The 1979 FA Cup Final (BBC World Service Radio Broadcast)

The 1979 FA Cup Final was played on 12 May 1979 at Wembley Stadium. The match was contested by Arsenal and Manchester United. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest-ever finishes in an FA Cup final.
This recording was made from the BBC World Service on Shortwave so the quality is hardly pristine, but this is made up for by the fact that this was a classic game and the on air talent, which included Paddy Feeny, Jim Rosenthal, Alan Parry, Bryon Butler and last but not least Peter Jones.
The recording includes pre-match programming from the BBC World Service, all of the first and second halves and the presentation of the trophy.

[@tedski69]

I really miss Peter Jones' commentary. As a young kid I often lay down with the then Radio 2 match blasting in my ear. :)

[@ythomitnellum]

Great upload, Peter Jones was a true genius, a voice you could close your eyes and let wash over you. His final “and the sun shines” report from Hillsborough will never be equalled.

[@mickeyh1961]

Peter Jones could paint pictures with his voice , nothing like him today , a wonderful time when football was about football and the fans not corporates or theatrics by players, all sadly long since gone a golden era for sure

[@richardpowell1084]

Bryon Butler too. Could listen to them all day.

[@cbcfan429]

Well said!

[@markstea69]

Peter Jones was a brilliant commentator and his live broadcast about the Hillsborough Disaster unscripted showed the true class of the man

[@That_Random_Bloke]

Wonderful! Thank you for the upload. Very fond memories or Bryon Butler and Peter Jones as a kid

[@paulswords3705]

Had a flexidisc with the radio commentary on all fa wins by arsenal .peter jones commentary was great.his line the irish are doing a jig here is truly unforgettable

[@josephgraham3575]

Peter jones the most incredible sports commentator ,silk like voice, 👍

[@johnfitzpatrick8191]

When I used to go fishing with my father and two brothers I used to listen to Sport on two Peter Jones Byron Butler Larry Canning Bill Bothwell happy memories by the way I'm à Nottingham Forest supporter we won the league cup that year

[@noelmaher6218]

I used to listen to BBC Radio 2 in late 70s and early 80s in Ireland. . There is a recording of Larry Canning and Bill Bothwell doing reports from a Saturday afternoon game. I think it was celebrating 30 or 40 years of Sports Report commentary on BBC radio. I thought I'd never hear those guys again even though they were on mainstream BBC radio for years. Jim Rosenthal I think normally presented Saturday afternoon sport around this time. Forest were big back then so there are recordings of some of the big European games with Bryon Butler, Peter Jones Alan Parry etc Certainty League Cup finals against Wolves and Liverpool and Southampton should be online.

[@edmundpower1250]

There was a large screen showing of this in a local pub and when United equalised the place went so mad that the projector was knocked off! When they got it back on two minutes later nobody could understand why arsenal were celebrating at the end!!

[@galtongabriel1172]

I remember this incredible finish & Sammy Mcllroy’s dramatic equaliser will never be forgotten in Wembley folklore. The peerless Peter Jones was a master of his craft.

[@grahamnancledra7036]

No Sports commentary on the World Service any more and it's the poorer for that. I'll always remember the superb Paddy Feeney.

[@cbcfan429]

I too remember Paddy Feeney! BBC WS still has sports programming. Sports World is broadcast on Saturday and Sundays and has commentary from the EPL,

[@kimberleykswain]

One of the 1st cup final memories I have at 8 years old Can remember my dad celebrating like mad when United scored twice but then Arsenal got the winner. I of course was a Liverpool fan

[@philb2135]

Virtually the same story Kim, I was 8 too, the only difference was that my Dad was a season ticket holder at Anfield so his loyalties were firmly in the Arsenal camp.

