|
Tommy Hutchison will be forever remembered in Manchester City and
British footballing folklore as the player who scored at both ends in
the FA Cup Final. Hutchison arrived at City in October 1980 towards the
end of a well-travelled career that started out at Alloa Athletic in
1965 and included spells at Blackpool and Coventry City, encompassing 17
Scottish international caps and an appearance in the 1974 World Cup
Finals. 'The Hutch' was an attacking right sided midfield player who
combined a deft touch with a committed playing style that made him an
instant favourite with the Maine road faithful. The first signing of
John Bond's reign at City for £47, 500, Hutchison immediately helped to
guide the Blues away from the relegation places.
He was the inspiration
behind City's unlikely 1981 FA Cup run that saw them dispatch Liverpool
in the semi-final on their way to a Wembley date with Tottenham Hotspur.
Whilst Hutchison lacked the pace and instincts to score on a regular
basis for City, he used his elusive dribbling and accurate crossing to
good effect to lay on a succession of goals for the City strike pairing
of Dennis Tueart and Kevin Reeves. The exception was to come in the 1981
Final which Hutchison began in heroic fashion by putting City into a
1-0 lead with a memorable diving header. However, disaster was to strike
as minutes later Tommy deflected a Glenn Hoddle free-kick into his own
net to set the stage for Ricky Villa's heroics in the replay. Hutchison
played another full season for City before being released to Bulova of
Hong Kong in the close season of 1982. He played a total of 57
competitive games in his 2 seasons at Maine Road, scoring 5 goals.
1965–1967 Alloa Athletic 68 (4)
1967–1972 Blackpool 165 (10)
1972–1981 Coventry City 314 (24)
1980 Seattle Sounders (loan) 25 (3)
1981–1982 Manchester City 46 (4)
1982–1983 Bulova 22 (0)
1983–1985 Burnley 92 (4)
1985–1991 Swansea City 178 (9)
1991–1994 Merthyr Tydfil 73 (2)
|