The 1973 Watney Cup was the fourth and last edition of the Watney Mann Invitation Cup, a short-lived invitational association football tournament.
It was won by Stoke City, who beat Hull City in the final at the Victoria Ground.
Background The Watney Cup was introduced in 1970 to help increase the competitiveness of pre-season fixtures. Its name was a result of a sponsorship from brewing company Watney Combe & Reid. The tournament featured eight invited teams, with two selected from each division of the Football League. Those chosen to participate were the top two highest scoring teams from each division who had not gained promotion nor earned a place in a European competition the previous season.
Format The competition was a straight knockout tournament. In continuation from the second and third editions of the Watney Cup, games that ended level would go straight to penalties. In the inaugural edition, an additional 30 minutes of extra time would have taken place to determine a winner prior to a penalty shoot-out.
Teams
First Division Stoke City West Ham United
Second Division Bristol City Hull City
Third Division Bristol Rovers Plymouth Argyle
Fourth Division Mansfield Town Peterborough United
Tournament Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
Final
Goalscorers RankPlayerClubGoals 1 Jimmy Greenhoff Stoke City 3 2 Bobby Gould Bristol City 2 Geoff Hurst Stoke City 3 10 players Various 1
References