28 March 2006
VIDEO: FA Cup 'Team of Heroes'

We bring you a compilation video of some of the magical moments from The FA Cup to help you choose your 'Team of Heroes'.

5 February 1972
VIDEO: Ricky George v Newcastle

Ronnie Radford's goal might be the more famous, but Ricky George scored the winner. Click on the link to watch his goal.


It's the 125th season of The FA Cup, the world's greatest domestic cup competition, and our search for the All-Time FA Cup Team of Heroes is gathering pace.

We continue our detailed look into the contenders to help you decide just who you want in your team - remember the decision about who makes the team is down to you, the fans. You can choose your team by clicking here.

Ricky George was nominated by Hereford United. George scored the winning goal for Non-League Hereford in their famous 2-1 win over First Division Newcastle United in 1972.

That was a great day for Hereford wasn't it?

Yes. A lot of people may have forgotten that it was, in fact, a replay.

We had drawn 2-2 up at Newcastle in the first game, which was a feat in itself. We went to St James' Park expecting to get well beaten, but we ended up nearly winning the match. So when we returned for the replay at Hereford, it would be ridiculous to say that we were confident but we were definitely feeling in better shape than we were before the original fixture.

It turned out to be a fantastic and unforgettable day. That was greatly due to Ronnie Radford's incredible long range equalising goal for Hereford. My strike was in extra-time and it was the winner, so no one can take that away from me.

But as the years go by and more and more people get confused as to who actually fired the shot from 35 yards, more often than not I claim Ronnie's goal! Seriously though, the action is constantly replayed on the TV every year and that shows what a big shock it was.

What do you remember of your goal?

Dudley Tyler knocked the ball in and I got it on the edge of the penalty area. I knew Newcastle defender Bobby Moncur was behind me so I turned to my left into the box. I thought at the time that Bobby was really close to me and I expected a tackle. But when I look at the TV replays, he was two or three yards away.

So when I got the ball under control, I still expected a challenge. But nothing happened and it allowed me to strike at goal. Moncur tried to block the shot but it went under his foot and I think it may have unsighted goalkeeper McFaul.

That result launched Hereford forward and they moved up to the Football League later that year didn't they?

It certainly helped enormously. It was in the days of election and re-election. A club didn't necessarily have to win the league they were playing in to gain promotion to the Football League, even though it was a rare occurrence for anyone to go up. Hereford were canvassing votes left, right and centre at the end of that season. We didn't win the Southern League.

We finished second, but obviously The FA Cup run was tremendously significant in the votes we received from Football League clubs.

What are you up to now?

I have been involved with race horses and that has been a fantastic experience. Especially being part-owner when Earth Summit won the Grand National in 1998. I also run a solarium business.

But my main occupation these days is in writing a weekly Non-League column for the Daily Telegraph. That is a great enjoyment for me. It goes out on a Monday morning and it keeps me involved in the game.

How does it feel to be nominated for the FA Cup Team of Heroes?

Humbling. I am completely privileged and honoured to be mentioned in the same breath as some of the all-time great players.

It's now down to you, the fans. You can pick your own Team of Heroes from our final list in a 4-3-3 formation until the closing date of midnight on Monday 24 April 2006.

To select your team, click here. You'll need a special FANcode to be able to enter the competition for a chance to win our amazing prize.

Members of englandfans and users of our Video Vault will already have a FANcode, so you can simply log in. If you haven't done so yet, you can register for a code here.