1971 Watney Cup
Second edition of the Watney Cup
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1971 Watney Cup was the second edition of the Watney Mann Invitation Cup, a short-lived invitational association football tournament.
| Watney Mann Invitation Cup | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Country | England Wales |
| Dates | 31 July – 7 August |
| Teams | 8 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Colchester United (1st title) |
| Runners-up | West Bromwich Albion |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 7 |
| Goals scored | 23 (3.29 per match) |
| Attendance | 84,788 (12,113 per match) |
| Top goal scorer(s) | Brian Lewis Colin Suggett (3 goals each) |
It was won by Colchester United, who beat West Bromwich Albion in the final at The Hawthorns.[1]
Background
The Watney Cup was introduced in 1970 to help increase the competitiveness of pre-season fixtures. Its name was a result of a sponsorship from brewing company Watney Combe & Reid. The tournament featured eight invited teams, with two selected from each division of the Football League. Those chosen to participate were the top two highest scoring teams from each division who had not gained promotion nor earned a place in a European competition the previous season.[2]
Format
The competition was a straight knockout tournament, with games that ended level going straight to penalties. This was a change from the inaugural Watney Cup, which had seen an additional 30 minutes of extra time take place to determine a winner prior to a penalty shoot-out.[3]
Teams
Tournament
Quarter-finals
| Colchester United (4) | 1–0 | Luton Town (2) |
|---|---|---|
Lewis  78' (pen.) |
Report |
| Crewe Alexandra (4) | 1–3 | Carlisle United (2) |
|---|---|---|
| Lowry |
Report | Martin Hatton 64', 76' |
| Halifax Town (3) | 2–1 | Manchester United (1) |
|---|---|---|
| Atkins 3' Wallace 26' (pen.) |
Report | Best 81' (pen.) |
Semi-finals
| Colchester United (4) | 2–0 | Carlisle United (2) |
|---|---|---|
| Gibbs 46' Lewis 52' |
Report |
| Halifax Town (3) | 0–2 | West Bromwich Albion (1) |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Suggett |
Final
Goalscorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Brian Lewis |
Colchester United | 3 |
| Colin Suggett |
West Bromwich Albion | ||
| 2 | Jeff Astle |
West Bromwich Albion | 2 |
| Tony Brown |
West Bromwich Albion | ||
| Bob Hatton |
Carlisle United | ||
| Mick Mahon |
West Bromwich Albion | ||
| 3 | 9 players | Various | 1 |