It was the mother of all Irish Cup Final shocks.
nfashionable little Carrick Rangers toasted their greatest ever achievement back on Saturday, April 10, 1976 - 45 years ago last weekend.
When the clock struck five o'clock, captain George Matchett climbed the steep stairs at The Oval to receive Irish League football's most coveted piece of knockout silverware - the Irish Cup.
Down in the bowels of the building in the opposing dressing room, Roy Coyle's beaten Linfield players sat staring at each other, trying to comprehend what had really happened over the previous 90 minutes.
But when the facts were analysed, it all went wrong even before kick-off for Coyle and his star troopers. They were heavily fancied to swat away the challenge of little B Division Rangers, managed by a rookie 24-year-old player-boss in Jimmy Brown.
The East Antrim entourage travelled to the stadium in a luxury coach. They were decked out in their smart suits and had completed 10 days of rigorous preparation.
Uncharacteristically, the Blues stepped off a hired corporation red bus in their civvies - no suits, no tracksuits, it was jeans and sweaters. If anything, it gave Brown and his boys even more encouragement.
When Linfield got off to the best possible start with Martin Malone converting after only two minutes, the masses on the terracing settled down for an avalanche of goals. How wrong were they?
Gary Prenter capitalised on an error from goalkeeper Ken Barclay before the break and then pounced again midway through the second half when Linfield defensive pair Peter Rafferty and Eric Bowyer collided.
Rangers had to survive an onslaught after that but, when the referee gave the final blast of his whistle, a little piece of Irish Cup history was created.
"There was a multitude of things that happened even before the Final, which would perhaps suggest our name was on the Cup," laughs manager Brown. "What people don't know is we had three preliminary round games before we even reached the stage to join the Irish League clubs.
"We were almost out in the first round when a Gary Reid goal just edged us past Lisburn Rangers. It was a last-minute job - we could well have been knocked out. Gary actually missed the Final because of injury. Then there was a tragic story in our third round win over Brantwood at Skegoneill Avenue. One of their players, who was making his debut, crashed into the perimeter wall and hit his head. He was taken to hospital, but later lost his life.
"That all took place even before we got into the first round proper.
"I had just left Ballymena United to join Carrick Rangers. But there was a story behind it because Ards wanted me to sign for them, only our manager, Arthur Stewart, wouldn't permit it. Instead, I dropped down to the B Division to get my release.
"As fate would have it, we drew them in the Cup and we beat them at The Showgrounds.
"In the next round, we faced a fantastic Coleraine team, which included Dessie Dickson, Ivan Murray, Johnny McCurdy and Terry Cochrane. In my opinion, they were the best side in the Irish League.
"It took three games to separate the teams - they couldn't beat us. The third game was played at a neutral venue at Seaview. We beat them 2-1 and I scored a cracking goal.
"Suddenly, we were in the Semi-Finals against our neighbours Larne. Again the first game finished level (3-3) and we beat them 3-2 in the replay."
With four ex-Linfield men - Brown, Matchett, Prenter and Davy Allen - in the team, the boss knew he had to keep the fans on the terraces silent as long as he could.
"When they turned up in a red bus, it told us they were here to collect the trophy but our plan went out the window after a couple of minutes," admits Brown.
"Myself and the skipper had to grab the boys by the neck to get them off their bellies.
"When Prenter scored, it revived us and totally deflated them. The one player who was hurting us was Jim Lemon, but when we reappeared for the second half he had been replaced - happy days!
"When Prenter hit a wonder goal midway through the second half, the dream was on."
Those goal-den memories still bring goosebumps for Gary Prenter
Two-goal Gary Prenter admits he still has goosebumps when he reflects on Carrick Rangers' 1976 Irish Cup Final win.
He knew all about Linfield's trophy tradition, having been at Windsor Park for a five-year period, joining when Ewan Fenton was manager.
Taking all that into account, he didn't think Rangers had a chance against the top-flight aristocrats when they clashed in the showcase game of the season.
"The only one who thought we had a chance was Jimmy Brown," recalls Gary.
"We were a decent team, but this was Linfield we were playing - serial winners.
"And after the start we made, I certainly thought the worst. But thanks to Jimmy and Geordie Matchett, we regrouped and began to play ourselves into the game."
Gary vividly remembers his two goals, adding: "They are still fresh in my memory. The first one was a bit messy. Eddie Connor had a shot from quite far out. It wasn't a fierce effort, but it rebounded out off the goalkeeper's chest.
"I was always taught to be alert in the box. The ball came off me, I kind of bundled it over the line. It was a massive goal in terms of breathing fresh life into us.
"The second one was more clear cut. Our full-back Jimmy Hamilton lofted a long ball into the box. Both (Peter) Rafferty and (Eric) Bowyer went for it, but collided. It fell perfectly for me and I hit it before it reached the ground. It squeezed in between the post and the goalkeeper. After that we had to hang on, but it was a fantastic performance."
In today's modern game, Gary reckons it is almost impossible for a shock of that calibre to happen again.
"Football has changed, big time," he adds.
"Premier League clubs are going full-time and the gulf is widening. It would take a massive freak of nature for a junior club to triumph in the Irish Cup. I don't think there is a chance of a repeat these days."
I'll never stop being haunted by that shock, says ex-Linfield star Alan Fraser
Former Linfield defender Alan Fraser admits he had many sleepless nights following his team's shock defeat by Carrick Rangers in the 1976 Irish Cup Final.
The result even dwarfed Dundela's 3-0 win over Glenavon back in 1955.
Fraser enjoyed a trophy-laden spell with the Blues, picking up every medal on offer. He was also part of the team that downed mighty Manchester City in the European Cup Winners' Cup - but he is in no doubt the Carrick loss was his lowest point in football.
He says: "I still get the question, I'm almost sick of hearing it, 'Were you in the team that lost the Irish Cup Final against Carrick Rangers?'
"Looking back, there were a lot of things that went wrong on the day - including the result, of course.
"There were a few ex-Linfield players in the Carrick side, perhaps a little bit of complacency crept into our camp, although we knew Carrick had some big wins on their way to the Final.
"We prepared thoroughly and Roy Coyle had us in prime condition.
"We met as usual in a hotel on the morning of the game. We went through the same routine.
"The club had booked a luxury coach to ferry us to the game, but something happened.
"It didn't turn up and we had to use a corporation bus. It certainly didn't look good.
"To be honest, we were a little bit embarrassed when it pulled up at The Oval.
"I suppose it looked as though we had just turned up to win the game.
"I hadn't a good record in Irish Cup Finals, having lost to Glentoran in 1973 and again to Coleraine two years later. I thought, 'This is it - at last I'll get my hands on a winners' medal'. How wrong was I?
"Although I did manage wins against Ballymena United (in 1978) and Crusaders (1980), I'm still haunted by that Carrick result."
