Cardiff City 16-0 Knighton Town
On 28 January 1961, Cardiff City played Knighton Town in a Welsh Cup fifth round match at Ninian Park. Cardiff's 16-0 win set a club record for their biggest ever win, which still stands today,[1] and was also the biggest win in the Welsh Cup since 1894.[2]
Before the match
[edit | edit source]Knighton Town
[edit | edit source]In the previous season, Knighton finished 4th in the Mid Wales League.[3] Knighton entered the 1960-61 Welsh Cup in the first round and beat Llandrindod Wells, Welshpool, Machynlleth and Towyn to qualify for the fifth round.[4]
Cardiff City
[edit | edit source]In the previous season, Cardiff finished 2nd in the Football League Second Division and were promoted to the top tier of English football.[5] Cardiff also reached the final of the 1959-60 Welsh Cup where they lost to Wrexham after a replay.[6]
Due to their higher tier, Cardiff entered the Welsh Cup in the fifth round and the game against Knighton was their first of the tournament.[4]
Cardiff City had been fined £350 for playing a reserve team in a Welsh Cup game against Swansea Town in the previous season and the Football Association of Wales (FAW) ordered for them to play their first team this time.[7]
The match
[edit | edit source]Knighton were originally drawn at home to Cardiff, but gave up their home advantage and the match would instead be played at Cardiff's Ninian Park.[8] Knighton would have hundreds of fans making the trip to Cardiff to support their local club, including the chairman of Knighton Town Council.[9]
Knighton's squad of 14 included just two part-time professionals, the rest being amateurs.[9] Cardiff, as ordered by the FAW, had to play their first team of full-time professionals.[7]
It was a massive mismatch and the score was 7-0 at half time. Cardiff scored another nine to make it 16-0 at full time, though they had eased off by the end of the match and the score could have been higher. Cardiff's scorers were Derek Tapscott (6), Graham Moore (4), Brian Walsh (2), Peter Donnelly (2), Derek Hogg (1) and Danny Malloy (1).[7]
Cardiff right-back Alan Harrington, also a Welsh international, suffered two broken ribs in the second half.[10] He was unable to play for about a month due to injury.
After the match
[edit | edit source]Cardiff manager Bill Jones was unhappy with the situation that led up to the match, with Cardiff effectively forced to play their first team.[10] The game was described as a farce in newspapers soon after it happened.[10][7]
Cardiff went on to lose in the semi-final of the Welsh Cup, after a replay against Swansea Town.[11] They finished 15th in the Football League First Division.[12] Cardiff would next win the Welsh Cup in 1964.[13]
Knighton went on to finish 3rd in the Mid Wales League.[14] Knighton again entered the Welsh Cup in 1961-62 and reached the fourth round.[15]
Records
[edit | edit source]The 16-0 set multiple long-standing records for Cardiff City. It was the club's biggest ever win, and Derek Tapscott's 6 goals also set a record for the most goals a Cardiff player had scored in a single match. Both records still stand as of 2026.[1]
It was also the biggest win in the Welsh Cup since Shrewsbury's 21-0 win over Mold Alyn Stars in the first round of the 1894-95 Welsh Cup.[2] A 16-goal margin of victory wasn't achieved again in the cup until September 2021, when Bala Town won 17-1 against Brymbo in a second round match.[16] A 16-0 happened again in October 2024, when The New Saints beat Llangollen Town.[17] In the main rounds of the competition, Cardiff's 16-0 still stands as the biggest win since 1894.
For Knighton this is believed to stand as a record for their biggest ever loss.[18]
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://www.cardiffcityfc.co.uk/news/125-years-cardiff-city-back-big-time-1948-1962
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/crm2yxrezdzo
- ↑ https://www.welshsoccerarchive.co.uk/leagues_mid_wales.php?season_id=51
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 https://www.welshsoccerarchive.co.uk/welsh_cup.php?id=74
- ↑ https://fchd.info/lghist/fl1960.htm
- ↑ https://www.welshsoccerarchive.co.uk/welsh_cup.php?id=73
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Knighton were lost against full-strength Cardiff - Kington Times, 03 February 1961, page 9
- ↑ https://www.countytimes.co.uk/news/19540619.story-knighton-town---radnorshires-resilient-robins/
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Knighton name 14 for cup tie - Kington Times, 27 January 1961, page 9
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Upset - after a 16-goal win! - Daily Mirror, 30 January 1961, page 16
- ↑ https://www.welshsoccerarchive.co.uk/welsh_cup.php?id=74
- ↑ https://fchd.info/lghist/fl1961.htm
- ↑ https://www.rsssf.org/tablesw/walcuphist.html
- ↑ https://www.welshsoccerarchive.co.uk/leagues_mid_wales.php?season_id=52
- ↑ https://www.welshsoccerarchive.co.uk/welsh_cup.php?id=75
- ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/58425084
- ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/crm2yxrezdzo
- ↑ https://footygrounds.blogspot.com/2018/11/knighton-town-bryn-y-castell-showground.html