[@Micky2009-s4s]

Peter Jones & Bryan Butler the best ever radio commentary ever no other commentators will ever come this close to taking you inside your imagination and through that radio out onto that pitch and you are there a part of it Peter & Bryan Legends

[@0secure12]

Great upload. Remember it so well. May 12th 1979. Peter Jones going "I do not believe it, I swear, I do not believe it". Still remember it. Bugger, unfortunately United lost. Thanks for posting though. Great memories. (well, kinda) ;-)

[@pressureworks]

0secure 1 oh yes ! That's my favorite memory ! I swear !

[@0secure12]

@@pressureworks Haha, I guess you're a Gooner then. Congrats, he said, between clenched teeth ;-)

[@pressureworks]

0secure 1 no effin way ! I'm an OWL ! ((Sheffield Wednesday) I meant to say my favorite memory of the years of listening to Peter Jones. Was him say I swear I do not believe it ! I really swear !

[@0secure12]

@@pressureworks Ah, alright then. Glad to hear you're not a Gooner, or worse, a Liverpool fan! I'd have to kill you! ;-) All the best for next season.

[@noblemann4898]

I was 9 years old watching it in on TV. It seemed in those days the sun would always come out for the cup final.

[@Nickherts]

You remember where you were. I was playing cricket in the tea interval at Dean Park, Bournemouth. (Benson and Hedges Cup, Warwickshire beat Hampshire).

[@peterdockrill9653]

I actually attended this match man Utd fan 18 year old,travelled down on the friday, remember the disappointment on the coach back home to Manchester.

[@edmundpower1250]

Yes I can imagine after that great comeback

[@airzulu2733]

I still remember sitting in my garden with a small transistor radio in Johannesburg. Listening to paddy Feenie and the distinctive Brian butler . And the fadeing in and out of the signal during the game . Absolutely amazing in its time . The only downer was united lost after coming back from 2 nil down.

[@seanwallace3516]

Amazing upload . Wow. When McClroy scored my brother ran to my grandads only to get there and see Sunderland had scored!

[@richardpowell1084]

Great posting. Fantastic memories.

[@pressureworks]

Fond fond memories of Paddy and Peter.

[@komoleeray687]

Thank you so much for this upload :) This is one of the most important moments in my life because at the age of 11 i became a Gooner for life because of this final ( and the lead up cup games i followed . I remember my dad , brother and I watching this in the lounge and completely losing it when Sunderland scored the winner . ) Liam Brady was my hero. Both the John Motson and Brian Moore commentaries of this game remain forever etched in my memory, Now i get to include this commentary in my dreams ..Thank you 😀♥

[@meisterlymanu5214]

a v special final for me, the Utd kit was my favourite from 78 to 80, and the contrasting yellow of Arsenal, a beautiful day, made it terrific. I had a goal for my 9th birthday the week before, and we got it out at 5pm, stepladders and pegs, and hammers, and about 10 kids in the street played on the local field until dark. Great memories.

[@MrJonno85]

Peter Jones' descriptions of the last two goals were included on a flexi-disc quiz produced, I think, for Shoot! magazine in 1981. One of the contestants, from memory, was Alan Kennedy of Liverpool.

[@carlesq.]

hey jon great memory but it was match weekly,and you had to put a penny on the disc to weigh it down,think there was 2 or 3 of them

[@carlesq.]

the john roberstson european cup final goal always sticks in my mind as well from those discs,i put them all on to cassette and put music with them good days good times

[@jkeaney7]

Spot on! You're right! The pure emotion when United equalised is awesome...

[@cerneuffington2656]

Thats right, with Glenn Hoddle and Peter Withe. I've still got those discs. I also recording them, only the commentary bits onto a tape cassette.

[@MrJonno85]

@@carlesq. Maybe it was Match, the rival publication that my brother used to buy!

