Thursday January 24, 2008

The Magic Of The FA Cup; part 2
4th Round Day 1951

Having wondered whether the FA Cup still holds the same appeal to the modern day football fan we now look back to 1951 to see how 4th round day captured the publics' imagination back then.

In the 1950's, and for a good while longer, any team still involved in the FA Cup at the 4th round stage was starting to live the dream. The first division sides all knew that Wembley was a real possibility while the teams from lower down were hopeful of springing a surprise or two and, with the luck of the draw on their side, perhaps pushing for a quarter or even a semi final place.

The supporters of the teams left in were dreaming the same dreams, only probably on a grander scale, and were certainly intent on making the most of the competition while they could. There was no apathy about the earlier rounds in those days. Cup days were always more eagerly anticipated than the run of the mill league fixtures and all across the countries tens of thousands of fans were heading to away games they would probably never have considered attending had it not been an FA Cup tie.

There was good reason to dream as well. Nine first division clubs (Tottenham, Middlesbrough, Burnley, Portsmouth, Liverpool, Everton, West Brom, Charlton and Sheffield Wednesday in descending league order) had already crashed out of the competition at the first hurdle. With two more certain to go in this round and several others facing tricky ties there was every reason to believe that when the competition was whittled down to its' last sixteen clubs less than half of those would be from the top flight.

Nowhere was cup fever more evident than at Highbury, the home of the holders Arsenal. The Gunners had been held to a goalless draw at home in the previous round by Carlisle United, of Division Three North, before prevailing in the replay and they now faced opposition from Division Three South in the form of Northampton Town.

The Cobblers could perhaps take some heart from the resistance shown by Carlisle in the previous round but this certainly did look like being their very own cup final with Arsenal lying 3rd in the first division as well as being the proud holders of the famous old trophy.

The gates of Highbury were being shut twenty minutes before the start with around 15,000 Northampton supporters estimated among the biggest crowd recorded at the ground since the war. 72,408 was the best official estimate of the huge attendance and, with both teams sharing the same colours, Highbury was a sea of red and white.

Both teams decided to change colours for the occasion with Arsenal donning white and Northampton blue and the game provided a treat for hordes shoehorned into the ground.

It looked as though the holders might run riot during a first half that they almost totally dominated but by the interval they led by just a single goal.

Jimmy Logie, who had just replaced his shorts after they were badly ripped in a challenge, was the provider and Reg Lewis the scorer. How the Northampton goal had avoided further breaches was the main topic of half time conversation but the second half was a different story as the underdogs came out to make a real fight of it.

Jack English gave the travelling thousands something to really cheer with an equaliser shortly after half time and although Lewis and Don Roper then fired the Gunners 3-1 ahead another dashing goal from English kept the tie in the balasnce right up to full time.

For both his goals English had sprinted clear of the Arsenal defence to score in fine style but neither he nor any of his teammates could repeat the feat a third time and the holders, to some relief, went through.

The tie which pitted the two teams highest in the league standings together was the one between Newcastle United (4th in the first division) and Bolton Wanderers (6th). This would no doubt have been one of the games shown live on television had it taken place today but back then only the people who had managed to get in before the "gates closed" signs went up got to see the action. The total number who did so was just short of 68,000.

Conditions were described as being in "good" despite a heavy frost thanks to the liberal use of straw on the pitch during the week. It is doubtful that Arsene Wenger would have used the same term had he and his present day Arsenal team turned up to play on it, however.

Bobby Mitchell had the Blaydon Races ringing round St James' with an early goal and the excitement generated by the home sides' rousing start caused the bulging terraces to overflow at one stage and the game was held up for around five minutes as the police tried to usher the spectators away from the pitch.

It was Bolton who seemed to benefit from the disruption and by half time they led thanks to two goals from Willie Moir.

Newcastle was not an easy place to earn a cup result in those days, however, and the 1950's version of the Geordie folk hero made sure that the locals went home happy with a second half brace of his own.

Within ten minutes of the second half starting "Wor" Jackie Milburn had ensured that his would be the name toasting a million or so pints on Tyneside that night by scoring the two goals that ultimately decided this tense battle.

Another tie capturing the imagination, less obviously then than it would have been today, was the Roses battle between Manchester United and Leeds United at Old Trafford.

The home side lay 7th in the first division going into this one but were by no means the overwhelming crowd pullers that they are today while Leeds were sitting in the middle of Division Two.

The Yorkshire side had been heartened by a 3rd round victory over high flying Middlesbrough and their supporters no doubt contributed heavily to another sell out crowd, the gates being shut on this one at a quarter to three.

Leeds were creating news with their use of "monkey gland" treatment as a means of improving their players speed and fitness under the controversial manager Major Frank Buckley but it was Manchester United who came tearing out of the traps and by half time they had rattled up a 4-0 lead thanks to a Stan Pearson hat trick and a goal from Jack Rowley.

The second half would be an anti climax with both sides apparently happy for the score to stay as it was, which it did.

An estimated 56,000 saw Sunderland beat second division Southampton 2-0 although it is possible that a late comer might have actually got onto Roker Park while more than 50,000 saw an eventful game at Molineux between Wolves and Aston Villa.

