Football League Group Cup
A Football League Group Cup game between Reading (blue and white) and Oxford United (yellow and blue) at Reading's Elm Park in August 1981. | |
| Organising body | English Football League |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1981 |
| Abolished | 1983 |
| Region | England |
| Number of teams | 32 |
| Most successful club(s) | Grimsby Town and Millwall (1 Title each) |
The Football League Group Cup was a short-lived football competition which first took place during the 1981–82 season. For English clubs it was a replacement for the Anglo-Scottish Cup, which had been discontinued due to the withdrawal of Scottish League clubs. For the 1982–83 season it was renamed as the Football League Trophy.[1]
It is considered as the forerunner of the Associate Members' Cup (which was later renamed the Football League Trophy, and has had various sponsored names), which commenced from the 1983–84 season,[1] although some sources regard the Football League Group Cup as the same competition.[2][3]
Format
In each season there were 32 participants, split into eight regional groups of four teams each, with three round-robin games played by each side. The eight group winners qualified for the quarter finals, and the knockout stages were played as a single leg, with the game going to extra time and penalties if necessary. The final was played on the home ground of one of the two teams.[4]
1981–82
Participants
The following 32 sides played in the competition, and these are sub-divided according to the League division they played in that season.[4]
- Football League First Division: Notts County
- Football League Second Division: Bolton Wanderers, Grimsby Town, Norwich City, Orient, Rotherham United, Shrewsbury Town, Watford (7 teams)
- Football League Third Division: Burnley, Carlisle United, Chester, Chesterfield, Doncaster Rovers, Gillingham, Lincoln City, Newport County, Oxford United, Plymouth Argyle, Preston North End, Reading, Southend United, Wimbledon (14)
- Football League Fourth Division: AFC Bournemouth, Aldershot, Blackpool, Bradford City, Bury, Hartlepool United, Hull City, Peterborough United, Sheffield United, Torquay United (10)
The tournament was won by Grimsby Town, who defeated Wimbledon 3–2 in the final at Blundell Park[2] on Tuesday 6 April 1982.[4]
1982–83
Participants
The following 32 sides played in the competition, and these are sub-divided according to the League division they played in that season.[5]
- Football League First Division: Norwich City, Watford
- Football League Second Division: Crystal Palace, Grimsby Town, Shrewsbury Town
- Football League Third Division: AFC Bournemouth, Bradford City, Brentford, Chesterfield, Exeter City, Lincoln City, Millwall, Newport County, Orient, Oxford United, Reading, Sheffield United, Southend United (13 teams)
- Football League Fourth Division: Aldershot, Bristol City, Chester, Colchester United, Halifax Town, Hartlepool United, Hull City, Mansfield Town, Northampton Town, Peterborough United, Scunthorpe United, Torquay United, Tranmere Rovers, Wimbledon (14)
Final
The tournament was won by Millwall, who defeated Lincoln City 3–2 in the final at Sincil Bank[2] on Wednesday 20 April 1983.[5]
References
- ^ a b List of Texaco/Anglo-Scottish/Football League Group Cup Finals at RSSSF
- ^ a b c List of Trophy finals since 1981–82, with links to individual competition results – statto.com Archived 10 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Gills in the Football League Trophy". Gillingham Official Site. 30 August 2010. Archived from the original on 31 August 2010. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
- ^ a b c 1981–82 Group 1 results and table, with links to other groups/knockout stages – statto.com Archived 25 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b 1982–83 Group 1 results and table, with links to other groups/knockout stages – statto.com