Football League Group Cup
The Football League Group Cup was a short-lived football competition which first took place prior to and during the 1981-82 season. For Football League clubs it was seen as a replacement for the Anglo-Scottish Cup,[1] which had been discontinued due to the withdrawal of Scottish League clubs. For the 1982-83 season it was renamed as the Football League Trophy.[1] It is considered as the forerunner of the Associate Members Cup (which later became renamed as the Football League Trophy, and had various sponsored names), which commenced from the 1983-84 season[1], although some sources regard the Football League Group Cup as the same as the later League Trophy tournaments.[2][3]
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[edit] Format
In each season there were 32 participants, split into eight regional groups of four teams each, with three round-robin games played by each side. The eight group winners qualified for the quarter finals, and the knockout stages were played as a single leg, with the game going to extra time and penalties if necessary. The final was played on the home ground of one of the two teams.[4]
[edit] 1981-82
[edit] Participants
The following 32 sides played in the competition, and these are sub-divided according to the League division they played in that season.[4]
- Football League Second Division: Bolton Wanderers, Grimsby Town, Norwich City, Orient, Rotherham United, Shrewsbury Town, Watford (7 teams)
- Football League Third Division: Burnley, Carlisle United, Chester, Chesterfield, Doncaster Rovers, Gillingham, Lincoln City, Newport County, Oxford United, Plymouth Argyle, Preston North End, Reading, Southend United, Wimbledon (14)
- Football League Fourth Division: Aldershot, Blackpool, Bournemouth, Bradford City, Bury, Hartlepool United, Hull City, Peterborough United, Sheffield United, Torquay United (10)
The tournament was won by Grimsby Town, who defeated Wimbledon 3-2 in the final at Blundell Park[2] on Tuesday 6 April 1982.[4]
[edit] 1982-83
[edit] Participants
The following 32 sides played in the competition, and these are sub-divided according to the League division they played in that season.[5]
- Football League First Division: Norwich City, Watford
- Football League Second Division: Crystal Palace, Grimsby Town, Shrewsbury Town
- Football League Third Division: Bournemouth, Bradford City, Brentford, Chesterfield, Exeter City, Lincoln City, Millwall, Newport County, Orient, Oxford United, Reading, Sheffield United, Southend United (13 teams)
- Football League Fourth Division: Aldershot, Bristol City, Chester, Colchester United, Halifax Town, Hartlepool United, Hull City, Mansfield Town, Northampton Town, Peterborough United, Scunthorpe United, Torquay United, Tranmere Rovers, Wimbledon (14)
[edit] Final
The tournament was won by Millwall, who defeated Lincoln City 3-2 in the final at Sincil Bank[2] on Wednesday 20 April 1983.[5]
[edit] Line-ups[6]
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[edit] References
- ^ a b c List of Texaco/Anglo-Scottish/Football League Group Cup Finals at RSSSF
- ^ a b c List of Trophy finals since 1981-82, with links to individual competition results - statto.com
- ^ "Gills in the Football League Trophy". Gillingham Official Site. 30 August 2010. http://www.gillinghamfootballclub.com/page/NewsDetail/0,,10416~2136594,00.html. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
- ^ a b c 1981-82 Group 1 results and table, with links to other groups/knockout stages - statto.com
- ^ a b 1982-83 Group 1 results and table, with links to other groups/knockout stages - statto.com
- ^ "Statistics 1982/83". The Millwall History Files. http://www.millwall-history.org.uk/Millwall-Stats8283-1.htm. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
