“Give me Norwich at home,” was the verdict of Albion acting manager Jimmy Melia when asked who he wanted in the 1983 FA Cup quarter-finals, following his team’s shock triumph over Liverpool at Anfield in the fifth round.
It might seem strange to hope to play another First Division side when there were two second division clubs remaining in the draw, Burnley and Sheffield Wednesday. But Melia obviously recalled with fondness the 3-0 Goldstone victory over the Canaries in his first match in charge after replacing Mike Bailey on December 10.
And his wish was granted – although once the game got under way, he might have had second thoughts. The sixth-round cup tie on March 12 was to prove a far closer encounter than the earlier league game.
Norwich, like Albion, were struggling at the wrong end of the first division table, but had a team full of experienced players, and would go on to lose only one more match over the remainder of the season and avoid relegation with something to spare. Even with Steve Walford suspended and both Aage Hareide and Martin O’Neill injured, they had Chris Woods in goal, future League Champion Dave Watson in defence and England under-21 striker John Deehan up front.
Albion had the first significant effort on goal when Steve Foster met Gary Steven’s cross with a goal-bound header that Norwich number nine Deehan nodded clear from almost under the crossbar.
But after that the Canaries came strongly into the game. Forward Keith Bertschin was denied by Graham Moseley as he ran clear after beating the Albion offside trap, and he then headed wide after beating the goalkeeper to a free kick from the right.
In the second half, Moseley’s parry of a shot on the turn by Deehan led to a scramble in the South Stand goalmouth, Steve Gatting clearing off the line from Norwich winger Mark Barham, who was later to join the Albion and appear in the 1991 Wembley play-off final.
Finally, after 66 minutes, came the breakthrough, and it was the team in blue and white that made it. Stevens played the ball forward, Michael Robinson and then Andy Ritchie nodded it on and Jimmy Case chested it down and charged for goal. Forcing his way past Norwich right back Paul Haylock, he advanced into the penalty area and swept the ball past goalkeeper Woods.
Jimmy described it later in Spencer Vignes’ book A Few Good Men as “the old-fashioned shoulder-to-shoulder, fighting for space to get the ball. You’ve just got to be stronger. I finished it and wheeled round – you’re always looking to see if it’s okay.”
But was it okay? Norwich players pointed to a linesman, who had raised his flag as Case tussled with Haylock and then lowered it again, and for a second the home fans’ cheers died in their throats. But to their great relief, a quick consultation between referee Alan Robinson and the linesman confirmed the goal and that the linesman had thought that Haylock had obstructed Case.
“I knew I hadn’t fouled him,” Case said. “I grew up leaning into players from a young age because I was smaller than most. If you give a little nudge at the right time and he’s off-balance or not expecting it, you can knock over the biggest players. He shouldn’t have got caught.” Case had now scored the winner in successive cup ties following his deflected decider against his former club at Anfield.
Moseley saved well from Greg Downs’ swerving shot as Norwich looked for a reply in the hope of a replay at Carrow Road, but Albion clung on to reach their first semi-final. Melia would be confirmed as the full-time manager four days later, and with Arsenal, Manchester United and either Burnley or Wednesday, who had drawn 1-1, as their potential last-four opponents, there was little doubt who he wanted to face this time. And again his wish would be granted…