FA CUP - 4 by angela purdy

FOR THE THE HISTORY OF THE FA CUP FINALS, 1872 - 2012

THE SECOND TIME AROUND ■ After losing their Newcastle United in a replay two years earlier, Barnsley won its ﬁrst Cup ﬁnal on its second attempt.

152

BARNSLEY WINS CUP FINAL REPLAY

IN EXTRA TIME

By Ben Bennison at Bramall Lane, The Daily Telegraph, April 24, 1912

n a match that went the distance, and then some, Harry Tufnell scored the match’s only goal with less than three minutes left in extra-time to give Barnsley a 1-0 victory in the replayed final against West Bromwich Albion for the Association Cup. It was played on the grounds of Sheffield United at Bramall Lane before a crowd of 38,555. Four days ago, Barnsley and Albion played a scoreless match at Crystal Palace before a crowd of 54,556. The change in scenery seemed to give the players a muchimproved pace and energy. Albion’s goalkeeper, Hubert Pearson, stopped six Barnsley scoring attempts, but the seventh proved to be the one that Pearson couldn’t reach. Barnsley’s defence made the difference in their journey to the Cup. They played six goal-less matches in the tournament, including three against last year’s Cup winner, Bradford City, before winning, 3-2, in extra-time in their fourth meeting. Twice in the second half, when facing the sun, Barnsley goalkeeper Jack Cooper had to make difficult stops on skillful shots by Albions’s Sid Bowser. Barnsley’s lone goal finally came on a pass from Bob Glendinning to Tufnell at mid-field, who was in full stride. Tufnell went straight for the Albion goal. As he came fast toward Pearson, Tufnell let loose a hard, low shot, putting the ball into the net for the 1-0 victory.

153

FA CUP MEMORIES xxxxxx xxxxxx Ad Cat L. Graeconsu consu ex sa ius ego temende rissula bentius Maes nostili castorbit, mo et, tus mis. Tum inatque et, scierfecon tam, quem ius hos con rei per issentra contem perbi pris hos se, quidieret nos consula timprop ublibus. Serbis, fac retraetimaio horteati, consum obse iam senat graris publinin hus sentil tervit. Etre nul hendem que posta res tabunum diemorartam tem aures pon ditaben atimodiu eterenata rei publintilica que co in tas vena, C. Viveri si teri inpro et iam aperum pret pro noverfes consuperdit; C. Mareheberum re tea rem. Grae con senesil nequam fue tat. Int? Igit, qua publicae confect udelibus es condamente fatuis manum mei cotasdam orum me potil urbis hoc ingulic itabenatra sent. Nihicaet C. Eli, actus, noximpl icatquem corachi, cerisulica; norum nossicas conlocchil us in tasteri busquod se consigna publictanum ariusteste et auciis comnequam, nondum sulis revivent, consus locat pri cullabe moenatia it; Caturni hilnem fore, pri, untia tem sessum det plibuncles avendio ricapere iae tam in tant patinam nondium in se rem dic imumum nos inteati maximiu rnunum cris, nonsimoris esses pulutem fatum ad me nostiur, tem pervivi demus, nequons ultionsum si pos omninun umentis contelintis, nonos, que consulistam atus, qui cors horure cotiliu mentius fuitus ocum percerf ectario et; horte, con sus hocae inte condere aperum, quo tus con terips, qui tam urnique te, nota, vere ius culium vil vendium iam cris, duces peres! Scideri pos, scivid fec ﬁtilia? quis alem milicae caet corum quamper ratus, in spere pariam diisque tem patelium antre dees pos venti, con ductus, dius rem in tam et no. Ad dem, C. Valatiam mei ia res esti, vocus esenatuam nonfeco nsulictu se prat video tem se te conﬁrmis Cat. Fulesume nonsulvirio unum. Ocavoltus licierf ectastrum uropublin desimusque achicas terferra sustem omplin satquam forit; Catuus etorecris sultodiem publicitri conscribus consulego tandem ena, delus cere, nes ommove, egilis, quium audam tem popublic vatrebus imanteat. es virmisunum utervilica pra maio, nonferum suliu se te

xxxxxxxxx

acepelest quos quiae. Lic tem fugitae pernam doluptatur sectem ugitae pernam doluptatur sectem acepelest quos quiae. Lic tem fugitae pernam doluptatur sectem ugitae pernam doluptatur sectem pernam doluptatur sectem acepelest quos quiae. Lic tem fugitae pernam doluptatur sectem ugitae pernam doluptatur sectem pernam doluptatur sectem acepelest quos quiae. Lic tem fugitae pernam doluptatur sectem ugitae pernam doluptatur sectem pernam doluptatur sectem

154

120,081 WATCH AS ASTON VILLA

WINS CUP A

By Ben Bennison at Crystal Palace, The Daily Telegraph, April 19, 1913

ston Villa won its ﬁfth Association Cup championship this afternoon with a 1-0 victory against Sunderland before the largest crowd to ever see a Cup championship game. A total of 120,081 packed every inch of Crystal Palace.

It was also the largest crowd to see a Cup final since 1901, when Tottenham Hotspur, a non-League team, who was the hope of the South, met Sheffield United before a crowd of 110,820. Aston Villa, which had previously won the Cup in 1887, 1895, 1897 and 1905, is tied with Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers for most Cup final wins. They won this one on a header by Tommy Barber, following a corner kick from the right, sending the ball just inside the left post with 15 minutes left to play. Villa’s goalkeeper, Sam Hardy, injured a knee in the second half following a rush by Sunderland’s Harry Martin, and missed ten minutes of the match. He would return before Barber’s goal. Aston Villa was awarded the second penalty kick in Cup final history, but Chris Wallace’s attempt sailed wide of the net.

Score Box

ASTON VILLA 1 BARBER, 75

SUNDERLAND 0

CHEAP SEATS ■ Hundreds of Aston Villa and Sunderland fans watched the Cup final from tree limbs in an attempt to see the action on the pitch. It was Aston Villa’s fifth Cup final win, which equals the all-time Cup record held by Blackburn Rovers and Wanderers.

155

PARTY AT THE PALACE

■ ABOVE & OPPOSITE PAGE: Thousands of enthusiastic Aston Villa and Sunderland fans arrive in London to support their teams in the FA Cup final. It would be Sunderland’s first trip to play for England’s prized football trophy.

156

157

KING GEORGE V WATCHES AS BURNLEY WIN

FA’s CUP T

By B. Bennison at Crystal Palace, The Daily Telegraph, April 25, 1914 hey came by train, tram and vehicles of all description, this invading army of Northerners, which made up a sizeable portion of the crowd of 100,000 today at Crystal Palace.

They were not disappointed as Burnley won its first Association Challenge Cup with a 1-0 victory over Liverpool. When the tournament began, a record 476 teams had entered to play for England’s greatest football prize. Among the spectators was King George V, who was wearing a red rose of Lancaster in his button hole in honour of the two Lancashire teams playing in the final. After the match, King George awarded the Cup to the victors. It is the first time a monarch had attended a Cup match, or awarded the Cup to the winning team. Bert Freeman, who also played centre-forward for England, scored Burnley’s only goal thirteen minutes after half-time. Ironically, it was the fifth time in six seasons that the Cup final ended in a 1-0 score.

TOAST OF THE TOWN

■ ABOVE: Newspaper

photos from the 1914 Cup final. RIGHT: The Burnley football team, riding on a horse-drawn wagon, is given a heroes welcome upon their return from winning the FA Cup final.

Score Box

BURNLEY 1 FREEMAN, 58

LIVERPOOL 0 158

FA CUP MEMORIES xxxxxx xxxxxx Ad Cat L. Graeconsu consu ex sa ius ego temende rissula bentius Maes nostili castorbit, mo et, tus mis. Tum inatque et, scierfecon tam, quem ius hos con rei per issentra contem perbi pris hos se, quidieret nos consula timprop ublibus. Serbis, fac retraetimaio horteati, consum obse iam senat graris publinin hus sentil tervit. Etre nul hendem que posta res tabunum diemorartam tem aures pon ditaben atimodiu eterenata rei publintilica que co in tas vena, C. Viveri si teri inpro et iam aperum pret pro noverfes consuperdit; C. Mareheberum re tea rem. Grae con senesil nequam fue tat. Int? Igit, qua publicae confect udelibus es condamente fatuis manum mei cotasdam orum me potil urbis hoc ingulic itabenatra sent. Nihicaet C. Eli, actus, noximpl icatquem corachi, cerisulica; norum nossicas conlocchil us in tasteri busquod se consigna publictanum ariusteste et auciis comnequam, nondum sulis revivent, consus locat pri cullabe moenatia it; Caturni hilnem fore, pri, untia tem sessum det plibuncles avendio ricapere iae tam in tant patinam nondium in se rem dic imumum nos inteati maximiu rnunum cris, nonsimoris esses pulutem fatum ad me nostiur, tem pervivi demus, nequons ultionsum si pos omninun umentis contelintis, nonos, que consulistam atus, qui cors horure cotiliu mentius fuitus ocum percerf ectario et; horte, con sus hocae inte condere aperum, quo tus con terips, qui tam urnique te, nota, vere ius culium vil vendium iam cris, duces peres! Scideri pos, scivid fec ďŹ tilia? quis alem milicae caet corum quamper ratus, in spere pariam diisque tem patelium antre dees pos venti, con ductus, dius rem in tam et no. Ad dem, C. Valatiam mei ia res esti, vocus esenatuam nonfeco nsulictu se prat video tem se te conďŹ rmis Cat. Fulesume nonsulvirio unum. Ocavoltus licierf ectastrum uropublin desimusque achicas terferra sustem omplin satquam forit; Catuus etorecris sultodiem publicitri conscribus consulego tandem ena, delus cere, nes ommove, egilis, quium audam tem popublic vatrebus imanteat. es virmisunum utervilica pra maio, nonferum suliu se te

159

POST-GAME PLEA

STIRS CUP CROWD I

By Ben Bennison at Trafford Stadium, The Daily Telegraph, April 24, 1915

t was a monumental speach: “You have played with one another and against one another for the Cup; (it is time to) play with one another for England now.” These were the memorable words of the Earl of Derby to an Association Cup crowd of 49,557 following the Shefﬁeld UnitedChelsea ﬁnal.

It was the smallest crowd to attend a Cup final since 1896. However, with World War I already underway in Europe, most of those in the Cup crowd were dressed in military khaki. And with Lord Derby’s words those in the crowd knew this would be the last Cup final until the military conflict was over. The traditional Cup final game site at Crystal Palace was being utilized by the British military so the Football Association opted to hold this year’s final at Trafford Stadium in Manchester, which had been built five years ago (in 1909). Sheffield United, which won the Cup in 1899 and 1902, added their name to the Cup for the third time. United’s Jim Simmons scored the first goal of the match 36 minutes into the first half for a 1-0 lead. The contest would remain close until the final six minutes of the second half when Stan Fazackerly made it 2-0. His shot bobbed about on the crossbar, then the ball fell in. Joe Kitchen made it 3-0 in the match’s final two minutes with his swift, low kick to the far corner of the net, which Chelsea goalkeeper Jimmy Molyneux was unable to reach. After Lord Derby’s short speech, which emotionally inspired the Trafford crowd, Claude Kirby, the chairman of the Chelsea club, added, “There is now a battle to be fought elsewhere.”

ONE LAST FINAL ■ With World War I already raging in Europe, the last Cup final for five years is played before a small crowd at Trafford Stadium, in Manchester, which Sheffield United (right) won easily, 3-0.

Score Box

SHEFFIELD UNITED 3

SIMMONS, 36 FAZACKERLEY, 84 KITCHEN, 88

CHELSEA 0 160

FA CUP MEMORIES xxxxxx xxxxxx Ad Cat L. Graeconsu consu ex sa ius ego temende rissula bentius Maes nostili castorbit, mo et, tus mis. Tum inatque et, scierfecon tam, quem ius hos con rei per issentra contem perbi pris hos se, quidieret nos consula timprop ublibus. Serbis, fac retraetimaio horteati, consum obse iam senat graris publinin hus sentil tervit. Etre nul hendem que posta res tabunum diemorartam tem aures pon ditaben atimodiu eterenata rei publintilica que co in tas vena, C. Viveri si teri inpro et iam aperum pret pro noverfes consuperdit; C. Mareheberum re tea rem. Grae con senesil nequam fue tat. Int? Igit, qua publicae confect udelibus es condamente fatuis manum mei cotasdam orum me potil urbis hoc ingulic itabenatra sent. Nihicaet C. Eli, actus, noximpl icatquem corachi, cerisulica; norum nossicas conlocchil us in tasteri busquod se consigna publictanum ariusteste et auciis comnequam, nondum sulis revivent, consus locat pri cullabe moenatia it; Caturni hilnem fore, pri, untia tem sessum det plibuncles avendio ricapere iae tam in tant patinam nondium in se rem dic imumum nos inteati maximiu rnunum cris, nonsimoris esses pulutem fatum ad me nostiur, tem pervivi demus, nequons ultionsum si pos omninun umentis contelintis, nonos, que consulistam atus, qui cors horure cotiliu mentius fuitus ocum percerf ectario et; horte, con sus hocae inte condere aperum, quo tus con terips, qui tam urnique te, nota, vere ius culium vil vendium iam cris, duces peres! Scideri pos, scivid fec ďŹ tilia? quis alem milicae caet corum quamper ratus, in spere pariam diisque tem patelium antre dees pos venti, con ductus, dius rem in tam et no. Ad dem, C. Valatiam mei ia res esti, vocus esenatuam nonfeco nsulictu se prat video tem se te conďŹ rmis Cat. Fulesume nonsulvirio unum. Ocavoltus licierf ectastrum uropublin desimusque achicas terferra sustem omplin satquam forit; Catuus etorecris sultodiem publicitri conscribus consulego tandem ena, delus cere, nes ommove, egilis, quium audam tem popublic vatrebus imanteat. es virmisunum utervilica pra maio, nonferum suliu se te

161

FA CUP MEMORIES xxxxxx xxxxxx Ad Cat L. Graeconsu consu ex sa ius ego temende rissula bentius Maes nostili castorbit, mo et, tus mis. Tum inatque et, scierfecon tam, quem ius hos con rei per issentra contem perbi pris hos se, quidieret nos consula timprop ublibus. Serbis, fac retraetimaio horteati, consum obse iam senat graris publinin hus sentil tervit. Etre nul hendem que posta res tabunum diemorartam tem aures pon ditaben atimodiu eterenata rei publintilica que co in tas vena, C. Viveri si teri inpro et iam aperum pret pro noverfes consuperdit; C. Mareheberum re tea rem. Grae con senesil nequam fue tat. Int? Igit, qua publicae confect udelibus es condamente fatuis manum mei cotasdam orum me potil urbis hoc ingulic itabenatra sent. Nihicaet C. Eli, actus, noximpl icatquem corachi, cerisulica; norum nossicas conlocchil us in tasteri busquod se consigna publictanum ariusteste et auciis comnequam, nondum sulis revivent, consus locat pri cullabe moenatia it; Caturni hilnem fore, pri, untia tem sessum det plibuncles avendio ricapere iae tam in tant patinam nondium in se rem dic imumum nos inteati maximiu rnunum cris, nonsimoris esses pulutem fatum ad me nostiur, tem pervivi demus, nequons ultionsum si pos omninun umentis contelintis, nonos, que consulistam atus, qui cors horure cotiliu mentius fuitus ocum percerf ectario et; horte, con sus hocae inte condere aperum, quo tus con terips, qui tam urnique te, nota, vere ius culium vil vendium iam cris, duces peres! Scideri pos, scivid fec ďŹ tilia? quis alem milicae caet corum quamper ratus, in spere pariam diisque tem patelium antre dees pos venti, con ductus, dius rem in tam et no. Ad dem, C. Valatiam mei ia res esti, vocus esenatuam nonfeco nsulictu se prat video tem se te conďŹ rmis Cat. Fulesume nonsulvirio unum. Ocavoltus licierf ectastrum uropublin desimusque achicas terferra sustem omplin satquam forit; Catuus etorecris sultodiem publicitri conscribus consulego tandem ena, delus cere, nes ommove, egilis, quium audam tem popublic vatrebus imanteat. es virmisunum utervilica pra maio, nonferum suliu se te

162

VILLA STOP HUDDERSFIELD

IN CUP RENEWAL A

By Ben Bennison at Stamford Bridge, The Daily Telegraph, April 24, 1920

ssociation Cup football returned in January 1920 which ended a ﬁve-year drought. And with it came an expanded Football League with 22 clubs in each division.

Aston Villa won its sixth Cup final today, 1-0, in extratime over Huddersfield Town, before a crowd of 50,018 in the huge amphitheatre at Stamford Bridge, the home grounds of Chelsea football club. Villa’s goal came ten minutes into the extra 30-minute period with a header off a corner kick that soared past Alex Mutch, the Huddlersfield goalkeeper. There was some confusion over who should be credited for the goal. Many in the stands thought that the ball twisted into the net off the head of Huddersfield’s Tommy Wilson. But Villa’s Billy Kirton was acclaimed the scorer as he was mobbed by his teammates and they danced and pranced to celebrate the win. Following the match, Andrew Ducat, the Aston Villa captain, accepted the FA Cup from Prince Henry and, when he showed the trophy to the 60,000 in attendance, they roared their approval for winning. Villa, which had previously won five Cups − in 1887, 1895, 1897, 1905 and 1913 − set a new record today for most Cups won, pushing them past Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers. Huddersfield’s route to the Cup final was a difficult one. Earlier in the season, the FA determined Huddersfield to be insolvent, which forced a mass transfer of players to reduce debt. Yet with their remaining players, Huddersfield continued to win enough matches to play for the Cup.

Score Box

ASTON VILLA 1 KIRTON, 100

HUDDERSFIELD TOWN 0

THE CUP RETURNS ■ ABOVE: After playing to a 0-0 draw in regular time, Aston Villa’s Billy Kirton scored the gamewinning goal in extra-time to defeat Huddersfield Town in the 1920 Cup final. OPPOSTIE PAGE: Prince Henry presents the Winners’ medals to the Aston Villa players after the 1920 Cup final. It was the first Cup final to go to extra-time. 163

GEORGE V CROWNS TOTTENHAM AS

CUP KINGS W

By Ben Bennison at Stamford Bridge, The Daily Telegraph, April 23, 1921 e saw the real heart of the British nation today at Stamford Bridge − a great, loyal heart. It was an occasion never to be forgotten.

In rain that pelted and slashed and drenched, King George V, together with his sons, the Duke of York and Prince Henry, walked onto the field of the Chelsea football club to be introduced to, and shake hands with, the Tottenham and Wolverhampton players, who had come to do battle for the Cup, which is the most magical and coveted of all trophies in Europe. These footballers stood rigid on a white line that, in a twinkle, was obliterated by a deluge that was sudden and rampageous. The band of the Irish Guards, nearby, in coats of scarlet and gold, struck up the National Anthem, and 72,805 people sang God Save the King as a wonderful, disciplined choir, then, as one voice, they broke into deafening cheers. It was a scene that was profoundly impressive − the King was with his people, and there was only joy. Tottenham Hotspur would win the match, 1-0, on a field that had been reduced to a sloppy, muddy surface. The winning goal came eight minutes into the second half with the sun, which had just arrived, beginning to warm up the Stamford Bridge grounds. Tottenham’s Jimmy Dimmock, kicked a ball which bounced off the back of a Wolverhampton defender. Dimmock then scrambled for the loose ball and let fly a kick 15 yards from the goal that the Wolverhampton goalkeeper, Noel George, was unable to reach. It would prove to be enough for Tottenham to win the Cup.

164

SPURS WIN AGAIN ■ ABOVE: Tottenham’s Arthur Grimsdell shows off the Cup to Spurs fans. OPPOSITE PAGE: The Tottenham players are driven through the streets in a Charabanc with the FA Cup on display following their 1-0 victory over Wolverhampton in the ﬁnal at Stamford Bridge.

Score Box

TOTTENHAM 1 DIMMOCK, 53

WOLVERHAMPTON 0

165

FA CUP MEMORIES xxxxxx xxxxxx Ad Cat L. Graeconsu consu ex sa ius ego temende rissula bentius Maes nostili castorbit, mo et, tus mis. Tum inatque et, scierfecon tam, quem ius hos con rei per issentra contem perbi pris hos se, quidieret nos consula timprop ublibus. Serbis, fac retraetimaio horteati, consum obse iam senat graris publinin hus sentil tervit. Etre nul hendem que posta res tabunum diemorartam tem aures pon ditaben atimodiu eterenata rei publintilica que co in tas vena, C. Viveri si teri inpro et iam aperum pret pro noverfes consuperdit; C. Mareheberum re tea rem. Grae con senesil nequam fue tat. Int? Igit, qua publicae confect udelibus es condamente fatuis manum mei cotasdam orum me potil urbis hoc ingulic itabenatra sent. Nihicaet C. Eli, actus, noximpl icatquem corachi, cerisulica; norum nossicas conlocchil us in tasteri busquod se consigna publictanum ariusteste et auciis comnequam, nondum sulis revivent, consus locat pri cullabe moenatia it; Caturni hilnem fore, pri, untia tem sessum det plibuncles avendio ricapere iae tam in tant patinam nondium in se rem dic imumum nos inteati maximiu rnunum cris, nonsimoris esses pulutem fatum ad me nostiur, tem pervivi demus, nequons ultionsum si pos omninun umentis contelintis, nonos, que consulistam atus, qui cors horure cotiliu mentius fuitus ocum percerf ectario et; horte, con sus hocae inte condere aperum, quo tus con terips, qui tam urnique te, nota, vere ius culium vil vendium iam cris, duces peres! Scideri pos, scivid fec ďŹ tilia? quis alem milicae caet corum quamper ratus, in spere pariam diisque tem patelium antre dees pos venti, con ductus, dius rem in tam et no. Ad dem, C. Valatiam mei ia res esti, vocus esenatuam nonfeco nsulictu se prat video tem se te conďŹ rmis Cat. Fulesume nonsulvirio unum. Ocavoltus licierf ectastrum uropublin desimusque achicas terferra sustem omplin satquam forit; Catuus etorecris sultodiem publicitri conscribus consulego tandem ena, delus cere, nes ommove, egilis, quium audam tem popublic vatrebus imanteat. es virmisunum utervilica pra maio, nonferum suliu se te

166

SMITH’S PENALTY KICK DECIDE CUP FINAL FOR

HUDDERSFIELD F

By Ben Bennison at Stamford Bridge, The Sunday Telegraph, April 29, 1922 or the third year in a row Stamford Bridge hosted an uninspiring Cup ﬁnal. Fortunately for the FA, the new Wembley Stadium will be ﬁnished next season to host the greatest championship game in the world.

Playing before a crowd of 53,000, on a beautiful, sunny afternoon, Huddersfield Town defeated Preston North End today, 1-0. Only one play stood out in this match, and it was controversial. Huddersfield’s lone goal came on a penalty kick in the second half, which was awarded after Preston winger Tom Hamilton tripped Huddersfield’s Billy Smith. Most Preston fans, however, thought that Smith had been tripped outside the penalty area. After Smith readied himself to attempt the kick, he was distracted by Preston goalkeeper James Mitchell. Smith finally sent the ball soaring – and it whirled past Mitchell’s reach for a 1-0 lead with 23 minutes left to play. Following the match, the Duke of York and Prince George, presented the Cup to Huddersfield Town and medals to both teams amid hearty roars of enthusiasm and the National Anthem being played.

CUP CONTROVERSY ■

H.R.H., the Duke of York, is introduced to the Preston North End players before the 1922 Cup final is played at Stamford Bridge. It was Huddersfield Town’s first trip to the Cup final.

167

Score Box

HUDDERSFIELD TOWN 1 SMITH, 67 (pen.)

PRESTON NORTH END 0

168

126,047 WATCH AS BOLTON WINS

WEMBLEY OPENER

By Ben Bennison at Wembley, The Daily Telegraph, April 28, 1923

THE BEST OF WEMBLEY ■ King George V and a huge crowd of approximatly 200,000 attend the ﬁrst FA Cup ﬁnal to be held at the new Wembley Stadium, in London, between West Ham United and Bolton Wanderers.

169

ing George V was there to formally open the new Wembley Stadium, which is the cornerpiece of the upcoming British Empire Exhibition. He was joined by a record crowd estimated at 200,000. Thousands more were outside the gates, unable to either buy a ticket or gain admittance with the ticket they had. The gates were closed at 1:45 p.m. At one point, thousands of disappointed enthusiasts broke down the barriers and stormed into the stadium. Wembley, which was built to seat 125,000, was packed. The official attendance for today’s Cup final was later set at 126,047. The Red Cross reported that more than 1,000 were treated for fainting and other injuries related to storming the stadium gates. When the King finally arrived, the crowd had spilled onto the playing field and police, on horses, were needed to move the crowd back so that the game could be played. One prominent member of this effort was Constable George Scorey and his 13-year-old white horse named “Billy.” In several of the London newspapers, many sportswriters were so impressed with Billy’s crowd-control abilities, that they ran headlines referring to the match as the “White Horse Final.” Although delayed more than 45 minutes, the match finally kicked off at 3:47 p.m. Two minutes later, David Jack connected with a header shot to give Bolton a 1-0 lead. Bolton wrapped up the scoring eight minutes into the second half, when Ted Vizard took a pass at midfield, and worked his way past West Ham’s United’s Sid Bishop and Billy Henderson. And at the moment, when it seemed as if he would run the ball over the goal line, Vizard kicked the ball to J.R. Smith, who booted a great shot into the net, for a deciding 2-0 victory. Afterward, King George V awarded the Cup to Bolton captain Joe Smith and the large crowd joined in to sing the National Anthem. It was a great and memorable day for British football.

Score Box

BOLTON 2 JACK, 2 J. SMITH, 53

WEST HAM 0

170

A SHOW WORTH SEEING ■ After the Cup ﬁnal had been delayed 45 minutes, Bolton’s David Jack scored quickly – at the 2-minute mark – to electrify the large crowd of 200,000.

171

LEADING OFF KEEPING THE PEACE ■ Mounted police joined with ground forces to push back the unexpectedly large crowd that had spilled onto the pitch for the ﬁrst-ever FA Cup ﬁnal to be played at the newly-completed Wembley Stadium. OPPOSITE PAGE: Bolton Wanderers captain Joe Smith (middle with the Cup) poses with the FA Cup trophy outside Wembley Stadium.

172

173

174

LEADING OFF THE BEST SEATS IN THE HOUSE ■ PC George Scorey and his horse, “Billy,” were a key force in controlling the overﬂowing crowds at the 1923 Cup ﬁnal at Wembley Stadium.

175

THE ROAD TO

WEMBLEY

n a January day in 1922, His Royal Highness, the Duke of York − later King George the Sixth of England − cut a piece of turf from the top of a hill at Wembley, Middlesex. Within 300 days, more than 250,000 tons of clay had been carved out, and 25,000 tons of concrete with 600 tons of steel rods to bind it, 1,500 tons of girders and 500,000 rivets to hold them together, and the skill and patient efficiency of British construction workmanship, this mass of steel and concrete was hauled and coaxed into shape to make the world’s greatest Sports Stadium. In the 89 years since the last seat was bolted into its appointed position and the last lick of paint was left to dry, many, many millions have streamed through its lettered turnstiles, to be thrilled or elated by the successes, and depressed by the failures of, their favorite teams, who were fighting to get their names inscribed on The Football Association Cup. On July 31, 1871, about a dozen young men belonging to the aristocracy of those times met at a small public house known as the Freemason’s Arms on Great Queen Street in London. There were no big professional clubs with lavish grandstands, no multi-million pound transfers, no shin guards, goal nets or whistles for referees. The chairman of the meeting was C.E. Morley, a former captain of Barnes. There were representatives present of the Forest club (not Nottingham Forest, but a famous amateur club, which played on a ground near Epping Forest, from which arose the even more famous Wanderers club, five times winners of the Cup) of Upton Park FC, Westminster School, the Civil Service, Crystal Palace and Royal Engineers. It was proposed by C.W. Alcock, captain of Wanderers, that “It is desirable that a Challenge Cup be established in connection with the Football Association for which all clubs shall be invited to compete.” At a later meeting, it was decided to start what is now

By Roland Allen

popularly known as the English Cup competition. It has for many years been the most talked about and popular sporting competition in the world. There were only fifteen entries in the first year and, as a matter of interest, they were: Barnes, Civil Service, Clapham Rovers, Hitchin, Maidenhead, Marlow, Donnington School, The Wanderers, Hampstead Heathens, Harrow Chequers, Reigate Priory, Royal Engineers, Upton Park, Crystal Palace and the Scottish club, Queens Park. The professional monopoly of the Cup started in 1884, when Blackburn Rovers won it for the first of three straight years. Since then, no amateur club has been good enough to win it, or even to get to the final. Crowds have greatly increased from 2,000 for the first final, which was played at Kennington Oval, where County and Test cricket matches are now played, to crowds of 100,000-plus after Wembley Stadium was opened in 1923, to 90,000 at the new Wembley. The gate receipts have risen from a few hundred pounds in the 1870’s to more than £45,000 at the Cup final between Derby County and Charlton Athletic in 1946, when the competition was resumed after World War II, to multimillion pounds today. The finals were played at Kennington Oval until 1892. Then after an interval of two years, during which it was played in the provinces − at Fallowfield Stadium in Manchester in 1893 and at Goodison Park in Liverpool in 1894 − the finals were played at Crystal Palace until the outbreak of World War I, in 1914. In 1915, the Cup final was played at Trafford Stadium in Manchester. For three years after the war, the finals were played on the Chelsea FC grounds at Stamford Ridge, then the Football Association entered into an agreement for the finals to be played at the new Wembley Stadium, beginning in 1923. The Cup itself is of no great value. The current version cost £ ____ when it was built in 1992 to replace the third version of the Cup, which had become fragile due to many years of heavy use. King George V was the first English King to attend

176

a Cup final. That was in 1914. It is now an established custom for a member of the Royal Family to attend the finals at Wembley. Through the years the Cup competition and the final have grown in popularity. Twice the Cup tournament has been interrupted by the outbreak of war − from 1916 to 1919 and from 1940 to 1945 − but each time, when the Cup competition was resumed, it was stronger and more popular than ever. Until the first final at the new stadium, on April 23, 1923, between Bolton and West Ham, Wembley was a little more than a vague name on the Underground timetable to most people. It was a village which workers in London would retire to each weekday evening to breathe clean air, admire the view from its cluster of hills or play golf among the cool trees and pleasant pools. By the outbreak of World War II, Wembley had flashed like a magic name round the world. The greatest exponents in the soccer show-business had skimmed across its velvet turf. And it had entertained Kings and Queens, Princes and Princesses, Dukes and Earls and Lords, artists and actors, statesmen and diplomats, businessmen and the great mass of people vaguely known as the working classes, with their mothers and wives, sisters and sweethearts and girl friends. Distinguished foreigners had sat, slightly puzzled, perhaps, but deeply impressed and seen the King and Queen of England mixing with their people and sharing their enjoyment of this essentially English occasion. During six years of war, stripped of its trappings but retaining its human drama, big football was kept going in a modified form at Wembley. Then, on April 27, 1946, came the first FA Cup final of the new peace era. Derby County and Charlton Athletic provided a memorable game. There was a lingering shadow of austerity to remind us that we had been at war, and coloured suits and hats, mass bands and rattles, to indicate and promise that the greatest of all football occasions was settling again into its normal and rightful place in our social structure − and in our hearts.

