The League Cup brought out the best in former England goalkeeper Ben Foster, who would win the competition three times, earning himself the Alan Hardaker Trophy twice in the process.
Foster’s first success in the tournament came with Manchester United in 2009, when he put in the first of his two man-of-the-match final displays as Tottenham were dispatched on penalties after a 0-0 draw , with the Red Devils successfully defending their title 12 months later.
The ex-Stoke youngster then made it three League Cup wins on the bounce when he was between the sticks for Birmingham City when they upset Arsenal in 2011, to cap a remarkable hat-trick of victories. These were three very different wins, but how did that first one feel?
Foster on his League Cup wins
“Oh, it was awesome,” Foster tells FourFourTwo. “I’d previously won that LDV Vans Trophy at the Millennium Stadium, but walking out at Wembley, in the final of a major competition, was a different experience entirely.
“People put the League Cup down but, honestly, it means a huge amount to the players who receive that medal.
“It was funny, though – because I was inexperienced, I was going absolutely bananas after the final whistle and on the coach trip home, throwing champagne around, while the senior boys were sat chatting about the league game against Newcastle we had coming up on the Wednesday evening. They were such winners – it was always just, ‘Bosh, onto the next one’ with them. But they were happy for me.”
Foster’s third win saw Birmingham City upset Arsenal 2-1 and Foster admits it was a special day.
“That day will always be up there as one of my best in football,” he continues. “If I could bottle that full-time whistle moment, it would be worth so much money, as it gives me goosebumps just thinking about it now.
“I know it’s not the FA Cup final, but it’s the fact that we were such underdogs – we were 16-1 at the bookies to win in 90 minutes. Crazy.
“Everybody expected us to get battered by Arsenal, so to do it in those circumstances, with that last-gasp winner from Obafemi Martins, was class. I remember the referee blowing for full-time and me sprinting towards the Blues fans as fast as I could.
“Seeing all of the smiles and flags, and knowing how much it meant to them – especially with me being a Midlands lad anyway – was a dream.“
