The Football League Cup, now known as the EFL Cup, was introduced during the 1960/61 season as a new domestic knockout competition in English football. Its creation aimed to provide clubs with an additional opportunity for silverware outside of the more established FA Cup and League Championship.
However, the final of the inaugural tournament wasn’t held until the beginning of the 1961/62 season due to fixture scheduling and logistical delays.
The first-ever final saw Aston Villa take on Rotherham United in a two-legged contest. In contrast to modern-day cup finals, which are typically held at neutral venues and decided in a single match, the 1960/61 Football League Cup final was played over two legs, with each team hosting a match.
First Leg: Rotherham Takes the Advantage
The first leg of the final was held at Millmoor, the home ground of Rotherham United. Playing in front of a supportive home crowd, Rotherham pulled off an impressive 2-0 victory over Aston Villa, giving them a significant advantage going into the second leg. Villa, a more storied club with greater resources, now faced an uphill battle to overturn the deficit. Despite Villa’s pre-match favoritism, Rotherham’s determined display left them just 90 minutes away from lifting the trophy.
Second Leg: Villa’s Dramatic Comeback
Two weeks after the first leg, Aston Villa hosted the second leg at Villa Park. Backed by their own supporters and needing a two-goal victory just to level the aggregate score, Villa entered the match with attacking intent. Early in the game, the home side found their breakthrough when Alan O’Neill scored, cutting the aggregate deficit in half. Shortly after, Harry Burrows netted another for Villa, bringing the aggregate score to 2-2 and forcing the game into extra time.
In extra time, it was Aston Villa who completed their remarkable comeback. Peter McParland, one of the club’s key players during that era, scored the decisive goal to make it 3-2 on aggregate, sealing Villa’s victory. With that win, Aston Villa became the first club to claim victory in all three major domestic titles: the League Championship, the FA Cup, and now the Football League Cup.
Notable Contributions and Departures
While Villa’s triumph was a collective effort, several individual players made significant contributions along the way. One standout player was striker Gerry Hitchens, who had been instrumental in helping Villa reach the final, scoring 11 goals in the competition. However, in a twist of fate, Hitchens was not part of the final itself. Before the two-legged final took place, he had signed for Italian giants Inter Milan. Despite his absence, Villa’s depth and determination carried them to victory.
Legacy of the First League Cup Final
Aston Villa’s triumph in the first Football League Cup was a historic achievement, marking the start of what would become one of English football’s most cherished knockout competitions. Villa’s victory added another chapter to their illustrious history, while Rotherham United’s valiant effort in reaching the final remains one of the club’s proudest moments. For Villa, this victory solidified their place as one of England’s premier clubs of the early 1960s, and for football fans, it provided the first taste of what the League Cup would come to represent in the decades that followed.
Today, the Football League Cup (now the EFL Cup) is regarded as a key part of the English football season, offering smaller clubs the chance to compete with the giants and giving all teams a path to European competition.