Wolves were strong favourites to defeat their struggling local rivals in this all first division tie and the form book held firm as goals from Johnny Walker and Roy Swinbourne put the home side on the way to an eventual 3-1 win.

Villa were left feeling aggrieved after the referee ignored a linesmans' flag and allowed Swinbourne's goal to stand and then made matters worse for themselves by spurning a penalty shortly before half time.

In fairness to Con Martin, the culprit, it did take a magnificent save from Bert Williams to keep his spot kick out and it was probably only coincidence that the Wolves keeper was then left out cold after a collision with the same player in going for the rebound.

One team hoping to cause an upset and with a large travelling support determined to enjoy themselves was Stockport County. Having been drawn away from home against renowned cup fighters Blackpool the Division Three North side had around 7,000 fans following them to the seaside.

The gates had been shut at Bloomfield Road for over half an hour before kick off with 33,000 packed inside and it appeared to be game over within four minutes of the start after Stanley Matthews had set up both Stan Mortensen and Jackie Mudie to score.

It looked as though things might really go downhill for the underdogs when Blackpool were then awarded a penalty before half time but Denis Ward blocked Tommy Garrett's kick and Stockport came out after half time to stage a remarkable onslaught on the Blackpool goal.

Employing highly energetic and robust tactics Stockport had their illustrious hosts pinned back for the majority of the second half and had the Blackpool goal under severe threat on several occasions.

After one almighty scramble underneath the Blackpool crossbar the gallant visitors finally got themselves back into the game when Andy Black headed home a cross from Les Cocker and now the home side were hanging on desperately.

Cocker was the man causing all the problems but his finishing was not up to his approach play and he was the chief culprit as Stockport spurned three glorious opportunities to equalise.

The most glaring of all the visitors' misses came when Cocker raced away from Johnny Crosland and rounded goalkeeper George Farm but then lifted his shot over the empty net.

Stockport went home defeated, with stories of what might have been but rightly proud of their efforts.

Just down the road the gates were also being closed at Preston's Deepdale ground. This was the place where an upset was really expected with North End, top of the second division and flying towards promotion, taking on first division strugglers Huddersfield Town.

Huddersfield did, however, have a confidence building victory over Tottenham in the previous round behind them as well as around 8,000 fans in the 40,000 gate.

On a bone hard pitch this turned into a survival of the fittest contest. In the days before substitutes Preston looked to have been given a massive advantage on the half hour when the Huddersfield keeper Jack Wheeler was forced to retire with concussion.

Inside forward Harold Hassall took over between the sticks but before the home side could test him the sides had been evened up after a more disturbing collision at the other end.

Jeff Taylor, the Huddersfield centre forward, was suddenly running clear through the middle and became the sandwich between goalkeeper Jimmy Gooch and centre half Harry Mattinson as both North End players challenged at the same time.

It was Mattinson who fared worst in the collision, however, and ended up being stretchered from the field with a broken leg.

Back to ten a side it was Huddersfield who adapted better and grabbed a crucial lead on the stroke of half time when Vic Metcalfe converted a penalty awarded after a foul on Taylor.

With Wheeler returning to play on the wing the visitors increased their lead through Taylor after the break and held on for the win with Preston totally unable to ruffle the feathers of Hassall in the Huddersfield goal.

Their best chance to do so came just over ten minutes from the end when Tom Finney won his side a penalty but then stepped up to send a tame spot kick almost straight at the grateful stand in keeper.

Hassall ended up the hero of the hour for a surprising reason and was carried shoulder high from the pitch by the joyous visiting supporters.

Elsewhere there was an excellent 3-1 win for second division Birmingham City away to first division Derby County while 20,000 fans saw Exeter City, from Division Three South, gain a 1-1 draw with first division Chelsea.

Another huge crowd turned out at Hull to see second division City defeat Division Three North pacesetters Rotherham United 2-0. Over 50,000 people saw the wonderful Raich Carter dominate proceedings as he neared the end of his illustrious career.

Mansfield Town gained a creditable goalless draw down the road at Sheffield United but Millwall were disappointed in their attempts to produce a shock at home to Fulham, losing by the only goal.

There were 1-0 wins for Stoke City, Bristol City and Luton Town over West Ham, Brighton and Bristol Rovers respectively while Norwich travelled to South Wales and came away from Newport with a 2-0 win.

All these games had produced packed grounds and pulsating atmospheres and created a feeling that this, indeed, was something bigger and better than the usual league games played week in and week out.

Taking into account replays eighteen teams survived the day with dreams of Wembley intact but, as always, only two would end up making it.

Arsenal, the holders, would fall at the next hurdle losing by the only goal to Manchester United who would then go out themselves in the last eight away to second division Birmingham City.

Blackpool, so fortunate to beat Stockport, would go on to end Birmingham's run after a replayed semi final and a second game would also be necessary to seperate Newcastle and Wolves in the other semi.

It was Newcastle who emerged from that tie victorious and they would go on to land the trophy at Wembley after defeating Blackpool 2-0 thanks to two more goals from "Wor" Jackie.