A SALUTE TO GREATNESS ■ A London policeman at Wembley salutes West Bromwich Albion captain Tommy Glidden following the Throstles’ 2-win against Birmingham City in 1931. 177

FA CUP MEMORIES xxxxxx xxxxxx Ad Cat L. Graeconsu consu ex sa ius ego temende rissula bentius Maes nostili castorbit, mo et, tus mis. Tum inatque et, scierfecon tam, quem ius hos con rei per issentra contem perbi pris hos se, quidieret nos consula timprop ublibus. Serbis, fac retraetimaio horteati, consum obse iam senat graris publinin hus sentil tervit. Etre nul hendem que posta res tabunum diemorartam tem aures pon ditaben atimodiu eterenata rei publintilica que co in tas vena, C. Viveri si teri inpro et iam aperum pret pro noverfes consuperdit; C. Mareheberum re tea rem. Grae con senesil nequam fue tat. Int? Igit, qua publicae confect udelibus es condamente fatuis manum mei cotasdam orum me potil urbis hoc ingulic itabenatra sent. Nihicaet C. Eli, actus, noximpl icatquem corachi, cerisulica; norum nossicas conlocchil us in tasteri busquod se consigna publictanum ariusteste et auciis comnequam, nondum sulis revivent, consus locat pri cullabe moenatia it; Caturni hilnem fore, pri, untia tem sessum det plibuncles avendio ricapere iae tam in tant patinam nondium in se rem dic imumum nos inteati maximiu rnunum cris, nonsimoris esses pulutem fatum ad me nostiur, tem pervivi demus, nequons ultionsum si pos omninun umentis contelintis, nonos, que consulistam atus, qui cors horure cotiliu mentius fuitus ocum percerf ectario et; horte, con sus hocae inte condere aperum, quo tus con terips, qui tam urnique te, nota, vere ius culium vil vendium iam cris, duces peres! Scideri pos, scivid fec ďŹ tilia? quis alem milicae caet corum quamper ratus, in spere pariam diisque tem patelium antre dees pos venti, con ductus, dius rem in tam et no. Ad dem, C. Valatiam mei ia res esti, vocus esenatuam nonfeco nsulictu se prat video tem se te conďŹ rmis Cat. Fulesume nonsulvirio unum. Ocavoltus licierf ectastrum uropublin desimusque achicas terferra sustem omplin satquam forit; Catuus etorecris sultodiem publicitri conscribus consulego tandem ena, delus cere, nes ommove, egilis, quium audam tem popublic vatrebus imanteat. es virmisunum utervilica pra maio, nonferum suliu se te

178

NEWCASTLE FINALLY GETS REVENGE AGAINST ASTON VILLA IN

CUP FINAL T

By Ben Bennison at Wembley, The Daily Telegraph, April 26, 1924

his year’s Cup final had none of the drama of last year’s match between Bolton and West Ham United. 91,695 showed up today for the Football Association’s Challenge Cup final between Newcastle United and Aston Villa, which was lighted by a fickle sun, but gave off wondrous colour. As the fans stood on their tiptoes to watch the match, they shouted and screamed and roared.

THE BEST OF WEMBLEY ■ Newcastle United full-back Frank Hudspeth carries the FA Cup down the players tunnel, to the dressing room, after the trophy presentation and celebration of Newcastle’s 2-0 victory over Aston Villa in the 1923 Cup ﬁnal at Wembley.

More importantly, the fans were orderly, didn’t break down barricades, or spilled onto the playing ﬁeld. Newcastle won, 2-0, and was able to make amends for its 2-0 loss to Villa in the 1905 Cup ﬁnal at Crystal Palace. This time, with seven minutes left to play in the second half, Newcastle overcame weariness and found a way to defeat favoured Villa. Newcastle’s Neil Harris, who had scored three goals against Derby County in a second-round replay, got loose from Villa half-back Victor Milne, got tied up in a jumble in front of the Villa goal, then punched the ball past Villa goalkeeper Tommy Jackson to give Newcastle a 1-0 lead at the 83rd minute. After the Newcastle goal, Villa’s Arthur Dorrell used

179

every ounce of speed to move the ball downfield and even up the score. After reaching the corner flag, he lifted the ball high with his kick, but teammates Len Capewell and Billy Kirton were unable to get the ball past Newcastle goalkeeper Bill Bradley. With five minutes left to play, Newcastle responded with a long kick downfield, with wingback Stan Seymour outrunning a Villa defender to reach the ball. Quickly, Seymour got his left foot on the ball and booted it high over the head of Jackson for another Newcastle goal and a 2-0 victory. After the match, the Duke of York awarded the Cup to Frank Hudspeth, the tall, fair-headed captain of Newcastle United.

Score Box

NEWCASTLE 2 HARRIS, 83 SEYMOUR, 85

ASTON VILLA 0

THE BEST OF WEMBLEY ■ The Duke of York (later King George VI) meets the Cardiff side prior to their 1925 FA Cup final appearance against Sheffield United. OPPOSITE PAGE: The 1924-25 Sheffield United team that won the Cup.

180

SHEFFIELD WINS

4TH CUP S

By Ben Bennison at Wembley, The Daily Telegraph, April 25, 1925

hefﬁeld United and its army of supporters from the North Country celebrated loudly as William Gillespie, the captain of the Yorkshire club, led his men up to the Royal Box to receive the biggest prize the game has to offer, the Football Association Challenge Cup, from the Duke of York. When Gillespie accepted the Cup, there was a long, deep-chested roar − the heartiness of it was gloriously British. This day, the occasion was the people’s very own, and the intimacy of it all was no less remarkable. A crowd of 91,763 was on hand at Wembley Stadium and when the Duke of York left the stands to greet and shake hands with each player before the match began, there was no doubt that their opponent, Cardiff City, had the most fans on hand as they screamed and shouted a welcome to their footballers.

181

It was the first time a Welsh team had reached the Cup final and the Red Dragon flag could be seen throughout the stadium. Sheffield United won the contest, 1-0, thirty minutes into the first half when Fred Tunstall, United’s outside left-winger, stole a pass from Harry Wake and, with only Cardiff goalkeeper Tom Farquharson in front of him, Wake steadied himself, and shot low, far beyond the exceptionally long reach of Farquharson for a 1-0 lead. Cardiff ’s Harry Beadles, Jimmy Gill and Joe Nicholson later missed on scoring opportunities and the Welsh squad would fall short in their first Cup match.

Score Box

SHEFFIELD UNITED 1 TURNSTALL, 30

CARDIFF CITY 0

JACK LEADS BOLTON PAST

CITY FOR CUP WIN

By B. Bennison at Wembley, The Daily Telegraph, April 24, 1926

hree years after winning the FA Cup against West Ham United, the Bolton Wanderers returned to Wembley to meet Manchester City in the Cup final. With a crowd of 91,447 on hand, including King George V, Bolton beat Manchester City, 1-0, to win their second Cup final. Bolton’s win avenged the 1-0 defeat they suffered twenty-two years ago against Manchester City in the 1904 Cup final. Bolton’s lone goal was scored by David Jack, a tall, long-legged, big-striding fellow, 31 minutes into the second half. Following a corner kick, Ted Vizard shot hard at the City goal, it bounced off the leg of Sam Cookson, the City half-back, and Jack, who is as quick as lightning, fired it past Jim Goodchild, the City goalkeeper, for the game’s only score. Manchester was unable to even up the count because over-eagerness caused them to throw away several generous chances. In the second half, they seemed to find their game, but they shot badly at several crucial moments and were unable to score. City had scored 31 goals en route to the Cup final and had defeated cross-town rival, Manchester United, 3-0, in the first Cup playoff match between the two teams in 34 years. Before the match began, King George shook hands with each of the players from Bolton and Manchester City. After the contest, he presented the precious, magical Cup to Joe Smith, the Wanderers’ captain, and the crowd broke out in a thunderous applause and shouting.

Score Box

BOLTON 1 JACK, 76

MAN. CITY 0

ACTION AT THE NET ■ Bolton goalkeeper Dick Pym (in dark uniform) punches clear to end a Manchester City attack in the ﬁrst half of the 1926 Cup ﬁnal. Pym was acquired from Exeter City in 1921 for a then-record £5,000. 182

FA CUP MEMORIES xxxxxx xxxxxx Ad Cat L. Graeconsu consu ex sa ius ego temende rissula bentius Maes nostili castorbit, mo et, tus mis. Tum inatque et, scierfecon tam, quem ius hos con rei per issentra contem perbi pris hos se, quidieret nos consula timprop ublibus. Serbis, fac retraetimaio horteati, consum obse iam senat graris publinin hus sentil tervit. Etre nul hendem que posta res tabunum diemorartam tem aures pon ditaben atimodiu eterenata rei publintilica que co in tas vena, C. Viveri si teri inpro et iam aperum pret pro noverfes consuperdit; C. Mareheberum re tea rem. Grae con senesil nequam fue tat. Int? Igit, qua publicae confect udelibus es condamente fatuis manum mei cotasdam orum me potil urbis hoc ingulic itabenatra sent. Nihicaet C. Eli, actus, noximpl icatquem corachi, cerisulica; norum nossicas conlocchil us in tasteri busquod se consigna publictanum ariusteste et auciis comnequam, nondum sulis revivent, consus locat pri cullabe moenatia it; Caturni hilnem fore, pri, untia tem sessum det plibuncles avendio ricapere iae tam in tant patinam nondium in se rem dic imumum nos inteati maximiu rnunum cris, nonsimoris esses pulutem fatum ad me nostiur, tem pervivi demus, nequons ultionsum si pos omninun umentis contelintis, nonos, que consulistam atus, qui cors horure cotiliu mentius fuitus ocum percerf ectario et; horte, con sus hocae inte condere aperum, quo tus con terips, qui tam urnique te, nota, vere ius culium vil vendium iam cris, duces peres! Scideri pos, scivid fec ďŹ tilia? quis alem milicae caet corum quamper ratus, in spere pariam diisque tem patelium antre dees pos venti, con ductus, dius rem in tam et no. Ad dem, C. Valatiam mei ia res esti, vocus esenatuam nonfeco nsulictu se prat video tem se te conďŹ rmis Cat. Fulesume nonsulvirio unum. Ocavoltus licierf ectastrum uropublin desimusque achicas terferra sustem omplin satquam forit; Catuus etorecris sultodiem publicitri conscribus consulego tandem ena, delus cere, nes ommove, egilis, quium audam tem popublic vatrebus imanteat. es virmisunum utervilica pra maio, nonferum suliu se te

THE BEST OF WEMBLEY â&#x2013; Bolton players Jimmy Seddon, holding the trophy, and Billy Butler (right), with a police escort, parade the Cup around Wembley to show it off to their fans, who had made the long trip to London.

183

THE BEST OF WEMBLEY â&#x2013; Cardiff City captain Fred Keenor and his teammates board the train to return to Wales with the Cup.

184

PROUD CARDIFF CITY TAKE ENGLISH FOOTBALL CUP

BACK TO WALES T

By Ben Bennison at Wembley, The Daily Telegraph, April 23, 1927

o all who were present at Wembley, this year’s Cup final was plain, ordinary and seldom thrilling. After long-established fashion: the occasion finally beat the man. And, for the first time in history, the highly-prized FA trophy was won by Wales, as represented by Cardiff City, who defeated Arsenal by the only goal scored. It is the only Cup ever won by a team from outside England. The match-winning goal occurred 74 minutes into the match, when Dan Lewis, the goalkeeper of the Arsenal squad, and a Welshman, curiously enough, dived at a kick fired by Cardiff ’s Hughie Ferguson and fell to the ground with the ball snuggly secure in his grasp. As he got up, Lewis, perhaps a bit confused, threw the ball back into the net instead of out onto the field of play. In doing so, he beat himself and his club as the referee awarded a goal to Cardiff City. There has never been such a tragedy in a Cup final. Following the match, most of the 91,206 onlookers were left dumbfounded by what they had just observed. When the celebreating was over, King George presented the Cup to Cardiff captain Fred Keenor to the accompaniment of a roar of cheers.

Score Box

CARDIFF CITY 1 FERGUSON, 74

ARSENAL 0

THE DRAGON TAKES FLIGHT ■ ABOVE LEFT: Arsenal goalkeeper Dan Lewis palms the ball away after a Cardiff goal attack. ABOVE RIGHT: King George V meets Cardiff City’s Fred Keenor, before the Cardiff captain introduced his team. 185

NEW GLORY FOR THE CUP ■ Arsenal goalkeeper Dan Lewis fails to prevent Cardiff City’s Hugh Ferguson, (blue) from scoring the winning goal. 1927 was the only time the Cup has been won by a team from outside of England.

186

187

FA CUP MEMORIES xxxxxx xxxxxx Ad Cat L. Graeconsu consu ex sa ius ego temende rissula bentius Maes nostili castorbit, mo et, tus mis. Tum inatque et, scierfecon tam, quem ius hos con rei per issentra contem perbi pris hos se, quidieret nos consula timprop ublibus. Serbis, fac retraetimaio horteati, consum obse iam senat graris publinin hus sentil tervit. Etre nul hendem que posta res tabunum diemorartam tem aures pon ditaben atimodiu eterenata rei publintilica que co in tas vena, C. Viveri si teri inpro et iam aperum pret pro noverfes consuperdit; C. Mareheberum re tea rem. Grae con senesil nequam fue tat. Int? Igit, qua publicae confect udelibus es condamente fatuis manum mei cotasdam orum me potil urbis hoc ingulic itabenatra sent. Nihicaet C. Eli, actus, noximpl icatquem corachi, cerisulica; norum nossicas conlocchil us in tasteri busquod se consigna publictanum ariusteste et auciis comnequam, nondum sulis revivent, consus locat pri cullabe moenatia it; Caturni hilnem fore, pri, untia tem sessum det plibuncles avendio ricapere iae tam in tant patinam nondium in se rem dic imumum nos inteati maximiu rnunum cris, nonsimoris esses pulutem fatum ad me nostiur, tem pervivi demus, nequons ultionsum si pos omninun umentis contelintis, nonos, que consulistam atus, qui cors horure cotiliu mentius fuitus ocum percerf ectario et; horte, con sus hocae inte condere aperum, quo tus con terips, qui tam urnique te, nota, vere ius culium vil vendium iam cris, duces peres! Scideri pos, scivid fec ďŹ tilia? quis alem milicae caet corum quamper ratus, in spere pariam diisque tem patelium antre dees pos venti, con ductus, dius rem in tam et no. Ad dem, C. Valatiam mei ia res esti, vocus esenatuam nonfeco nsulictu se prat video tem se te conďŹ rmis Cat. Fulesume nonsulvirio unum. Ocavoltus licierf ectastrum uropublin desimusque achicas terferra sustem omplin satquam forit; Catuus etorecris sultodiem publicitri conscribus consulego tandem ena, delus cere, nes ommove, egilis, quium audam tem popublic vatrebus imanteat. es virmisunum utervilica pra maio, nonferum suliu se te

188

AFTER WAITING 37 YEARS, BLACKBURN FINALLY WIN

CUP AGAIN

By Ben Bennison at Wembley, The Daily Telegraph, April 21, 1928

ing George and Queen Mary, together with the Duke and Duchess of York, were present at Wembley Stadium when Blackburn Rovers, after an interval of 37 years, recaptured the Football Association Challenge Cup by defeating Huddersfield Town, 3-1. Blackburn’s James Rosecamp scored in the first minute of play when his kick slipped through the grasp of Huddersfield goalkeeper Billy Mercer and into the net for a 1-0 lead. Twenty-two minutes into the first half, Blackburn increased its lead to 2-0 when Tommy McLean received a pass from Rosecamp and blasted the ball past Mercer. Ten minutes into the second half, Huddersfield’s Alex Jackson chanced a shot with his left foot toward the Rovers’ net. Blackburn goalkeeper Jock Crawford got his hand on the ball, but he was only able to deflect it toward the post, which it hit and fell in to cut Blackburn’s lead to 2-1. With five minutes left to play, Rosecamp made a solo charge at the Huddersfield goal. He kept the ball close and never lost control of it. When Rosecamp finally was oneon-one with Mercer, he put it past Mercer for a 3-1 lead and the eventual victory. It was Blackburn’s sixth Cup win in seven trips to the final.

Score Box

BLACKBURN 3 ROSCAMP, 1, 82 McLEAN, 22

HUDDERSFIELD TOWN 1 JACKSON, 55

THE CUP TAKES A VICTORY RIDE ■ The victorious Blackburn Rovers return home with the FA Cup trophy aboard the team Charabanc after defeating Huddersfield Town, 3-1. It was Rovers’ sixth Cup final win. OPPOSITE PAGE: The Huddersfield Town squad that competed for the 1928 Cup. 189

FA CUP MEMORIES xxxxxx xxxxxx Ad Cat L. Graeconsu consu ex sa ius ego temende rissula bentius Maes nostili castorbit, mo et, tus mis. Tum inatque et, scierfecon tam, quem ius hos con rei per issentra contem perbi pris hos se, quidieret nos consula timprop ublibus. Serbis, fac retraetimaio horteati, consum obse iam senat graris publinin hus sentil tervit. Etre nul hendem que posta res tabunum diemorartam tem aures pon ditaben atimodiu eterenata rei publintilica que co in tas vena, C. Viveri si teri inpro et iam aperum pret pro noverfes consuperdit; C. Mareheberum re tea rem. Grae con senesil nequam fue tat. Int? Igit, qua publicae confect udelibus es condamente fatuis manum mei cotasdam orum me potil urbis hoc ingulic itabenatra sent. Nihicaet C. Eli, actus, noximpl icatquem corachi, cerisulica; norum nossicas conlocchil us in tasteri busquod se consigna publictanum ariusteste et auciis comnequam, nondum sulis revivent, consus locat pri cullabe moenatia it; Caturni hilnem fore, pri, untia tem sessum det plibuncles avendio ricapere iae tam in tant patinam nondium in se rem dic imumum nos inteati maximiu rnunum cris, nonsimoris esses pulutem fatum ad me nostiur, tem pervivi demus, nequons ultionsum si pos omninun umentis contelintis, nonos, que consulistam atus, qui cors horure cotiliu mentius fuitus ocum percerf ectario et; horte, con sus hocae inte condere aperum, quo tus con terips, qui tam urnique te, nota, vere ius culium vil vendium iam cris, duces peres! Scideri pos, scivid fec ďŹ tilia? quis alem milicae caet corum quamper ratus, in spere pariam diisque tem patelium antre dees pos venti, con ductus, dius rem in tam et no. Ad dem, C. Valatiam mei ia res esti, vocus esenatuam nonfeco nsulictu se prat video tem se te conďŹ rmis Cat. Fulesume nonsulvirio unum. Ocavoltus licierf ectastrum uropublin desimusque achicas terferra sustem omplin satquam forit; Catuus etorecris sultodiem publicitri conscribus consulego tandem ena, delus cere, nes ommove, egilis, quium audam tem popublic vatrebus imanteat. es virmisunum utervilica pra maio, nonferum suliu se te

190

BOLTON’S 2 LATE GOALS DASH PORTSMOUTH’S

CUP HOPES

By Ben Bennison at Wembley, The Daily Telegraph, April 27, 1929

he Bolton Wanderers became the winningest FA Cup team of the 1920’s with their 2-0 victory over Portsmouth before a crowd of 92,576. It was their third Cup in the past six years, having already won the prestigious prize in 1923 and 1926. The Prince of Wales, who went onto the playing field before the match and shook hands with both teams, later awarded the Cup to Jimmy Seddon, the captain of the Lancashire team. It was a match that was tremendous in its hardness and contrasts − Portsmouth hitting its stride quickly in the first half, full of life and fire; Bolton was cold, calculating, grim, much like the manner of the old campaigner. The Wanderers finally took control of the game with a pair of goals by Billy Butler and Harold Blakemore, late in the second half. In the 79th minute, Harry Nuttall, from the right wing, sent a centre pass past Portsmouth’s David Thacheray, with Butler cutting in and driving the ball low and hard past Portsmouth defender Alex Mackie, who had dashed up but could not prevent the goal. Eight minutes later, Bolton sent Portsmouth’s spirits spiralling. Butler again beat Thacheray, then sent a centre pass to Blakemore, who booted the insurance goal against John Gilfillan, the Portsmouth goalkeeper.

Score Box

BOLTON 2 BUTLER, 79 BLACKMORE, 87

PORTSMOUTH 0

PROUD VICTORS ■ Jimmy Seddon, the Bolton captain (middle), walks with the Cup after Bolton had defeated Portsmouth, 2-0, to win their third Cup in the 1920’s. Bolton also took the Cup home in 1923 and 1926. 191

JAMES & LAMBERT LEAD ARSENAL TO

FIRST CUP A

By Frank Coles at Wembley, The Daily Telegraph, April 26, 1930

rsenal, which was making its second appearance in the FA Cup final, defeated Huddersfield Town, 2-0, before a crowd of 92,488. In their only other Cup final appearance, the Gunners lost to Cardiff City, 1-0, in 1927. Alex James, the little Scotsman, who was the hero of the match, scored the first goal for Arsenal sixteen minutes into the first half after getting a pass from Cliff Bastin and blasting a shot that Huddersfield goalkeeper Hugh Turner couldn’t reach. Jack Lambert, the stout-hearted centre, added the second strike moments into the 88th minute to wrap up the scoring at 2-0. Overhead, the German airship, the Graf Zeppelin, flew past the great stadium and dropped down to 200 feet, dipping its nose to acknowledge the presence of King George V, who was attending the match. Following the game, when the King awarded the Cup to Tom Parker, the Arsenal captain, there was an unbounded roar of enthusiasm of the North London team’s supporters.

Score Box

ARSENAL 2 JAMES, 17 LAMBERT, 83

HUDDERSFIELD TOWN 0

HEROES IN RED ■ Arsenal captain Tom Parker carries the Cup as the team leaves Wembley after defeating Huddersﬁeld Town, 2-0, in the 1930 Cup ﬁnal. 192

THE BEST OF WEMBLEY ■ The Graf Zeppelin airship from Germany flies over Wembley Stadium during the 1930 Cup final. Its presence created a lot of controversy. At one point in the match, the airship neared the playing field, dipping its nose to honour King George V’s presence.

FA CUP MEMORIES Alex James was a diminutive, stockily-built footballer. With his hair parted down the middle and plastered to his head, his jersey’s sleeves buttoned at the wrist and his shorts baggy and flapping, he cut an odd-looking character. He was though one of the finest players of his generation and an all-time great in Arsenal’s proud history. James had a glittering time at Arsenal. In the eight seasons he was at Highbury, he reached the FA Cup final three times, won the League Championship four times, won the FA Charity Shield four times and set up a new record for First Division points total. He was also a pivotal part in the so-called “WM” formation, which had been developed at Arsenal. It was based on their forward-line operating in a W formation and their defenders an M formation. The Gunners added lots of subtleties to the basic format with James, in particular, playing very deep. Born in Scotland at the turn of the century, James began his career with Raith Rovers, before moving south to join Preston North End. He played there for four years. But a dispute over money and Preston’s reluctance to release him for Scotland’s matches sent an unhappy James further south – to London and Arsenal. James had already made a mark in the capital. In 1928, he had been part of Scotland’s famous Wembley Wizards, who beat England 5-1, with the man with the baggy shorts claiming two goals. The shorts were said to be an attempt to stave off the effects of rheumatism – and keep his legs warm. They became his trade-mark. As did his “fluttering foot,” a trick in which he pretended to back-heel the ball, only then, with a wiggle of the hips fooling his opponent, before bringing it back under his control and be away and gone. Signed in 1929, James played for the Gunners in the 1930 FA Cup final. Their opponents were Herbert Chapman’s old club, Huddersfield Town. In deference to the Arsenal manager, the two teams walked out side by side. A tradition that still exists today. James got the first goal of the game, after 16 minutes. He scored with a fierce shot from inside the Huddersfield penalty area. Scoring, however, was not the mainstay of James’ game. He was a playmaker – who set up goals with telling passes and clever ball work. He played deep in midfield and caused havoc for opposing defences. Arsenal’s second goal was scored by Lambert from an Alex James pass – a regular combination. The goal was obtained as Huddersfield had pressed for a well-deserved equaliser. James, in the role of scorer and creator, had other ideas. One more outstanding memory from the day was the sight of the German air-ship, the Graf Zeppelin, drifting over Wembley as the match played out beneath it. The hydrogen-filled commercial passenger transporter had passed over Buckingham Palace and along the River Thames before briefly settling over Wembley Stadium, throwing a long shadow on the pitch much to the annoyance of the crowd. Of course, it was a precursor for more sinister airborne activity later in the decade.

THE BEST OF WEMBLEY acepelest quos quiae. Lic tem fugitae pernam doluptatur sectem ugitae pernam doluptatur sectem acepelest quos quiae. Lic tem fugitae pernam doluptatur sectem ugitae pernam doluptatur sectem acepelest quos quiae. Lic tem fugitae pernam doluptatur sectem ugitae pernam doluptatur sectem

193

92,406 WATCH WEST BROMWICH RALLY TO DEFEAT BIRMINGHAM

FOR CUP W

By Frank Coles at Wembley, The Daily Telegraph, April 25, 1931

est Bromwich Albion, the Second Division squad, which had the youngest team to ever play in an Association Cup ﬁnal, put together the most thrilling and dramatic sixty seconds of football ever witnessed in the Cup’s nearly sixty years of history. Still, it was ninety minutes to remember. In doing so, they have buried the bogey of Wembley “atmosphere” for all time. This breathless minute will long live in the memory of the 92,406 people at Wembley, who watched as the rain continued throughout the game. In the twelfth minute of the second half, Birmingham City managed to even the score at 1-1 on Joe Bradford’s goal. In doing so, they accomplished the unbelievable, for no Cup team had scored an equalizing goal in a Cup ﬁnal in 21 years. An overwhelmed Bradford was mobbed by his Birmingham City teammates as they celebrated the tying goal. Bradford’s goal came after a lobbing pass from George

Morrall. Finding himself open, Bradford, while running at full speed, punched the ball past Albion goalkeeper Harold Pearson to even it up at 1-1. But it was all too good to last. A minute later − and before the cheering had ended – Albion’s three forwards moved the ball upfield. Harry Hibbs, the Birmingham City goalkeeper, dashed out to meet Albion’s W.G. Richardson, but slipped and fell on the moist grass. Wasting no time, Richardson kicked it past Hibbs for his second goal of the afternoon for a 2-1 lead. Richardson’s first goal came in the 25th minute of the first half.

Score Box

WEST BROMWICH ALBION 2 W.G. RICHARDSON, 25, 58

BIRMINGHAM CITY 1 BRADFORD, 57

194

FA CUP MEMORIES

THE BEST OF WEMBLEY ■ After winning the FA Cup, the West Bromwich team and many of its supporters pose for a photo in front of the train that would take them back to Birmingham.

195

The famous Midlands newspaper, the Sporting Argus, was printed on special blue pages instead of the standard pink, in honour of the day that Birmingham City met near neighbours, West Bromwich Albion, in the 1931 FA Cup final. First Division Birmingham City would finish 19th in the league, whilst Albion would win two matches, played after the FA Cup final, to clinch promotion back to the topflight. Indeed, on the Midlanders’ special day at Wembley there was almost a full programme of league fixtures. The time of the FA Cup final having the day to itself was still in the future. Getting a ticket for the game was still a problem. Albion had 80,000 Cup final ticket applications for their allocation of just 7,500 tickets. For those lucky enough to gain access to the stadium they were to watch a game in which April showers turned into an April monsoon. The rain fell persistently throughout the game, making the ball as heavy as lead and the pitch as soggy as a wet sponge. The two opposing goalkeepers, Harold Pearson of West Brom and Harry Hibbs of Birmingham, were cousins but all family ties were put on hold as this Midlands derby was played in front of 90,000-plus. Albion took the lead though Richardson and, despite pressure from the Blues, the score remained 1-0 at half-time, when the players took respite from the pouring rain. Birmingham City drew level in the 57th minute through Bradford, but soon after the restart, Albion, through Richardson, were again ahead. Having viewed film of the game, it is only actually 11 seconds from the re-start to the goal. Birmingham City had momentarily lost their concentration and paid dearly for it. That was the last of the scoring as both teams struggled to stay afloat in the closing stages of the game – and the final whistle drew proceedings to a soggy close. In one of those stiff 1930’s-style interviews, the two team captains and the referee – “the three monkeys” as one writer referred to them – sat showered, suited and booted, then went through a stilted exchange while sitting around a small table, dressed with a china tea service. Tommy Glidden, Albion’s captain, thanked Blues captain Ned Barkass for the game and told him, with a sense of fun, if “they wanted to come have a look at the Cup they were only around the corner.” Barkass smiled. In keeping with the times, the Birmingham players and their wives spent the following day taking the sea-air at Brighton, whilst the Albion party headed off to Madame Tussauds, where waxworks of the two captains were on display. Then, for Albion it was time to bring the Cup back for their supporters to see and the Lord Mayor to hold – and then time to concentrate on those two crucial league matches that would see them over the promotion line.