[@sajansingh361]

Great Radio presenter of the 70s Paddy Fene They had Adrian Alstone Then there was Alan Parry Alan Green

[@colinsweeney1109]

Peter Jones used to scare the shit out of me with his commentary..most notably whenever we were playing Liverpool,"souness into lee who goes pass Talbot,he finds McDermott who brushes pass o'leary..rush to Dalglish back to rush ..1-0 Liverpool...still those were great days and I miss those days alot..as for the cup final I was only 8 years old and I would say it was when I realised arsenal were to be my true love. Coyg

[@philipcuff4201]

When Sunderland scored the winner it was exactly like turning the balance on the loudest stereo ever from left to right as the United fans were silenced and the Arsenal fans went mental. Will never, ever forget old Wembley for that game 😅😅😅

[@Sreeprayag]

Wow. Nostalgic

[@martinkemp858]

Brilliant! So many memories.

[@bernardjay379]

Remember listening to the game on the BBC World service in Nigeria at the time great memories.

[@Lone_starz]

Thank you

[@iamnotthemessiahnowfocuson7469]

Thank you ❤️❤️❤️

[@jonc3295]

1979. Sounds more like 1929

[@cbcfan429]

Fair enough! But this was a shortwave radio broadcast, given that, the quality could have been worse.

[@edmundpower1250]

Is sarcasm your only talent?

[@alanmansell9845]

Peter jones was a great genius ❤

[@Tomdel1965]

Brilliant memories, even as a Man U fan in those days as a kid watching back in Australia. I recorded every FA Cup Final off the BBC's call onto cassette from 1982-2006. Loved the drama that the Cup threw up, but have no time for it anymore as it is so dominated by the big clubs who don't value it at all. The old Wembley was special, having an atmosphere that the new stadium cannot replicate.

[@cbcfan429]

Thank you for listening and commenting! Do you still have your recordings? If you do I'd love to hear them!

[@Tomdel1965]

@@cbcfan429 Yep, still got them. Don't have the facilities to digitise them though. You can contact me at [e-mail] to discuss further.

[@pressureworks]

Tomdel1965 I agree with you 1,000 percent !

[@Tomdel1965]

@@cbcfan429 I have managed to have all my Cup Finals digitised and have just posted one of them - the 1987 FA Cup Final: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pGawnYSBfrxrbJY one of the best finals in every sense of the word. Will endeavour to upload more of them whenever I get time.

[@cbcfan429]

Thank you so much. Absolutely brilliant! My recording of this from shortwave was terrible. Long stretches of it lost in static and noise. Your recording is splendid!

[@chrisdennehy9425]

Great post! You beat me to the punch, In also taped this over shortwave and have on cassette and I’ve been meaning to post for a long time

[@cbcfan429]

Chris do you have any other broadcasts featuring Peter Jones doing commentary?

[@edmundpower1250]

You were asked a question!

[@chrisdennehy9425]

@@edmundpower1250 what’s the question?

[@edmundpower1250]

@@chrisdennehy9425 four years ago the guy who uploaded this commentary asked you a question. Look three comments up!

[@chrisdennehy9425]

@@edmundpower1250 kzbin.info/www/bejne/bXu5YoauYsSEn7s

[@Homebous76]

What a great upload

[@iamnotthemessiahnowfocuson7469]

❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@JohnJohn-zn8ib]

Great commentary, better than anything like today.

[@Vortigan07]

17:18 "...and United have conceded a goal" Yeah, no prizes for guessing who Alan Parry was backing on that day! Wanker!

[@celestialnavigator3116]

It was Peter Jones.

[@Vortigan07]

@@celestialnavigator3116 Nope, Alan Parry. Very clearly.

[@mickcorbett2518]

Go to 1:28 for all the fun…chippy Brady ❤

[@barbarian981]

Superb uploading. Brings great memories to me. I also have a few cup finals recorded from BBC WS.

[@cbcfan429]

Any chance you could upload the recordings you have?

[@barbarian981]

First I should look at their current condition. They are all stored on cassettes in the attic. Then I should figure out how to translate them onto a listenable file.

[@cbcfan429]

I have been digitizing cassettes from my own collection and the vast majority of them have survived fairly well. I'm on the lookout for more football myself but I haven't found many. As for technology, you just need a tape deck of some sort to plug into the audio line in on your computer and software like Audacity or Total Recorder to digitize the files.