Two weeks before my eighteenth birthday I set off by train from Birmingham to London, with my precious F.A. Cup Final ticket in my wallet. I had won it in a draw for two tickets given to my company soccer team by the Birmingham Amateur Football Association. One ticket went to a former player and the other to a current player. On the way to Wembley for the first time, I stopped off at Lord's cricket ground for a couple of hours to see Middlesex playing Derbyshire before catching the tube from St John's Wood to Wembley.
SATURDAY 7TH MAY, 1955
F.A. CUP FINAL AT WEMBLEY Attendance 100,000
NEWCASTLE UNITED 3 (Milburn, Mitchell, Hannah)
Simpson; Cowell, Batty; Scoular (capt), Stokoe, Casey;
White, Milburn, Keeble, Hannah, Mitchell;
MANCHESTER CITY 1 (Johnstone)
Trautmann; Meadows, Little; Barnes, Ewing, Paul (capt);
Spurdle, Hayes, Revie, Johnstone, Fagan;
Referee:- R.J. Leafe, Nottingham
Newcastle, making their third Cup Final appearance in five years, were considered by many people to be rather lucky to have got there this time. They had been taken to a replay in their last three cup matches, the final one against Third Division York City in the semi-final. Manchester City on the other hand had a clear run to Wembley and had beaten such distinguished opponents as Manchester United, Birmingham City and Sunderland. The Lancashire club however were handicapped by injuries to two of the forwards who played a great part in their earlier cup victories - Hart and Clark. Although the signing of Bobby Johnstone from Hibernian filled the gap caused by Hart's absence, it seemed likely that Welsh international Roy Clarke, who scored the vital goal against Sunderland in the semi-final, would be badly missed.
Straight from the kick off, Milburn, operating in the unfamiliar position of inside right, was away with the ball and pushed it through to his winger Len White. Little slide-tackled him and sent the ball out for a corner.
White took the kick and there was Milburn, completely unchallenged, jumping high in the air to head the ball into the net via the underside of the cross bar after only fifty five seconds play!
Within minutes Manchester had a great chance to equalise when from a free kick taken by Fagan, Hayes amazingly shot wide from only a few yards out. Manchester with Revie in his now familiar role of mid-field schemer, were often caught in the Newcastle off side trap. Fagan showed the way to counter this unreliable mode of defence by running through on his own, but his final pass was badly placed.
Newcastle were giving the City defence very little respite and Trautmann was forced to make the first of many brilliant saves when his captain, Paul, very nearly headed into his own net when trying to clear a centre from White. Then in the nineteenth minute came the incident which possibly altered the whole course of the match and which virtually assured Newcastle of victory.
City's right back Jimmy Meadow went in to tackle Newcastle's clever outside left, Bobby Mitchell, who swerved past him only for Meadows to recover quickly and go in again. Mitchell cleverly avoided the tackle and Meadows went down injured. He had torn the ligaments of his knee and was helped from the field not to return.
Spurdle moved to right back, a job which few can have envied, as it meant opposing the elusive Mitchell for the rest of the match. Manchester's four remaining forwards roamed and switched positions to such effect that Meadow's absence was scarcely noticeable for a while. But this handicap was bound to tell in the end and with Scoular, shorts hoisted high revealing powerful thighs, dominating the centre of the field and pushing through passes to White and Mitchell lying close to the touch lines, Newcastle kept Trautmann under almost constant pressure.
The blond German goalkeeper made a brilliant diving save from Keeble and then flung himself to the left to catch a hard shot with apparent ease. Johnstone was working very hard in the City forward line. He raced though from the half way line, beating man after man, but his final shot struck Simpson's body and was cleared. The little dark haired Scot was not to be denied however and shortly before the interval he scored a brilliant equaliser which set the crowd roaring.
Hayes picked up a lose ball on the right and sent across a low centre. There seemed little danger with the Newcastle defence in position, but suddenly Johnstone threw himself full length between two defenders and headed it into the net from just inside the penalty area. So at half-time the fighting ten men of Manchester were level. Half time 1-1.
Within quarter of an hour of the restart Newcastle led by three goals to one and the match was as good as over. The first goal came when a high centre from White was misjudged by the emergency full back, Spurdle, who allowed it to pass over his head leaving Mitchell with a simple task to score. This goal seemed to inspire Mitchell to even greater heights of brilliance. He broke through and tested Trautmann with a right foot shot and then Scoular half way inside the City half, well over to the right, pivoted and sent a glorious pass right to Mitchell's magic feet on the left wing.
With two effortless body swerves he sent two men the wrong way, dribbled in towards goal and pushed the ball into the centre, Trautmann dived out but could only palm the ball to Hannah, who steadied himself and cracked it into the corner of the net. Behind the goal which Trautmann endeavoured to defend was the huge open terrace with the solid mass of Newcastle supporters who could see now that the Cup was their's again.
And so the game continued with Manchester's gallant ten still fighting hard, but there was little interest left now and only Trautmann's splendid efforts to prevent a further Newcastle goal raised the volume of cheering.
Soon it was all over and Newcastle had won the cup for the third time in five years and by an unhappy coincidence in similar circumstances to their win over Arsenal in 1952 when their opponent's full back Wally Barnes was injured, in almost he same spot as Meadows, and also took no further part in the match.
Despite City's ill fortune however Newcastle must be given credit for the splendid football they played and it must not be forgotten that they already led by one goal when the incident occurred. Milburn, Mitchell and Cowell are therefore now the proud possessors of three cup winners medals, a record to make less fortunate players envious indeed. It is a tribute to their fine play and consistency over the years. For Cowell, although never much in the headlines, is one of the best full backs in the country and has been rather unlucky not to gain representative honours.
Milburn of course will probably be best remembered for his two brilliant goals in the final of 1951 against Blackpool, but his vital goal in the first minute of this match will be remembered also even if only for the rarity of a headed goal by this fast and elegant player. This game was probably Mitchell's finest hour, a player whose game varies between the brilliant and the mediocre, his ball control and body swerve match that of Stanley Matthews, when at his best.
The Cup was presented to Jimmy Scoular by the Queen and the tough little Scot followed by his team ran down to the far end of the ground to show the shining trophy to their delighted supporters. A special cheer for Bert Trautmann as he was presented with his losers medal and the City team walked slowly from the arena followed eventually by the victorious Newcastle side, leaving Scoular a loan figure, proudly holding the Cup before the ever present photographers.
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