Wembley derby memories: 1984

However, a replay was required to decide whether it would be the Reds or the Blues lifting the trophy after a goalless draw in London. The teams met again at Maine Road just three days later - and Graeme Souness's first-half strike was enough to secure a 1-0 win for Liverpool.

Liverpoolfc.tv spoke to lifelong Red, lead singer of The Farm and writer of The End magazine Peter Hooton about his memories of the build-up to the final and of the match itself.

What were you up to back in 1984? Were you in Liverpool?

I was in Liverpool working on The End magazine. I think it was around that time that The Farm were getting together and just starting to rehearse and get on the radio. But for me, personally, the main thing was The End. One of the lads who worked with us on the magazine, Mick Potter, suggested we go down to Wembley via Bournemouth for the 1984 League Cup final and we agreed on that.

Bournemouth?

That might sound strange but we'd all been to Wembley that many times and by then we were used to our near-constant trips abroad. So we decided to mix it up for a change. A friend of Mick's had a place down in Bournemouth. We hired a car and drove down there on the Thursday before the final. The one problem was, when we got there, most of the lads we were meant to be meeting were all ready to set-off for Wembley. There must have been a communication breakdown of sorts - this was the days before mobile phones and texts and tweets, don't forget - because they'd booked a coach and they were heading for London.

So we were left with the keys to Mick's mates' house and we enjoyed ourselves for a couple of nights in Bournemouth. Then we headed down on the morning of the game. It was a novel way to get in the mood for a cup final but it was a good laugh.

Liverpool had played Everton before that in semi-finals but this was the first all-Merseyside final...

It was the first and you could feel the excitement. At the time, Liverpool and Everton were two massive clubs - they still are - but back then they were the best and there was little between them. Since the launch of the Premier League, Liverpool have really pulled away from Everton, in terms of them becoming a global brand with a worldwide following. So it might seem hard for younger fans today to imagine but the two Merseyside teams were the finest in the country and they were both due to play at Wembley in the final.

What about the game itself? It went to a replay...

It was a very, very wet Sunday afternoon and the rain might just have took the edge off things and dampened the spirits a little because the game was tense and all-in-all it was dour. Both teams seemed absolutely determined not to lose the game and that meant it ended in a 0-0 draw. In terms of a final, it doesn't compare to the FA Cup final two years later. But it was another great experience to travel down to Wembley and see so many people from Merseyside converge on the capital. We eventually went on to win the cup at Maine Road and we had had a good couple of nights in Bournemouth in the process. So as young Reds it was another adventure to add to the long list.