Hull and Manchester United made football history with never-seen-before rule

Premier League football makes its weekend debut for the new season when Hull City host Manchester United at Saturday lunchtime.

The Championship play-off winners will welcome the record 13-time champions to the MKM Stadium, live on talkSPORT, 56 years on from when they obscurely established themselves in football folklore.

Alamy

Founded in 1970, the Watney Cup was an eight-team tournament that was held during pre-season.

Its qualification criteria was quite specific – the two highest-scoring teams from each of the previous season’s top four leagues, but not including those who earned promotion or a European spot, played.

United and Derby County were the First Division representatives for the inaugural edition, with Hull joining as a Second Division side with Sheffield United.

Fulham and Reading entered from the Third Division while Aldershot and Peterborough United were the Fourth Division teams, but they all exited at the quarter-final stage.

With the final four now decided, Hull and United were drawn against each other for a spot in the final against Derby or Sheffield United.

Hull and United became history makers

Chris Chilton opened the scoring for the second-tier side in the semi-final at their former ground Boothferry Park, before an equaliser from Denis Law in the 78th minute meant it ended 1-1.

United, who were crowned European champions just two years prior, had legends such as Law, George Best, Brian Kidd and Bobby Charlton in their XI but couldn’t find a way past the Tigers.

Neither side found a winner during the 30 minutes of extra time, so penalties were required to decide one of the two finalists.

But this shootout was unique, as it was the first in English football history to decide the winners of a professional competitive match.

The typical response to a draw was a replay, and sometimes even the drawing of lots or a coin toss, but the now-dreaded penalty shootout made its debut on August 5, 1970 – and United were the beneficiaries.

Hull City

At 3-3, Ken Wagstaff and Law both missed their respective attempts to take it to sudden death.

Ian McKechnie then failed to hit the target for Hull and allowed Willie Morgan the opportunity to win it, with his successful penalty sending United into the final via a 4-3 triumph.

However, they weren’t as successful in the final as their First Division rivals Derby were resounding 4-1 winners at their Baseball Ground to become the first-ever Watney Cup champions.

Penalties were used on three more occasions across the later editions of the tournament, including the 1971 and 1972 finals.

But after four years of existence, the Watney Cup was abolished amid a decline in attendances and it has never returned since then.

Derby and Stoke City have shared the trophy, which was actually once up for sale, as the first and last-ever winners of the competition, as per the Derby Telegraph.

The Watney Cup/The Sun

New beginnings for Hull and United

Whilst the winners of their weekend fixture won’t advance to a cup semi-final like they did in their 1970 clash, Hull and United still have a lot at stake.

The Tigers will play in the Premier League for the first time since the 2016/17 season when they finished 18th and were relegated.

Hull went as far down as League One for the 2020/21 campaign, but are now back in the top flight thanks to their 1-0 Championship play-off final victory over Middlesbrough in May.

Joining them as the three promoted sides hoping to avoid relegation in the first seasons back are Coventry City and Ipswich Town.

United are set to begin their first full season under Michael Carrick, who helped guide them to third with an excellent run of form in the second half of last season.

They are heading into the 14th season since their last Premier League title win, with two second-place finishes in 2017/18 and 2020/21 the closest they have come to the prize.

Optimism will be high in the United camp as they have never lost in their first game of a new season against a newly-promoted side, with nine of 12 such meetings ending with victory.