1970 Watney Cup
| Watney Mann Invitation Cup | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Country | England Wales |
| Dates | 1–8 August |
| Teams | 8 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Derby County (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Manchester United |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 7 |
| Goals scored | 31 (4.43 per match) |
| Attendance | 147,084 (21,012 per match) |
| Top goal scorer(s) | Chris Chilton Alan Durban (3 goals each) |
The 1970 Watney Cup was the inaugural edition of the Watney Mann Invitation Cup, a short-lived invitational association football tournament.
It was won by Derby County, who beat Manchester United in the final at the Baseball Ground.[1]
Background
[edit]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
[edit]The competition was a straight knockout tournament, with games that ended level going to extra time. In accordance with new IFAB rules at the time,[3] penalty shoot-outs were used to determine a winner if scores were still even after an additional 30 minutes of play.[4]
Teams
[edit]Tournament
[edit]Quarter-finals
[edit]| Fulham (3) | 3–5 (a.e.t.) | Derby County (1) |
|---|---|---|
Earle  6'Halom 11', 13' |
Report | O'Hare 2' Hector 23', 102'Durban 69', 106' |
| Peterborough United (4) | 0–4 | Hull City (2) |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Wagstaff Chilton |
Semi-finals
[edit]| Derby County (1) | 1–0 | Sheffield United (2) |
|---|---|---|
| McGovern 29' |
Report |
Final
[edit]| Event | 1970 Watney Cup | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Date | 8 August 1970 | ||||||
| Venue | Baseball Ground, Derby | ||||||
| Referee | Keith Walker (Maidstone) | ||||||
| Attendance | 32,049 | ||||||
The 1970 Watney Cup final was held at the Baseball Ground in Derby on 8 August 1970 and had an attendance of 32,049. It was contested by Derby County and Manchester United.[5][6][7][8] Derby won the match 4–1, with goals from Roy McFarland, Alan Hinton, Alan Durban, and Dave Mackay.
Match details
[edit]| Derby County | 4–1 | Manchester United |
|---|---|---|
| McFarland 20' Hinton 24'Durban 35'Mackay 74' |
Best 32' |
          Derby County
|
   Manchester United
|
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
MATCH RULES
- 90 minutes.
- 30 minutes of extra-time if necessary.
- Penalty shoot-out if scores still level.
- Maximum of two substitutions.
Goalscorers
[edit]| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Chris Chilton |
Hull City | 3 |
 Alan Durban |
Derby County | ||
| 2 | Bobby Charlton |
Manchester United | 2 |
| Tony Currie |
Sheffield United | ||
| Vic Halom |
Fulham | ||
| Kevin Hector |
Derby County | ||
| Ken Wagstaff |
Hull City | ||
| Alan Woodward |
Sheffield United | ||
| 3 | 13 players | Various | 1 |
References
[edit]- ↑ "Watney Cup results". stevesfootballstats.uk. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ↑ "Innovation at its finest: The Watney Cup". taleoftwohalves.uk. 13 July 2025. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ↑ "The Long Walk: The History of the Penalty Shoot-Out". FIFA. 30 October 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ↑ "The Watney Cup". footballsite.co.uk. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ↑ "Watney Cup results". stevesfootballstats.uk. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ↑ "Stoke City And The Watney Cup". worldfootballindex.com. 15 August 2018. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ↑ "The Watney Cup". footballsite.co.uk. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ↑ "THE WONDERFUL WATNEY CUP". readtheleague.com. 20 February 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2025.