmes where we bought one of each.
The game itself was not brilliant but was exciting at times, the only real chance I can remember United having was when Roger Nilsen shot over bar from 30 yards out. The game looked to be going into extra-time when Palace won a corner in 90th minute, the in swinging corner was headed out by Carl Tiler.
Scottish International David Hopkin picked up the ball on edge of 18 yard area and shot when Simon Tracey could only watch it fire straight into the top corner to send Eagles into the Premiership.