LEAGUE CUP 1, CHAMPIONSHIP NIL
The three-handled piece of garbage now known as the Rumbelows Littlewoods Woolworth Debenhams Milk Eggs Yogurt Lard Carabao Panda Pops Turps Fags Booze Cup was established in 1960 by Football League mandarin and notorious Europhobe Alan Hardaker, in an effort to deflect interest away from the midweek glamour of Uefa’s recently minted Big Cup. But the gambit backfired spectacularly. Nearly all the biggest clubs of the day refused to enter, and lower-league sides enjoyed disproportionate success during the early years. Rochdale of the old Fourth Division made it to a final; third-tier clubs QPR and Swindon actually won one. As did another team not used to lifting silverware, Don Revie’s Leeds, but let’s not muddy the water here.
