Carling Cup clash: Birmingham City beat Aston Villa in the 1963 League Cup Final
WHEN Villa and Blues were kept apart in the League Cup semi-final draw in 1963, historic possibilities beckoned.
The prospect of a Second City derby in a major final had the area agog. So could Joe Mercer’s and Gil Merrick’s boys bring about the dream?
Yes they could. Mercer’s Villa side beat Sunderland 3-1 over two legs separated by 14 weeks due to the big freeze.
Merrick’s Blues overcame Bury 4-3. The third League Cup final would be a Villa v Blues affair.
Exciting stuff – but from the moment the first leg kicked off at St Andrew’s the pleasure was only Blues’.
The fledgling competition had not yet been granted a Wembley climax so the final was over two legs, at St Andrew’s on Thursday May 23 and Villa Park on Monday May 27.
The league campaign was over and Villa had finished above their arch-rivals but momentum was with Blues after they preserved their top-flight status on the last day with a 3-2 victory over a Leicester side resting key players ahead of the FA Cup final.
Five days later came the first leg of the final – and Blues’ fans in the 31,580 crowd at St Andrew’s were roaring again.
Villa were at the end of an undistinguished season which they managed to finish 15th despite losing 11 successive games in the spring.
