Wembley Memories
by Peter Gilbert

June 1999

My first Wembley memories are held within an old black and white TV set as a young lad watching Leicester losing various Cup Finals and feeling deep and bitter disappointment.I remember Gordon Banks reacting angrily as Bobby Smith fired home for Spurs. I will never forget Dennis Law scoring against us two years later for Man Utd; he picked the ball up from the back of the net and offered it to Gordon Banks then threw it away and tried to make him look a fool.That was uncalled for and players should remember their manners at Wembley.

I still get a jangle of nerves running through me at the very mention or site of the twin towered arena. Wembley means ' this is serious.' Wembley heightens the emotions jubilation is possible; as is despair. Reaching Wembley means you are in for emotional trauma one way or the other, so it's best to prepare for it.

I remember watching England beat West Germany in the World Cup Final in 1966. We had been on holiday in Spain and were driving back through France, we were desperate to see the game and eventually found a roadside cafe with a TV we bought one drink and stayed for two hours. The place was packed with English French and Germans and the little TV was the absolute focus of attention, and so powerful were the images that I was actually there at Wembley. The French, supported whoever was winning, the Germans were very quiet except when they scored then they crowed horribly. There was a bunch of blokes from Liverpool, singing and laughing all the way through so confident were they that we would win. At the end of it all the Germans walked out poker faced, the French lavished love on us and for the first time I saw grown men cry with joy; Wembley can do that to you. I was only a teenager and my Mum, Dad, two sisters and me danced with joy back to the car. We all loved Gordon Banks and were so proud that City had made a contribution to this momentous event.

In the 1970's further Wembley visits were for me via the TV watching Leicester players represent England, on one notable occasion we had four players in the team ; Shilton, Whitworth, Weller and Worthington - quite an achievement for such a little team. Gary Lineker continued to fly the flag in the 1980's with brilliant goal scoring feats for his country.

In the 1990's of course Wembley has become our second home with only the England team playing there more often than us.
And so it was that in 1992 I made my first actual visit to the most famous piece of turf in the world as City played Blackburn in the Div. 1 play off final. The drive down was like a Monet impressionist painting in Blue and White as Leicester emptied itself and flooded south. A banner on one of the bridges said it all 'Will the last one out of Leicester please switch off the lights.' I was so nervous and it was hot and what little bit of breath I had was drawn out of me as I took my seat and finally looked at the patch of grass and I could hardly believe I was actually there at last. We lost a close fought battle to a penalty but somehow Wembley brings out the best in people and I remember a Blackburn family trying to cheer my distraught son up. We had three generations at the match and my Dad and me were touched by a girl shouting 'Keep your spirits up Leicester' from the back of a van, to the homeward travellers.' And keep our spirits up we did as the supporters filled the bridges over the M1 to welcome us all back home.

So... we were back next year same competition, this time against Swindon. Now I don't mind losing the odd game heavily but not at Wembley it's embarrassing and everyone's watching. Our heads were in our hands early in the second half when we were 3-0 down and playing like lemons. But then we were treated to the greatest Wembley fight back ever as first Walshy then Joachim dragged us back into the reckoning with well taken goals. We drew level with 20 mins. to go: Mike Whitlow broke out of defence and Steve Thomson side-stepped the goalkeeper to roll the ball into the net right before our eyes - a classic goal. The eruption- for that is what it was- that greeted that goal actually shook Wembley to the core and I felt it move under my feet.We lost on the day to yet another disputed penalty but what the heck we'd shown our worth that afternoon.

Unbelievably we were back the next year this time against Derby and 'The Silence of the Rams' was our catch phrase. In reality we fielded a less classy side than on the other occasions but we won thanks to Brian Little's game plan which was simply 'Be tough' and we were, in bucket fulls. Even when they scored first we still had this belief in ourselves and we got at 'em all right and forced the ball over the line just before half time. In the dying minutes Joachim fed Grayson on the right and his cross was met by Ormondroyd who's glancing header was well saved but the ball fell to Walshy who tapped it home. In the pandemonium I ended up about 4 rows forward, Tom my son seemed to bouncing in mid air and my Dad was being kissed by some bloke with a gallic moustache. What fun, after seven visits to Wembley and three on the (fox) trot we had finally won there. We didn't laud it over the sheep rustlers and they were magnanimous in defeat too. The M1 was paradise with celebrations on the bridges this time starting in Northamptonshire. Driving into Leicester the Narborough Road was awash with all sorts of people dancing in the street united as one. Only the winning of a football match at Wembley can do that to people.

Relegation, managerial changes and unrest didn't stop us running out yet again at Wembley in 1996 against Crystal Palace in yet another Div 1 play off. They scored first of course but we didn't panic and we sang like larks in the grey afternoon.We cut it fine but when Muzzy Izzett was felled in the box we took them to extra time as Garry Parker, cool as a cucumber, stepped up to take the penalty. In extra time it could have gone either way really and a penalty shoot out looked on the cards when Martin O'Neill made one of his tactical changes. With only seconds to go he took off Kevin Poole and put on the Australian giant in goal. Having seen him play before we were not too pleased really, in fact he never touched the ball. The concentration of the opposition was pre-occupied by this change but when Garry Parker took a big free kick the Palace seemed half asleep and it was Steve Claridge who reacted first as it was headed into the box. I will stop here for a moment........................................ .............................................................. as that is what time itself seemed to do for a few fleeting seconds as our puddled brains tried to absorb what had actually happened. Somehow the ball was in the back of the net players were jumping on top of each other, Martin O'Neill seemed to be floating motionless 12 feet in the air and then we got it. Super Steve had scored and we flew into the sky which was suddenly blue and white and bright and warm. Angels sang, God had smiled on us and we were in heaven. It wasn't real somehow but it was happening.....and to us. 35,000 Leicester fans laughed cried, danced and sang their way home, it was traumatic but it felt absolutely beautiful and anyone who was there will be touched by that moment forever and they will never forget it.

In 1997 we were back yet again this time in pursuit of the League Cup. The day in early spring was warm and we faced the Middlesbrough 'superstars' but we gave as good we got. As it happens Emile Heskey kept us alive on the day when he scrambled the ball over in the last couple of minutes after Ravenelli had scored for them. We were not to be denied eventually but when we left we had a strange new feeling, the match had been drawn, this time Wembley had not ended in extreme emotions as we gathered ourselves together for a replay which we won.
The one thing that has eluded us at Wembley so far has been to lift a major trophy 'on the day' that treat could have been just around the corner,perhaps sometime in the next millennium.