CITY 2 CHARLTON ATHLETIC 1
FA Premiership
15th November 1986
Attendance 20,578
Scorers
City Moulden(65), Simpson(75)
Charlton Stuart(71)
Ref George Courtney
City Suckling, Gidman, Wilson, Clements, McCarthy, Grealish, Baker, McNab, Varadi, Moulden, Simpson – Sub White(45)
Charlton Bolder, Shirtliff, Aizlewood, Humphrey, Reid, Lee, Peake, Stuart, Thompson, Curbishley, Melrose – Sub Pearson(82)
FROM THE PRESS BOX
PETER GARDNER WRITING IN THE MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS FOOTBALL PINK FINAL 15TH NOVEMBER 1986
Hot-shot Paul Moulden was again on the mark for battling Manchester City today.
The former England youth international scored his fifth goal in three games to give the Blues a deserved 66th minute lead against Charlton Athletic at Maine Road.
City’s joy seemed to be short-lived, for Charlton’s Mark Stuart hit back with an equaliser after 73 minutes. Yet two minutes later Paul Simpson struck to restore City’s lead in a game that had dramatically come to life in the last half hour.
City, unchanged with Clements fit following a virus infection, were quickly back-pedalling as Aizlewood picked up Melrose.
A Clements clearance from just inside the City half was splendidly headed on by Varadi, although Simpson ran the ball into touch.
Simpson got another chance, this time from an angled pass by Gidman, who followed up by putting the ball wide to Baker.
A corner from Simpson caused a flutter of concern in the Charlton defence where Curbishley dropped back to clear into touch.
… Charlton, with seven men strung across their penalty area, came under increasing pressure.
… Though much the better side in the first half, which they had monopolised virtually throughout, City had nothing to show for their efforts as hal-time approached.
And there was a major blow for City seconds before half-time when Varadi had to be carried off by physiotherapist Roy Bailey for treatment to a nasty looking knock to his left leg.
Varadi did not come out for the second half. He was replaced by White, who formed a spearhead with Moulden.
City finally broke the agonising deadlock in the 66th minute with a splendidly created goal.
White, midway inside the the Charlton half, played the ball inside for Baker who immediately switched it back to where Moulden collected it to put an angled drive past the oncoming Bolder.
But City’s celebrations were short-lived. In the 73rd minute Charlton found an equaliser.
Curbishley crossed from the right, Aizlewood’s header was turned onto the bar by Suckling but the ball dropped to the feet of Stuart, who scored from close in.
Both sides now committed to all-out attack with the match springing to life in a dramatic last half-hour.
Amazingly, however, this game had a further dramatic twist.
The Blues got a grip of themselves and when McNab angled a ball across the Charlton area it looked a lost cause. But Simpson took up the chase, gained possession from Bolder’s blunder, and slipped the ball past the desperate Charlton keeper to give his side the lead once more…