Arsenal v Wolves, FA Cup 3rd/4th Play-off, 18th August 1973

Match highlights of the FA Cup 3rd/4th Play-off (1972-73 competition) between Arsenal and Wolves, played at Highbury a week before the start of the 1973-74 season.

For Wolves, the 1973-74 season proved to be one of slight disappointment with regard to their league position. Following final placings of 4th, 9th and 5th in preceding seasons in the First Division, a finish of 12th at the end of the season could be considered to be below par for a talented Wolves team. However, the shortfall in expectation in the league was more than compensated with the winning of the League Cup against Manchester City on 2nd March 1974.

Prime reason for Wolves' relatively poor league position that season was that Bill McGarry's team made such a bad start to their campaign. After winning their opening two matches, Wolves won just once in their next fourteen matches that left them a lowly 19th in the league, level on points with Norwich City in one of the relegation positions below. Part of the problem was that striker John Richards endured a barren start to the season and went ten league matches without a goal. During Richards' worrying goal drought, his strike partner Derek Dougan and midfielder Jim McCalliog scored all twelve of Wolves' league goals between them.

Wolves, however, regained their form in the league from mid-late November. An impressive 3-1 win at Tottenham Hotspur (   • Tottenham Hotspur v Wolves, 24th November ...  ) began a revival in results over the remainder of the season that enabled Wolves to haul themselves well clear of relegation with a final league position of 12th. Most memorably, Wolves defeated Manchester City in the League Cup Final on 2nd March 1974.

For Arsenal, the 1973-74 season was rather underwhelming. Following on from being league runners-up and FA Cup semi-finalists the previous season, a final position of 10th and early cup exits was disappointing for Bertie Mee's team. It was, over the following two seasons, the prelude to further decline in league position and cup failure before their revival in the mid-late 1970s.

Originally broadcast by LWT's The Big Match, with Brian Moore commentating.