E.ON Great Saves No.4: Gary Bailey
FA Cup final, May 21, 1983
Recently relegated Brighton were given little chance of defeating Ron Atkinson's mighty Manchester United. But Jimmy Melia's men fought valiantly at Wembley and came so close to lifting the famous trophy - with United saved from a shock defeat only by the heroics of goalkeeper Gary Bailey.
Gordon Smith (14)
Gary Stevens (87)
Frank Stapleton (55)
Ray Wilkins (72)
FA Cup final,
May 21, 1983
Wembley,
Referee: Alf Grey, Norfolk,
Att: 99,059
After Gordon Smith had headed Brighton into a first-half lead, United hit back through Frank Stapleton and Ray Wilkins and were heading towards a fifth FA Cup triumph.
But Brighton refused to give in and the underdogs levelled through Gary Stevens with three minutes left on the clock to force the tie into extra-time.
Then came the defining moment of the match, as Smith closed in on the United goal with just seconds remaining of extra-time.
The striker seemed certain to snatch a sensational victory for Brighton but saw his strike brilliantly thwarted by the legs of Bailey - rescuing a replay for lucky United.
Key Figures
Gary Bailey
Bailey's last-gasp stop from Smith to save United from a shock victory was a sweet moment for the South-African born stopper. Bailey was blamed by many for costing United the FA Cup in 1979 when he failed to claim a cross, allowing Alan Sunderland to steal in and snatch the winner for Arsenal. But he was the hero this time round as he brilliantly denied Smith from close-range to deny Brighton what would have been the winner.
Gordon Smith
Smith was in great form for Brighton as the underdogs came so close to snatching an unlikely victory. But unfortunately for the Scotsman, despite scoring the opener, he will always be remembered as the man who's miss cost Brighton the FA Cup.
Did You Know...?
South African-born Bailey now works as a TV presenter and motivational speaker in his home country and was an ambassador for South Africa's successful bid for the 2010 World Cup.
Radio commentator Peter Jones was so certain Smith would grab the winner as he closed in on the United goal that he yelled "And Smith must score". The quote was subsequently used as the title for a Brighton fanzine.
Smith later moved to United's rivals City with little success but a title-winning spell at Rangers allowed him to title 2004 autobiography "And Smith Did Score".
What Happened Next
Five days later Bailey was again in impressive form as United proved much too strong for Brighton in the replay, running out 4-0 winners. Bryan Robson grabbed a double, while Norman Whiteside and Arnold Muhren also got on the scoresheet to take the FA Cup to Old Trafford for a fifth time.
This season E.ON is celebrating Great Saves - great energy saves at home and great goalkeeping saves on the pitch. To win an exciting range of football prizes, with everything from signed shirts to a set of four family tickets at the FA Cup final go to eongreatsaves
E.ON Great Saves No.1: Bert Trautmann in the 1956 FA Cup final
E.ON Great Saves No.2: Jim Montgomery in the 1973 FA Cup final
E.ON Great Saves No.3: Dickie Guy against Leeds in the 1975 FA Cup fourth round
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