Owen Coyle was manager and had rejuvenated the players Steve Cotterill had assembled, impressively leading to Championship Burnley beating mighty Arsenal and Chelsea in Cup games that were reminiscent of the old magical night games in 1960/61 when Burnley played pulsating European Cup games. Burnley had lost the first game at Spurs 4-1 and nobody gave them a prayer in the return game, but Spurs were fragile and Burnley played like warriors, Robbie Blake magical, twisting and turning here there and everywhere. The ground was packed, the support deafening and one by one the goals went in to level the scores 4-4 at full time. We shrieked and screamed and willed them on, the prize was Wembley; this was a semi-final. We could not believe what they had done; hold on in extra time and Wembley was the prize. But disaster: with only minutes remaining in extra-time Spurs scored. They had been abysmal all night and went on to score a second in a breakaway; naturally there was total desolation. The players wept with us, and Spurs fans were embarrassed to have won but what consolation was that? We drove home that night, speechless, disbelieving and numbed by the cruelty of football.
