1972 Watney Cup
Third edition of the Watney Cup
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The 1972 Watney Cup was the third edition of the Watney Mann Invitation Cup, a short-lived invitational association football tournament.
| Watney Mann Invitation Cup | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Country | England Wales |
| Dates | 29 July – 5 August |
| Teams | 8 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Bristol Rovers (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Sheffield United |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 7 |
| Goals scored | 12 (1.71 per match) |
| Attendance | 81,537 (11,648 per match) |
| Top goal scorer(s) | Bruce Bannister Tony Currie Alan Woodward (2 goals each) |
It was won by Bristol Rovers, who beat Sheffield United in the final at Eastville.[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. In continuation from the second edition of the Watney Cup, games that ended level proceeded straight to penalties. In the inaugural edition, an additional 30 minutes of extra time was played to determine a winner prior to a penalty shoot-out.[3]
Teams
Tournament
Quarter-finals
| Bristol Rovers (3) | 2–0 | Wolverhampton Wanderers (1) |
|---|---|---|
Bannister  26' (pen.)Stephens 88' |
Report |
| Lincoln City (4) | 0–1 | Burnley (2) |
|---|---|---|
| Report | James |
| Notts County (3) | 0–3 | Sheffield United (1) |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Woodward Currie |
| Peterborough United (4) | 0–0 | Blackpool (2) |
|---|---|---|
| Report | ||
| Penalties | ||
| 7–6 | ||
Semi-finals
| Burnley (2) | 0–2 | Bristol Rovers (3) |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Prince 15' Bannister 49' |
| Peterborough United (4) | 0–4 | Sheffield United (1) |
|---|---|---|
| Report | MacKenzie 17' Dearden Woodward 68' (pen.)Hemsley |
Final
Goalscorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Bruce Bannister |
Bristol Rovers | 2 |
| Tony Currie |
Sheffield United | ||
| Alan Woodward |
Sheffield United | ||
| 2 | 6 players | Various | 1 |