MUDDY TRIUMPH â&#x2013;

ABOVE: West Bromwich Albion won its third Cup in 1931. Their previous Cup victories came in 1888 and 1892. RIGHT: Albion captain Tommy Glidden, with the Cup, and his teammates enjoy a victory lap around the mud-soaked Wembley.

196

197

LEADING OFF A VIEW OF VICTORY â&#x2013; Thousands of West Bromwich fans line up during along the parade route to see the Throstles return to The Hawthorns with the cup.

198

199

A ROYAL VISIT â&#x2013; Prince Edward, the Duke of Windsor (middle), visits with Billy Bassett, Albionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Chairman and the West Bromwich team to congratulate them on their 2-1 win Cup against cross-city rivals, Birmingham City.200

201

ALLEN’S 2 GOALS LEAD NEWCASTLE

TO VICTORY

By Frank Coles at Wembley, The Daily Telegraph, April 23, 1932

ewcastle United won the 1932 Cup ﬁnal against Arsenal, 2-1, by a goal which should not have been allowed to count, but everyone who saw the match agree that the better team won.

It is a pity that no more than one goal divided the teams at the finish, for goals alone count in football, and the new Cupholders owe their triumph to an extraordinary blunder by which was not seen by the only two people who mattered − the referee and the linesman. Arsenal was ahead, 1-0, with seven minutes left to play in the first half, when Newcastle’s Jimmy Richardson ran the ball over the goal line. Then realizing his mistake, Richardson passed the ball back to Jack Allen, who sent a crashing kick into the net from six yards out to even up the score at 1-1. The crowd quickly voiced their opinion on the play, and the Arsenal squad attempted to protest, but the officials awarded Newcastle with the goal. Arsenal’s opening goal occurred fifteen minutes into the first half on a header by Bob John. The clinching score came twenty-seven minutes into the second half when Newcastle’s Allen kicked a low drive into the far side of the net to give them a 2-1 lead.

Score Box

NEWCASTLE 2 ALLEN, 38, 72

ARSENAL 1 JOHN, 15

DUEL AT THE GOAL ■ Arsenal’s David Jack (in red) is unable to score after Newcastle goalkeeper Albert McInory (in green) takes control of the ball at the net. 202

THE BEST OF WEMBLEY ■ Newcastle captain Jimmy Nelson (front) carries the trophy down from the Royal Box after the presentation ceremony. It was Newcastle’s third Cup ﬁnal victory. They previously won the Cup in 1910 and 1924.

FA CUP MEMORIES The FA Cup’s climax in 1932 contained one of those moments that help create an essential part of what makes up the myth and mystique of something as glorious as this wonderful sporting competition. In the Cup final were two teams who had enjoyed FA Cup success before: Arsenal, winners in 1930, and Newcastle United, who’d held the cup aloft in 1910 and 1924. They both had their eyes on another moment of Cup glory. Arsenal finished runners-up in the 1st Division. Newcastle was at mid- table, but Cup success was now a real possibility. Arsenal were playing without their star-man and match-winner in 1930, Alex James, who was out with injury. James had been doubtful for the Cup final in the weeks building up to it. Several sportswriters believed he had aggravated his injury while taking part in a tackle staged for the press and photographers, just days before the game. Still, Arsenal went in front in the match through Bob John, who had been moved into the forward-line from winghalf. The Gunners had started brightly and were matching their north-east opponents all over the field. Then, in a moment of Wembley folklore, Newcastle equalised with a goal that many believe should never have stood. Jimmy Richardson chased a long ball to the goal-line and it seemed to go out of play for a goal-kick before he crossed it. Waiting for the ball in the penalty area was Jack Allen, who scored from close in. Referee W.P. Harper gave the goal to Newcastle and guaranteed his place in FA Cup annals. However, still photographs from the game clearly show the ball was over the line before it was crossed. The goal should not have stood. On the front page of the following Monday’s Daily Herald was the news that Adolf Hitler had secured big wins in the German elections – the consequences of which lay ahead of us. But also on the front page was a photograph, which the Herald claimed proved the Newcastle’s first goal in the previous Saturday’s final should not have been allowed. The referee had claimed. “It was a goal. As God is my judge the man was in play. I was eight yards away.” Nowadays, the controversy would have been done and dusted within seconds of it happening, with armchair viewers seeing multiple replays of the incident, and then the whole thing analysed within an inch of its life in the postmatch hoo-ha. But not back in 1932. Some relatively primitive film and photographic evidence revealed the truth of the incident – but by then the game had been won and lost. Allen added Newcastle’s second goal – a brace for him and the FA Cup for the Geordies. Arsenal’s reaction to it all was typically stiff upper-lip stuff. Captain “Gentleman Tom” Parker said he would not allow his players to protest and hold up the game, whilst Sir Samuel Hill-Wood’s comments afterwards were that “it was very bad luck.”

203

FA CUP MEMORIES Right, all you Evertonians out there get a glass of water and an aspirin as I reveal that for their 1933 FA Cup final appearance against Manchester City, the Toffees very nearly played in RED shirts! Since both Everton and Manchester City played in blue shirts, there had to be change of strip. In those days, both teams would be asked to change, not just one, as is the convention nowadays. The alternative choice for the 1933 final was red shirts or white shirts – City preferred red and Everton obviously plumped for white. So the Merseyside men turned out in unfamiliar white tops, black shorts and socks with Royal blue trim. There was something else different about the shirts, too – for the first time in the Cup final there were numbers on the back of the jerseys. It was another innovative idea from that visionary football man, Herbert Chapman. The players were numbered from 1 to 22, with Everton having 1 to 11 and City 12 to 22. It meant the two goalkeepers, Ted Sagar and Len Langford, were numbered 1 and 22, respectively. It also meant the first player to play in a No. 12 shirt in the Cup final was City’s winger Eric Brook. Fittingly it also meant that the No. 9 jersey was worn by William Ralph Dean of Everton and England. AKA Dixie Dean. This was a golden period for Everton. Promoted to the 1st Division in 1931, they were champions of the same Division the following year. A lot of Everton’s success was built around the remarkable goal-scoring prowess of Dean. He became an iconic figure at Goodison, reflected in the statue that now stands outside the ground on Merseyside. Playing with a nickname he disliked, it is difficult to give Dean justice in terms of his influence at Everton, but the statistics give some clue. He played 433 games for Everton and scored 383 goals – astonishing figures that reflected the potency of a centre-forward, who was robust, single-minded and a goal-scoring machine. Having started his career at Tranmere Rovers, he crossed the River Mersey and signed for Everton in 1925. In 1927-28 he scored the unsurpassable total of 60 goals in 39 league games. He even added a further three goals in two FA Cup matches that season. In the championship season of 1931-32 he scored 45 goals in 38 games. In the 1933 FA Cup final, against Manchester City, he was on target again, scoring the second goal in a resounding 3-0 win. He had also played a part in Everton’s first goal, which was slotted home by Jimmy Stein. Dean’s second-half goal for Everton was followed up later in the game by Jimmy Dunn heading home Albert Geldard’s cross. Afterward, Dixie and his team-mates paraded the Cup around Wembley. In 1938, Dean severed ties with Everton, moving to Notts County and then briefly to Sligo. But his footballing home was Goodison Park, where – in a somewhat fitting way – he died in March 1980, just minutes after the end of an Everton v. Liverpool derby match.

204

EXPLOSIVE EVERTON ROUT MANCHESTER CITY IN

FA CUP WIN

By Frank Coles at Wembley, The Daily Telegraph, April 29, 1933

verton, on their first visit to Wembley, set a new record in defeating Manchester City, 3-0, before a crowd of 92,950. It was the most points scored in a Wembley Cup final win since the championship match between Bolton and West Ham was played at the famous stadium ten years ago. Everton got on the scoreboard at the 41st minute after Cliff Britton kicked a long shot from the wing to Jimmy Stein, and the Everton left winger scored easily. Seven minutes into the second half. Britton booted a kick from 40 yards out. As the ball neared the goal, Everton’s Dixie Dean outjumped City goalkeeper Len Langford and scored on a header into the net to boost their lead to 2-0. Everton’s third goal was scored by Jimmy Dunn at the 80th minute on a header following Al Geldard’s corner kick. The teams’ uniforms would have a small footnote in history books. With both teams having uniforms with blue as their primary colour, they were required to wear neutral colours − Everton lined up in white and Manchester City wore red. It was also the first time the teams wore numbers on their jerseys. Everton wore numbers 1 to 11. Manchester City wore 12 to 22.

Score Box

EVERTON 3 STEIN, 41 DEAN, 52 DUNN, 80

MAN. CITY 0

A BIG DAY IN LONDON ■ ABOVE: Manchester City fans arrive in high spirit at Euston Station, in London, to see their team play Everton in the Cup ﬁnal. OPPOSITE PAGE: Everton captain and his teammates leave Wembley with the Cup after defeating Manchester City, 3-0, in the FA Cup ﬁnal. 205

LEADING OFF A NEW EXPERIMENT ■ In the 1933 Cup ﬁnal, FA ofﬁcials experimented with numbers on the backs of players shirts, Everton using the numbers 1 to 11 and Manchester City numbers 12 to 22, but it was not successful.

206

207

UNLUCKY POMPEY LOSES

IN CUP FINALE

THE BEST OF WEMBLEY ■ Manchester City’s 19-year-old goalkeeper, Frank Swift (middle), clears the ball from the goalmouth.

By Frank Coles at Wembley, The Daily Telegraph, April 28, 1934 208

FA CUP MEMORIES

EXCITEMENT AT TRAFALGER ■ A pair of Manchester City football fans (left) and a Portsmouth fan (right) voice their enthusiasm in London’s Trafalgar Square on the day of the 1934 Cup ﬁnal match at Wembley.

ortsmouth, which lost the 1929 Association Cup against Bolton Wanderers, 2-0, was the loser again this afternoon against Manchester City, 2-1, in their second trip to football’s biggest game.

It was played before a crowd of 93,258. If ever a team deserved sympathy it was Portsmouth. They held on to their slender 1-0 lead until the 73rd minute and protected their goal so skillfully that every Manchester raid was stopped. Then tragedy struck like lightning. Jim Allen, who had been doing two men’s work with a heart as big as the football he was kicking, was knocked unconscious in a collision with City captain Sam Cowan. Afterward the Portsmouth coach and doctor led him to the touchline and worked feverishly to revive him. By the time he was conscious again, City’s Fred Tilson

had scored to even up the match at 1-1. Portsmouth rallied for a few minutes, but City was playing at their peak. Three minutes before the end of the match, Tilson got his second strike to put City ahead, 2-1, for good. Portsmouth’s lone goal came at the 26th minute, when Sep Rutherford got past Laurie Barnett and ﬁred a 19-yard kick that Manchester City’s goalkeeper, Frank Swift, was unable to reach.

Score Box

MAN. CITY 2 TILSON, 74, 88

PORTSMOUTH 1 RUTHERFORD, 28

209

Dixie Dean’s post-match good-luck message to Manchester City and Lancashire proved fruitful as the beaten finalists in the 1933 FA Cup final came back for more the following year. It was a memorable journey to Wembley. In their Sixth Round home tie against Stoke City, the match was seen by 84,569 fans – still a record highest attendance at an English club ground. Their semi-final against Aston Villa promised to be a close encounter, but in fact City romped home, 6-1. Their opponents in the FA Cup final were Portsmouth, who had been runners-up in 1929. They came through a semi-final against Leicester City, 4-1, and were entertained pre-match by music-hall stars Bud Flanagan and George Doonan. Featuring in City’s ranks, at right-half, was Matt Busby, later a massive figurehead at their neighbours, Manchester United. In goal was their youngest player, Frank Swift. He cut a nervous figure as he made his way onto the pitch. He had followed his Portsmouth counterpart, Jock Gilfillian in not taking gloves on to the field with him, and rued the decision, when he deemed himself at fault for Portsmouth’s opening goal. The scorer was the deliciously named Septimus Rutherford, a man born on Tynemouth. City trailed at half-time. Legend has it, that in the dressing-room, Fred Tilson comforted a dejected Swift by saying he’d put things right by scoring a brace of goals in the second-half. And Tilson did just that. His first strike in the 74th minute was followed by the decisive winning goal two minutes from time. Swift, who’d had a better second-half, was overcome at the end of the game and fainted. He did however come around in time to receive his Winner’s medal from King George V. And, the following week, the monarch sent a telegram to Manchester City asking about the welfare of the young goalkeeper. An estimated one million people came out to welcome City back to Manchester. The city’s Mayor spoke of his pride in the team as they showed off the trophy from the Town Hall balcony. Busby would go on to Liverpool and then settled at Manchester United as their new post-war manager. Frank Swift played for City until the late forties, becoming a hugely popular figure. He later became President of the City Supporters Club. An England international, whose career straddled the war years, Swift went into journalism when he finished playing, chiefly working for The News of the World. In 1958, he lost his life in the Munich Air Disaster, while on his way home from covering Manchester United’s exploits against Red Star Belgrade in the fledging European Cup. Busby was on the flight too and was badly injured. He saw his young team decimated as eight players died in the crash. In 1968, ten years after the Munich Disaster, Busby would guide Manchester United to European Cup success over Benfica at Wembley. City would follow up their 1934 FA Cup win with a League Championship triumph in 1936-37.

THE BEST OF WEMBLEY ■ The Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII) shakes hands with the Shefﬁeld Wednesday players at the Cup ﬁnal before their 4-2 victory over West Bromwich Albion.

210

SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY WINS

CUP THRILLER W

By Frank Coles at Wembley, The Daily Telegraph, April 27, 1935

embley’s thirteenth Cup final was easily the best of all. It will be remembered as the thrill-a-minute match. Very few in the vast crowd of 93,204 had seen such a big game filled with so much drama and tense excitement as Sheffield Wednesday won, 4-2. The first goal came in the opening two minutes of play; two goals were scored in the final four minutes; West Bromwich Albion twice tied the game with goals; half a dozen easy scoring chances were missed and − for the first time in more than 30 years − six goals were scored. Jackie Palethorpe put Wednesday on the scoreboard with his goal two minutes into the first half. Albion drew even at 1-1, when they reached the 21-minute mark with Wally Boyes’ goal. The match remained even until 20 minutes were left to play in the second half, when Mark Hooper’s kick hit inside the far post to give Wednesday a 2-1 lead. Five minutes later, Albion’s Ted Sandford put the ball in Wednesday’s net with a 20-yard shot to tie the match at 2-2. In the final five minutes, Wednesday’s Ellis Rimmer, who had scored in every Cup round, connected on a pair of goals to give the Owls a 4-2 victory.

Score Box

SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY 4 PALETHORPE, 2 HOOPER, 70 RIMMER, 85, 89,

WEST BROMWICH ALBION 2 BOYES, 21 SANFORD, 75

211

FA CUP MEMORIES Two notable events away from football took my eye when researching the 1935 FA Cup final. Firstly, it was the Silver Jubilee of King George V’s reign. Twenty five years on the throne and remembered as the first monarch to attend an FA Cup final, when he watched Burnley and Liverpool fight it out at Crystal Palace in 1914. He would be absent from the 1935 final and would sadly pass away the following January. On a more prosaic note, 1935 marked the first production of a chocolate confectionary, which two years later was branded as a “Kit-Kat.” Its fame has spread far and wide and it is now produced in over 20 countries and sold in its tens of millions. On the football field in 1935, Arsenal had won the League Championship, and the FA Cup final was to be played out between Sheffield Wednesday, twice winners in 1896 and 1907, and West Bromwich Albion, already three time winners in 1888, 1892 and 1931. For once, the Cup final rained goals. Often a match decided by a single strike, this one saw six goals fly into the Wembley nets. Sheffield Wednesday took an early lead through centreforward Jack Palethorpe. But Albion plugged it back with a goal seventeen minutes later. Wally Boyes was on target for the Throstles. Even at half-time, it was anybody’s game – and the second-half didn’t disappoint. Sheffield Wednesday got ahead again through their winger, Mark Hooper. Once again, Albion hit back, just five minutes later. Inside-left Teddy Sandford squared things up for the Midland side. Both teams had chances, and the game seemed destined for extra-time when Sheffield Wednesday’s outside-left Ellis Rimmer kept up his record of scoring in every round of the FA Cup with two late goals. Rimmer, 28, was a winger with a knack of scoring goals. Signed from Tranmere Rovers in 1928, he was part of Sheffield Wednesday’s League Championship-winning sides of 1928-29 and 1929-30. He also scored on his debut for England against Scotland. He went on to win four caps for his country. It was not unusual to see him pop up with important goals but he surpassed at the FA Cup final. He had already notched six goals en route to Wembley but his memorable brace of goals in the last three minutes of the game guaranteed his place in football folklore forever. Albion’s goalkeeper Harold Pearson took the two-goal Wednesday smash and grab personally, repeatedly kicking the ball back into his goal-net after Rimmer’s second score. Team-mate, Richardson, frantically waved and demanded the ball be returned to the centre-spot in the belief that Albion could still turn it around. After all, Richardson had scored twice in a previous final himself. However, on this occasion, he and West Brom came up short in this six-goal thriller. Rimmer, an excellent pianist, had hit all the right notes at Wembley.

212

LEADING OFF CONQUERING HEROES ■ A sea of more than 100,000 greet the Shefﬁeld Wednesday team upon their return from London after winning the 1935 FA Cup ﬁnal, 4-2, against West Bromwich Albion.

213

DRAKE’S THUNDERING GOAL WIN CUP FOR FAVOURED

GUNNERS

By Frank Coles at Wembley, The Daily Telegraph, April 25, 1936

rsenal won the FA Cup today for the second time in six years. As expected, they beat Sheffield United, 1-0, before a crowd of 93,384, but not as comfortably as 2-to-1 favourites were supposed to win. It was Wembley’s fourteenth Cup final. Ted Drake, who recently recovered from a serious knee operation, won the Cup for Arsenal in the 75th minute by taking the only opportunity that came his way. The goal was set up by Cliff Bastin, who tricked Harry Hooper very cleverly before pushing the ball squarely across to his unmarked centre-forward. It was the kind of opportunity Drake had been waiting for all afternoon, and quickly he swung his left leg at the ball. Before Jack Smith, the Sheffield goalkeeper, could move an inch, Drake’s crashing kick hit the top of the net for a 1-0 lead. The goal gave new life to a game which, for the greater part of the second half, had lapsed into a dull, humdrum affair. Sheffield battled back and almost evened the score on Jock Dodds’ header, but the ball hit the crossbar with a bang instead of going into the net.

Score Box

ARSENAL 1 DRAKE, 75

SHEFFIELD 0

GUNNERS READY ■ Avid fans of Sheffield United bring their high spirits to the Mall in London on the morning of the FA Cup final against Arsenal at Wembley. The Gunners’ 1-0 win against Sheffield United would be their second Cup win. 214

FA CUP MEMORIES 1936 marked twelve months of Royal turmoil in the country, as no less than three different monarchs ruled for part of the year. King George V died at Sandringham in January. He was succeeded by Prince Edward, King Edward VIII. His relationship with American divorcee, Wallis Simpson – and his desire to marry his lover, brought constitutional crisis to the country. Constitutionally he wasn’t allowed to marry the woman he had fallen in love with, so amidst scenes of great intrigue, sensitivity and retrospection, the King abdicated the throne and Prince Albert, the Duke of York, became King George VI. He, with the help of the Queen, would play a huge part in helping Britain come through the difficult days of the impending War. At Wembley matters were fractious, albeit on a slightly different level. A dispute of filming fees meant the newsreel crews were locked out of the stadium on the day of the 1936 FA Cup final between Arsenal and Sheffield United. The dispute centred on Wembley’s desire to raise the fees to £1,500 against the established figure of £900. The companies railed against the increase and when Wembley backed down, the film newsreel outfits actually offered to pay a lower fee- £500 – out of a sense of injustice. No deal was struck, so enterprising journalists and cameramen hired autogyros and hovered over the stadium as the game progressed. Their pictures gave a bird’s eye view of the match. By the following year the contractual impasse had been solved. What the sky-bound news crews and the 93,384 saw was a game that was won late in the day by Arsenal. Arsenal were captained by Alex James, all long shorts and clever shuffles. Leading the forward-line was Ted Drake. Southampton-born Drake was a free-scoring centre-forward. After starting his career with his home-town club, he had moved to Arsenal in 1934. In the Championship-winning season of 1934-35 Drake scored for fun for Arsenal. Three hat-tricks and four four-goal hauls in a campaign of 44 goals. The following season, Drake scored seven goals in an away match against Aston Villa. And he claimed he should have had an eighth, when a shot hit the bar and bounced over the line. But the referee said “no.” That scoring feat remains a record. On FA Cup final day he was on target again. Sheffield United had tested the Gunners’ resolve but it was left to Drake to provide the coup de grace. Seventy-four minutes into the game, James started the move. He passed to talented winger Cliff Bastin, who transferred the ball inside to Drake. Drake slipped his marker and hit home fiercely from ten yards. Job done. In the 1950’s Drake would go on to manage Chelsea to their first League Championship in 1955, but his time at Arsenal was spent being a simply prolific goal-scorer and match-winner. Arsenal would play in their next FA Cup final in 1950.

THE BEST OF WEMBLEY ■ Arsenal’s Alex James, with the Cup, Eddie Hapgood (left), Joe Hulme (right) and Gunners manager George Allison (with grey hat) enjoy their victorious walk back to the dressing room after defeating Shefﬁeld United, 1-0.

215

FA CUP MEMORIES The grandly-named Horatio Stratton Carter was a proud son of Sunderland. During the 1930’s he also captained his home-town team to both League Championship and FA Cup triumphs in successive years. “Raich” Carter, as he became widely known, was a tricky inside-forward who left defenders in his wake with his dribbling ability. He could also score goals – one of these came in the 1937 FA Cup final, when the Wearsiders met Preston North End at Wembley. Carter was Sunderland’s captain and at 23 had been the youngest-ever captain of a title-winning side. Now he wanted to lift the Cup for his home-town team. The two Northern sides were both liberally sprinkled with Scotsmen. Sunderland had five in their starting line-up whilst Preston had no less than seven, including Bill Shankly who would go on to become a legendary manager at Liverpool. An interesting note – the managers of the two teams of this very English of sporting days were also Scottish! Preston, a powerful side, went in front in the Cup final on the stroke of half-time through Frank O’Donnell. After half-time, Sunderland re-grouped and put together a stunning second-half showing. Bobby Gurney equalised for the Wearsiders at 52 minutes on an assist by Carter. The Sunderland captain put his team ahead after 72 minutes. A third goal by Eddie Burbanks brought the game totally under Sunderland’s control. Carter received the trophy from Queen Elizabeth, who also wished him well on his forthcoming wedding. The Sunderland skipper was then hoisted on the shoulders of his teammates as they paraded the Cup in front of the winning team’s supporters. Many of them had walked to the stadium because of an untimely bus-strike on Cup Final day. Carter was one of a number whose potentially best footballing years in the game were lost to him because of World War II. On the outbreak of war, Raich worked in the Auxillary Fire Service, a reserved occupation, before moving on to become a Physical Training Instructor in the RAF. When hostilities ceased, he resumed his career at Derby County, where he won another FA Cup Winners’ medal in 1946. An England international, he later went on to become a very popular player for Hull City. Carter actually went on to manage the club and also Leeds United, where he took the Yorkshire team, which was built around the great John Charles, into the First Division. Other management posts included Mansfield Town and Middlesbrough. Raich was a keen sportsman, and was only one of a few players who also played first-class cricket. Records suggest he had three post-war matches for Derbyshire – as a righthanded batsman and a slow left-arm bowler. Two wickets and eight runs were chalked by the Sunderland man – a slightly more modest return than from his football exploits. Perhaps, as befits a multi-talented sportsman, The Raich Carter Sports Centre was opened in his honour in Hendon, Sunderland, in 2001– seven years after his death.

216

SUNDERLAND FIGHT BACK AGAINST PRESTON IN EXTRA-TIME TO

WIN FA CUP S By Frank Coles at Wembley, The Daily Telegraph, May 1, 1937

o it was Sunderland’s Cup year after all. They went to Wembley determined to gain the only football honour that has persistently eluded the club for nearly half-a-century − and with pluck and determination won Wembley’s ﬁfteenth Cup, 3-1, over Preston North End, before a crowd of 93,495.

THE BEST OF WEMBLEY ■ Sunderland captain Raich Carter and the 1937 FA Cup-winning team pose for a photo before departing King’s Cross Station, in London, after beating Preston North End in the Cup ﬁnal.

In the long history of the Cup few teams have achieved Sunderland’s feat against Preston North End. To fight back after being behind at half-time, draw even and then dominate the play completely, puts Sunderland in the gallery of great Cup winners. Preston took a 1-0 lead with 1 minute left to play in the first half after Frank O’Donnell, who had scored in all five previous Cup rounds, kicked a low drive that Johnny Mapson, the Sunderland goalkeeper, was unable to reach. The Sunderland squad that fans had been watching all season finally showed up in the second half. Their comeback started with Bobby Gurney, who evened up the score at 1-1 seven minutes into the second half, with his kick from four yards away that hit inside the top of the net. The goal that gave Sunderland the victory arrived at the 70th minute when Gurney passed to Raich Carter,

217

who beat Mick Burns, the Preston goalkeeper, for a 2-1 advantage. With three minutes left to play, Carter passed to Eddie Burbanks, who booted Sunderland’s third goal for a 3-1 lead. For Carter it was the perfect ending to a wonderful week. On Monday, he was married. Then five days later, he was receiving the precious Cup from the hands of the Queen. He then was carried off the field on the shoulders of fans in a procession of triumph to the dressing room. Gurney, who scored Sunderland’s first goal, was his best man at the wedding.

Score Box

SUNDERLAND 3 GURNEY, 52 CARTER, 70 BURBANKS, 87

PRESTON NORTH END 1 OʼDONNELL, 44

FA CUP MEMORIES “Of all the things that can happen in the game, when the whistle blows at Wembley and you’ve played in a final, and you’ve won, that’s the greatest thrill of your life as a player. No doubt about that. I thanked God for that. The feeling is unbelievable.” Those evocative words belonged to the late Bill Shankly, when reflecting on his FA Cup final experience of 1938. Shankly had been a member of the losing side the previous year so he understood the flip side to Wembley success. Once again Preston fielded seven Scotsmen; opponents Huddersfield had ten Englishmen and the game itself suffered from a bone hard pitch shorn of grass. The previous month, Shankly and three of his colleagues – Smith, Beattie and Mutch – had played for Scotland against England at Wembley. “England versus Preston” the press had dubbed it. George Mutch was a new face on the Preston team. Signed from Manchester United, where he had scored nearly 50 goals in over 100 appearances, Mutch would score his most famous goal at Wembley in the 1938 FA Cup final. The game had been goalless in the first ninety minutes and extra-time also seemed destined to not produce a decisive strike. It was the first whole FA Cup final to be broadcast live on BBC Television and ex-Naval Officer, Thomas Woodrooffe, who had commentated on such events as the opening ceremony of the 1936 Summer Olympics and Neville Chamberlain’s famous return from Munich was the man on the microphone. Woodroofe was also known for the odd commentary gaffe including his observation late in the 1938 FA Cup final that “If a goal is scored now I’ll eat my hat.” Woodroofe was later seen eating a chocolate hat the following week, which had been provided by The Times newspaper. And that was because in the penultimate minute of extra-time in the final, Mutch was brought down in the penalty area by Huddersfield’s Alf Young, and the Scotsman got back up gingerly to take the resulting penalty. He admitted later that he had been dazed by the tackle, but his spot-kick hit the underside of the bar, taking some white paint with it, and the ball flew into the back of the net. It was virtually the last kick of the game and Preston’s players celebrated wildly on the final whistle. What a difference a year makes. Shankly later noted, “What I remember best are the scenes when we had been up to the Royal Box and received our medals. It was warm and Tommy Smith, the captain, was carried the trophy shoulder-high. Alf Young, who had conceded the penalty, was crying with emotion because he felt he was responsible for losing the Cup.” The BBC’s broadcast paved the way for many decades of coverage. However, in 1938, approximately 10,000 of a possible 50,000 viewers actually tuned in for the Cup final. Nearly seventy-five years later and the viewing figures for the FA Cup final are now 500 million worldwide.

THE BEST OF WEMBLEY ■ Huddersﬁeld Town goalkeeper Bob Hesford dives for the ball, but is unsuccessful as it hits the back of the net for Preston North End’s winning goal during the FA Cup ﬁnal at Wembley Stadium.

