Maybe the Last Time - FA Cup winners 1955

How the Cup was Won

In 1955 Newcastle reached their third cup final in only five years (having been victorious in both 1951 and 1952) and their tenth all told (a record at the time). Their opponents were Manchester City who had made the final on four previous occasions; emerging victorious twice.

League form suggested the clubs were evenly matched. City had struggled in the first three seasons after they were promoted in 1950/51, but they finished in 7th (one place above Newcastle). The games between the two sides in the League were played two days apart during the Xmas period and both teams won their home fixture.

Despite past history, opponents Manchester City were installed as hot favourites. There were a number of reasons for this.

Facing some powerful opposition en route to Wembley the Mancunians had played some majestic football; winning all games at the first time of asking. Newcastle on the other hand had stumbled through against lower league opposition giving Lady Luck a fair going over along the way.

United had ended up playing nine FA Cup matches creating a backlog of League fixtures which meant they had to play 8 times in 25 days during March and then 11 times in 28 days during April.

Man City had a settled squad and had refined a much acclaimed tactical strategy which was the talk of British football. Newcastle's run up to the final involved 17 players (a record for a cup winning side at that time) and an ever changing forward line.

There were rumblings of discontent within the United camp as a result of the treatment of Frank Brennan and the selection policies and training methods of United's newly appointed manager Duggie Livingstone.

As Milburn later said "few people gave us very much thought as potential winners. This was understandable. We looked anything but a good side." But win they did; how did they do it?