Bristol Rovers and Ipswich Town will meet in the FA Cup for seventh time this Sunday afternoon at Portman Road.
Rovers have never beaten the boys from Suffolk in the previous six FA Cup attempts, and have scored just five goals and conceded 15.
For the first two ties we have to go back to 1977/78 when there were two meetings in the Fifth Round of the competition. Second Division Rovers had beaten Sunderland 1-0 at Roker Park and Southampton 2-0 at Eastville in Rounds Three and Four respectively.
Ipswich, at that time, were in the First Division and arrived at a snow covered Eastville for this tie on 18th February 1978, their side managed by Bobby Robson and boasting England internationals in the shape of Mick Mills and Paul Mariner and Scottish international George Burley as well as a future Rovers caretaker boss in Russell Osman.
The icy conditions made for a treacherous surface and it was described in this way by one national newspaper; ‘The decision to play was taken at 8.30am but the verdict by Essex referee Brian Daniels proved incomprehensible as the players moved with all the grace of rheumatic ducks on a snow covered pitch.’
A crowd of 23,453, saw Ipswich take a 27th minute lead through Robin Turner, but Rovers hit back in the second half and David Williams scored after goalkeeper Paul Cooper could only punch a Bobby Gould corner straight out to him..
That was in the 58th minute and seven minutes later the same player struck again when another Gould corner was headed on by Mike Barry and Williams applied the finishing touch. It was a lead Rovers held on to until the 86th minute, when hopes of reaching the Quarter Final for the third time were dashed by Turner who converted a low cross into the box by Mariner.
That meant a replay at Portman Road which took place on 28th February. Rovers were beaten 3-0 that evening, though they were by no means disgraced. Had they been more clinical with their finishing they might well have scored three first half goals.
Mills gave the home side the lead on 26 minutes when he headed in from a Clive Woods cross, and second half goals from Mariner, on 57 minutes and Woods 12 minutes from time put paid to any thoughts Rovers might have had of progressing and Ipswich went through and went on to win the FA Cup for the first, and only time in their history, defeating Arsenal 1-0 in the Wembley Final.