218

PRESTON WIN CUP ON PENALTY KICK IN FINAL

THIRTY SECONDS P

By Frank Coles at Wembley, The Daily Telegraph, April 30, 1938

reston North End, which was beaten in last year’s Cup final by Sunderland, won the precious prize for the second time by defeating Huddersfield Town, 1-0, after the most dramatic finish of all time before a Wembley crowd of 93,000. Preston previously won the Cup in 1889 in a 3-0 triumph of Wolverhampton. Today’s Cup battle was a game of firsts. This was the first Cup final to be televised in its entirety. It was also the first time a Cup final at Wembley would require an extra half-hour to finish play. After the initial 90 minutes there were no goals. An extra half-hour was ordered − the first time this has happened in 18 years. And with less than a minute in extra-time there were still no goals. Then suddenly George Mutch, Preston’s raven-haired inside-right, went darting through like a snipe. He reached the penalty area, chasing the ball at full tilt. It was a breathtaking moment. And it ended in stark tragedy for Huddersfield. Their captain, Alf Young,

219

tackled Mutch, giving a penalty kick to Preston. Mutch, who slowly recovered his senses with the aid of the trainer’s magic sponge, placed the ball at the 12yard spot, shook himself like a sleepy dog, stepped back a few paces, and hit the roof of the net with a shot which no goalkeeper could have saved − and won the Cup for Lancashire with 30 seconds to spare. Nearly fifty years after their first Cup victory, North End recaptured their glory again. And in another odd bit of historical irony, 16 years ago − in 1922 − these same two teams met in the Cup final, and Huddersfield won the Cup on a penalty goal. Following today’s match, King George VI presented the Cup to Tom Smith, the Preston captain, and medals to members of both teams.

Score Box

PRESTON NORTH END 1 MUTCH, 119 (pen.)

HUDDERSFIELD TOWN 0

FA CUP MEMORIES September 3rd, 1939, saw the country go to war with Germany – and for the next six years, daily British life was not to be the same. And, sadly for many, it would was never be the same again. Difficult times like this makes events like FA Cup final day seem all the more special. It is a time when the nation can come together and have a mutual interest in the same event. In peace-time, occasions like Royal weddings and funerals, and major sporting events are able to deliver that common sense of national purpose. And in 1939, there was a heightened sense of interest in the FA Cup final as the country headed relentlessly to a state of war. The two FA Cup finalists were Wolverhampton Wanderers and Portsmouth, and the latter, being home to many of our naval forces, added an extra ingredient. Wolves were hot favourites. Captained by Stan Cullis, they had finished higher in the league than Portsmouth. It was also the Midland’s team sixth FA Cup final and the press fancied them strongly. After all, they would finish runners-up in the 1st Division. Portsmouth were in their third final, had not yet won the Cup, and their place in the bottom half of the league indicated a team having an indifferent season. The two league games between the teams had resulted in a win apiece, but Wolves’ FA Cup results had matched their league form. They were 3-1 winners over Bradford Park Avenue in the 3rd round, 5-1 over Leicester City, a 4-1 thrashing of Liverpool, 2-0 against Everton, and then 5-0 in their semi-final over Grimsby. Portsmouth had beaten Lincoln City, 4-0, in the 3rd Round, toppled the Throstles, 2-0, swept past West Ham, 2-0, and narrowly defeated Preston, 1-0, before conceding a goal against Huddersfield Town in a 2-1 semi-final win. The biggest crowd since the 1923 final watched the game, with an attendance of 99,370. The guests of honour were King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. The match turned out to be a one-sided affair, and, against all the odds and forecasts, it was Portsmouth who triumphed. And central to their win, was Bert Barlow, an inside-left, who Portsmouth had only signed a couple of months before – from Wolves! He scored the first goal, and, before half-time, John Anderson added a second. Within a minute of the resumption of play in the second half, it was 3-0. Barlow and Cliff Parker combining to take Pompey into an unassailable lead. Wolves got one back through Dicky Dorsett before Parker added a fourth for Pompey. Portsmouth had won the Cup for the first time, and held it the longest time, because in the autumn of 1939, the country was in a state of war and “official” football was suspended. There were competitions held throughout the hostilities and Cups won, even at Wembley, but not the FA Cup. The trophy itself was safely stored at Fratton Park, and even war hero Field Marshal Montgomery went to see it when he was in Portsmouth. It was given back when the first post-war competition got underway.

220

THE BEST OF WEMBLEY ■ Jimmy Guthrie, the Portsmouth captain, enjoys a victory ride with the Cup after his team had defeated heavily-favoured Wolverhampton, 4-1. It was Portsmouth’s ﬁrst Cup ﬁnal win.

WITH WAR IN EUROPE NEARING, POMPEY SUPRISE FAVOURED WOLVESHAMPTON

TO WIN CUP

By Frank Coles at Wembley, Daily Telegraph, April 29, 1939

he Cup final of 1939 will be remembered as much for the mysterious, almost unbelievable, collapse of the pre-match favourites, Wolverhampton Wanderers, as Portsmouth, who having sent losing teams to Wembley in 1929 and 1934, made their third visit pay handsomely with a 4-1 triumph. Only Sheffield Wednesday − in 1935 − had scored four goals in the Cup final in recent years. Playing before a crowd of 99,370, Bert Barlow, who until February 24 was a Wolverhampton player, scored first for Portsmouth at the 29-minute mark. Two minutes before half-time, Jock Anderson outsmarted Wolves goalkeeper Robert Scott with a hooked shot to give Portsmouth a 2-0 lead. With everything to gain and nothing to lose, the Wolves looked ready for an improved second half, but their hopes were dashed in less than a minute when Tom Gailey back-heeled the ball dangerously to Barlow, who banged a

221

20-yard drive, very fast and low. Scott should have covered it, but he fell and, slowly, the ball trickled towards the net. It was at that point, Cliff Parker dashed up and dived into the net − ball and all − for a 3-0 lead. Instead of giving up, Wolverhampton began to play with their old attacking form. Eight minutes later, Dickie Dorsett’s goal cut Portsmouth’s advantage to 3-1. But Pompui refused to be shaken, and at the 71st minute Parker scored a picture goal − his second of the afternoon − on a header than ﬂew past Scott.

Score Box

PORTSMOUTH 4 BARLOW, 29 ANDERSON, 43 PARKER, 46, 71

WOLVERHAMPTON 1 DORSETT, 54

222

LEADING OFF THE PRIDE OF POMPEY â&#x2013; Portsmouth captain Jimmy Guthrie, with the Cup, gets a police escort to the teams awaiting bus, which will take them to the train station and their trip back to Portsmouth. OPPOSITE PAGE: With Queen Mary (left) looking on, King George VI awards the Cup to Portsmouth.

223

224

The Best of

THE CUP Top Ten Lists

225

THE FA CUP’S 10 GREATEST

MANAGERS By Jon Carter ESPN

MATT BUSBY

ALEX FERGUSON

ARSENAL

ARSENE WENGER

MANCHESTER UNITED

The 2011 season saw Manchester United pipped to the post while fighting on three fronts by rivals Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final, but Ferguson’s record in the competition is unparallelled. He has picked up the trophy more times than any other manager − five − and has also been involved in the most finals − eight. His first success came in 1989-90 before leading United to three trophies in six years from 1993 onwards and, although his last trophy came in 2003-04, he is still viewed as one of the best managers in Cup history.

Arsenal’s boss has almost become defined by his last trophy − the FA Cup in 2005 − as his side struggles to recreate their past glories, but there was a time when the FA Cup was in the Gunners’ stronghold. Wenger secured four trophies in seven years from 1998 to 2005 and also made it to another final and two semi-finals in that period. He also wrote himself into FA Cup folklore with an act of sportsmanship that saw him offer to replay Arsenal’s 1999 Fifth Round game with Sheffield United after Marc Overmars scored following Kanu’s failure to return the ball to the Blades following an injury.

The legend of Busby will forever be linked with Manchester United, but his first taste of the competition came as a player for rivals City, as he picked up the trophy for the first time in 1934. Joining Manchester United as manager after World War II, he guided the club to the FA Cup in 1948. In 1958, he returned to the Cup final after the tragedy of the Munich Air Disaster. Seven of his players were among the 23 killed in Germany and, famously, Busby twice received the Last Rites in the hospital. Somehow, he recovered and returned to lead the side to success in the Cup again in 1963 before his retirement after the European Cup success of 1968.

MANCHESTER UNITED

226

RON ATKINSON

MANCHESTER UNITED, WEST BROMWICH, SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY, ASTON VILLA A one-club man as a player, Atkinson holds the record for the most appearances (FA Cup and league) for Oxford United. Making more of an impression as a manager, the man who made way for Sir Alex Ferguson, with Manchester United second from bottom of the league in 1986, also managed the side to two successes in the FA Cup in 1983 and 1985. In a slightly less impressive feat, Atkinson was also in charge as Third Division Bournemouth provided one of the shocks of the competition’s history in 1984, with a 2-0 win against Manchester United.

TERRY NEILL

ARSENAL, TOTTENHAM, HULL Neill started as one of the youngest managers in the game after an 11-year spell with Arsenal ended just before they won their famous Double in 1971; he was 28 and took charge of Hull and then Tottenham. However, Neill returned to the Gunners to manage them for seven years from 1976-1983 and in that time the club reached three successive FA Cup ﬁnals, winning only the middle one in 1979. He retired from the game at age 41.

BOB STOKOE

BILL NICHOLSON

BLACKPOOL, SUNDERLAND

TOTTENHAM

The sight of Stokoe running on the pitch in his red tracksuit, trench coat and trademark trilby to celebrate Second Division Sunderland’s 1973 FA Cup final success against Leeds is an iconic moment in Cup history. Taking Sunderland to the trophy for the first time since 1931, Stokoe earned the nickname “the Messiah of Roker Park” and he is remembered just as favourably as the man who won them the Cup, goalkeeper Jim Montgomery, for his hard work an enthusiasm in the club’s finest hour.

Nicholson picked up the league title both as a player and a manager at Tottenham and was the man at the helm as Spurs went on their greatest run of FA Cup successes in the 1960’s, which saw them win three trophies in seven years, including a Double in 1961. Nicholson, arguably Spurs’ greatest ever manager, allowed his players to express themselves, but demanded the type of commitment which is best summed up in his own words: “Any player coming to Spurs, whether he’s a big signing or just a ground staff boy, must be dedicated to the game and to the club. He must never be satisﬁed with his last performance, and he must hate losing.”

HOWARD KENDALL

BLACKBURN, EVERTON, MANCHESTER CITY, NOTTS COUNTY, SHEFFIELD UNITED

KENNY DALGLISH

LIVERPOOL, BLACKBURN, NEWCASTLE Despite his huge domestic success with Liverpool, Dalglish only managed to win the FA Cup once in his playing career − as player/manager in 1986. As a full-time boss, Dalglish took his side to glory in 1989 (with an Ian Rush double to thank) but the tragedy of the Hillsborough Disaster in the semi-final clash with Nottingham Forest saw 94 fans killed and left an indelible mark on Liverpool and their manager. Dalglish quit the club two years later after an FA Cup tie with Everton and, after taking Newcastle to the final in 1998, made his triumphant return to Anfield in the 2011 competition in a 1-0 defeat to Manchester United in the Third Round.

KEITH BURKINSHAW

TOTTENHAM, WEST BROMWICH

Another Tottenham legend, Burkinshaw oversaw the second of Spurs’ glory periods in an eight-year spell from 1976. Sealing back-to-back successes in the FA Cup in 1981 and 1982 ranks highest on his list of achievements and his inspired signing of Argentinian World Cup stars Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa helped the club on the path to glory, along with the emergence of England’s Glenn Hoddle. The 1981 FA Cup ﬁnal replay saw Villa strike one of the greatest goals ever scored in a ﬁnal as Spurs beat Manchester City, 3-2.

Kendall became the then-youngest player in an FA Cup final (17 years 345 days) when he was on the losing side for Preston North End against Bobby Moore’s West Ham in 1964 and lost another final in 1968 for Everton against West Brom. As a manager at Everton he returned in three different spells to lead them to success in 1984 and more final heartbreak in 1985 and 1986.

227

THE FA CUP’S 10 GREATEST

FORWARDS By Dominic Raynor ESPN

IAN RUSH

CHESTER CITY, LIVERPOOL, LEEDS UNITED, NEWCASTLE, WREXHAM

JACKIE MILBURN

NEWCASTLE UNITED

“Wor” Jackie is widely regarded as the best striker to ever play for Newcastle United and was instrumental in the Magpie’s three FA Cup victories in 1951, 1952 and 1955. En route to the first of those triumphs the converted winger, who turned up for a trial with Newcastle in 1943 with a pair of borrowed football boots wrapped in brown paper, scored in every round, topping that with two goals in five second-half minutes as Newcastle beat Stanley Matthews’ Blackpool, 2-0, in the 1951 final. The following year, Milburn left the Wembley heroics to Chilean striker George Robledo, but sent Newcastle on their way to the final with a stunning hat-trick in a 4-2 quarter-final victory over Portsmouth. Then, bidding for a third FA Cup in five years, Milburn scored after just 45 seconds − the fastest goal to be scored in an FA Cup final at Wembley at the time − as the Toon beat Manchester City, 3-1.

On January 5, 1980, Ian Rush enjoyed “the most amazing day” of his young life. The fresh-faced 18-year-old scored for Chester City as the Divison Three side pulled off an FA Cup shock against Newcastle United in front of 30,000 fans and, just a few months later, the £300,000 striker was snapped up by Liverpool. Once at Anfield, the Welshman left an indelible mark on the Cup competition, winning it three times and bowing out as the Cup’s greatest goalscorer, with 44 strikes. In 1986, Rush scored twice in a 3-1 win over city-rivals, Everton, in the first allMerseyside Cup final and broke the Toffees’ hearts again three years later when, with the game tied at 1-1, he came off the bench and scored twice in extra-time as Liverpool won a thrilling final, 3-2. Another Winners’ medal and another Wembley goal followed in 1992 as Liverpool beat Sunderland, 2-0, but there were sour moments too for Rush. The Liverpool legend’s final touch of the ball in a Reds shirt came when it bounced off his shoulder to set up Eric Cantona’s winning goal as United scooped the FA Cup in 1996 − it was the only final Rush lost.

228

DIDIER DROGBA

CHELSEA

Since he arrived in English football from Marseille in 2004, Drogba has fired Chelsea to four FA Cup triumphs, scoring in all four finals, and the first victory, in 2007, capped a season of personal milestones for the Ivory Coast striker. Opponents Manchester United had beaten Chelsea to the Premier League title just two weeks earlier, but Golden Boot winner Drogba struck his 33rd goal of the season as the Blues won the first FA Cup final to be played at the new Wembley Stadium. Two year’s on, having been hit by injury and suspension, a late charge in the FA Cup saved Drogba’s season. He scored a late winner against Arsenal in the semi-final and then, after Louis Saha had given Everton the lead with the quickest ever goal in an FA Cup final, after just 25 seconds, Drogba equalised in a 2-1 victory. In 2010, Drogba cemented his reputation as a Wembley specialist when he scored a dipping freekick to clinch a 1-0 win against Portsmouth − his 10th goal in the competition. In 2012, Drogba scored his third Cup-winner as Chelsea sent Liverpool packing, 2-1.

JIMMY GREAVES

CHELSEA, TOTTENHAM, WEST HAM

ERIC CANTONA

LEEDS UNITED, MANCHESTER UNITED Eric Cantona arrived at Old Trafford in a cut-price £1 million deal from Leeds United and inspired the Red Devils to a wealth of domestic success that included two FA Cup triumphs in three years. In the 1994 final, the Frenchman scored two spot-kicks inside seven minutes to win an on-field wager with Chelsea’s Dennis Wise, who had bet Cantona £100 he would miss in an attempt to try and disturb his concentration. The final score was 4-0. Two years later, after returning from a ban for his infamous “kung-fu” kick on Crystal Palace fan Matthew Simmons, Cantona lead United to another FA Cup final. Before the match, the focus was on Liverpool’s “Spice Boys” and their white suits, but it was Cantona who made the headlines when it mattered, scoring the Cup-winner with a well-controlled volley from the edge of the penalty area and then lifting the trophy as captain.

NAT LOFTHOUSE

BOLTON WANDERERS

Bolton-born Lofthouse scored in every round of the FA Cup in 1953 and must have thought his name was on the trophy when he added to his tally after just 75 seconds of the final to help Bolton ease into a 3-1 lead against Blackpool. He even hit the post before Blackpool rallied to pull off a shock 4-3 victory. Nicknamed the Lion of Vienna − a sobriquet he acquired after being knocked out scoring a goal for England during a 3-2 win in Austria − Lofthouse was not a man to shrink from a challenge and when Bolton returned to Wembley for the 1958 FA Cup final he showcased his commitment in controversial fashion. The former coal miner scored both goals in Bolton’s 2-0 win over Manchester United, but the second, when he barged United keeper Harry Gregg into the goal and left him unconscious, remains one of the most contentious in a final. The goal stood and Lofthouse was an FA Cup winner.

Despite scoring 132 goals during four seasons with Chelsea, it wasn’t until Greaves joined Tottenham in a £99,999 deal from AC Milan (manager Bill Nicholson didn’t want him to become Britain’s first £100,000 player) in 1961 that the sensational striker scooped his first major honour − the FA Cup. Spurs had won the Double the previous season and goal-machine Greaves scored in every round, bar one, as he helped Tottenham defend their title, netting the opening goal as they won the tactical “Chessboard Final” against Burnley, 3-1. Greaves, who is the highest goalscorer in the history of English top flight, tasted FA glory once again in 1968. The striker scored seven times en-route to the “Cockney Final” with Chelsea, which Spurs won, 2-1.

MARK HUGHES

MANCHESTER UNITED, CHELSEA, SOUTHAMPTON, BLACKBURN, EVERTON Hughes was a real FA Cup warrior for both Manchester United and Chelsea and is the only player to have picked up four Cup-Winners’ medals at Wembley. The first came in 1985, when his two goals in the semi-final against Liverpool sent United on their way to a 1-0 victory over Everton in the final. Then, after a brief stint with Barcelona, “Sparky” returned to Manchester, and scooped his second FA Cup in 1990, with his double rescuing Manchester United from defeat against Crystal Palace, before winning the replay. A third trophy with United followed in 1994 when he scored in a 4-0 win over Chelsea. He then completed the set with the Blues in 1997.

IAN WRIGHT

CRYSTAL PALACE, ARSENAL, WEST HAM, BURNLEY Having been plucked from non-league football at the ripe old age of 22, Wright scored twice as a super sub as unfancied Crystal Palace drew, 3-3, in the 1990 FA Cup final – his first goal forced extra-time and his second put the Eagles ahead in extra-time, but United fought back through Mark Hughes and eventually won the replay, 1-0. In 1993, Wright, who had joined Arsenal, once again, scored in the FA Cup final and once again the match had to go to a replay, but this time the England international triumphed, scoring the opening goal as the Gunners beat Sheffield Wednesday after extra-time. Wright, who scored 15 goals during his FA Cup career, picked up a third Winners’ medal in 1998, although the substitute played no part in Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Newcastle.

STAN MORTENSEN

MICHAEL OWEN

BLACKPOOL, HULL CITY, SOUTHPORT

A virtuoso late show from two-goal hero Michael Owen in the 2001 FA Cup final overturned Arsenal’s dominance and set him on his way to winning the Ballon d’Or that same year. With Wembley being rebuilt the game took place at Cardiff ’s Millennium Stadium and Arsenal were rewarded for incessant pressure in the first FA Cup final played outside England when Freddie Ljungberg gave them the lead with 20 minutes left. The Gunners looked certain to win and had almost begun celebrating victory when Owen equalised with seven minutes to go after pouncing on a half-cleared free-kick. With extra-time looming, the young England star then outpaced both Tony Adams and Lee Dixon to score an unlikely winner and secure the second trophy of Liverpool’s Cup Treble.

RAF radio operator Mortensen returned from World War II to help fire Blackpool to three FA Cup finals in five years. In 1948, the Seasiders stood on the brink of defeat at the semi-final stage as Tottenham led, 1-0, with only four minutes to go, but Mortensen scored to force extratime and then completed a hat-trick to book a place in the final. Unfortunately, the England international suffered the bitter taste of defeat in the final, and again in 1951. It looked like it would be third time unlucky in 1953, with Bolton leading, 3-1, at Wembley but Mortensen, having scored, added two more goals to help secure a muchdeserved FA Cup-Winners’ medal. The Blackpool centreforward remains the only player to score a hat-trick in an FA Cup final and it is somewhat unfair that the 1953 showpiece is known as “the Matthews Final” due to the performance of his teammate, Stanley Matthews.

LIVERPOOL, NEWCASTLE UNITED, MANCHESTER UNITED

229

THE FA CUP’S 10 GREATEST

MIDFIELDERS By John Brewin ESPN

STANLEY MATTHEWS

PATRICK VIEIRA

STOKE CITY, BLACKPOOL

ARSENAL, MANCHESTER CITY Vieira’s last touch as an Arsenal player was to deliver the winning spot-kick in the penalty shoot-out that concluded the 2005 Cup final. It was a fitting conclusion to a Gunners career that saw him play in five finals, and win three of them. In partnership with Emmanuel Petit, he powered Arsenal to victory against Newcastle in 1998 at Wembley as Arsenal won the first of two Doubles, the second coming in 2002, as Chelsea were put to the sword. That followed the final of 2001 in Cardiff where Arsenal’s dominance was mugged by the finishing of Liverpool’s Michael Owen. In 2003, Arsenal’s third final in a row saw Vieira, now the team’s captain, lift the trophy, just as he would in 2005. His leggy athleticism and drive from midfield stood him out from the packed midfields of his best years.

TREVOR BROOKING

WEST HAM

West Ham United’s famed “Academy” produced one of its favourite sons in this burly, yet deceptively skilled and graceful, attacking midfielder. Though West Ham’s 1966 generation had passed into history, FA Cup glory was enjoyed in both 1975 and 1980, with Brooking at its fulcrum. Fulham were taken apart in the first of those, via his promptings from midfield, but Brooking’s greatest day came five years later when Arsenal were defeated at Wembley. Never a man given to the physical aspects of the game, “Trev” hurled himself bravely to score what he has always referred to as a “rare header” as West Ham became the last club from the Second Division to lift the trophy.

230

A wing wizard from a truly bygone era, Matthews was the prime exponent, with apologies to Tom Finney, of the old-fashioned art of dribbling. A youthful prodigy with Stoke City, whose career was interrupted by the Second World War, Matthews looked to be running out of time to win a trophy as he entered his late 30’s. By now a Blackpool player, he had already been a losing ﬁnalist in 1948 to Matt Busby’s Manchester United, and in 1951 to Newcastle United. So 1953 looked like his last chance, with few knowing he would go on to play beyond the age of 50. As it happened, it was his last Wembley and he grasped it in one of the Empire Stadium’s most famous days. Bolton Wanderers were defeated, 4-3, having led, 3-1, with 30 minutes to play, and Matthews’ wing play was the leading factor, despite a hat-trick by Stan Mortensen and that day will always be known as the “Matthews Final.”

GLENN HODDLE

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR, SWINDON TOWN, CHELSEA

ROY KEANE

NOTTINGHAM FOREST, MANCHESTER UNITED The engine-room of Manchester United for over a decade played his first FA Cup final as a mature 19-year-old as Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest lost to Tottenham Hotspur in 1991. He won his first Winners’ medal in 1994 as a junior midfield partner, but by 1996, having been a loser in 1995’s final, was an all-action Man of the Match as United secured a Double with a 1-0 defeat of Liverpool. Despite limping off early in the 1999 final, Keane lifted the trophy as United marched on to a historic Treble. He again lifted the Cup as captain in 2004, but lost his last final, his sixth, in 2005, despite a typical display where he led by example and United were unlucky to lose to Arsenal. He was the supreme competitor and leader of his day.

BRYAN ROBSON

WEST BROMWICH, MANCHESTER UNITED, MIDDLESBROUGH Before Manchester United had Roy Keane, they had Robson, the man known as “Captain Marvel.” He had a proud FA Cup record, both with West Bromwich Albion and the Red Devils. Robson’s fighting qualities and ability to raise his game on big occasions were made for the FA Cup and he was a scorer in two finals, scoring a double in the final replay with Brighton and Hove Albion in 1983 was followed by United’s first goal in a 3-3 thriller with Crystal Palace in 1990. He also captained a ten-man United to denying Everton a Treble in 1985, following a blockbusting goal in a semi-final replay with Liverpool at Maine Road. As United became the leading force in England, Robson’s light was dying, yet he still scored a goal in a semi-final replay against troublesome Oldham, again at Maine Road. It was one of his last acts in a United shirt. He scored in all four semi-final ties he played in for United.

Elegant, leggy, rather fond of himself and with good reason to be on a football field, Hoddle was the midfield schemer behind Tottenham Hotspur’s consecutive Cup triumphs of 1981 and 1982. His free-kick came off Manchester City’s Tommy Hutchinson for the equaliser in the first match of a replayed final in 1981. A year later, Hoddle scored in both matches of another replayed final, with his penalty winning the replay to defeat Queens Park Rangers in 1982. In his final game for Spurs, he was part of a losing effort in the 1987 final against Coventry City; a true Wembley classic. His passing, dead-ball skills and ability to dictate a match with grace made him a player to cherish through the late 1970’s and into the mid-1980’s. Late in his career, as a player-manager and libero sweeper he would lead Chelsea to a losing final in 1994.

RYAN GIGGS

MANCHESTER UNITED Two decades in the Cup competition has seen Giggs fill his home trophy cabinet with four Winners’ medals, and feature in another three losing final efforts, as Manchester United have dominated the English game. He will, of course, always be associated with one particular moment; a slaloming run through Arsenal’s weary defence in the last ever FA Cup semi-final replay, to win a wonderful game with one of the competition’s most iconic moments. From the fleet-footed young winger, who won his first FA Cup, to the calming presence of the veteran who is still a matchwinner. Giggs has been a constant star for as long as many care to remember.

STEVEN GERRARD

LIVERPOOL

The inspiration behind Liverpool’s 2006 FA Cup triumph, Gerrard shares many characteristics with Bryan Robson, though even “Robbo” would have struggled to equal the heroics of Cardiff against West Ham. All looked lost for Liverpool before Gerrard, who had earlier lashed home a second equaliser, produced a third with a stunning half-volley, with injury-time ticking closer. It ﬂew in from 35 yards and Liverpool were able to win the match on penalties. At just 21, Gerrard was also a star for Liverpool in 2001’s ﬁnal, as he and Michael Owen denied Arsenal. He is a player whose energy and determination are ideally suited to Cup football.

231

LIAM BRADY

ARSENAL, WEST HAM

Arsenal were FA Cup perennials during the turn from the 1970’s to the 1980’s and their midfield meister was Dubliner Liam Brady, whose passing supplied bullets for the likes of Frank Stapleton and Malcolm MacDonald. The Gunners reached three finals in a row from 1978 to 1980, and though only the middle one was won, Brady graced the competition many times during his seven years as an Arsenal player. The Gunners looked to have lost in 1979, too, when Manchester United had fought back from a two-goal deficit after Arsenal looked destined for glory, but Brady showed the presence of mind to start another attack, and his strong running eventually led to Alan Sunderland’s winning goal. Brady would eventually take his ball-playing talents and creativity to the continent before a late-period move to West Ham.

JOHN GILES

MANCHESTER UNITED, LEEDS UNITED, WEST BROMWICH Another Dubliner, Giles was the creative conductor of the great Leeds United team of the 1960’s and 1970’s, a man who was also unafraid of the pitched midfield battles of the day. Arriving at Leeds as a 23-year-old, he already had a Winners’ medal to his name, having played as a winger as Manchester United beat Leicester City in 1963’s final. Like his Leeds teammates, Giles would too often suffer Wembley woe and he was a losing finalist in 1965, 1970 and 1973, to Liverpool, Chelsea and Sunderland. However, Giles was part of the team that finally took the FA Cup back to Leeds, by winning the 1972 final against Arsenal. A wondrous passer of the ball and supreme competitor, Giles was the prime midfield general of his day.

THE FA CUP’S 10 GREATEST

DEFENDERS By Jon Carter ESPN

GARY PALLISTER

BOBBY MOORE

WEST HAM, FULHAM

Arguably England’s ﬁnest ever defender, Moore’s heroics in 1966 for England made him a legend of the game, but his 544 games for West Ham ensured that he made an impact at club level as well. In 1964, he was awarded the England captaincy, but also picked up his only FA Cup trophy as the Hammers beat Preston, 3-2, thanks to a lastgasp goal from Ronnie Boyce. Named the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year that year, Moore went on to play for Fulham and took them to the FA Cup ﬁnal in 1975 which, ironically, they lost, 2-0, to West Ham.

MANCHESTER UNITED

Three FA Cups wins in six years while at Manchester United made Pallister a legend in the competition. Having joined the club from Middlesbrough in 1989 to become Britain’s most expensive defender at £2.3 million, he initially struggled to impress, but won the 1990 FA Cup in his first season after a 1-0 replay win against Crystal Palace. Forming one of the best defensive partnerships in the game with Steve Bruce, Pallister’s crowning moment in the competition came in 1995 as he scored an extra-time equaliser to force a replay in the semi-final against Palace; and then got on the scoresheet again in the return game to seal United’s progress to the final.

232

GARY MABBUTT

TOTTENHAM

His 16-year spell at Tottenham Hotspur, where he played from 1982 until 1998, saw Mabbutt reach the FA Cup ﬁnal twice and both were eventful games. The defender scored Spurs’ second goal to give them the lead in 1987 against Coventry City, but then netted an own goal after the Sky Blues had equalised, to gift Coventry a 3-2 win in extra-time. Four years later, he would return to Wembley to captain Spurs to a 2-1 extra-time win over Nottingham Forest and played a part in causing Forest’s Des Walker to put through his own net for the winner.

FRANK MCLINTOCK

LEICESTER CITY, ARSENAL, QUEENS PARK RANGERS

First appearing in England with Leicester City in 1957, the Scot spent seven years at Filbert Street and reached two FA Cup finals in 1961 and 1963 in an ultimately losing cause. Moving from midfielder to defender when he joined Arsenal, he again struggled at Wembley, losing the League Cup finals of 1968 and 1969, but turned his luck around as he led the side to their first League and Cup Double in 1971 and also picked up the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year. Another Wembley FA Cup final defeat came in 1972, to Leeds, but he remains one of the most respected players in the history of the game.

