Nostalgia has a habit of twisting the facts but few would disagree that the 1983 FA Cup Final was among the most absorbing and bizarre of all time, a match notable for fine football, white shoes, late drama, the romance that only a feisty underdog can bring to a showpiece occasion — and for Jimmy Melia. This evening the two clubs involved 35 years ago meet again when Brighton travel to Old Trafford for their FA Cup quarter-final. Brighton had just been relegated when they stepped out at Wembley in 1983 but Melia, while unable to halt the slide out of the top flight for a team he had inherited at the foot of the table, had overseen a remarkable cup run. Melia leads out his team at Wembley for the replay MARK LEECH/OFFSIDEIt was a…

Source: The Times March 17, 2018 00:03 UTC