The 1994–95 Anglo-Italian Cup (Italian: Coppa Anglo-Italiana 1994–95) was the third staging of the 1992–96 iteration of the Anglo-Italian Cup, an association football competition contested by teams from the Football League First Division and Serie B, then respectively the second tiers of the English football league system and the Italian football league system. Sixteen teams participated, with eight entering from each league.
Clubs were invited to compete based on their final league position in the previous season, though not all of the eligible English clubs entered. The tournament began with an international stage which saw teams playing matches against those from the opposite league. Two teams from each country then advanced to the semi-finals, which were one all-English and one all-Italian tie, ensuring a final between an English team and an Italian team at Wembley Stadium. Ascoli and Notts County reached the final, respectively beating Ancona and Stoke City in the semi-finals, and Notts County won the tournament by winning the final 2–1. Nicola Caccia of Ancona was the competition's top scorer with five goals.
This was the only staging of the tournament in the 1990s to be won by an English side. The competition was criticised by some as a low-interest distraction, and several contentious incidents contributed to its reputation for violence, notably a match between Sheffield United and Udinese which saw a 15-man brawl and the dismissal of four players. Despite its reputation, the tournament proved a season highlight for the finalists, both of whom experienced otherwise poor campaigns culminating in relegation to their respective third tiers. Participants and format The Anglo-Italian Cup had been staged intermittently since 1970, and was revived in 1992, in England serving as a replacement for the Full Members' Cup. This iteration of the tournament was contested by teams from the Football League First Division, then the second tier of the English football league system, and Serie B, the second tier of the Italian football league system. In earlier seasons, First Division clubs had participated in a qualifying stage to determine which teams played in the international stage, but this was dispensed with in the 1994–95 season, and invitations instead given to the three teams relegated from the previous season's Premier League and the five highest-placed non-promoted teams from the previous season's First Division. Serie B clubs were selected on a similar basis. Of the eligible English clubs, Millwall and Oldham Athletic declined their invitations, with Middlesbrough and Stoke City taking their places. The participating clubs and their 1993–94 league positions were as follows:
English teams1993–94 league positions taken from Derby County, 6th in the First Division Middlesbrough, 9th in the First Division Notts County, 7th in the First Division Sheffield United, 20th in the Premier League Stoke City, 10th in the First Division Swindon Town, 22nd in the Premier League Tranmere Rovers, 5th in the First Division Wolverhampton Wanderers, 8th in the First Division
Italian teams1993–94 league positions taken from Ancona, 8th in Serie B Ascoli, 7th in Serie B Atalanta, 17th in Serie A Cesena, 5th in Serie B Lecce, 18th in Serie A Piacenza, 15th in Serie A Udinese, 16th in Serie A Venezia, 6th in Serie B
At the international stage, the sixteen teams were divided into two groups of eight, each featuring four teams from each country. Clubs played four matches against the teams in their group from the opposite league, two at home and two away. At the end of the international stage, the highest-placed team from each country in each group would advance to a two-legged semi-final, where they would play the other semi-finalist from their own league. A single-match final between the two winners would then follow at Wembley Stadium. During the international stage, English referees were appointed to officiate matches in Italy, while Italian referees oversaw games in England. The groups for the international stage were as follows:
Group AGroup B Ascoli Atalanta Lecce Notts County Swindon Town Tranmere Rovers Venezia Wolverhampton Wanderers Ancona Cesena Derby County Middlesbrough Piacenza Sheffield United Stoke City Udinese
International stage Group A
Group A began on 24 August 1994 with two matches in Italy and two in England. Notts County made a 1–1 draw at Ascoli, with Paul Devlin scoring a last minute equaliser for the away team after Giuseppe Incocciati had put Ascoli ahead. Meanwhile, about 30 supporters of Wolverhampton Wanderers saw their side win 1–0 at Lecce, with David Kelly scoring on the break late in the match. In England, Giampaolo Saurini's powerful 63rd-minute strike, followed shortly afterwards by a headed goal from Daniele Fortunato, gave Atalanta a 2–0 win over Swindon Town. At Prenton Park, goals from John Aldridge and Chris Malkin gave Tranmere Rovers a 2–0 lead over Venezia, but the latter scored twice themselves, the second coming three minutes from the end, and the match finished 2–2.
In the second round of games, played on 6 September, Tranmere were forced to field several youth players after injuries and international call-ups among their senior side, and they were defeated 2–0 at Atalanta. Devlin was dismissed from his team's home match with Lecce for a second bookable offence, but Phil Turner's 55th-minute goal was nevertheless sufficient to secure a 1–0 win for Notts County. The match between Wolves and Ascoli also saw a red card, with Paolo Benetti of Ascoli dismissed after reacting angrily to a foul by Robbie Dennison on Marco Bizzarri, the Ascoli goalkeeper. Despite playing the final ten minutes with ten men, Ascoli won 1–0. Meanwhile, Swindon were beaten 1–0 at Venezia, leaving Notts County as the leading English team in the group, a point ahead of Wolves. Atalanta led among the Italian teams, with two wins from two.
