'WE'LL murder them," said Middlesbrough manager Jack Charlton as his First Division side prepared to meet Isthmian League Wycomber Wanderers at home in an FA Cup 3rd Round replay at Ayresome Park, Middlesbrough, on Tuesday, January 7, 1975.

Charlton, the Leeds and former England centre half, had hung up his boots in the Summer of 1973 after making 629 appearances for Leeds with 70 goals and 35 appearances for England with 6 goals, which also included a World Cup Final appearance and winners medal in 1966.

He was soon appointed the manager of Middlesbrough before the start of the 1973-74 season taking over from Harold Sheperdson, who had acted as caretaker-manager after Stan Anderson had resigned.

Middlesbrough had been out of the top flight of the Football League since they were relegated from Division 1 way back in the 1953-54 season, but Charlton with Stuart Boam as his captain took them back into the top tier in his first season in charge.

They competed well in their first season back in Division 1 and for most of the time were in with a shout of the championship, finally finishing in fifth position five points behind champions Derby County.

In the FA Cup that season their first game was a 3rd Round tie away at Isthmian League Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday January 4th 1975. It should have been a none event as Wycombe Wanderers, prior to 1974, had been an amateur football club, about the same class as Crook Town and Bishop Auckland and still had part-time players.

However, the Loakes Park pitch at Wycombe had an 11 foot slope and for some reason, as Ray Robertson wrote in his Northern Echo report that the Boro players looked a worried and at times a rattled outfit.

Indeed, after the game Boam admitted that he had never been so nervous in his life and was quoted as saying: "After 15 minutes we decided it was not going to be our day on a pitch like that, so we started to play 'kick and rush' football like the home team. The important thing was not to lose."

Boro came away with a 0-0 draw played before 12,200 spectators.

Before the replay at Ayresome Park, Middlesbrough the following Tuesday which attracted a gate of 30,128, Jack Charlton was so confident he told the press: "We'll murder them."

It didn't quite work out like that because Wycombe were a well organised and battling team and the score at half-time, like in the first game, was 0-0. Boro created plenty of chances but they either squandered them, hit the woodwork, or John Maskell in the Wycombe goal saved them.

Everyone was prepared for extra-time when, in the final minute, Graeme Souness slipped the ball through to David Armstrong and the England Under 23 international drew keeper Maskell before hitting the ball into the corner of the net.

Boro were through, but the home crowd rose to applaud the gallant Wycombe team.

At the end of the game manager Charlton, Boam and his players, even referee Alan Porter, lined up to shake the hands of the Wycombe players.

As luck would have it, two seasons later, and 40 years ago, in the 1976-77 season, Boro, still in the 1st Division with Charlton as manager and Boam as captain, were once more drawn away to a non-league team in the 3rd Round of the FA Cup on Saturday, January 8, 1977.

This time their opponents were Southern League Wimbledon, who two seasons earlier, had beaten Division 1 Burnley in Round 3 and drawn with Division 1 Leeds at Elland Road in Round 4 before losing the home replay 0-1.

On their arrival at Plough Lane, Wimbledon, Charlton and the Middlesbrough contingent were not happy with state of the pitch which looked as if it had been prepared to stop skilful football. Not only was it a quagmire with tractor marks on it but there was no sign of it having being rolled. The game was going to be a lottery, and so it proved, as once again Boro failed to conquer a non-league rival and the final score was 0-0.

Dickie Guy, the Wimbledon keeper even commented: "I was bored with nothing to do."

Again, the 'Boro' were expected to steamroller their non-league opponents in the replay at home but there was a professional look about the Wimbledon rearguard and in Dickie Guy they had a keeper who could have walked into any Football League side. With a light covering of snow on the pitch 'Boro' huffed and puffed, Peter Brine headed wide, Guy saved brilliantly from McAndrew and Sounnes and Wimbledon stood firm until the 57th minute when full back Tilley tripped Armstrong in the box and the ref pointed to the spot. Wimbledon weren't happy and centre forward Roger Connell raced 40 yards to protest. David Armstrong placed the ball on the spot as Guy, who two years previous had saved a Peter Lorimer penalty against Leeds, set himself like a cat ready to pounce, but Armstrong drilled the ball firmly into the net.

It was game over, 'Boro' were relieved, but once more their non-league opponents took the glory, and once again a David Armstrong goal proved to be the match winner.