A look back at when football introduced the penalty shootout

“I couldn’t believe it, my beloved Hull City were up against Georgie Best, Bobby Charlton and Dennis Law. It was like putting Messi, Ronaldo and Mbappe in the same team,” Kelly recalled. The BBC’s Sporting Witness programme.

Former Hull City player Frankie Banks said: “It was a massive game, playing against Manchester United, who won the European Cup two years ago.

“The atmosphere was electrifying.

“Man United players were our heroes. On paper we had no chance. We wanted to win, we wanted to prove to everyone that even if they are the best team in the world, we can go out and play them.”

And that’s exactly what they did, before Law pulled one back for United in the 78th minute to take the lead on 11 minutes through Chris Chilton to send the game into extra time. As the clock ticked down to the extra half hour, the players realized they were about to be a part of something historic.

“(Hull player-manager) Terry Neill obviously asked for volunteers and some lads were reluctant to step up and take the penalty and some were brave and said ‘I’ll take one, I’ll take one and I’ll take one’,” said Banks, who was not on the team sheet that day but was at the game.

“No one wants to be the one who misses out.”

And, especially, no one wants to be the first player to miss in a shootout.

However, Best was delighted to become the first player to score as he fired his right-footed shot low into the left corner.

For Hull City, Nail became the first player-manager to score in the shootout, helping to keep the scores level at 3–3.

“It was still anybody’s game and the noise was deafening,” Banks said.

But then, in a moment that countless big-name players would experience over the decades, Law saw his low shot saved by a diving Ian McKenney.

“Forever, Law will go down as the first man to miss in a penalty shootout and McKenney will go down as the first goalkeeper to save a penalty in a penalty shootout,” Banks said.

Ken Wagstaff then missed for Hull and so when Willie Morgan scored for United, Hull knew they had to convert their final kick.

And that’s when McKenney became the first keeper to take a penalty in a shootout.

“Please, not him,” Kelly thought. “I couldn’t believe it, my mum couldn’t believe it, even Man United keeper Alex Stepney couldn’t believe it and actually asked him what he was doing there. I had my head in my hands!”

McKenney stepped up and blasted a powerful strike… over the top of the crossbar. And he missed the penalty in the shootout as the first keeper.

“I still maintain that Ian McKenney was the right choice – he had a sweet left foot – and he had the guts to do it. I’d put money on him scoring,” Banks said.

“Missing that penalty stayed with Ian for the rest of his life.”