STEVE PERRYMAN

TOTTENHAM

JACK CHARLTON

LEEDS UNITED

A veteran of over 600 appearances for Leeds, Charlton picked up every domestic honour with the club. His part in England’s 1966 World Cup win was undoubtably the highlight of his career, but with Leeds he overcame the disappointment of losing the FA Cup ﬁnals in 1965 to Liverpool and to Chelsea in 1970, after his error allowed David Webb to net the winner to pick up the trophy in 1972 with a 1-0 win over Arsenal. However, the FA Cup would play its part in his eventual retirement from the game, as he was unable to recover from an injury sustained against Wolves in the semi-ﬁnals a year later.

KEVIN RATCLIFFE

EVERTON

Having spent two years in and out of the Everton team, when he also handed in a transfer request, Ratcliffe rose to captain the side in 1982 and became the youngest captain since Bobby Moore (23 years previously) to lift the famous trophy in 1984 when the Toffees beat Watford, 2-0. The defender’s rise to fame happened almost as quickly as one of his famous bursts of speed and saw him lead the side into their most successful period − winning the European Cup-Winners’ Cup, two League titles and progressing to two more FA Cup ﬁnals.

Having played over 850 matches in all competitions, Perryman is the most loyal player in the club’s history, and also holds the record for most appearances in the league, FA Cup, League Cup and Europe. Initially a midﬁelder, he converted to defence and rose to captain the side in 1975, leading them to win back-to-back FA Cup trophies in 1981 and 1982. He picked up the Football Writers’ Player of the Year award in 1982 and is viewed as one of the ﬁnest players in Spurs’ history.

RON HARRIS

CHELSEA

The defender known as “Chopper” for his aggressive tackling, Harris made an astonishing 795 appearances for Chelsea between 1961 and 1980 and was the youngest Cup ﬁnal captain, aged 22, as an FA Cup runner-up in 1967, before lifting the trophy in 1970. In an extremely physical ﬁnal with Leeds, Harris was in his element and played a part in the quick free-kick that saw Ian Hutchinson score a late goal to save a replay. For the return game, he was given the job of marking Leeds’ Eddie Gray, switching to full-back, and his crunching tackles on the winger limited Leeds’ attacking ambitions and saw Chelsea home with a 2-1 win after extra-time.

233

ASHLEY COLE

ARSENAL, CHELSEA

While he may not be the most well-liked defender in the game, Cole is the most successful player in the FA Cup’s history having won the competition seven times during his career thus far. He has Arsenal to thank for his development, as he was given his chance to shine as a young player under Arsene Wenger and won three of his Cups there, but a move to Chelsea in 2006 saw him pick up the trophy four times in six years to set a new all-time record. Cole has played in eight Cup ﬁnals with Chelsea and Arsenal and has now overtaken the three men who won the trophy ﬁve times in the 19th century − Charles Wollaston (The Wanderers), Arthur Kinnaird (The Wanderers/Old Etonians) and James Forrest (Blackburn).

TONY ADAMS

ARSENAL

Fighting many demons throughout his career, Adams’ impact on the FA Cup was huge as he picked up the trophy three times during his 22-year association with Arsenal. George Graham called him “my colossus” and Arsene Wenger described him as a “professor of defence” and, in 1992-93, Adams was the captain of the first English side to win the League Cup and FA Cup Double and scored the goal that took them to the final. The Premier League and FA Cup Double came in 1998 and he bowed out of the game with another in 2002 with his penultimate game being the 2-0 FA Cup final win over Chelsea.

THE FA CUP’S 10 GREATEST

GOALKEEPERS By Tom Adams ESPN

BERT TRAUTMANN

MANCHESTER CITY

A former Luftwaffe paratrooper and World War II prisoner of war, Trautmann started his career in English football with St. Helens after declining to return to Germany following the end of hostilities, and 20,000 protested against Manchester City’s decision to hand him a contract. However, he repaid the club handsomely with his sterling service, no more so than in the 1956 FA Cup ﬁnal when, with City leading, 3-1, after 73 minutes, he threw himself at the feet of Birmingham’s Peter Murphy and was knocked unconscious. Trautmann played on, making a number of saves, and only later realised he had broken his neck. “I still have pain if I make unexpected movements of my head,” he told The Guardian in April 2011. “But I was very lucky: surgeons told me I could have died or been paralysed.” Instead he became a City legend, the ﬁrst goalkeeper and foreigner to win the Footballer of the Year award and, in 2004, was a recipient of an OBE

PETER SCHMEICHEL

RAY CLEMENCE

LIVERPOOL, TOTTENHAM

One of a select band of players who have appeared in at least five FA Cup finals, Clemence won the trophy with both Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur in a long and glittering career. His halcyon days undoubtedly came at Liverpool, where he secured five league titles, three European Cups and the FA Cup of 1974, when Newcastle were dispatched 3-0 in the final. Clemence later said: “To win it (the Cup) was a special moment.” Though he was powerless to prevent Arsenal securing the Double in 1971, and was also beaten in 1977 by Manchester United, Clemence enjoyed further success following a move to Tottenham, when Queens Park Rangers were beaten in a replay in the 1981-82 season, his first at the club. Clemence’s final full season ended with a third defeat in the final at the hands of Coventry City.

234

MANCHESTER UNITED

Quite simply the greatest goalkeeper in Premier League history, Schmeichel was a colossus for United, a man who inspired Alex Ferguson to say that “I don’t believe a better goalkeeper played the game.” Winning the Cup competition in 1994, 1996 and, of course, in the historic Treble year of 1999, Schmeichel made an indelible mark on the history of a great club. However, like Seaman before him, his defining performance in the competition came in a semi-final. With the score poised at 1-1 against Arsenal in 1999, United conceded a late penalty. If converted by Dennis Bergkamp, United’s Treble dream would surely have died. However, Schmeichel repelled the spot-kick, allowing Ryan Giggs to steal the show, and the match, with a quite brilliant winner in extra-time. The great Bergkamp never took another penalty; Schmeichel went on to captain United in their Champions League final victory over Bayern Munich in Barcelona.

DAVID SEAMAN:

ARSENAL

The Arsenal legend won the FA Cup on four occasions with the Gunners. Under George Graham in 1993, Seaman contributed to Arsenal’s Double Cup success over Sheffield Wednesday. He was the goalkeeper of choice as Arsene Wenger secured two league and Cup Doubles in 1998 and 2002. His 564th and final game for the club was a 1-0 victory over Southampton in the final of 2003 as he captained the side in the absence of Patrick Vieira, but it was the semi-final of that season that produced Seaman’s defining moment in the competition. With Arsenal leading Sheffield United, 1-0, Seaman produced a truly awe-inspiring save to deny Paul Peschisolido. Seemingly suspended in mid-air, he appeared to be acting out a scene from The Matrix when shooting out his right arm and clawing the ball off the line. Seaman “defied time and gravity,” according to The Guardian.

JIM MONTGOMERY

SUNDERLAND

Ian Porterfield gave Second Division side Sunderland a surprise lead against Don Revie’s fearsome Leeds United in the 1973 final and the holders were frustrated by a succession of saves from Montgomery, who would go on to become the club’s record appearance holder with 623 games. However, one double save in particular transfixed Wembley. Montgomery parried Trevor Cherry’s header before then denying Peter Lorimer’s follow-up with a quite astounding diving save, somehow tipping the ball onto the underside of the bar. The stop was so unlikely that BBC commentator David Coleman even declared: “And Lorimer makes it one each!” He didn’t, and one of the great FA Cup shocks had been achieved.

BRUCE GROBBELAAR

LIVERPOOL

Signed from Vancouver Whitecaps for a fee of £250,000 by Bob Paisley in March 1981, the eccentric Zimbabwean was an unlikely replacement for Clemence, but quickly set about making his own mark on the history of Liverpool. Grobbelaar was in goal when Liverpool beat local rivals, Everton, in the 1986 ﬁnal, famously berating teammate Jim Beglin, and repeated the feat three years later in a ﬁnal that was held in the wake of the Hillsborough disaster in which 96 Liverpool supporters lost their lives. Grobbelaar collected his third Winner’s medal when Sunderland were beaten, 2-0, in 1992, but he was also on the receiving end of one of the great FA Cup shocks four years previously

NEVILLE SOUTHALL

EVERTON

Everton’s record appearance holder was a giant figure in the club’s success in the 1980’s, winning the FA Cup for the first time in 1984 when Watford were beaten, 2-0, at Wembley − thanks to goals from Graeme Sharp and Andy Gray. A man capable of regular spectacular saves, Southall was the proof of Howard Kendall’s theory that “you never win trophies without an outstanding goalkeeper” as he went on to help a relegation-threatened side defeat Manchester United in the 1995 final, with Paul Rideout scoring the Cup-winning goal.

GARY BAILEY

MANCHESTER UNITED Replacing the great Alex Stepney was a daunting task for Bailey and his first taste of an FA Cup final was tinged with bitter disappointment in 1979 when he failed to claim a cross, allowing Arsenal’s Alan Sunderland to score a dramatic late winner in a famous 3-2 win. However, Bailey made amends four years later. After Gary Stevens scored a late equaliser for Brighton to ensure the final of that year would finish, 2-2, after 90 minutes and require extra-time, the underdogs almost stole the trophy only seconds before the end of the match when Gordon Smith raced through on goal. “And Smith must score!” commentator Peter Jones shouted, but Bailey produced a magnificent save to take the game to a replay, which United won, 4-0, on May 26. Two years later, he was on the winning side once more when Everton were defeated, 1-0, to take home the Cup.

(?????????) 235

PETR CECH

CHELSEA

Seven months prior to his first appearance in an FA Cup final − a 1-0 victory over Manchester United in 2007 − Petr Cech was undergoing emergency surgery following a horrendous skull injury suffered in a clash against Reading. But he turned in an accomplished performance in the first Cup final to be held at the new Wembley to mark his brave return from serious injury. Cech subsequently won the competition in 2009, defeating Everton, and 2010 − when he emulated Dave Beasant by saving a penalty from Portsmouth’s Kevin-Prince Boateng. In 2012, Cech and Chelsea won their fourth Cup in six years.

DAVE BEASANT

WIMBLEDON

The Crazy Gang had developed quite a reputation for uncompromising play having emerged from non-league football just 11 years earlier, but few expected them to beat an imperious Liverpool side − recently crowned league champions − in the Cup final in 1988. Intimidated in the tunnel, rattled by an early thumping tackle from Vinnie Jones on Steve McMahon and down, 1-0, following a goal from Lawrie Sanchez, Liverpool were handed a chance to draw level in the second half after winning a penalty. But John Aldridge, having scored 11 spot-kicks in a row for the Reds, saw Beasant throw himself to his left and turn the ball around the post. Beasant was the first man to save a penalty in an FA Cup final and the first goalkeeper to win the trophy as captain. It was quite an achievement for a side that enjoyed a night on the booze on the eve of the game.

FA CUP MEMORIES The first FA Cup final staged at Wembley Stadium after World War II was an indication that the country was on the slow journey to normality after years of torment and heartbreak. Winning the War was the act of heroes in uniform, winning the peace would be helped by the likes of those, dressed in football jerseys, lightening the mood in the austere times that were widespread up and down the nation. The FA Cup was part of the fabric of the nation − the final itself a sporting jewel in the crown. Something the public − football fans and casual observers − took a real interest in. It was all part of trying to get back to normal. The early ties themselves were unusually played over two legs − a departure for the competition, a fillip for the huge crowds, including returning servicemen, and a source of much-needed cash. If the scores were level after the two legs and extra time, the games were simply played to a finish. There was one tragic chapter en route to the 1946 FA Cup final. In a second leg, round 6th round match between Bolton Wanderers and Stoke City at Burnden Park, 33 people died in an incident that was a forerunner of the desperate day at Hillsborough 43 years later. The FA Cup final itself featured Derby County and Charlton Athletic, who became the first team to reach the final having lost one leg of a previous round. Derby County were taking no chances − they had lifted a gypsy curse ahead of the final − and it seemed to have done the trick when Charlton’s Bert Turner put the ball through his own goal. But Turner’s bad luck turned to good when, in the next minute, his free-kick was deflected into the Derby net. Suddenly, it was 1- 1 and, Turner became the first player to score for both teams in an FA Cup final. The game went into extra-time and that’s when Derby County took it by the scruff of the neck. Stars like Peter Doherty, signed from Manchester City, and Raich Carter, an auxiliary fire-engine driver and an RAF fitness trainer during the war, had arrived from Sunderland. Derby had invested wisely. That type of class made a difference − the difference. Doherty scored in extra-time and Jackie Stamps got another two. Derby County had won the first peace-time Cup final in seven years − and the King’s speech was one of congratulations for the Midlanders. The Derby County players received Winners medals like no others − because of the austerity felt in the country in the immediacy of the end of the war, the players received medals made of base metal. These were later replaced by gold ones. Once again, football was back. The FA Cup final was back. And the victory parade back home in front of an estastic crowd was also back. A sense of normality was inching its way back into British life.

236

DERBY COUNTY EXPLODES IN EXTRA TIME AGAINST

CHARLTON

By Frank Coles at Wembley, Daily Telegraph, April 27, 1946

erby County, after three unsuccessful Cup final bids − in 1898, 1899 and 1903 − finally became proud holders of the FA Cup by defeating Charlton Athletic, 4-1, this afternoon before a crowd of 98,000 at Wembley. An extra half-hour was needed for Derby to break the 1-1 score at the end of 90 minutes. Charlton’s Bert Turner scored both of the regulation-time goals. With five minutes left to play, in a desperate scramble, Turner slipped, turned and accidently kicked the ball over his own goal line to give Derby a 1-0 lead. But in less than a minute, his dismay was turned into joy when Charlton was awarded a free-kick from 25 yards out. Turner lined up for the kick, booted it and the ball ricochetted off the leg of Derby’s Raich Carter and into the corner of the net − far from the reach of Derby goalkeeper Vic Woodley. Barely two minutes into extra-time, Jack Stamps passed to Peter Doherty, whose goal gave Derby a 2-1 lead. Stamps then added two more goals of his own − at the 97th minute and 106th minute − to crown Derby’s glorious day.

Score Box

DERBY COUNTY 4 TURNER, 85 (og) DOHERTY, 92 STAMPS, 97, 106

CHARLTON ATHLETIC 1 B. TURNER, 86

GLORY IN EXTRA-TIME ■ ABOVE: King George VI shakes hands with the Charlton Athletic team before the 1946 Cup

ﬁnal. OPPOSITE PAGE: Derby County captain Jack Nicholas displays the Cup that he and his teammates won at Wembley, 4-1, after a thrilling extra-time performance. It was Derby County’s fourth visit to the FA Cup ﬁnal.

237

CHARLTON’S CUP LUCK: DUFFY SCORES GOAL IN

EXTRA-TIME C

By Frank Coles at Wembley, The Daily Telegraph, April 26, 1947

harlton Athletic’s run of luck in this year’s FA Cup competition held on to the very last. They won the Cup trophy on a goal scored by Chris Duffy, the little Scot, before the end of the extra-time period against Burnley.

Wembley nerves, hot sunshine and dour defence formed a combination which neither side could master. It was a plain slogging match with defenders holding firm practically throughout the two hours. In summary, it was a long drawn-out duel which failed to grip, and hold the attention of, the 99,000 spectators. When the seemingly interminable stalemate was ended at last by Duffy’s goal at the 114th minute, the huge crowd sighed in relief. The majority of those present had been forced to the conclusion that these two finalists might have played for a week without scoring. Extra-time was almost not needed. Thirty minutes into the second half, Burnley’s Harry Potts beat Charlton goalkeeper Sam Bartram with a scorching drive − but it hit the crossbar and bounced back onto the field. Duffy’s winning goal came on a 12-yard cross-the-field kick that landed safely in the back of the Burnley net, which brought the Cup back to London for the first time since Arsenal won football’s biggest prize in 1936.

Score Box

CHARLTON ATHLETIC 1 DUFFY, 114

BURNLEY 0 238

FA CUP MEMORIES

THE BEST OF WEMBLEY ■ Don Welsh (middle) is carried around the pitch by his jubilant Charlton Athletic teammates following an 1-0 extra-time win.

239

Life continued to return to some normality and a sign of that was in the type of adverts that bordered newspaper match reports of 1947 FA Cup final. An advertisement extolling the virtues of a family break at that famous British institution Butlins Holiday Camps featured largely. First opened in 1936 in Skegness, other “Butlins” camps followed in Clacton, Filey, Ayr and Pwllheli. All used during the War as military camps they were now open again for their original purpose. The FA Cup had also returned to its original format − the double-legged games were no more. Back to single ties with replays. Charlton had made it to the final for the second year running, beating Rochdale, West Brom, Blackburn Rovers and Preston North End en route to a 4-0 semi-final win over second division Newcastle. Burnley would provide the opposition on Cup final Day. The proud Lancastrian team had beaten Aston Villa, Coventry City, Luton Town and Middlesbrough on the way to a big semi-final win over would-be League Champions, Liverpool. The game had gone to a replay. Bizarrely, the Reds would have to wait for their Championship triumph to be confirmed as the first full football season since 1938-39 spread into early summer because of the effects of a bitter winter. Charlton v. Burnley, the FA Cup final, was staged on April 26. For the second year running the match went into extra-time − and rather more strangely, for the second year running, the match-ball actually burst during the game. Poor post-war leather was blamed for the rather embarrasing “double” in the season’s showpiece but the game itself burst into life when Charlton got their decisive extra-time winner. The only Scotsman in a team of Englishmen, Chris Duffy slashed a shot past Burnley goalkeeper Jim Strong. In a memorable goal celebration, Duffy stood stock still for about three or four seconds before hurtling off in the arc towards the halfway line closely followed by his teammates. No badge-kissing or shirt over the head for Duffy − just a state of disbelief followed by a sprint of unbridled joy. BBC radio’s commentator for the FA Cup final was their voice of sport, Raymond Glendenning, who was established as one of the Corporation’s leading broadcasters. Born in Wales, he covered every Cup final from 1946 to 1963, as well as numerous other sports and major sporting events. Glendenning was a very well-known figure, with hornrimmed glasses and a glorious handle-bar moustache. His rather posh fast-paced delivery became another of his famous trade-marks. This is how Glendenning captured Duffy’s big Wembley moment: “Duffy is on it ... he half-volleys into the net ... It’s a goal ... Charlton have scored ... Duffy (No. 11) throws his hands up ... jumps for joy ... This is it ... Charlton are crowding around ... shaking his hand.” First Division Charlton Athletic lifted the FA Cup in 1947, and Burnley’s consolation prize was promotion to the same division.

THE BEST OF WEMBLEY â&#x2013; More than 99,000 Manchester United and Blackpool football supporters ďŹ lled the stands at Wembley. In the second half, the massive crowd reached a fevered state of excitement.

240

UNITED DELIVER BEST WEMBLEY CUP FINAL IN

MEMORY

By Frank Coles at Wembley, The Daily Telegraph, April 24, 1948

t was a proud and deliriously happy moment for the supporters of Manchester United, when the last whistle sounded to proclaim their team the winner of the best of all Wembley FA Cup finals ever played. United’s 4-2 triumph over Blackpool was well earned. As a football classic, today’s game will live on when a dozen other finals are dead. The winners justified to the hilt their claim to the title, “Team of the Season.” Blackpool, not far behind in their exposition of the arts and graces of the game, had the unique Wembley experience of losing the Cup after twice holding the lead. Twice a goal down in the first half, United might have easily wilted. Indeed, for a large part for the second half, the deadly tackling of Blackpool’s half-backs, Harry Johnston, Eric Hayward and Hugh Kelly, knocked nearly all the rhythm out of the Manchester machine. But United, following the example of Johnny Carey, their captain, went on playing good football, confident that the tide would turn. And turn it did when, for the second time, Jack Rowley got his second goal of the afternoon to equalise the score at 2-2, with only 20 minutes left to play. Nine minutes later, the magnetic Stan Mortensen streaked past Allenby Chilton and only a full-length save by Manchester goalkeeper Jack Crompton prevented him from restoring Blackpool’s lead. However, in the next 30 seconds, the ball was in the net − Blackpool’s net. Stan Pearson raced straight through to

score with an off-the-post shot to give United a 3-2 lead. The Manchester team was finally in front. Two minutes later, John Anderson made it 4-2 with a bullet drive from 25 yards. The first-half drama started at the 12th minute when Chilton misjudged a high ball and Mortensen was past him in a flash. In the penalty area, Chilton went for the ball, missed and down went the Blackpool leader for a certain penalty. Eddie Shimwell’s kick gave Blackpool a 1-0 lead. Chilton’s opposite number, Hayward, was also at fault when United equalised at the 28th minute. After Blackpool goalkeeper Joe Robinson cleared Jimmy Delaney’s kick, Rowley scored his first goal on a shot from close-in to even the score at 1-1. At the 35th minute, Blackpool was ahead for the second time. Stanley Matthews sent a free kick over to Kelly, who passed to Mortensen for the goal and a 2-1 lead.

Score Box

MAN. UNITED 4 ROWLEY, 28, 70 PEARSON, 80 ANDERSON, 82

BLACKPOOL 2 SHIMWELL, 12 (pen.) MORTENSEN, 35

241

FA CUP MEMORIES In late July, Wembley Stadium staged the Opening Ceremony of the 1948 Olympics. In the face of post-war rationing, they were dubbed the Austerity Games. The stadium was subsequently used for athletics, football, hockey and some equestrian disciplines − and Fanny Blankers-Koen, a Dutch sprinter, was the star of the Games with four gold medals. Earlier that year it was Manchester United who hit four golden goals as they edged a six-goal thriller in the FA Cup final. United. In their first final for 39 years, would finish runners-up in the League but went one better in the Cup. Their opponents were also from the North-West of England, Blackpool − the famous seaside resort which was the holiday destination for millions of people in post-war Britian. Before the age of jet travel and cheap package holidays abroad, this spot on the Fylde Coast, with its famous Tower, had been an attraction for northern workers and their families since the late 1880’s. The Seasiders, who had finished ninth that season, would be a special FA Cup team in this period with the likes of Stanley Matthews and Stan Mortensen, two of their shining stars. They would enjoy a more famous final in the 1950’s but in 1948 it was United who breasted the tape first. Neither team played in their regular colours − Blackpool donned white shirts, while United were in unfamiliar blue shirts. Twenty years later they would wear blue again at Wembley, when they beat Benfica to win the European Cup final. The 1948 FA Cup final will be remembered as one of the best ever staged at Wembley Stadium. Blackpool went ahead through a penalty taken by Eddie Shimwell, after Mortensen was brought down by United’s Allenby Chilton. This incident was the subject of much debate − and in another era, no doubt would have been the focus of multiple action replays and pundits’ forthright analysis. Mortensen was tripped by Chilton, but it looked as if the contact was made outside the penalty area and that the Blackpool player had then stumbled into the area. Whatever the doubt, a penalty was given and Blackpool were ahead, 1-0. Jack Rowley hit back for United sixteen minutes later, before Stan Mortensen restored the Seasiders’ lead at the 35th minute. It was a terrific match and was ultimately won with a decisive scoring burst of three goals in 14 minutes from Manchester United. A second goal by Rowley was followed up by one apiece for Stan Pearson and John Anderson. It was a stunning conclusion to a fantastic final. Afterward, Johnny Carey, the United captain, was held aloft with the Cup and Blackpool’s manager was left to rue his decision to leave out Jimmy McIntosh, who had scored in five goals en route to the final. In one of those delicious football ironies, Blackpool met Manchester United in a rearranged league match four days after the final and Blackpool won, 1-0. The scorer of the lone goal? It was Jimmy McIntosh.

LEADING OFF DIFFICULT TO STOP ■ Full-back Eddie Shimwell scores Blackpool’s ﬁrst goal from the penalty spot, which Manchester United goalkeeper Jack Crompton is unable to reach. United later rallied to win, 4-2. OPPOSITE PAGE TOP: The United and Blackpool teams, who battled in one of the most memorable Cup ﬁnals ever staged. OPPOSITE PAGE BOTTOM: United captain Johnny Carey enjoys a ride on his teammates’ shoulders after their win against Blackpool.

242

243

THE BEST OF WEMBLEY ■ A crowd of more than 100,000 lined the streets of Wolverhampton to greet their heroes after the Wolves’ 3-1 win over Leicester City in the 1949 Cup ﬁnal.

244

SMYTH’S PERFECT GOAL RETURN CUP TO WOLVES AFTER BREAK OF

41 YEARS F

By Frank Coles at Wembley, The Daily Telegraph, April 30, 1949

air-headed William Wright, the captain of England and Wolverhamton Wanderers, and the Irish redhead, Samuel Smyth, the international inside forward, are the men Wolves supporters are thanking because the FA Cup is going back to Wolverhampton after a lengthy wait of 41 years following their 3-1 win over Leicester City this afternoon.

This is Wolverhampton’s third Cup. They also won the prized trophy in 1893 and 1908. A Wembley crowd of 100,000 will never enjoy a finer sight of non-stop energy and generalship than Wright produced in the critical first 20 minutes of the second half. Leicester was rallying magnificently from two goals down and fighting like tigers. A goal by Ken Chisholm sent the Leicester fans into delirium, but it was disallowed. They had not seen the referee pointing to the spot from where Chisholm had booted the ball. Wolves’ first goal came in the 13th minute of the first half on a header by Jesse Pye. Wolverhampton took a 2-0 lead just before half-time on

Pye’s close-in kick following a tussle near the goalmouth. In the second half, Leicester opened with a great effort and scored on Mal Grifﬁths’ spinner in the 46th minute, which narrowed the Wolves’ advantage to 2-1. A minute later, Smyth moved the ball upﬁeld, bobbing and weaving, with the ball seemingly to his toes, beating man after man in the most brilliant dribble Wembley has been privileged to see in many years. Leicester’s goalkeeper Gordon Bradley stepped forward to challenge him, but there was no stopping this Irishman, who kicked it hard into the net for a 3-1 lead.

Score Box

WOLVERHAMPTON 3 PYE, 13, 42 SMYTH, 64,

LEICESTER CITY 1 GRIFFITHS, 47

245

FA CUP MEMORIES William Ambrose Wright was born in Shropshire in February 1924 and by 1949 was already building a reputation that would guarantee him a place in any English Football Hall of Fame. “Billy” Wright, as he was more commonly known, became the first Englishman to win a century of caps playing for his country, 105 times actually, incredibly ninety of them as captain. He was also a hero of Wolverhampton Wanderers. A one-club man, he played over 500 times for the Wolves over nearly twenty years allegiance to the West Midlands club. In this time, he led them to three First Division titles and an FA Cup win over Leicester City in 1949. And he was named Footballer of the Year in 1952. Wright married Joy, one of the popular singing trio, Beverley Sisters, to become the 1950’s version of Posh and Becks. Headlines of “Footballer Marries Pop Star” had already been done before David and Victoria Beckham got around to it! Wright captained the Wolves side that met Leicester City in the FA Cup Final. His young team were developing nicely and had finished sixth in the First Division. By contrast, Leicester City, their opponents had finished a lowly 19th in the Second Division. In their first Wembley appearance, Leicester were unlucky to be without key players − goalkeeper, Ian McGaw, and Don Revie, with a nose injury. Revie would have other major opportunities to make his mark on the FA Cup final. At the helm at Molineux was former Wolves player, Stan Cullis. In his early thirties, Cullis, like Wright, became a legend of the club, managing them for 16 years. Cullis and Wright were a formidable pair, one off-thefield the other on-the-field. They were the very backbone of Wolves’ marvellous decade of success. It was a good time to be a Wanderers fan. At Wembley, Wolves got ahead through an early goal from Jesse Pye and before half-time he added a second. Wolves were coasting. But showing commendable fortitude, Leicester pulled a goal back through Griffiths at the start of the second half, before Sammy Smyth put the game out of City’s reach with a run and shot in the 64th minute. Leicester couldn’t respond − and three more finals in the 1960’s would also end in defeat. Wright and his teammates went up the 39 steps to collect the trophy from Princess Elizabeth, who was dressed in a royal blue hat and coat − Leicester’s colours. The following day it was back to Wolverhampton to a rapturous homecoming and the traditional speech from the Town Hall balcony. Stan Cullis said a few words of thanks and then introduced “the most popular man in Wolverhampton today – Billy Wright.” Wright burst into his familiar smile and the crowd roared their approval. On finishing at Wolves without a caution or sending off to his name, Wright was awarded a CBE and later had both a stand named after him and a statute built in his honour at Molineux.

246

LEADING OFF MEETING A PRINCESS â&#x2013; Wolves captain Billy Wright (6) receives the 1949 FA Cup trophy from Princess Elizabeth after Wolverhampton defeated Leicester City, 3-1.

247

LEWIS’ 2 GOALS WIN FA CUP

FOR ARSENAL

By Frank Coles at Wembley, The Daily Telegraph, April 29, 1950

t rained hard before the Cup final, but the weather did not dampen the ardour of today’s 100,000-plus crowd as Arsenal, which was playing in its fifth Wembley final, defeated Liverpool, 2-0, to win the Cup for the third time. This equalled the record of the only other club to win three times at Wembley: Bolton Wanderers. The rain took the fire out of the beautiful stretch of Wembley grass, giving the ball a low bounce. Arsenal’s all-important first goal was scored by Reg Lewis, who placed the ball low and wide of the Liverpool goalkeeper, Cyril Sidlow, in the 18th minute. Liverpool made several bids to equalise the score, but the Arsenal defence proved up to the task. In the 63rd minute, Lewis sealed Liverpool’s fate when he got a pass from Freddie Cox and, with Sidlow hopelessly beaten. smashed a low, brilliant kick to give Arsenal a 2-0 advantage. It was a wonderful climax to the careers of Arsenal’s Joe Mercer and Denis Compton. Mercer, the team’s captain, who was presented the Cup by King George VI, was mistakenly given a loser’s medal by the Queen. However, this was quickly corrected.