A third round of games was played on 4 and 5 October, with Tranmere losing 1–0 at home to Ascoli through a Oliver Bierhoff penalty, a result that effectively ended Tranmere's chances of progressing to the semi-final. Atalanta led 1–0 at half-time in their home game with Notts County through Leonardo Rodríguez, but the Italian team were reduced to ten men with 30 minutes to play when Paolo Montero was sent off for a second yellow card, and a Tony Agana equaliser saw the game finish 1–1. Swindon gained their first win in the competition, with Andy Mutch scoring twice in his team's 3–1 win over Lecce, while Wolves were beaten 2–1 at Venezia despite having taken a 1–0 28th-minute lead. The results left Notts County needing a point in their final game to reach the English semi-final, while Ascoli, Atalanta and Venezia were level among the Italian teams, each with two wins and a draw.
The final round of Group A fixtures look place on 15 November. Fabio Pascucci was dismissed for Ascoli after a foul on Scott in his team's home match with Swindon, but Bierhoff scored a hat-trick, and the Italian side won 3–1. Elsewhere in Italy, Orazio Russo scored twice for his team in their 3–0 over Tranmere, helping Lecce to their first win of the competition, and leaving Tranmere without a victory. Notts County led Venezia 2–1, before the latter were awarded a penalty, Dean Yates was sent off for the former for a disputed handball, and Marco Barollo equalised with the resultant kick. Notts County regained the lead through Shaun Murphy, but Barollo scored again, and the match finished 3–3. At Molineux, Atalanta took at early lead against Wolves through Valter Bonacina, but the home team levelled via Lee Mills before half-time, and the match finished 1–1. The results meant Ascoli progressed as the highest-ranking Italian team, and Notts County as the leading English team.
Source for dates, scores, score times and scorers:Source for attendance:
Group B
Like Group A, the first round of Group B fixtures look place on 24 August. Derby led 1–0 at Ancona through a Mark Pembridge header, but two defensive lapses in the final ten minutes of the first-half allowed Nicola Caccia to score twice, and Ancona won 2–1. Stoke won 2–0 at Cesena through a John Clark free kick and a late Martin Carruthers strike, while Middlesbrough made a 0–0 draw with Piacenza. Paul Wilkinson was sent off in the 84th minute of the latter for kicking an opponent. At Bramall Lane, the match between Sheffield United and Udinese "degenerated into gruesome farce", with a 15-man brawl and the dismissal of four players (three Sheffield United and one Udinese) and the Sheffield United manager Dave Bassett. The match was close to abandonment, but was seen through to completion and won 2–1 by Udinese.
Three games took place in Group B during September, two of which took place in England. Derby were leading 5–0 at half-time against Cesena, and they eventually won 6–1. Paul Kitson scored four goals during the match, with Steve Hodge scoring Derby's other two. At the Victoria Ground, Caccia scored his third goal of the tournament to give Ancona a 1–0 half-time lead, but Stoke were level through Wayne Biggins shortly into the second half, and the match finished 1–1. Following the experience of their match with Udinese, Sheffield United prevented most their senior team from travelling to Italy, and a radically different line-up made a 2–2 draw at Piacenza. A match between Udinese and Middlesbrough had to be postponed due to the former having to rearrange an abandoned Coppa Italia tie with Fiorentina. Ancona and Stoke respectively ended the round as their country's leading team in the group, both with one win and a draw.
Five Group B matches were played in October, four of which took place on 4 October. The Bolivia international Jaime Moreno scored his first goal for Middlesbrough, a 56th-minute left-footed volley in a 1–1 home draw with Cesena. Piacenza took a 1–0 lead in their home game with Derby via a Antonio De Vitis penalty, before Paul Williams levelled for Derby with a 77th-minute volley. Derby then had the opportunity to take the lead when they were awarded a penalty and Francesco Turrini was dismissed for violent conduct, but Pembridge saw his kick saved, and the match finished 1–1. With Bassett absent, a young Sheffield United side made a 3–3 draw with Ancona, while Stoke scored three goals in six second-half minutes in a 3–1 win at Udinese. Middlesbrough also travelled to Udinese for their rearranged match in October, a 0–0 draw that saw three red cards (two for Udinese, one for Middlesbrough) for poor tackles.
The final round of matches in Group B was played in November. Middlesbrough fielded "a side close to junior level" for their match at Ancona, and were beaten 3–1, with Caccia scoring twice for the home side. Their win meant Ancona progressed as the leading Italian team. Once again fielding an inexperienced team, including one non-contract and two transfer-listed players, Sheffield United won 4–1 at Cesena, while Derby were 3–1 winners at home to Udinese. Derby's win meant Stoke City would need at least a point to progress as the leading English team, and John Butler had them ahead early in their home match with Piacenza. Martin Caruthers scored two goals, one shortly before and one shortly after half-time, and Nigel Gleghorn added a fourth, Stoke advancing with a 4–0 win.
Source for dates, scores, score times and scorers:.Source for attendance:
Knockout stage Semi-finals