THIRTY-NINE years on from City’s last appearance in the FA Cup quarter-finals and the winning goal still sparks serious debate.

Ask any home fan who was at Valley Parade that day and they will tell you that Jim McCalliog’s volley for Southampton should never have stood.

But put the question to Lawrie McMenemy, the Saints boss at the time, and you will get a very different answer.

“It was quite exceptional, a fantastic goal created by two terrific players, Jimmy Mac and Ossie (Peter Osgood),” he told the T&A.

“I can still see them standing, their hands on hips, and the Bradford wall just outside the box.

“Ossie scooped the ball up and Jimmy just volleyed it in. It was brilliant.

“I said in the press at the time that they did it every day in training but, to be honest, I’d never seen it before in my life!

“I can suspect why everybody objected about it. I think there was a question about should the ball have been rolling first.

“All I know is that everyone went on and on about the goal.”

City winger Don Hutchins was in that wall – but did not think about the validity of McCalliog’s strike until later that night.

Hutchins said: “McCalliog volleyed it over us and into the net. We didn’t realise then that the goal shouldn’t have stood.

“I can’t remember when we became aware of that, probably when they highlighted it on Match of the Day.

“Somebody picked up on it. The ball must roll a full circumference before someone else can touch it.

“We were probably the better team that day. Lawrie McMenemy said after they won the final that the game against us was the hardest they’d had.

“We didn’t deserve to lose but that’s life. At least we lost to the eventual winners.”

McMenemy agrees that it was a tough hurdle to climb for the then second-tier Saints on their way to a shock victory over Tommy Docherty’s Manchester United at Wembley – which remains the only major honour in the Hampshire club’s history.

“Bradford had already shown what can happen in cup ties,” he recalled. “In the previous round they had won at Norwich, who were a good First Division side, which was a good reminder for my team talks.

“I’d come across their chairman Stafford Heginbotham before when I was up at Grimsby and knew what a character he was.

“He’d played a couple of tricks at Norwich and got the game moved to midweek. He came over to me before the game to say a few words and I just patted him on the back – I knew what he was like.

“Everybody except Southampton supporters were possibly looking for an upset on the day.

“It would have been a big shock, obviously not as much as Chelsea losing at home this year, but still a big one.

“They had Rodney Johnson, who I knew from playing for me at Doncaster. He’d been at Leeds as well and was a good player.

“It’s on days like that when players who had previously been at a higher level light up again and I remember him having a couple of terrific efforts at goal.

“But our keeper Ian Turner kept us in it and then that big of magic from Jimmy saw us through a very tricky cup tie.”

Southampton’s reward for edging past the plucky Bantams was a semi-final against Crystal Palace, from the old Third Division. Top-flight rivals Manchester United and Derby met in the other tie.

McMenemy said: “The two big clubs didn’t want to meet each other in the semis but we were delighted. I’m sure Crystal Palace felt the same.

“Our semi-final was at Stamford Bridge. These days it’s even bigger with the game being at Wembley.

“You wonder if it can happen again with a team from outside the top division winning the cup and you think why not. I think the whole of football is behind Bradford now. It’s a great story – and exactly what the cup should be about.

“The FA Cup has got its magic back this year and that’s brilliant. It’s still a special competition, despite what some people might say, and the results like Bradford winning away to Chelsea and beating Sunderland have shown that.

“People still talk about the time we won it. If I go out somewhere, there will still be someone who will stop me to ask about it or say where they were that day.

“I’ll never forget the scenes in the city when we went on an open-top bus with the cup afterwards. Those are special memories.”

McMenemy has a vested interest in wanting City to progress. He was the manager when a 16-year-old Phil Parkinson was taken on as a Saints apprentice.

Spotted by legendary north-east scout Jack Hixon, who famously discovered Alan Shearer, the young Parkinson headed south for Hampshire just before the end of McMenemy’s 12-year reign at The Dell.

McMenemy has kept tabs on Parkinson since and is thrilled to see the impact he has had at Valley Parade. It is in sharp contrast to the last time they met up during the City manager’s ill-fated spell in charge of Hull.

“I was on the Southampton board at the time and flew up with the team for a rare visit,” added McMenemy. “I didn’t go to many away games.

“We beat Hull on the day and the crowd were having a right go. Phil was having a tough time and it was sad to hear.

“Afterwards I went looking for Phil and couldn’t find him in the boardroom or anywhere. Eventually I went down to their dressing room and he was sat in the showers on his own, head down.

“He looked really depressed because it was hard for him. But we had a good chat and I told him to keep going and how quickly things can change in management.

“I’m so pleased with how he has turned it round. I’ve been very impressed. When he got to Wembley two years ago in the Capital One Cup it was fantastic. What an achievement that was.

“After doing that he could have left Bradford and got another job but he showed loyalty and I’m glad the club have done the same with him.

“The Bradford board’s problem now will be keeping Phil. Three and a half years at one club is a long time nowadays in management and I’m delighted for him and what he has done.”