PRE-MATCH HONOURS ■

Arsenal captain Joe Mercer introduces King George VI to the teammate Peter Goring before the Cup ﬁnal.

Score Box

ARSENAL 2 LEWIS, 18, 63

LIVERPOOL 0

248

FA CUP MEMORIES

THE BEST OF WEMBLEY ■ With a large crowd on hand cheering, Arsenal’s team bus arrives at Islington Town Hall for a civic reception after their 2-0 win over Liverpool in the 1950 Cup ﬁnal. The Gunners previously won the Cup in 1930 and 1936.

249

When Bob Paisley replaced the charismatic Bill Shankly as manager of Liverpool, people wondered whether the long-time Anfield servant would be able to handle some of the tough tasks that faced any man in charge of team affairs. Paisley proved more than able in all departments and his eight years in Liverpool’s top job was one long parade of trophies. He was hugely successful. One element of making a winning team is the ability to make tough decisions on team selection − leaving out players who believe they should be in the team. Paisley said he felt he had a special understanding of what those decisions meant to the players left out because he had been on the wrong end of such a disappointing call himself in his own career. In 1950, Paisley, a wing-half, was a regular in the Liverpool team that had reached the FA Cup final. He had even scored in the semi-final against neighbours, Everton and his name was in the actual match-day programme, but he was left out of the Wembley side − because in those days there were no substitutes. Not uncommonly at that time, team selection was the province of the football club’s Board and it is thought Paisley lost out to a 5-4 vote. It hurt Paisley badly but hardened him for when he had to make those tough decisions himself. Liverpool were in their second FA Cup final and their first at Wembley Stadium. Winning the FA Cup remained their Holy Grail. In their way was a talented, if ageing, Arsenal team, captained by the veteran Joe Mercer. Also in the Gunners side were brothers, Leslie and Denis Compton. Denis was making one of his final Arsenal appearances before settling solely into his hugely successful career as a Middlesex and England cricketer. He was one of the first sportsmen to realise there was a commercial value to their fame. For many years he was the public face of Brylcreem hair lotion. On Cup final afternoon Arsenal were at their slickest and dominated proceeding with Reg Lewis scoring a brace, one in each half, to clinch the result. They deserved their win on the day and the Merseysiders were still left on the trail of their first FA Cup success. Many felt they had missed the energy and tough tackling of Paisley. Liverpool’s major star, the hugely talented Billy Liddell couldn’t work his magic and centre-forward Albert Stubbins didn’t make winning headlines on Cup Final day, but nearly twenty years later found newly found fame as one of the faces featured on the front cover of The Beatles iconic Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band album. Ironically, Bob Paisley was named Liverpool captain the season after their 1950 Cup defeat and became one of the club’s most decorated figures, still working his magic at the club more than thirty years after the disappointment of missing out on his FA Cup final appearance. In a career littered with honours as player and manager, the FA Cup stayed out of his reach. But his name remains revered at Anfield.

FA CUP MEMORIES In that English football hot-bed of the North-East, the Newcastle United fans put a special star by the player who plays “centre-forward” or wears the mythical No. 9 shirt. Malcolm Macdonald, Alan Shearer and Andy Cole are three players in the modern era who have enjoyed great success with that famous number on the back of their shirt. Many other players have found the weight of expectation when wearing the Newcastle No. 9 shirt to be too much. Hughie Gallacher and Jackie Milburn were greats of earlier times who set the standard for future Tyneside striking heroes. John Edward Thompson Milburn was better known as “Jackie.” He was born into a coal mining family from Ashington and was part of a wider family group that produced footballers aplenty, including the Charlton brothers, Jack and Bobby. “Wor” Jackie Milburn began his career as an outsideright but was moved to centre-forward and became a prolific goal-scorer for the Tyneside team. An England international, he would also play a central part in a Newcastle side that would win three FA Cup Finals in just five years. The first of those in 1951 was against Blackpool, a team boasting the talents of Stan Matthews, Stan Mortensen and the likes of Jackie Mudie and captain, Harry Johnston. Bill Slater later captained Wolves to their 1960 FA Cup final triumph at Wembley – but nine years earlier he played as an inside-forward for Blackpool there. The Seasiders had beaten Birmingham City in a semi-final replay at Goodison Park whilst Newcastle needed a replay at Huddersfield Town to fend off Wolves. The FA Cup final itself was refereed by Bill Ling, who would later be the man in the middle in the 1954 World Cup final. Newcastle, captained by Joe Harvey, who would also later manage the club at Wembley, won the match via a twogoal blast just after half-time. Milburn, 26, was on target twice in five minutes − firstly, beating the offside trap to tuck a pass from George Robledo past Blackpool goalkeeper, George Farm. Five minutes later, Milburn received a clever back-heel from Ernie Taylor and thrashed a shot home from twenty yards. Matthews had been outstanding for Blackpool but his special “Wembley” day was still two years away. 1951 belonged to “Wor Jackie” and his Newcastle teammates. Milburn would play in two more finals and score another famous goal. After beating Blackpool, the team brought the trophy back to an adoring Geordie public. In later life, Milburn’s contribution to Newcastle United was reflected with a stand being named in his honour at St. James Park. And not one, but two statues were commissioned to recognise his exploits − one in his birth-place Ashington and the other in Newcastle itself. Milburn, who had spent his early working years in coal mining, was also a heavy smoker and sadly died of lung cancer in 1988. But before the 1950’s were finished he had already become an iconic figure at St. James Park.

250

AN IMPRESSIVE MILBURN SCORES 2 GOALS TO WIN A FOURTH CUP FOR

NEWCASTLE

By Frank Coles at Wembley, The Daily Telegraph, April 28, 1951

ewcastle United, after defeating Blackpool Rovers, 2-0, in a not-so-distinguished final, completed a hat trick of Wembley wins − 1924, 1932 and 1951 − and the latest triumph will always be known as Jackie Milburn’s match. This tall, strapping young Tynesider is the fastest centre-forward in the game. He won today’s Cup final in the first 10 minutes of the second half with two opportunistic goals. Milburn’s first goal, at the 50th minute, was inspired by Blackpool’s Stanley Matthew, who had led their fine attacking effort in the first half. That surprise goal shook Eric Hayward, Eddie Shimwell and the rest of the Blackpool defence to the roots and, before they could recover from the blow, Milburn scored again at the 55th minute to settle all arguments. Wembley had never seen a finer goal. Little Ernie Taylor put the defenders off-balance with a back-heeler to Milburn. From 25 yards, the Newcastle leader booted a left-footer and the ball was in the roof of the net before Blackpool goalkeeper George Farm could react. The two-goal lead gave the Newcastle defence all the confidence they needed to keep Blackpool from scoring.

ROYAL GREETING ■ Newcastle United captain Joe Harvey introduces King George VI to his teammates. 251

Score Box

NEWCASTLE 2 MILBURN, 50, 55

BLACKPOOL 0

NEWCASTLE WINS AGAIN, BREAKING A 61-YEAR-OLD

CUP RECORD

By Frank Coles at Wembley, The Daily Telegraph, May 3, 1952

THE BEST OF WEMBLEY ■ Newcastle United captain Joe Harvey receives the FA Cup from Prime Minister Winston Churchill after their 1-0 win against Arsenal. It was Newcastle’s second straight Cup ﬁnal win and ﬁfth overall.

252

FA CUP MEMORIES

SUPPORTING THE GUNNERS

■ A large numbers of Arsenal fans arrived at Wembley all dressed to see their team play Newcastle in the Cup ﬁnal. In their intial six Cup ﬁnal visits, the Gunners had a split record of threee wins and 3 losses.

or gripping drama and thrills, it was the most memorable Association Cup ﬁnal in the 29 years that Wembley has hosted the greatest game in the world. Newcastle United defeated Arsenal, 1-0, today before a crowd of 100,000 and became the ﬁrst team since 1891 to win the Cup two years in a row. George Robledo’s winning goal at the 84th minute of play was merciful relief to both teams and their fans. Arsenal players were already beginning to wilt under the warm spring sun and didn’t look like they could endure playing an extra half-hour to determine a winner. They also had the misfortune of losing right-back Wally Barnes, who tore ligaments in his knee. Arsenal had no

substitutes and three players already were nursing injuries, so the Gunners played on with only ten players. With the end of regulation time nearing, Robledo ended the tension with a header, and the ball hit the bottom of the Arsenal net. Jackie Milburn, the hero of Newcastle’s 1951 Cup win, was held in check by the brilliant defence of Arsenal’s Ray Daniel. The win gave Newcastle its ﬁfth FA Cup.

Score Box

NEWCASTLE 1 ROBLEDO, 84

ARSENAL 0

253

Newcastle would win the FA Cup three times in five years and on each occasion the the trophy itself was handed over to the victorious captain by a different Guest of Honour. In 1951, King George VI passed the trophy to winning captain, Joe Harvey. Sadly the monarch was in failing health and died the following February. Princess Elizabeth became the new monarch and three years later as Queen Elizabeth would hand football’s most famous piece of silverware to Newcastle skipper, Jimmy Scoular. In 1952, in the year of her accession to the throne, FA Cup final duties had been passed on to one of history’s most celebrated Englishmen. Winston Churchill who had led the country so courageously through the Second World War was the FA Cup final’s Guest Of Honour. The man, a nation’s hero, picked out Jackie Milburn as he was introduced to the teams. “Are you going to grab the headlines again this year?” he was asked. Milburn, who had a bust of Churchill in his family home, was honoured to be singled out. The Prime Minister would hand over the FA Cup at the end of the game and also enjoyed hearing his first homebred horse, Loving Cup, had won a big race at Newbury. Opponents for Newcastle in 1952 were Arsenal who had finished third in the league with Newcastle back in eighth position. The two clubs, each winners in the previous two seasons, had both come through replayed semi-finals. Arsenal had finally overcome Chelsea in two matches staged at White Hart Lane whilst Cup holders, Newcastle, had beaten Blackburn Rovers in a semi-final replay at Elland Road. The final itself was a disappointment and suffered the fate of many Wembley finals in this era. A key player would get injured and either had to leave the field or hobble about, injured on the wing. Final after final suffered this “Wembley curse” and the call for the use of substitutes would became a clamour. Not until the 1967 FA Cup final would they be introduced and the following year actually used. For Arsenal, in 1952, that was all too late. They lost an influential player in Walley Barnes early in the game and the dye was cast. They pressed hard but to no avail, losing Barnes was too much of a handicap. The match itself was decided when a cross by Mitchell was headed home by Robledo late in the game. George Robledo had been born in Iquique, Chile − the son of a Chilean father and English mother. The family emigrated to Brampton in Yorkshire in 1932 at the age of five due to the instabilty in Chile at the time. Robledo’s coalmining life ended when he signed for Barnsley, and in 1949 he and his brother Ted signed for Newcastle. Robledo enjoyed his time at Newcastle, winning two FA Cup finals before heading home back to Chile in 1953. He would never be forgotten on Tyneside.

FA CUP MEMORIES The stars of TV, film and radio poured into Blackpool for another bumper summer season − the likes of George Formby, Tommy Cooper and Ruby Murray would play to packed houses in Britain’s foremost holiday resort. But even the biggest names in show-business would play a distant second billing to a footballer who had delivered his own perfect Blackpool performance on an even larger stage earlier in the year. Stanley Matthews, later Sir Stanley, had been the key difference in Blackpool’s dramatic 4-3 win over Bolton Wanderers at Wembley in a Cup final, which most observers agree was the best-ever. Jimmy Armfield, himself a celebrated figure in Blackpool FC’s history, put it simply. “Sir Stanley Matthews was the greatest footballer England ever produced. He was exceptional during the whole time he played.” Never more so than on May 2nd, 1953, when his brilliance secured an unlikely Cup final victory for Blackpool. Matthews had divided his professional career between Stoke City and Blackpool. Born in the Potteries, Matthews would develop his skills as a winger like no other. At times, in his first spell of over 250 league matches for Stoke, Matthews was simply irresistible. And in 1947, he took those sublime skills to Blackpool, where building up his stamina on the beach was part of a regular routine that started when he had been stationed there for the RAF in World War II. Even in the fledging days of television, Matthews had become a huge star though his exploits for club and country and one game would enshrine that reputation. In 1953, most neutrals were backing Blackpool to beat Bolton so Matthews, now 38, could finally pick up an FA Cup Winners medal after coming up short in 1948 and 1951. It didn’t start promisingly for the Seasiders, who were 1-0 down in 75 seconds. Stan Mortensen got a goal back for Blackpool only to see the Wanderers go ahead again and extend their lead early in the second half. Now, twenty minutes to go and two goals down, one of sport’s great comebacks was about to take place and Matthews would be in the middle of it all. The twinkle-toed winger crossed for Mortensen to get his second of the match − and the other “Stan” completed his hat-trick, the Wembley final’s only ever hat-trick, with a stunning free-kick. 3-3. Suddenly pandemonium ... and seconds left to play. Cue Stanley Matthews. He took on Bolton’s Ralph Banks and Harold Hassall, beating them in an instant and centred low and accurately for South African Bill Perry to clinch the game for Blackpool, 4-3. In her Coronation year, Queen Elizabeth handed a Winner’s medal to Matthews, the undoubted “King” of English football. The match was later dubbed “The Matthews final” − something that embarrassed the brilliant winger as he pointed out that his name-sake, Stan Mortensen, had actually scored a hat-trick in the game.

THE BEST OF WEMBLEY ■ After their 4-3 win over Bolton, the Blackpool team leaves Wembley Stadium with the FA Cup on top of the team bus for everone to see.

254

MATTHEWS LEADS BLACKPOOL TO COR0NATION YEAR

CUP WIN T

By Frank Coles at Wembley, The Daily Telegraph, May 2, 1953

he Coronation Year Cup ﬁnal will be remembered for all time as the match Stanley Matthews won, and in doing so proved wrong the England team selectors, who had omitted him from the squad against Scotland a fortnight ago and from the traveling party which leaves for South America on Thursday.

Matthews, at age 38, was playing in his third Cup final in an attempt to take home a Winners’ medal. There has never been a Wembley final to match this one. It began with the drama of Nat Lofthouse’s secondminute, 25-yard drifting shot for a goal and ended with Bill Perry’s match-winner in the final minute to give Blackpool a 4-3 victory. The fates were being kind to Blackpool’s Stan Mortenson, who leveled the score at 1-1, at the 35th minute, with his shot that got past Bolton goalkeeper Stan Hanson. Bolton’s Willie Moir made it 2-1 on a header just before half-time. There was also the tragedy of George Farm’s two goalkeeping blunders and the sight of Eric Bell, Bolton’s half-cripple, who pulled a leg muscle early in the match, hopping down the field and heading a hero’s goal at the 55th minute for a 3-1 lead. Only but a player of genius could have saved this critical situation. Matthews saw his opportunity, seized it and with both feet played Bolton out of the match. Blackpool’s rally began with 22 minutes left to play.

255

Matthews kicked the ball toward the left post, and after a scramble Mortensen booted it into the net to cut Bolton’s lead to 3-2. Matthews soon had the ball again and kept it away from his pursuers for nearly three minutes until being awarded a free kick from just beyond the penalty area. Bolton packed their goal and it looked impossible to find an opening in this human wall, but Mortensen saw one and sent a terrific shot whistling into the roof of the net to even up the score at 3-3. It was Mortenson’s third goal of the match. With one minute remaining, Matthews moved the ball up from the right and toward the net. It appeared he would score, but at the last second, passed to Perry, who was rushing in and kicked the winner for Blackpool’s third Cup. It was the most dramatic Cup final ever seen in thirty years at Wembley

Score Box

BLACKPOOL 4

MORTENSEN, 35, 68, 89 PERRY, 92

BOLTON 3 LOFTHOUSE, 2 MOIR, 40 BELL, 55

256

LEADING OFF A VICTORY RIDE TO REMEMBER ■ Stanley Matthews (right) and Harry Johnston (left), the Blackpool captain, enjoy a victory ride off the pitch after winning the 1953 Cup ﬁnal.

257

WEST BROMWICH & ALLEN SHINE IN CUP

FINAL WIN

By Frank Coles at Wembley, The Daily Telegraph, May 1, 1954

five-goal Cup final with the match-winner scored in the final two minutes ranks high in the long catalogue of thrilling Wembleys. But West Bromwich Albion’s 3-2 victory over Preston North End this afternoon was not gained in the grand manner the 100,000 crowd had come to expect of the best team of the season. Not until late in the second half did Albion find the rhythm which had made them the most-talked about team in the country. And Preston, who came into the Cup final on the crest of a wave, was the obvious victim of Wembley nerves. The most dissapointed was Tom Finney, who had been hailed as a probable match-winner. He was the target of close tackling by Len Millard, Ray Barlow and George Lee. There has rarely been a Wembley final without stage fright. Today, it was George Thompson, the Preston goalkeeper. Twice, he dropped the ball when chased by Albion forwards. And toward the end there was panicky judgment when Frank Griffin, the Albion right-winger, shot the game-winner from just beyond the dead ball line. But Thompson showed no nervousness in his great effort to save the goal on which the game turned − a penalty shot, which evened up the score at 2-2 at 28 minutes into the second half. The match opened slowly until the 21st minute, when Albion and Preston exchanged goals. Lee scored for Preston with a curving run and a hard shot. At the last moment, Ronnie Allen raced in, just in time, to sidestep the ball into the net with his right foot for a 1-0 lead. A minute later, Preston evened it up with Jim Sanders’ kick that Angus Morrison head-butted into the net. Six minutes after half-time, Tommy Docherty passed to Charlie Wayman, who scored easily on Sanders, the Albion goalkeeper, for a 2-1 lead. After Allen’s penalty kick equalizer at the 63rd minute, Albion pressed hard, with Millard and Joe Kennedy linking up on the attack. It was Kennedy’s pass to Reg Ryan and then to Griffin that won the match.

Score Box SIDELINE SMILES ■ ABOVE: West Brom’s Len Millerd (middle, with trophy), Jimmy Dugdale (left) and Paddy Ryan (right)

are interviewed by a radio reporter after the Cup ﬁnal. OPPOSITE PAGE: The Throstles bring the Cup back to West Bromwich.

258

WEST BROMWICH ALBION 3 ALLEN, 21, 63 (pen.) GRIFFIN, 87

PRESTON NORTH END 2 MORRISON, 22 WAYMAN, 51

259

LEADING OFF JUST OUT OF REACH ■ Preston goalkeeper George Thompson stretches to his right, but is unable to reach Ronnie Allen’s penalty kick in the second half.

260

FA CUP MEMORIES If Stanley Matthews had his “day in the sun” in 1953, the man to whom many compared and contrasted him had a very different experience a year later. Tom Finney was a very special player, a talented footballer who could be effective across a forward line. And he had other skills − he could score great goals on a Saturday afternoon − and mend your boiler on Saturday evening! Finney, a one club man, was also a qualified plumber. Indeed, he was known to soccer fans as the “Preston Plumber” and when he retired from football his plumbing business continued to be successful for many years. Finney and Matthews provided the game’s observers with a vibrant debate on who was the better playerf England was just lucky to have both of them. As Bill Shankly said: “Tom Finney would have been great in any match and in any age ... even if he had been wearing an overcoat!” Preston and West Bromwich Albion − The Baggies − had made it to the 1954 FA Cup final with the Midland club clear favourites. They had lost the First Division Championship on the run-in but experts felt they would put that disappointment behind them and have too much for Preston in the Cup final. Of course, a lot could depended on Finney − who was a potential match-winner. And he knew it. But on the day he admitted he had a shocker. He had found the build-up to the final all-consuming. Being a local lad and Preston’s best player, he was in constant demand for interviews with the press and broadcasters − and his phone was red-hot with ticket requests from those who knew him and those who didn’t. All part of traditional FA Cup final stuff − but it got to Finney. By the time he was in London to prepare for the big game he felt exhausted. And when he hit that Wembley atmosphere, despite playing many England internationals there, he just felt drained and just didn’t seem right for the Final. The match itself was 1-1 at half-time, after a first period in which neither team hit their true stroke. Preston then went ahead in the second half with a goal by Charlie Wayman, but Albion’s Ronnie Allen scored a penalty, his second goal of the game, and in the closing minutes Frank Griffin squeezed the ball under George Thompson’s body for the decisive goal. Suddenly, it 3-2 − and a great day for the Midlanders. For Finney, there were just regrets that in a wonderful career, this day of all days, was the one where he delivered one of his most disappointing performances. Twice Footballer of the Year, he retired from Preston North End and football at the end of the 1959-60 season. He was a one-club man, brilliant footballer and great example to those who followed him. His famous water splash photograph was the subject of a statue built outside the National Football Museum at Preston. Later knighted for his services to football, Sir Tom enjoyed his 90th birthday in 2012, A true great.

261

262

LEADING OFF WEMBLEY WONDERS ■ LEFT: Len Millard (middle, with the Cup) and his teammates (left to right) Ray Barlow, Jimmy Dudley, Jimmy Dugdale, Jim Sanders, Joe Kennedy, Johnny Nicholls and Ronnie Allen enjoy their lap of honour around the Wembley pitch. OPPOSITE PAGE TOP: Frank Grifﬁn, who scored the Cup’s game winner, kisses his boot while Ray Barlow (left) and Ronnie Allen watch. OPPOSITE PAGE BOTTOM: Albion Captain Len Millard enjoys a victory ride on his teammates’ shoulders.

263

264

PRESSUE AND GLORY ■ ABOVE: Albion goalkeeper Jimmy Sanders looks away while Ronnie Allen attempts his penalty kick in the second half. OPPOSITE PAGE: Ronnie Allen (holding the Cup) and his West Brom teammates’ celebrate in their Wembley dressing room. 265

NEWCASTLE ROUT 10-MAN CITY; RETAIN UNBEATEN CUP RECORD AT

WEMBLEY

By Frank Coles at Wembley, The Daily Telegraph, May 7, 1955

laying with the least notable of all their teams, which have put together the magnficent unbeaten record of five Cup final triumphs at Wembley since 1924, Newcastle United defeated favoured Manchester City this afternoon by 3-1. It was Newcastle’s third Cup final victory in the past five years. The crowd of 100,000 at London’s football cathedral agreed that the win was truly deserved. The good luck that had marked Newcastle’s progress to the 1955 final clung to them to the end of the story, which was a bitter end from the viewpoint of their rivals. In 1952, the last time Newcastle won the Cup, the task of mastering Arsenal by 1-0 became less formidable when an unfortunate knee injury kept Wally Barnes, the loser’s right-back, off the field for more than an hour. By an almost unbelievable coincidence the incident was now reproduced in every particular, with the substitution of the name of Jimmy Meadows, the right-back for City, for Barnes. Nineteen minutes into the first half, Meadows fell in agonizing pain after wrenching the ligaments of his left knee. He was forced to withdraw and watched from the trainer‘s bench as the 10-man drama unfolded on the pitch. Jackie Milburn scored for Newcastle 45 seconds after the kick-off. Manchester City fought bravely and evened up the match at 1-1 in the final minute before half-time on Bobby Johnstone’s diving header. At the 53rd minute, Newcastle went on top for good when Bobby Mitchell drove past Manchester City’s goalkeeper, Bert Trautmann, and booted a low shot for the goal and a 2-1 lead. Seven minutes later it was almost all over as George Hannah banged it past Trautmann to give Newcastle a 3-1 advantage.

Score Box 266

NEWCASTLE 3 MILBURN, 1 MITCHELL, 53 HANNAH, 60

MAN. CITY 1 JOHNSTONE, 44

FA CUP MEMORIES

THE BEST OF WEMBLEY ■ Newcastle’s Jackie Milburn kisses the Cup in the team’s dressing room after the Geordies’ 3-1 win over Manchester City. Milburn scored Newcastle’s ﬁrst goal in the game’s ﬁrst minute.

267

The FA Cup itself is one of the most beautiful trophies in world sport. Many sporting organisations have tried to emulate the stylish contours of the FA Cup, but few have succeeded. Of course, the trophy would be polished up to its gleaming silver best before being displayed and distributed on the big day. And to the victors the spoils, the FA Cup would then be filled with milk, beer or champagne, all guzzled down by celebrating players. Then, over the following days the trophy would be shown off to the fans, held vicariously over the side of an open-topped bus or town hall balcony. Charlton Athletic manager Jimmy Seed broke the FA Cup’s lid when he accidentally dropped it out a taxi after his team had won the Cup in 1947. He had it repaired at his own expense as his way of apologising. Occasionally dropped, occasionally dented, the Cup would always somehow be back to its Saturday best on Cup final day. And such was the case in 1955, when Newcastle United met Manchester City in their Wembley showdown. Two Newcastle wins in 1951 and 1952 were followed by another one in 1955. “Wor Jackie” Milburn was once again on target − this time inside a minute, 45 seconds to be exact, which (at that date) was the fastest goal in FA Cup final history. Unmarked from a corner Milburn drilled a header home after City’s captain, Roy Paul, strayed away from the scorer to mark Milburn’s teammate, Vic Keeble. It was a fatal mistake by the City defender. City, who was playing their deep-lying, centre forward formation, got back in the game through Bobby Johnstone and led by that season’s Football of the Year, Don Revie, pushed hard for victory but the Geordies were the better side and secured their third FA Cup final win five years, 3-1, with additional goals from Bobby Mitchell and George Hannah. Queen Elizabeth reportedly greeted the final whistle by remarking to Newcastle United chairman Stan Seymour that his team had broken a record. And indeed they had. Newcastle had won at Wembley every time they had played there, they were first team to be in ten finals, and their win had equalled the Blackburn Rovers and Aston Villa’s record total of six wins each. This is how the trophy found itself in the corner of a small room of a house in Ellington Terrace, Ashington. Jackie Milburn had taken the Cup home to personally show to his family and friends. As everybody excitedly talked about the game, they didn’t notice Milburn’s little daughter, Betty take the trophy out into the garden and proceed to fill it up to the brim with mud-pies! When she proudly brought it back in the house, the Milburns were horrified to see the Football Association’s pride and joy reduced to the role of a humble bucket! Elbow grease was applied by the Milburn family and the trophy was returned to it former glory. When Newcastle returned the FA Cup to the Football Association they probably didn’t think that over 50 years later it would still not have returned to Tyneside since.

THE BEST OF WEMBLEY ■ Don Revie, the future Leeds manager, enjoys a drink from the Cup after leading Manchester City to their third Cup ﬁnal victory. City previously won the Cup in 1904 and 1934.

268

REVIE: A MASTER IN CITY’S CUP SCORING MACHINE

AT WEMBLEY

By Frank Coles at Wembley, The Daily Telegraph, May 5, 1956

t last the FA Cup has been won by the brilliance of forward play as distinct from dour defence, and in accomplishing the feat Manchester City’s 3-1 victory over Birmingham City, before a crowd of 100,000, caused the greatest surprise since Portsmouth defeated Wolverhampton in 1939. Manchester’s three goals were of a standard unequalled at Wembley in a Cup final and were comparable with Scotland’s Wembley Wizard’s of 1928 and the 1953 Hungarians’ magic. The result made history as well as being a repetition of 22 years ago, when Manchester City won the first of their two Cups. Twelve months ago, they lost last year’s Cup final to Newcastle United, 3-1. In lifting the Cup today, City has emulated Manchester United’s triumph in the League and completed a unique Manchester Double. Recent experience of Wembley pitfalls is greatly valued at the start of a match. Again it was so, with City this time profitting from their lessons learned from 12-month-old knowledge. In 1955, Jackie Milburn put City behind quickly after his goal in the first minute. City accomplished the same feat today with Joe Hayes’ shock goal that got past Birmingham goalkeeper Gil Merrick after three minutes of play. Birmingham’s Noel Kinsey scored the equaliser with an in-off-the-post shot fifteen minutes into the match.

Don Revie was the master of ceremonies in Manchester City’s second-half win. He moved the ball on a brilliant cross-ﬁeld sweep, splitting Birmingham’s defence and varying the tempo from short passing to the use of the telling long ball. It was a repetition of the Hungarian rhapsody. Jack Dyson, the cricketer, took a pass from wing-half Ken Barnes and easily slipped it past Merrick for a 2-1 lead at the 65th minute. Three minutes later, Merrick was taking the ball out of the net again after Dyson passed to Bobby Johnstone, the little Scot, who ﬂashed a quick-as-lightning strike past Merrick. With 15 minutes left to play, Bert Trautmann, the Manchester City goalkeeper, was knocked out in a collision, but he remained in the match, despite a sore neck.

MAN. CITY 3

Score Box

HAYES, 3 DYSON, 65 JOHNSTONE, 68

BIRMINGHAM CITY 1 KINSEY, 15

269

FA CUP MEMORIES Bernhard Carl Trautmann was born in October 1923 in Bremen. A keen handball player, Trautmann, like many young German people, was swept along in the wake of political turmoil and change in his country. As the Second World War was in full flight, barely 18-years-old, Trautmann found himself fighting on the Russian front. Three years later with the German troops in retreat, the young soldier was captured by British troops and transferred to a prisoner-of-war camp in Cheshire. To wile away the long hours of boredom the captives would play endless games of football and Trautmann excelled in goal. When peace was finally declared, Trautmann was released, but chose to stay in England. Manchester City signed him and then fought off petitions, protest letters and abusive phone-calls. Trautmann, the German, quietly started to make his career in English football. Runner-up in the 1955 FA Cup final, despite the Duke of Edinburgh personally wishing him “Sehr gut” in the prematch introductions, a year later he was in the final again. This time, City would be 3-1 winners over Birmingham City, with Don Revie making a telling difference. Goals from Hayes, Dyson and Johnstone swung the game Manchester City’s way, but not before they survived the drama of a last twenty minutes, which saw Trautmann, that season’s Footballer of the Year, break his neck in a heavy collision with Peter Murphy, Birmingham’s inside-left. Trautmann lay motionless for minutes, but he refused to leave the field. After a few moments, he resumed play, dazed and disorientated. He even made another brave headlong save, as the crowd watched him reeling and grabbing his neck. Manchester City edged home and their captain, Roy Paul, lifted the trophy high above his head after receiving it from Queen Elizabeth, which set a trend that continues to this day. There was a brief scare when their full-back, Roy Little, thought he had lost his Winner’s medal. Everybody searched high and low in the dressing room before it was found. Little had inadvertently rolled it up in his team-shirt and thrown it in the laundry basket. The City team returned home to a huge welcome. After all their neighbours Manchester United had won the league championship and City had won the FA Cup. That would be the case again in 2011. In a marvellous show of warmth and affection the crowd massed outside the Manchester Town Hall repeatedly called for their hero, Bert Trautmann, to take a bow. “We want Bert ... we want Bert ...” was the cry followed by “For he’s a Jolly Good Fellow.” It was a remarkable tribute to the German goalkeeper who four days after Wembley was diagnosed with having broken his neck. Trautmann would play at Maine Road for fourteen and half years − making nearly 550 appearances and in 2004 he was awarded an honorary OBE.

