CITY 4 WALSALL 0
League Cup 2nd Round 2nd Replay
played at Old Trafford
30th October 1973
attendance 13,646
Scorers Lee(56, 69 pen & 85 pen), Bell(65)
City MacRae, Pardoe, Donachie, Doyle, Booth, Oakes, Carrodus, Bell, Summerbee, Lee, Towers – sub Leman(unused)
A HAT-TRICK FOR FRANNY
FROM THE PRESS BOX
LEE OPENS THE FLOODGATES
ERIC TODD WRITING IN THE GUARDIAN 31ST OCTOBER 1973
After their two performances of “A Comedy of Errors” the Manchester City Repertory Company, offered “All’s Well That Ends Well” for the aprobation of an audience of 13,646 last night at Old Trafford, where it was received tolerably well. In modern, or non-Shakespearean terminology Manchester City beat Walsall 4-0 in their Football League Cup second round second replay, and in the third round they will visit Carlisle United on Tuesday night, power cuts permitting, of course.
It would be kinder to draw the curtain on last night’s first half, but convention demands some reverence. Once again City showed no liking at all for Walsall’s spoiling tactics which, if less blatantly crude, than they had been at Maine Road, nevertheless prompted City to proceed with suspicion rather than with conviction.
… A goal from somebody was needed to restore sanity and the first one launched City on the road to a comfortable victory. By the finish Walsall had been put firmly in their places and although they had taken an inordinately long time about it, City had proved that class and virtue, usually will be triumphant.
Doyle and Booth once more distinguished themselves in the City defence and Summerbee and Lee, particularly deserved credit for absorbing so much punishment with patience.
… In the 56th minute, or the 266th minute of the tie, City broke the deadlock and Walsall’s hearts. Fraser obstructed Summerbee and from Oakes’s free kick Booth nodded the ball on and Lee did the rest with a smart header. Nine minutes later Carrodus and Lee broke away on the right and Bell rounded off the movement in splendid style.
After 69 minutes Young and Atthey between them bowled over Carrodus, and Lee demonstrated successfully the art of taking penalty kicks. Five minutes from the end, Bennett handled the ball and Lee scored again with the penalty. Lee as much as anyone, deserved something to show besides bruises for his industry.