CITY 1 LUTON TOWN 0
League Division 1
19th October 1974
attendance 30,649
scorer Summerbee(68)
Ref Mr Lowe
City MacRae, Hammond, Donachie, Doyle, Clarke, Oakes, Summerbee, Bell, Marsh, Henson, Barnes – sub Leman(unused)
Luton Barber, Shanks, Thompson, Chambers, Litt, Garner, Hindson, Husband, Alston, West, Aston – sub Fuccillo
FROM THE PRESS BOX
MATT D’ARCY WRITING IN THE MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS FOOTBALL PINK FINAL 19TH OCTOBER 1974
Manchester City skipper Rodney Marsh was twice within inches of scoring in a dreary first half against Luton Town at Maine Road this afternoon.
First Marsh was off-side as he pushed a close range shot over the line. Then a minute later he saw a second close range shot go agonisingly wide.
The Blues were weakened by Asa Hartford’s suspension and Dennis Tueart’s ankle injury from Wednesday’s 2-1 victory over Arsenal.
Peter Barnes, the 17 year old left winger had the crowd on its feet with some superb football.
Luton created a good opening in the first 10 seconds, when Alston, the Preston-born striker who made his name for Australia in the World Cup, escaped Clarke and half-hit a right foot volley, which Macrae held diving to his left.
… Young Barnes, making his home League debut, 22 years after his father Ken played his first game at Maine Road, came into the picture with a beautifully flighted cross to the far post, Summerbee’s header was blocked and Luton scrambled the ball clear.
… Barnes was showing no signs of nerves and won a corner after another exciting run. Barber got the away, but Bell won a second corner off Aston and Hammond’s header flew over the bar.
Luton, who had won only one League match this season, were quick to break and Husband went through, beating off Hammond’s challenge. But Macrae came out quickly and bravely to block his shot.
… Then came one superb move to highlight this dreary game when Marsh back-heeled a cute pass to Bell, whose drive struck a Luton defender on the back and curled over the bar.
City finally had the ball in the net five minutes before half-time. But Marsh was off-side as he pushed the ball over the line after Barber had failed to hold a fine drive by Doyle following good work by Bell.
Then a minute later Marsh was again unlucky when he moved on to a low, right wing cross from Barnes, but his shot curled just past the post.
Half-time: Manchester City 0, Luton Town 0.
City put a lot of pressure on Luton at the start of the second half. Donachie broke through strongly to send Bell away for a shot, which Litt kicked for a corner.
Then Bell headed Summerbee’s cross down for Doyle, who was strongly challenged by Thomson, allowing Barber to dive out and hold the ball at Doyle’s feet.
Barnes was quick to move on to a header by Doyle, but as he flicked his shot wide he was given off-side.
After 58 minutes Barnes must have wished the earth could have opened and swallowed him up, for he missed one of the easiest chances possible, only five yards out and with the goalkeeper lying stranded on a corner of the six yard box.
It followed a magnificent build-up by Marsh and Bell, with Barber failing to cut out Bell’s cross, Barnes ran in and called to Summerbee to leave the ball to him, then held his head in anguish as he scooped it high over the bar.
But it all came out right after 67 minutes, when City took the lead after an untidy scrummage in the Luton goalmouth.
Marsh lobbed a cross from the left into the Luton six yard box, Bell and Doyle, and Marsh himself when he arrived on the scene, all had stabs at a shot before the ball broke to Summerbee, unmarked five yards out, who had no trouble in pushing the ball over the line for his second League goal of the season.
But Luton hit back with a fierce header by Litt from Aston’s corner which shook the crossbar before looping off into the crowd behind the goal.
Aston then had a marvelous run before hitting a high cross caught by Macrae at the second attempt under pressure from Alston, who then received a lecture for kicking the City keeper’s legs from under him.
When Summerbee came over to the left to take a corner, the confident Barnes said he would rather take it, and planted his cross right on Doyle’s head, but the ball went straight into Barber’s arms.