THE BEST OF WEMBLEY â&#x2013; Johnny Dixon, the Aston Villa captain, kisses the FA Cup trophy after his team had defeated Manchester United, 2-1.

270

VILLA DESTROY UNITED’S

DOUBLE HOPES

By Frank Coles at Wembley, The Daily Telegraph, May 4, 1957

271

FA CUP MEMORIES Matt Busby took over the manager’s duties at Manchester United in 1945 and set in motion a dynasty that would straddle over twenty years and produce a series of special teams and very special footballers. His first United team were already assembled at Old Trafford when he got there but with a shrewd transfer or two he maximised their potential. A famous FA Cup win in the marvellous 1948 final was followed by the league championship four years later. That team aged quickly together and there was an urgent need to rebuild and renew. Busby created a new Manchester United team, but disliked the slick-sounding name for his young side “The Busby Babes.” Still, he did enjoy their marvellous football. They were a revelation. League Champions in 1956 and 1957 − they had made the semi-finals of the latter year’s European Cup and also reached the FA Cup Final. United, who won the Championship by eight clear points from runners-up Tottenham Hotspur, survived an early scare in the FA Cup, coming through a seemingly straight-forward 3rd tie at lowly Hartlepools United of the Third Division (North) by a narrow 4-3 score-line. Victoria Park was packed with over 17,000 fans and saw the visiting stars of United take a three-goal lead in just 32 minutes. An old-fashioned FA Cup come-back followed and within a quarter of an hour it was 3-3 before the Reds’ Liam Whelan hit the winning goal. The 1956-57 United side, captained by Roger Byrne, had a young Bobby Charlton coming through and a manboy in Duncan Edwards, an extraordinarily precocious talent. They were just three names in a team that was a simply brilliant fusion of talent and technique. United arrived at Wembley as hot favourites to beat Aston Villa and secure that much sought-after domestic Double. That they didn’t was as much down to a collision early in the game as to the Midland team’s supremacy. After just six minutes, Peter McParland, Villa’s outsideleft, followed in his own header and he and United ’keeper, Ray Wood crashed into each other. Wood sustained a broken cheek-bone and had to leave the field only to return and play as a “passenger” right wing. Centre-half Jackie Blanchflower, the brother of Danny, took Wood’s place in goal and, despite some Wembley heroics, couldn’t repel a brace of goals from fellow Irishman, McParland, the first a bullet header, the second a rebound off the bar. Wood went back in goal for the last few minutes and United pulled one back late in the game when Tommy Taylor headed home a Duncan Edwards corner. To no avail, Villa got safely over the finish line and went up to receive the Cup with some fans making their displeasure felt. The injury to Wood had been a gamechanger and some directly blamed McParland for it. He had been booed throughout the game and when he and his teammates received their medals. For Villa though it was a moment to celebrate. Their seventh FA Cup win took them ahead of Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United and the 1957 win over Manchester United represents the last time they lifted the famous trophy.

272

laying before a crowd of 100,000, which included the Queen, Prince Phillip and the Prime Minister, Aston Villa defeated Manchester United, 2-1, which spoiled United’s hopes of winning the League-Cup Double. United was dealt a blow when Ray Wood, their goalkeeper, was knocked out six minutes into the opening half. He was carried off on a stretcher. This match will be forever remembered as Peter McParland’s Cup final. He was the one who knocked out Wood, then he knocked out United with two second-half goals. After the accident with Wood, United was forced to play the remainder of the match with only 10 players. Jackie Blanchflower gave up his centre-half position to don the goalkeepers’ jersey, Duncan Edwards took over Blanchflower’s job as pivot, and inside-right Billy Whelan moved to left-half. Nothing short of a miracle could have saved United, yet they played with courage and held Villa to a scoreless first half. It was not until the 68th minute that McParland sent Villa into the lead with a first-class goal for a 1-0 lead. He was loudly booed. Five minutes later, McParland sent the ball past Blanchflower for a 2-0 lead, and it meant almost certain death to United, but to their credit, they staged a do-or-die rally. It was rewarded with a header by Tommy Taylor on a corner kick taken by the enthusiastic Duncan Edwards at the 83rd minute. But United’s rally fell short.

Score Box

ASTON VILLA 2 McPARLAND, 68, 73

MAN. UNITED 1 TAYLOR, 83

WELCOME HOME ■ Tens of thousands of Aston Villa fans packed the streets of Birmingham to celebrate the Acorns’ seventh Cup ﬁnal win. Villa also won the Cup in 1887, 1895, 1897, 1905, 1913 and 1920.

273

THE BEST OF WEMBLEY ■ Bolton’s Nat Lofthouse, who scored 2 goals against Manchester United, is given a victory ride by his teammates after their 1958 Cup ﬁnal victory.

274

LOFTHOUSE´S 2 GOALS PROVIDE BOLTON WITH 4TH

CUP WIN

By Frank Coles at Wembley, The Daily Telegraph, May 3, 1958

or the third straight year, a goalkeeping controversy has effected the Cup final, which the Bolton Wanderers won, 2-0, over Manchester United before a crowd of 100,000. It was Bolton’s fourth Cup final win after a break of 29 years. The questionable call came on Nat Lofthouse’s charge on Harry Gregg, the United goalkeeper, during Bolton’s second goal. Lofthouse, the Bolton captain, scored the first goal at the third minute after Bryan Edwards sent a speculative crossing pass to Lofthouse, who shot it into the corner of the net for a 1-0 lead. Thirty minutes into the match, United’s Dennis Viollet went face to face with the glittering chance for an open goal, but he shot the ball over the crossbar and the glaring miss haunted him for the rest of the afternoon. United had two more scoring opportunities before half-time, but goalkeeper Eddie Hopkinson showed why he will be England’s goalkeeper in the World Cup matches in Sweden by making two glorious saves. His full-length save of a rocket kick by Bobby Charlton was a masterpiece. Charlton would have another chance at scoring eight minutes into the second half. Hopkinson was beaten, but Charlton’s kick crashed against the far post and ricocheted like lightning across the face of the goal and into Hopkinson’s awaiting arms. Lofthouse’s second goal − the controversial one − came at the 50th minute. Gregg had fumbled a crossing kick and, as he gathered

up the ball, he was run over by Wanderers’ captain. Lofthouse and the ball then tumbled into the net to give Bolton a 2-0 lead. The goal was allowed although most of those in the stands wondered if perhaps it should have been disallowed. This, however, wasn’t the same Manchester United that had won the League title in 1957 and played Aston Villa in the Cup final last year. Less than three months earlier, eight United star players and three team officials were killed in a plane crash near Munich, on February 6. The plane had crashed after taking off following a refueling stop. Two other players – Johnny Berry and Jackie Blanchflower – would never play again. Thirteen days after the crash, on February 19th, Matt Busby’s squad would defeat Sheffield Wednesday, 3-0, in a Fifth Round tie before 60,000 on an emotional evening. It was a victory every Englishman cheered for. The printed scorecard for the match did not list a starting lineup for United. Instead, there were blanks. United’s squad wasn’t announced until just before kickoff. It was a mixture of reserves, juniors, hastily imported players and two survivors of the plane crash.

Score Box

BOLTON 2

LOFTHOUSE, 3, 50

MAN. UNITED 0 275

FA CUP MEMORIES Football plays a unique part in British sporting and social life. For many people it is the magic that lifts a humdrum existence, for others it’s the icing on the cake. What’s true is that when tragedy hits the game it has a profound and unifying effect on its loving public. Such was the case after the Munich air crash that killed 23 people on their way back from Manchester United’s European Cup-tie against Red Star Belgrade on February 6, 1958. Eight United players would lose their lives when the airplane, taking the team back to Manchester, crashed after a re-fuelling stop in Munich after it failed to take off on a snowy airfield in Germany. Of the 44 people on board, only 21 survived − footballers, back-room staff and journalists were amongst those who were killed. The last player to lose his life was Duncan Edwards, who died in a German hospital just 16 days after his final game of football. He was buried on February 26th with 5,000 people there to mourn his passing. Probably the most gifted player of his generation, his life was tragically cut short at just 21, before he had even fully matured into the footballer the world knew he would become. He was already outstanding. Edwards joined Byrne, Taylor, Whelan, Colman, Pegg, Jones and Bent as Manchester United men who tragically perished in the Munich Air Disaster. United’s Manager, Matt Busby, survived but was on a long road to recovery; it was left to his assistant, Welshman Jimmy Murphy, to drive things forward and keep the club’s spirits up. It was a huge task but remarkably he was able to put a Manchester United side on the field again within a fortnight. On an emotionally charged night at Old Trafford, United played Sheffield Wednesday in their delayed FA Cup 5th Round tie. The side was made up from a mixture of surviving first team players, young reserves and players brought in like Ernie Taylor from Blackpool and Stan Crowther from Aston Villa. It was a match like no other and United, who were cheered on by a partisan crowd won, 3-0. The United side later won a replayed 6th Round tie with West Brom and won an epic semi-final replay with Fulham, 5-3. A young Alex Dawson scored a hat-trick and Bobby Charlton, now on the recovery path, scored United’s fifth goal. The final itself was one step too far for this United side even though Matt Busby, still feeling the effects of the crash, was on the team bench. The side had been led out by Murphy who had done a very special job in the Scotsman’s absence. Bolton Wanderers were the opposition in the Cup final, and led by their centre-forward, Nat Lofthouse, who got both goals, with his second famously involving barging United keeper Harry Gregg in the act of scoring. He then lifted the Cup as the team’s captain. Despite facing a very pro-United crowd for obvious emotional reasons, Bolton deserved their victory.

THE BEST OF WEMBLEY â&#x2013; Nottingham Forest captain Jack Burkitt poses with the Cup for the press photographers, while riding on the train that will take them back to Nottingham and a heroesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; reception.

276

NOTTINGHAM FOREST TOO GOOD FOR LUTON TOWN

IN FA CUP SHOWDOWN

By Frank Coles at Wembley, The Daily Telegraph, May 2, 1959

ottingham Forest treated the crowd of 100,000 a dazzling display of fast, controlled football in the ﬁrst 30 minutes of play, which allowed them to cement their 2-1 victory over Luton Town.

It was the first Wembley Cup final appearance for both teams. Forest, the third oldest club in the country, also won the Cup in a 3-1 victory over Derby County in 1898. The match was marred by an injury to Roy Dwight, Forest’s lively right winger. He suffered a broken right leg following a collision with Luton’s right-back, Brendan McNally, 33 minutes into the opening half. Dwight got Forest’s first goal ten minutes into the first half, after getting a crossing pass from Stuart Imlach, which he fired past Ron Baynham, the Luton goalkeeper. Four minutes later, Tommy Wilson scored on a header following a centre pass from Billy Gray to make it 2-0. Forest’s defence was so good that Luton did not get a worthwhile scoring opportunity until five minutes into the second half.

Their second scoring chance came in the 62nd minute when Dave Pacey took Ken Hawkes’ pass and reduced Forest’s two-goal lead to 2-1. Syd Owen, the valiant Luton captain, who was playing in his last match, tried to rally his men for an equalising goal. But Forest held out against the inspiring raids of Billy Bingham. When the second half was over, Owen’s dream of a storybook comeback ending, to wrap up a distinguished playing career, was shattered.

Score Box

NOTTINGHAM FOREST 2 DWIGHT, 10 WILSON, 14

LUTON TOWN 1 PACEY, 62

277

FA CUP MEMORIES The live televising of the FA Cup final was now an established part of the event and its coverage on the BBC was building a growing audience. In 1959, the final was housed in a new programme called Grandstand, the famous Saturday afternoon show, which would run on the BBC for nearly fifty years. Watching Grandstand became part of the country’s psyche − getting up early and watching the build-up to the big kickoff. On May 2, 1959, the programme was on the air at 11:30 a.m. right and continued to 5:05 p.m. and was full of Cup final features and other sporting outside broadcasts, Kenneth Wolstenholme was the BBC commentator and his voice became synonymous with the Corporation’s coverage of televised football in this period. He commentated on the first-ever Match of the Day in 1964 and, of course, most famously on the 1966 World Cup final. But the BBC was no longer alone in broadcasting the final. ITV, the country’s first commercial television channel, had started broadcasting in 1955 and transmitted their first Cup final the following year. Over the years the two companies would be enjoy a big rivalry on FA Cup final day and each have their own “wins” in the pre-match build-up, even if invariably the viewers traditionally favoured the BBC when the match actually started. In 1959, the Cup final was between Nottingham Forest and Luton Town − two of the less fashionable teams in the competition. Whilst Gerry Loftus and Peter Lloyd described the action for ITV, Kenneth Wolstenholme was the familiar voice on the microphone on the BBC. Mind you, he had to apologise to viewers who complained that the BBC’s new-fangled score captions described Forest as ’Notts Forest rather than Nott’m Forest. And with another tilt towards the growing influence of television in British life the Forest supporters were heard to sing the theme tune of the popular ITV programme, “Robin Hood,” at regular intervals throughout the game. It was Nottingham Forest’s first final since 1898. Luton Town had never reached the semi-final stage before in their 74-year history. But this was a year when, one-by-one, the favourites went out. In an exciting game at Wembley, Roy Dwight opened the scoring for Forest who then extended their lead through Wilson. Dwight, famously the uncle of Reg Dwight, aka Elton John, then broke his right shin bone in a collision with Luton’s NcNally. Once again, the Wembley injury jinx was in play but this time the team in front, stayed in front, despite being down to ten-men. Luton, fired up by lively winger, Billy Bingham, got one back through Pacey just after the hour. Forest were reduced to just nine fit men when Bill Whare came down with a cramp but somehow the men from Nottingham got over the line. And BBC and ITV viewers had enjoyed the latest episode in the continuing drama that was the FA Cup final.

FA CUP MEMORIES Every May, the great and good gather in a glitzy London hotel to celebrate the crowning of that season’s Football Writers “Footballer of the Year.” Proudly positioning itself as the “original” annual prize to English football’s best player, the event, staged just before each season’s FA Cup final, is always well attended and full of famous faces. Football’s glitterati, television celebrities, the odd fashion and film star, mingle with the ‘scribes’ – and all in all it is a usually a great night out. Among the VIP guests are a sprinkling of previous winners of the prize – a veritable who’s who of English football. And one regular and most welcome member of those special alumni is an elderly gentleman with a remarkable footballing story to tell. Bill Slater captained Wolves to their FA Cup triumph over Blackburn Rovers on May 1960. It was the latest highwater mark in the Midlands club’s successful run of trophy lifting that had straddled the previous decade. A Cup final win in 1949 had been followed up by three League Championships in the 1950’s and some famous floodlit evenings in the fledging European Cup. Indeed in the 1958-59 season each of the club’s teams won their respective leagues. Heady times for Wolves, and their centre-half and captain, Bill Slater, who was chosen as the Footballer of the Year in 1960. His career had started at Blackpool and indeed he had played on their 1951 side that lost the Cup final to Newcastle United that year. He was still an amateur footballer then and was indeed the last player of that status to play in an FA Cup final at Wembley. Alongside the likes of Matthews, Mortensen and Mudie, the versatile Slater actually played at inside-forward for the Tangerines. He would play at centre-half for Wolves at Wembley nine years later. Slater played twelve times for England, four of them at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden. He had also played for Great Britain in the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki. It was a feat emulated by his daughter, Barbara who was a gymnast at the 1976 Montreal Games and is now BBC’s Director of Sport. Slater was “old school,” a terrific competitor, who led from the front. His eleven years at Molineux were testimony to his ability. The 1960 FA Cup final itself was a poor one-sided game not least because of another Wembley injury jinx. This time, Blackburn Rovers left-back Dave Whelan, later a successful businessman and owner of Wigan Athletic, broke his leg minutes before half-time. Wolves were already a goal to the good. They added two more in the second half to clinch victory. The occasion had an unfortunate ending with orange peel, apple cores and all manner of rubbish being flung from the terraces, chiefly Blackburn fans. Their targets included referee Kevin Howley and the victorious Wolves team. But also there was probably the sense of injustice that was once again a Cup final had been a game of 10 v 11. The clamour for substitutes was getting louder.

DEELY’S 2 GOALS & THRILLING CUP WIN JUSTIFIES BOLD MOVES

BY CULLIS N

By Frank Coles at Wembley, The Daily Telegraph, May 7, 1960

orman Deeley, whose two brilliantly-scored goals in the FA Cup ﬁnal, will be the toast of the Black Country long after other parts of today’s 3-0 victory by Wolverhampton over Blackburn Rovers are forgotten.

It was the Wolves’ fourth FA Cup final win. Their triumph was one more practical proof of the sound judgement of Wolves manager Stanley Cullis and his selection of who played today. Cullis’ decision to recall Deeley and South Africanborn Desmond Horne to the wing-forward positions and the blooding of young Barry Stobart at inside-right, after only five appearances in first-class football, were bold decisions by a man who was well aware of the storm ahead if they failed. The match’s turning point came at the 41st minute. Rovers centre-half Mick McGrath got Barry Stobart’s pass and accidently booted the ball past his own goalkeeper, Harry Leyland, to give Wolverhampton a 1-0 lead. The Wolves would add two more goals to ensure victory this afternoon. The first came in the 67th minute, when Deeley took a

278

crossing pass from Horne and the right-winger ﬁred from the edge of the penalty area to give Wolverhampton a 2-0 advantage. Blackburn appealed for offsides on the goal, but Referee Howley ruled that McGrath was still in position to interfere with the play. Deeley’s second goal came with two minutes left to play in the match. Stobart set it up by sending a pass past Matt Woods, the Blackburn centre-half, to Deeley, who quickly scored to give the Wolves a 3-0 lead. Afterward, when the Wolves captain and his colleagues stepped up to receive the Cup and medals from the Duchess of Glouchester, Blackburn fans let loose an outburst of boos.

Score Box

WOLVERHAMPTON 2 MCGRATH, 41 (o.g.) DEELEY, 67, 88

BLACKBURN 0

THE BEST OF WEMBLEY ■ Wolverhampton’s Eddie Clamp (left) and Bill Slater, with the Cup, lift the historic trophy for Wolves fans to celebrate.

279

FA CUP MEMORIES John Arlott is one of British broadcasting’s most famous voices − his cricket commentaries deliciously wrapped in a soft Hampshire burr are the stuff of legend. Arlott however was also a football reporter for a national newspaper in the winter and this was his lyrical take on Super Spurs − the first team to win the Double in the 20th century. “We, who have had the delight of watching this team will long recall its movements ... because we only have two eyes, we could not truly encompass them, could not quite see how, when the speed of their unpredictable rhythm peaked, they swept into action thinking with each other’s minds, so that the 10 men without the ball were as busy as the man with it.” Colourful stuff. It was the mantra of Spurs legendary manager Bill Nicholson that told the story: “If you’re not in possession, get into position.” And so it was. Spurs had started the 1960-61 season like an express train, winning their first 11 League games on the spin. Indeed they won a record 31 matches and scored a phenomenal 115 goals en route to winning the league title. Their 2-1 home win over Sheffield Wednesday clinched the first leg of the Double. Nineteen days later came the second leg, the FA Cup final − against Leicester City. If Bill Nicholson was the managerial guru off the pitch, his captain, Danny Blanchflower, was the key influencer on it. A man of many parts − author, newspaper columnist, broadcaster, Blanchflower, who famously turned down an appearance on TV’s popular This is your Life programme, was, as Nicholson saw him, “a wonderful asset.” The 35-year-old wing-half, from Northern Ireland, directed “the traffic” for the Spurs and was a true White Hart Lane legend. He also had a witty turn of phrase. When he lifted the FA Cup above his head on the Town Hall balcony following the previous day’s Wembley success, he told the watching throng, and a special close-by observer, “I’m very happy to have won the Double and that it has happened this year, in my term of office!” Alongside Blanchflower, was the local Mayor, decked out in full official regalia, puffing and panting and incongruously lifting the League Championship trophy aloft. The final itself had been a bit of an anti-climax. Opponents, Leicester City, had battled through a twicereplayed semi-final with Sheffield United, but then on the big day itself lost full-back, Len Chalmers, a first-half victim of the recurring Wembley injury jinx. It changed the balance of the game − Spurs, denied a first-half goal from Cliff Jones being offside, settled matters in the second with goals from the free-scoring rumbustious Bobby Smith and winger Terry Dyson. For Spurs, winners of the trophy in 1901 and 1921, it was another FA Cup success in a year ending in a “one.” It would happen twice more in the next thirty years. For now, the Spurs and their adoring fans could bask in a Double-Danny triumph!

TOTTENHAM’S WORST SHOWING AT WEMBLEY IS GOOD ENOUGH TO

WIN DOUBLE

By Donald Saunders at Wembley, The Sunday Telegraph, May 6, 1961

s Danny Blanchflower accepted the FA Cup from the Duchess of Kent at Wembley this afternoon, Len Chalmers lay on the treatment table in Leicester City’s dressing room, receiving attention to a badly injured right leg. That, in essence, is the story of how the Spurs achieved the Double. Had Chalmers not been hurt in a clash with Les Allen after 18 minutes of first-half play, Blanchflower might not have become the first captain in this century to lead his team up the steps to the Royal Box to collect their Cup Winners’ medals only a week after they had become league champions. As Blanchflower and his men ran jubilantly round the pitch with the Cup held high, the 10 survivors of Leicester’s gallant battle against overwhelming odds lined up at the tunnel entrance to pay their tribute to their conquerors and a great achievement. The Spurs failed on a golden opportunity to score in the fourth minute when John White missed his shot from eight yards out. After Cliff Jones’ goal was disallowed for offside in the

280

38th minute, Tottenham ﬁnally got on the scoreboard in the 70th minute, with Smith breaking the ice with his goal that will always be shown in future newsreels about the “Team of the Century.” The goal was set up by a series of passes from Allen to Terry Dyson, who slide it on to the unmarked Smith. Looking every bit like England’s No. 1 centre-forward, Smith moved to his right, turned and hammered the ball into the net to give Spurs a 1-0 lead. Seven minutes later, White and Smith connected on a series of passes, with Smith passing the ball on to Dyson on the far post, who headed a spectacular goal. Soon Blanchﬂower was running up the steps to the Royal Box − and Aston Villa’s Double of 1897 had been emulated.

Score Box

TOTTENHAM HOTSPURS 2 SMITH, 70 DYSON, 77

LEICESTER CITY 0

THE BEST OF WEMBLEY â&#x2013; Tottenham players hoist their Division One and FA Cup trophies for Spurâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fans as they celebrate their historic Double achievement with an open-top bus ride.

281

THE BEST OF WEMBLEY ■ Tottenham, after winning the Cup two years in a row, proudly display their trophy to the crowd from an open-top bus during a civic reception, which was held in North London to honour their 3-1 victory over Burnley in the FA Cup ﬁnal.

282

SPURS REPEAT AS CUP WINNERS IN BEST WEMBLEY FA CUP FINAL

SINCE 1948 T

By Donald Saunders at Wembley, The Sunday Telegraph, May 5, 1962

he Tottenham Hotspur won the FA Cup in handsome fashion with their 3-1 victory over Burnley in front of 100,000 this afternoon. The result of their clash at Wembley was an absorbing Cup ﬁnal − perhaps the best since Manchester United beat Blackpool in 1948.

The Spurs’ grip on the Cup tightened in the first three minutes, when Jimmy Greaves completed his day’s work by scoring the crucial first goal. A clearance by Bill Brown was headed in by Bobby Smith and Greaves raced through Burnley’s defence, lost control, was given time to recover and flashed the ball past Adam Blacklaw, the Burnley goalkeeper, for a 1-0 lead. This single thrust meant that Burnley was always trying to catch up. They did draw even in the 50th minute, when the energetic Ray Pointer robbed Tottenham’s Dave Mackay and slipped a pass to Gordon Harris, whose low, hard cross was flicked into the net by the lurking Jimmy Robson. But within 30 seconds, the shrewd, hard men of Tottenham struck again. While Burnley was still enjoying the glorious heady feeling that comes from equalising in a Cup final, the

Spurs broke away, with John White centering to Smith, who reached back to bring the ball under control, turned and thumped it in for a 2-1 lead. So the struggle went on, with Spurs always just in control, until the 80th minute. As Terry Medwin drove a loose ball goalward, the luckless Tommy Cummings, standing on the line, flexed his bicep to prevent a certain goal. Promptly, Jim Finney, the referee, pointed to the spot, gentlemanly Burnley protested, and the linesman lowered his flag. The cold Danny Blanchflower then converted the penalty kick for the 3-1 lead.

Score Box

TOTTENHAM 3

GREAVES, 3 SMITH, 51 BLANCHFLOWER, 80 (pen.)

BURNLEY 1 ROBSON, 50

283

FA CUP MEMORIES May 5th, 1962, was the day I watched my first FA Cup final − and haven’t missed one since. A black & white Ferguson TV, with its 17-inch screen, was centre-stage in our family living room, curtains tightly drawn − no sunlight allowed. Game on. This was my first introduction to an event that would weave a thread through my personal and professional life for more than half a century. And I wasn’t disappointed by my Cup final “debut.” More importantly neither was Tottenham Hotspur’s Cup final first-timer, Jimmy Greaves. London-born Greaves had been a teenage scoring sensation at Chelsea before being lured to the lira and lifestyle of Italy, and the riches of AC Milan, in the late spring of 1961. It was big news. Greaves, who had been spirited out of London Airport on his first flight to Italy disguised in business suit, bowler hat and carrying a furled umbrella, was back in England six months later − not much older but lots wiser − ready to don a new outfit: the football strip of the famous Tottenham Hotspur. Greaves was a scoring machine, and had developed an uncanny knack of scoring on any debut he made for club and country, and at any level. Indeed, on arriving back in England he had scored two goals for Spurs’ Reserves, then added a hat-trick on his first-team debut a week later. On the day of the Cup final he kept that proud record intact. First FA Cup final appearance, first goal ... and in the first three minutes. Burnley, the opposition, were a very fine team − League Champions in 1960 − and now looking to win the FA Cup final for only the second time in their history. The last final held before the First World War being their only preceding triumph. The Central Lancashire side’s chances were put to the sword when Jimmy Greaves took a headed pass from Bobby Smith, carried the ball forward, suddenly stopped dead, moved the ball onto his left foot and trickled a ball past three Burnley defenders and their goalkeeper, Adam Blacklaw. It was typical Greaves. He “passed” more goals into the net than hammered them. He could pick-pocket an opponent’s defence. Job done? No, Burnley were made of stout-hearted stuff. And five minutes into the second-half Jimmy Robson shinned an equaliser past Spurs goalkeeper Bill Brown. It was 1-1 and a bit of Wembley Cup final history, Robson’s effort was the 100th goal in the 34 finals played at the famous stadium since 1923. The 101st came just one minute later, with Bobby Smith putting Spurs back in front. It was his second goal in successive finals. The Londoners’ captain, Danny Blanchflower, added a third from the penalty spot − and the Cup was heading back to North London again. The next year, Tottenham would be the first English team to win a European trophy when beating Spain’s Atletico Madrid in the European Cup-Winners’ Cup competition final.

THE BEST OF WEMBLEY ■ Manchester United captain Noel Cantwell holds the FA Cup trophy out of the train window before leaving for Manchester, after a 3-1 victory in the ﬁnal against Leicester City, at Wembley.

284

BUSBY’S UNITED MATCHES HIS

FORMER BABES M

By Donald Saunders at Wembley, The Sunday Telegraph, May 25, 1963

anchester United, who only a few weeks ago had fallen so far from glory that they looked like they would be slipping out of the First Division, will be back in Europe next season as worthy representatives of British football.

A thoroughly-merited, handsomely-achieved 3-1 victory over a disappointing Leicester City earned United, the ﬁrst English team to blaze the European Cup trail, a place alongside Tottenham in the Cup-Winners’ competition. As Noel Cantwell led his troops on a lap of honour, everyone knew that this was a team of spirit, pride, skill and intelligence, a team, indeed, of true thoroughbreds, that fully deserved to climb up beside the Busby Babes of the 1940’s and 50’s. United snatched the lead in the 30th minute of the ﬁrst half, when Pat Crerand beat David Gibson to the ball. Crerand then punched a low, crossing shot to Denis Law, who thumped a right-footer into the net for a 1-0 lead. Twelve minutes into the second half, Bobby Charlton let loose a thunderbolt that bounced off Leicester goalkeeper Gordon Banks. David Herd then put the rebound in the net for a 2-0 advantage.

A well-taken, diving header by Ken Keyworth in the 80th minute cut United’s lead to 2-1 and briefly revived Leicester’s hopes. However, with five minutes left to play, Banks horrified every England player and official in the stadium by dropping a high centre pass from Johnny Giles and Herd rammed it home for the 3-1 victory. Later that night, a crowd of 300,000 greeted the United team upon their return to Manchester. As the team’s busses arrived at the Town Hall, in Albert Square, crowds swept away the barriers, with police and officials climbing onto the official platform in attempt to take control. Fans were even climbing atop statues. A total of 400 were injured in the crushing riots during the welcoming celebration.

