Re-live classic encounters between Shrewsbury Town and Cambridge United!
Town are on the road this weekend as they travel to the Abbey Stadium for an FA Cup first-round clash against Cambridge United.
Take a look back at previous meetings between the two sides as they prepare for their 33rd encounter against one another but just their second meeting in the FA Cup.
FA Cup Third Round, Gay Meadow, Saturday 6 January 1979: Shrewsbury Town 3-1 Cambridge United.
Shrewsbury were promoted to the Third Division in 1974–75 as runners-up, before another successful season in 1978–79, when they were league champions under Ritchie Barker and later Graham Turner. Over 14,000 fans packed Gay Meadow on 17 May 1979 to see Shrewsbury seal promotion with a 4–1 win over Exeter City.
In addition, the club had their best ever FA Cup run.
Salop continued their excellent cup run in style with a 3-1 win over Cambridge United as 12,678 shrews packed into the Gay Meadow on that Saturday afternoon.
Shrews had shown they could score plenty of goals in the first and second round of the competition, as they cruised past Mansfield and Doncaster Rovers respectively.
Paul Maguire, Bob Chapman and Graham Turner were on the scoresheet as Town breezed into the fourth round of the FA Cup.
They went on to beat Manchester City in the Fourth Round in a historic day for the club and beat Aldershot after a replay in the Fifth Round of the historic cup. Town weren’t able to surpass the local giants at the time and founders of European football, Wolves in the Sixth Round of the cup but the cup run was the best in the club’s history and was to be for a few years until they reached the quarter-finals in 1981.
Town Team: 1.Bob Wardle, 2.Jake King, 3.Tony Larkin, 4.Graham Turner, 5.Colin Griffin, 6.Jack Keay, 7.Bob 'Sammy' Chapman, 8.Ian Atkins, 9.David Tong, 10.Steve Biggins, 11.Paul Maguire.
Attendance: 12,678
League Division 3 (League Two), Gay Meadow, Saturday 9 November 2002: Shrewsbury Town 3-1 Cambridge United.
Shrewsbury Town grabbed another huge three points with an important comeback win against 7th placed Cambridge United.
The game was full of opportunity that was yet to be snatched up by either side going into the half time break, the closest one side coming to breaking the deadlock being Shrewsbury, when striker Nigel Jemson’s curling effort struck the post.
Against the run of play, it was Cambridge who managed to take the lead. Tom Youngs made their out-of-the-blocks start count and was able to volley a Luke Guttridge cross straight past Town ‘keeper, Ian Dunbavin.
Jemson was able to get on the scoresheet as Shrews fired back just ten minutes after going behind. The forward was clever in shifting the ball around Cambridge ‘keeper, Shaun Marshall, and slotting home for his 7th goal in the league season.
Town then stepped up a gear and were able to take the lead in the 77th minute through midfielder Ian Woan whose long-range effort was too powerful for Marshall- giving Kevin Ratcliffe’s side one hand on a massive three points.
Top goalscorer, Jemson made sure that the victory was secured late on, when he finished neatly past Marshall and Shrewsbury then turned their attentions to the FA Cup, where they went on to reach the fourth round in a BBC televised encounter with Chelsea. Town lost 4-0 with Gian Franco Zola pulling off a man of the match performance.
Teams:
Town: Ian Dunbavin, Darren Moss, David Artell, Leon Drysdale, Matt Redmile, Mark Atkins, Jamie Tolley, Ian Woan, Nigel Jemson, Ryan Lowe, Luke Rodgers.
Subs: Peter Wilding, Lee Kendall, Ian Stevens, Karl Murray and Jason Van Blerk.
Cambridge: Shaun Marshall, Stev Angus, Adam Tann, Andy Duncan Terry Fleming, Luke Guttridge, Shane Tudor, Paul Wanless, Dave Kitson, Omer Riza, Tom Youngs.
Subs: David Bridges, Daniel Chillingworth, Martin Brennan, Franco Nacca and Stephen Jordan.
Attendance: 2928
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