Score Box

MAN. UNITED 3 LAW, 30 HERD, 42 , 85

LEICESTER CITY 1 KEYWORTH, 80

285

FA CUP MEMORIES Finding myself sitting next to that Scottish footballing maestro, Denis Law, at a sporting lunch I was intrigued to know how he had found working under legendary manager Bill Shankly when starting out his playing career at Huddersfield Town. “Shankly was fantastic. Committed and focussed. In fact, when he moved to Liverpool I half-expected him to come back to get me.” Now that would have rewritten football history! And, by the way, also changed the headlines following the 1963 FA Cup final. Law did actually move on from Huddersfield Town, to Manchester City, for a record £55,000 − then a British record. Whilst at Maine Road, Law created a bizarre record in the FA Cup. In 1961 he had scored no less than six times against hapless Luton Town only for the 4th round game to be abandoned with City leading, 6-2. When the game was restaged Law scored again but unbelievably the Hatters went through, 3-1. Like Greaves before him, both Law and his English team-mate, Joe Baker, had an unhappy spell in Italy after signing to play for Torino in 1961. Manchester United came to the rescue in July 1962 paying out a record £115,000 for Law and, in so doing, helping to secure another piece of United’s eternal triangle of “Best, Law and Charlton.” In the spring of 1963, Law and the rest of his United teammates were fighting off the effects of the worst winter since the war, the Big Freeze, and the very real threat of relegation. Both had sent shivers down the spines of United fans. Eventually United staggered to safety, finishing 19th − and with the mighty thaw came the almighty Law. He was a firework in a football shirt. Eleven stone of mayhem. Electric around the penalty area. World-class. United’s early Cup run was packed into just three weeks. After a delay of nearly two months, Law scored a third round hat-trick against Huddersfield on March 4, and, just 26 days later, United had advanced to the semis. Law scored the only goal in their semi-final against Southampton and then typically opened the scoring against their durable opponents Leicester City at Wembley in a final, that itself had been put back three weeks to accommodate the earlier weather delays. Leicester would be Wembley finalists three times in the sixties − 1961, 1963 and 1969. They didn’t win any of them − even losing the toss for shirt colours against United. However, unlike in the other two finals they did score in this one through Ken Keyworth. By that time, United had got a second goal from David Herd. Herd added the clincher for United with five minutes to go. Back in 1963 Denis Law was setting Wembley on fire, playing for no less than three teams there during the year: Manchester United on Cup final day, his beloved Scotland in a win against England and most fittingly, scoring for the Rest of the World team in a show-piece match held to celebrate the FA’s Centenary. He would go on to be a true United legend.

THE BEST OF WEMBLEY â&#x2013; The victorious West Ham team, who beat Preston North End 3-2, celebrates while riding on an open-top bus to parade the FA Cup through the large crowd in East London.

286

WEST HAM RALLY IN EXTRA-TIME

CUP WIN N

By Donald Saunders at Wembley, The Sunday Telegraph, May 2, 1964

ow the FA Cup is, at last, resting in the place long reserved for it on the Upton Park sideboard. West Ham United, after defeating Preston North End, 3-2, in today’s final, will now shift their gaze from Wembley to the even richer pastures of Europe. With Liverpool already qualified for the Champions’ competition and West Ham now eligible for the CupWinners’ tournament, the new mode of English football will be well represented on the Continent next season. Twice a goal behind to Preston, they steadied their overwrought nerves and fought back to carry off the Cup with a goal by Ronnie Boyce in the second minute of injury time. Until today, West Ham’s entry in the honours list ran to one line, which read: “Second Division Champions, 195758.” The match began with a note of high promise. In the eighth minute Preston snatched the early goal all finalists pray for. Doug Holden then squeezed the ball between the post and Jim Standen, the West Ham goalkeeper, for a 1-0 lead. The joyful chorus of “North End! North End!” died suddenly on the lips of the Preston partisans two minutes later, when Bobby Moore found Johnny Sissons with a well-judged pass and the West Ham teenage winger switched the ball to Johnny Byrne on his left before sprinting into the middle to hit the accurate return pass into the corner of the net to even the score at 1-1. Preston went into the dressing room at half-time with a slender one-goal lead, which was scored in the 40th minute by Alex Dawson, who headed a corner kick from David Wilson into the net like a bullet as Standen slipped on the turf while trying to reach the ball.

287

In the match’s final minute, West Ham got on the scoreboard again with Peter Brabrook’s corner kick, which glanced off Ken Brown’s forehead and Geoff Hurst headed it into the bar with the ball bouncing on to the ground and slipped through the fingers of Alan Kelly, the Preston goalkeeper, and crept into the net to even up the score at 2-2. Ten minutes before the end of the match, Kelly was injured in a goalmouth collision, which required three minutes of attention. It may have cost Preston the opportunity to carry the battle into extra time. Ninety minutes had already ticked away on referee Arthur Holland’s watch when Boyce, the two-goal hero of West Ham’s semi-final triumph, raced into the penalty box to head Brabrook’s centre kick into the net for a goal that will be talked about around Upton Park for a long, long time. Following the match, a crowd measured at 250,000 greeted West Ham on their return to the West Ham Town Hall.

WEST HAM 3

Score Box

SISSONS, 10 BOYCE, 90 HURST, 52

PRESTON NORTH END 2 HOLDEN, 8 DAWSON, 40

FA CUP MEMORIES 1964 was the year a certain Cassius Clay “shook up the world,” beating that “big ugly bear,” Sonny Liston, in one of World Heavyweight Championship Boxing’s most sensational upsets. Within days he was sporting another new title − Muhammad Ali − and the rest, as they say, is history. And making their annual day-long appointment with FA Cup Final Grandstand three months later, TV viewers up and down the country were mindful that another sporting upset would be on the cards that very afternoon. Preston North End, twice FA Cup winners, in 1889 and 1938, were now a Second Division club that had narrowly missed out on promotion. Their opponents on the big day in May itself were First Division West Ham United, whose place in Cup final history was already secure, after appearing in the very first final held at back in 1923. Forty-one years later, West Ham fielded a team comprised totally of Englishmen − a feat that had not been repeated since Bolton’s win over Manchester United in 1958. Also, bizarrely, seven of their players’ surnames began with same letter: “B.” So Messrs. Bond, Burkett, Bovington, Brown, Brabrook, Byrne and Boyce joined captain Bobby Moore, future World Cup final hat-trick man, Geoff Hurst, teenager Johnny Sissons and goalkeeper Jim Standen in the West Ham line-up. The game itself was a cracker. Preston, at that time, fielding the youngest player (at that time) to ever appear in a Wembley final, Howard Kendall − at 17 years and 345 days, got their noses in front after 10 minutes on the goal by veteran Doug Holden, a winner in 1958. Two minutes later, the Hammers were level, with Johnny Sissons showing no big-time nerves with a decisive cross-shot. The game ebbed and flowed before Preston deservedly got ahead five minutes from half-time with a header from Alex Dawson. Into the second-half and West Ham drew level at 52 minutes when Geoff Hurst headed against the underside of the bar and Preston goalkeeper Alan Kelly was unable to drag the resultant rebound from beyond the line. This was a Cup final living up to, and probably exceeding, expectations − and it was making great television. And we viewers, enjoying the then rare treat of watching live football, were gearing up for another thirty minutes of excitement when, with extra-time looming, Brabrook centred and Ronnie Boyce headed home for an injury-time West Ham winner. Even now I can remember feeling cheated of not having more of this absorbing match. The final whistle swiftly brought proceedings to a close and the classy Bobby Moore got himself into that very nice habit of lifting cups at Wembley. For one particular happy Hammer it was the start of a glorious summer of sport. Goalkeeper Jim Standen helped his Worcestershire County Cricket team-mates, between football seasons, secure the County Championship.

288

LEADING OFF THE GREATEST HAMMER ■ Bobby Moore, the West Ham captain, is carried off the ﬁeld by his teammates and fans following the Hammer’s 1964 Cup ﬁnal win. OPPOSITE PAGE: Moore shows off the Cup to a pair of young fans who had climbed up the window outside the Wembley dressing room.

289

THE BEST OF WEMBLEY ■ Liverpool captain Ron Yeats carries the Cup trophy after the team has been presented their medals in the Royal Box following their Winners’ 2-1 win over Leeds United in extra-time.

290

LIVERPOOL STOP LEEDS IN EXTRA-TIME TO

WIN CUP

By Donald Saunders at Wembley, The Sunday Telegraph, May 1, 1965

t took Liverpool until the 23rd minute of extra-time in the FA Cup to establish finally what most people had believed beforehand, and what had been apparent except on the scoreboard almost from the first kick − that Leeds were every bit equal in a relentless Roses war of attrition, and, that in attack, they had the imagination and pace which their opponents could never match. The 2-1 victory gave Liverpool its first Cup. In their first visit to Wembley in 1950, they lost to Arsenal, 2-0. It was the first extra-time period in a Cup final since Charlton Athletic defeated Burnley, 1-0, in 1947. At the end of full-time, Liverpool might have been two, three or four goals up. But the concentration of Leeds’ players in their own penalty area − at one point 10 men across − left Liverpool with little or nothing to aim at and, when they were on target, Gerry Sprake, the Leeds’ goaltender, was in superb form. Three minutes into the overtime period, Gerry Byrne centred a low pass through a momentarily disorganised defence and Roger Hunt, bending at the knees on the far side of the goal area, headed the ball past a helpless Sprake for a 1-0 lead. From the rain-soaked Liverpool end of the stadium, a chant began to soar: “We’ll be running round Wembley with the Cup.” And though Jim Storrie, the Leeds inside-right, was now limping on the left wing with an injury received in the

first few minutes of the match, Leeds somehow managed to fight back. Johnny Giles dropped back in defence and Billy Bremner moved up into the attack. On a centre pass from Norman Hunter, the towering Jack Charlton, who always came to the assistance when Leeds was in trouble, connected on a header, which Bremner swung though on a half volley, sending the ball scorching into the far top corner of the net to even the score at 1-1 in the 95th minute. Now the cry was “Leeds, Leeds, Leeds!” The match finally turned with seven minutes left in extra-time, when Ian Callaghan, on a run, stabbed the ball through the defence on the right. As he approached the goalmouth, Callaghan hooked the ball and Ian St. John, moving in from his left, scored on a header that left the Leeds defence helpless. No team could recover a second time in extra-time, and both teams knew it was all over.

Score Box

LIVERPOOL 2 HUNT, 93 ST. JOHN, 113

LEEDS UNITED 1 BREMNER, 95

291

FA CUP MEMORIES May 1 1965 − it was the first real red-letter day of my life. After all, it was the day Liverpool finally won the FA Cup. Driven on by the sheer energy and enthusiasm of the great Bill Shankly, a re-born Liverpool football club had followed up the previous year’s League title success with an almighty run at both the FA Cup and the European Cup. At a rain-soaked Wembley Stadium the famous Liverpool supporters were in full cry. They added some original songs to the traditional fare − reflecting that other phenomenon of the time, the Mersey Sound. Liverpool’s opponent that day were Leeds United, runners-up in the League and now in their first FA Cup final. Serious opposition. The Queen arrived dressed in red. An omen? And then the Duke met the King. Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, shook hands and exchanged words with Bill Shankly during the pre-match rituals. The match itself couldn’t match the anticipation. My father came rushing in from work 20 minutes into the firsthalf and asked what he’d missed. “Nothing,” we chorused. And so it went for the whole of the 90 minutes, with both teams cancelling each other out. The one notable incident had been a foul tackle by Leeds’ hard-man Bobby Collins on Liverpool’s full-back, Gerry Byrne. The Wembley injury hoodoo had struck again. Byrne had broken his collar-bone, but in an act of unstinting personal courage he played on regardless, disguising the excruciating pain he was in. The game went into extra-time and Liverpool finally opened the scoring through a stooping header from Roger Hunt three minutes into the first period. Surely this was it. Bedlam at Wembley and bedlam in every “red” household on Merseyside. But what’s this? Jack Charlton heads across the Liverpool box and that flame-haired fire-ball Billy Bremner crashes a volley past Tommy Lawrence to even the count at 1-1. Into the second-half of extra-time and Liverpool’s Ian Callaghan centres, Ian St.John flings himself and sends a flying header into Leeds’ net. It was a goal worthy of winning the FA Cup final. And it had. Soaked to the skin, the Liverpool fans in Wembley Stadium broke the sound barrier as skipper Ron Yeats lifted the most famous trophy in world sport. Back in Liverpool people poured out into the streets to share their excitement. Of course, the game was “re-played” on patches of ground the length and breadth of Merseyside. It was difficult that day to find anybody to be a “Leeds” supporter – they all seemed to go into hiding! And the following day, we all streamed down to the city centre, some 500,000 of us, to see the Cup brought home. The crowds were five deep, and I was barely five-feet tall but I still remember the open-topped coach passing us with the victorious Liverpool players holding the famous trophy aloft. It was a red-letter day indeed.

EVERTON΄S CUP RALLY SEALS

EUROPEAN MONOPOLY

By Donald Saunders at Wembley, The Sunday Telegraph, May 14, 1966

ow that the FA Cup and the League Championship are safely locked away at Goodison Park and Anfield, the City of Liverpool can look forward to a monopoly of English soccer’s interest in the two major European competitions next season. Apart from Tottenham’s Double in 1961, we have to go back to 1956 to find so complete a domination of the domestic game. In that year, Manchester United won the League and Manchester City carried off the Cup. Everton’s 3-2 victory over Sheffield Wednesday in the Cup final and Liverpool’s League title have made Liverpool the new soccer capital of England. Sheffield Wednesday scored first at the fourth minute with Jim McCalliog’s rebounding shot off Ray Wilson, which sent Gordon West, the Everton goalkeeper, diving the wrong way. Then, with the second half 12 minutes old, Johnny Fantham fired in a tremendous shot that bounced out of West’s arms. David Ford raced up to the approaching ball and popped it into the net for a 2-0 lead. That goal should have clinched victory for Wednesday. Instead, it was their undoing as their attention seemed to wander from the task of winning the Cup. Two minutes after West had picked the ball out of the net, Everton staged a 14-minute, three-goal comeback that has been matched in drama in post-war finals only by Blackpool’s triumph over Bolton in 1953. Everton’s hero was 21-year-old Mike Trebilcock. He put Everton back into the match by thumping a header from Derek Temple to cut Wednesday’s lead to 2-1. In the 64th minute, Trebilcock drove another fierce shot through a tangle of legs past Ron Springett, the Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper, to even the count. With ten minutes left to play, Everton’s Alex Young passed to Temple, who had an uncluttered path to the Wednesday goal. Temple steered the ball 30 yards upfield at top speed, then hit it hard and true past the advancing Springett for a 3-2 lead and the eventual victory. It was Everton’s third Cup final win.

Score Box LOOKING FOR AN EXIT ■ Police chase Everton supporter Eddie Kavanagh across the pitch at Wembley after his team scored in the FA Cup ﬁnal. Everton eventually won, 3-2. But Kavanaugh wasn’t as lucky after being tackled and led off the pitch. 292

EVERTON 3

TREBILCOCK, 59, 64 TEMPLE, 74

SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY 2 McCALLIOG, 4 FORD, 57

THE BEST OF WEMBLEY ■ Everton’s goal-scorers, Mike Trebilcock (left) and Derek Temple, enjoy a few moments to celebrate with the Cup in their Wembley dressing room.

293

FA CUP MEMORIES The FA Cup final is littered with compelling stories of heroes and heroism, of despair and dismay, and, of unique Wembley moments. The 1966 Cup final had all of those three elements – and much more. Everton came to Wembley trying to win their third FA Cup final, Sheffield Wednesday their fourth. Ahead of the game the two big stories were an injury to Wednesday’s experienced centre-half, Vic Mobley, giving teenager Sam Ellis his Wembley chance − and Everton’s manager, Harry Catterick, controversially dropping out-ofform centre-forward Fred Pickering. His place was taken by a 21-year-old Cornishman, Mike Trebilcock. His name was nowhere to be found in the 1966 Cup final programme. Indeed everybody had a different pronunciation of the name itself when he was announced in the Everton line-up. It was Wednesday who got off to a flying start, ahead in just four minutes on Jim McCalliog’s goal. They increased their lead at 57 minutes through Sheffield-born David Ford. The Cup seemed destined for a year’s stay in Yorkshire. Then, as often before, FA Cup final fate took over. Trebilcock, who had made little contribution to the game, popped up to pull one back just moments after Ford’s strike. Five minutes later the Evertonians raised the roof as he capitalised on a weak header from Sam Ellis to hit a second deadly right-footer. Everton fan Eddie Cavanagh provided the final with one of its most iconic moments as with shirt flapping, braces stretched and trousers billowing in the breeze, he ran onto the field, outpaced two policemen in hot pursuit before losing first his jacket, then his footing, as he was sent hurtling to the ground with a tackle more befitting the Rugby League Challenge Cup final. The policemen carrying Eddie off the pitch, and into Wembley folklore, were asked by Everton captain Brian Labone to go easy on him. So, Eddie was removed, but the game still had left one remarkable twist. With ten minutes remaining Young’s contribution proved decisive − as in Gerry Young of Sheffield Wednesday, not the famous Alex of Everton. A harmless punt upfield by Everton’s keeper, Gordon West, was inexplicably mis-controlled by Wednesday halfback Gerry Young, leaving Everton winger, Derek Temple, coolness personified, to carry the miscue up towards the Wednesday penalty area before shooting low past Springett. I met Young many years later when I was making a documentary to commemorate the staging of the 100th Cup final. He told me sadly that despite a very commendable professional career he would only be remembered for one thing – and had been reminded of it every day since it happened. His sadness was evident for all to see. For Mike Trebilcock the story could not have been more different. He never went on to make any great strides at Everton or in football generally. Indeed most Cup final observers struggled with pronouncing his name − but he changed the course of the game’s history.

294

LEADING OFF A HOME FOR HEROES ■ A crowd of more than 100,000 arrives at Wembley Stadium, London, for the 1966 FA Cup ﬁnal match between Everton and Shefﬁeld Wednesday.

295

SPURS SHATTER CHELSEA’S DEFENCE

By Donald Saunders at Wembley, The Sunday Telegraph, May 20, 1967

THE BEST OF WEMBLEY ■ Tottenham’s Dave Mackay lifts the Cup trophy after receiving it in the Royal Box, which is 39 steps above the Wembley pitch.

296

FA CUP MEMORIES

ANOTHER ONE FOR THE TROPHY CABINENT ■ Terry Venables (left) and Jimmy Robertson carry the Cup back to the dressing room after their 2-1 win over Chelsea. It was Tottenham’s third Cup ﬁnal win in seven years.

nglish football will be sending its most sophisticated ambassadors to Europe next autumn, with Manchester United seeking success in the Champions’ competition and Tottenham Hotspur trying to recapture the Cup-Winners’ trophy. This is a comforting thought at the end of a season following England’s World Cup triumph last July. Tottenham’s 2-1 FA Cup victory over Chelsea gave the Spurs their third Cup in eight years and fifth overall. This Cup meeting featured the first all-London final at Wembley and the crowd remained too passive. Chelsea, perhaps because they were nervous, possibly because they were not good enough to do anything else, allowed the Spurs to take the initiative from the kick-off and Bill Nicholson’s men went on to dictate the course of the game for all but its last few minutes. Chelsea held the Spurs scoreless for 40 minutes in the first half. Tottenham’s breakthrough came when Alan Mullery’s powerful shot bounced off the shin of Chelsea captain

Ron Harris and Jimmy Robertson smartly drove it past Chelsea goalkeeper Peter Bonetti for a 1-0 lead. In the 67th minute, Tottenham’s Dave Mackay made a long kick toward the penalty box, Robertson touched it and Frank Saul hammered it home for a 2-0 lead. With four minutes left to play, Chelsea’s hopes were raised momentarily when Pat Jennings, the Spurs goalkeeper, allowed in a goal by Bobby Trambling to cut Tottenham’s lead to 2-1. Following the match, Tottenham’s Cliff Jones and Chelsea’s Joe Kirkup became the ﬁrst substitutes in Cup history to be awarded a medal without kicking a ball.

Score Box

TOTTENHAM 2 ROBERTSON, 40 SAUL, 67

CHELSEA 1 TAMBLING, 86

297

The 1967 FA Cup final was the first all-London affair staged at Wembley − and Tottenham’s third final in just seven years. It would be Chelsea’s second appearence in their 62-year-old history. For the neutral fan an all-London match was not as attractive a proposition as a traditional North v. South confrontation but these two clubs deserved to be in the season’s climax game and had two men at the helm who were proving instrumental in their progress. The clubs’ managers were simply contrasting characters. Yorkshire-born Bill Nicholson had quietly gone about his business since being appointed the Spurs boss in 1958. The Double in 1961, an FA Cup win in 1962 and English football’s first European success twelve months later had already guaranteed his place in the North London’s club roll of honour. His counterpart at Chelsea, Tommy Docherty, a gregarious Scot and FA Cup finalist with Preston in 1954, was starting out on an uneven managerial career which would see him handle more clubs than found in a golfer’s bag. But at his game as boss at Chelsea, he had made a genuine impression as he took his “little diamonds” out of the Second Division and into Europe. The Kings Road team had a fashionable swagger. At heart a young side, Chelsea had already won the fledging Football League Cup in 1965 but the FA Cup was the real thing and Wembley a fitting stage for Docherty’s men. They had got close to the final in 1965 but were beaten at the semi-final hurdle by eventual winners, Liverpool. As often happens in football, one of Chelsea’s early on-field architects, Terry Venables, now found himself in a Spurs shirt, helping plot his old team’s downfall as indeed did another Chelsea old boy, Jimmy Greaves. Venables would ultimately win the Cup both as player and manager of Spurs. The Cup final itself was only really memorable from the North London club’s point of view. And two of its lesser lights, Jimmy Robertson and Frank Saul, had scored on both sides of the half-time break. A late goal from Chelsea’s all-time record goal-scorer, Bobby Tambling, proved only a consolation prize. Amusingly, one of the Chelsea team later put his team’s ordinary Wembley display down to a surfeit of Chinese food, which they thought was light and healthy. “I was so full of flaming bean-shoots I felt like a becalmed junk!” A row over Cup final tickets and a sluggish start to the new season combined with a new Chelsea board meant Docherty would take his leave of Stamford Bridge before the year was out and his next foray into the FA Cup would be as the manager of Rotherham United. It would be the way of Docherty’s career but he would win the Cup in the next decade and Chelsea, themselves, were only three years away from lifting football’s most famous piece of silverware.

ASTLE’S LONE EXTRA-TIME GOAL DEFEAT

EVERTON

By Donald Saunders at Wembley, The Sunday Telegraph, May 18, 1968

ow that West Bromwich Albion has ended an eight-year Cup drought in the Midlands, they face the task of persuading a skeptical public that they really are among the leaders of a brave new movement in British football. Were Albion to promise, as Manchester City did a week ago, that they will go boldly seeking victory in Europe next autumn, only a few of their own supporters would believe them. However, with 100,000 on hand at Wembley, and millions more watching on television, they saw a team praised so often for a willingness to attack, instead beat Everton, 1-0, with their only direct shot − in the third minute of extra-time. Albion won the FA Cup because they were stronger, tougher, more ruthless and better equipped for grim, physical warfare than their immature opponents. Leeds, who has been so widely criticised for their approach to football, could not have done a better job this afternoon. One can conclude that as the teams walked down the tunnel and lined up on the rain-soaked turf, Albion may have been faced with the spectre of defeat that haunts all FA Cup ﬁnalists. It appears that Albion and Everton were frightened of each other’s reputation as goal-scorers. For the ﬁrst thirty minutes Albion played like sullen

spoilers. And foolishly, the lads from Goodison promptly decided to combat force with force. True, there was no punching or deliberate tackling of opponents, but there was enough bodychecking to remind one of the action in a local ice hockey rink. Only after the Everton fans had loudly demanded the football for which they had paid, did some of the players remember that one of their duties was to entertain. For 90 minutes the dull play continued. Finally, after three minutes of extra-time, Albion’s Jeff Astle collected a pass at midﬁeld, moved past Everton’s Jimmy Husband, then as he neared the goal, mishit a shot against Colin Harvey’s leg. When the ball rebounded to his left boot, Astle drove it ﬁrm and true into the top far corner of the net for the winner. Following the match, a crowd of more than 250,000 welcomed the Albion squad’s return with the Cup on its open-bus route from Birmingham to West Bromwich.

Score Box

WEST BROMWICH ALBION 1 ASTLE, 93

EVERTON 0

298

THE BEST OF WEMBLEY

■ West Bromwich Albion’s Jeff Astol (left) and Bobby Hope celebrate their 1-0 victory over Everton in the 1968 FA Cup ﬁnal at Wembley Stadium, London.

299

FA CUP MEMORIES xxxxxx In 1968 Everton, were back at Wembley to try and win their fourth FA Cup final. There were six changes xxxxxx in their all-English line-up from their win over Sheffield Ad Cat L. Graeconsu consu ex sa ius Wednesday, in 1966, and their ranks now boasted two World ego temende rissulaand bentius nostili Cup winners, Ray Wilson Alan Maes Ball. Ball, who had castorbit, mo et, tus mis. Tum inatque et, West been outstanding in England’s World Cup win over scierfecon tam, quem up ius quickly hos conbyrei Germany, had been snapped theper Merseyside issentra perbivictory pris hos quidieret club in wake ofcontem that famous in se, 1966. nos consula timprop fac Everton’s opponents at ublibus. WembleySerbis, were Midlanders West Bromwich Albion, who were equalling Newcastle retraetimaio horteati, consum obse iam United’s 10 record in thehus final. senatappearances graris publinin sentil tervit. Albion had been at Wembley year before as the Etre nul hendem que postaares tabunum “other” cup − the Football League Cup − came of age and diemorartam tem aures pon ditaben movedatimodiu to a single match at English football’s headquarters. eterenata rei publintilica que co West Brom’s opponents that afternoon had been in tas vena, C. Viveri si teri inpro et iam Third Division QPR, who famously came back from a two-nil aperum pret pro noverfes consuperdit; C. deficit to win, 3-2. Mareheberum re tea rem. Grae con senesil The 1968 FA Cup final would see a couple of fue It tat. Int? signifinequam cant “firsts.” was theIgit, first qua finalpublicae to be televised in es condamente colour,confect exactlyudelibus thirty years after the first fifatuis nal was screened in manum meiofcotasdam me potil urbis the fledging days black and orum white television. Actually only hoc ingulic itabenatra sent. see the game in all its a minority of viewers could actually Nihicaet Eli, actus, noximpl icatquem glorious colour C. − Everton in their amber shirts, West Brom in their ... whitecerisulica; shirts! corachi, norum nossicas This was also which theseficonsigna rst substitute conlocchil usthe in game tasteriinbusquod was used in the Cup fi nal. Twelve men had been named by publictanum ariusteste et auciis comnequam, the teams the previous year but neither substitute nondum sulis revivent, consus locat pri had been used in the game. A smallit;piece of history wasfore, therefore cullabe moenatia Caturni hilnem made when Dennis Clarke replaced the injured West Brom pri, untia tem sessum det plibuncles avendio wing-half, John Kaye, as an unremarkable match went into ricapere iae tam in tant patinam nondium extra-time. in se rem dican imumum nos chance inteati maximiu Everton rued easy headed missed by winger cris, nonsimoris pulutem Jimmyrnunum Husband to win the gameesses late in normal time. From adup meonnostiur, tem perviviheading demus,skills of a clubfatum brought the extraordinary nequons ultionsum si pos omninun umentis footballing legends, like Dixie Dean and Tommy Lawton, it contelintis,the nonos, que was unfortunate chance fellconsulistam to Husband atus, rather than to their qui genuine threat, centre-forward Joeocum Royle. cors aerial horure cotiliu mentius fuitus The match was won by a single early ininte extra-time, percerf ectario et; horte, con goal sus hocae when condere Jeff Astle,aperum, followingquo up atus blocked right-footer hit a con terips, qui tam decisive left foot strike that fl ew past Everton keeper, urnique te, nota, vere ius culium vil vendiumGordon West. iam cris, duces peres! Scideri pos, scivid Astle had scored in every round of the Cup that fec fitilia? quis alem milicae caet corum season; in fact, he had scored no less than nine goals in the quamper ratus, in spere pariam diisque tem competition. A Baggies legend, Astle would go to the World patelium deeslater, pos but venti, con aductus, Cup in Mexico antre two years missed vital chance dius rem in tam et no. Ad dem, C. Valatiam against favourites Brazil, with England trailing, 1-0, in a ia resgame. esti, Later vocusinesenatuam nonfeco crucialmei Group life he would make an unlikely se prat video −tem se te confi rmisLeague, a publicnsulictu comeback as a singer in Fantasy Football Cat. Fulesume nonsulvirio Ocavoltus popular late-night comedy footballunum. show hosted by David Baddiel and ectastrum West Brom uropublin fanatic Frank Skinner. licierf desimusque Astle diedterferra of degenerative brain disease in 2002. A achicas sustem omplin satquam coroner recorded a verdict of death by industrial forit; Catuus etorecris sultodiem publicitriinjury. Basically the viewconsulego being that tandem Astle, who scored over half of conscribus ena, delus his goals with his head, had suffered long-term cere, nes ommove, egilis, quium audamfrom tembeing a masterpopublic of that sporting skill. The debate continues vatrebus imanteat. es virmisunum... What isn’t in doubt is Astle’s place in West Brom’s rich utervilica pra maio, nonferum suliu se te and illustrious history. 300

301

302

TWO KINGS AT WEMBLEY ■

LEFT: West Brom’s Jeff Astol proved to be the star on the Wembley pitch. RIGHT: Merseysider Paul McCartney was at Wembley to support Everton.

303