The Giant Killers

Third Round: Saturday January 8th 1955

Attendance: 26,030       

Scorers: Sid Storey {37}, Bill Fenton {70}

Ranked at the time: 129

{See York City vs Tottenham Hotspur below} 

{image: Bill Fenton leaps to celebrate his goal while Norman Wilkinson looks on}     

Attendance: 56,800        

Scorers: {City} Johnny Wheeler {own goal}, Alex Govan : {Wanderers} Willie Moir

Ranked at the time: 315  

Attendance: 36,506       

Scorer: Jimmy Jackson

Ranked at the time: 369      

Attendance: 17,155        

Scorers: {Villa} Johnny Dixon : {Rovers} Geoff Walker, Alick Jeffrey {2}

Ranked at the time: 154  

Fifth Round: Saturday February 19th 1955

Attendance: 21,000        

Scorers: {City} Norman Wilkinson {2}, Bill Fenton: {Hotspur} George Robb {Half Time 2-1}

Ranked at the time: 93

{image: Norman Wilkinson [dark shirt] scores York's third goal} 

A poor start to York's 1954/55 season, which saw them part company with manager, Jimmy McCormick was nothing out of the ordinary for the fans of York City who were well used to seeing their side battle towards the lower end of Third Division North. In this season results began to turn as soon as the York City committee took over team selection and the side went on a run of sixteen games with only one defeat. The Minstermen were in sparkling form when thrid round cup day came around and their First Division hosts, Blackpool too had started the seaosn badly. Just eighteen months after winning the cup at Wembley they were rock bottom of the First Division. An upturn in results before Christmas had taken them out of the relegation zone but they were still third bottom and hadn't won any of their last four home games when they entertained York. Half time was approaching when Sid Storey's sliced cross was misjudged by George Farm who could only push the ball into his net. the shock was on and Bloomfield Road groaned when a City counter attack was finished by Bill Fenton. Stan Mortenson thought he reduced the defecit but was ruled out for an infringement and Blackpool really knew their number was up when Jimmy Kelly's penalty was blasted straight at Tommy Forgan, the keeper seeing the ball safely over the bar. York were forced into the role of giant in round four when they visited non League giant killers, Bishop Auckland, avoiding their own potential banana skin thanks to a brace from Arthur Bottom, which included a penalty, in a 3-1 victory. In round five the Botham Crescent faifhtul got the tie they wanted, home to a First Division side, and like Blackpool, it was one that had struggled for much of the season. Tottenham had seen something of a mini revival that had carried them to twelfth, easily their highest position all season but York were now being heavily tipped to win the Third Division North as their League form had stretched to just two defeats in twenty-one games. Promotion was now being considered as a real possibility and there was no doubt that Spurs arrived at Bootham Crescent in trepidation. On a hard icy pitch the Londoners actually made a good start, taking an early lead but from there it all gradually went downhill and by half time York were deservedly in front. Spurs threatened on occasion but the tie was put beyond them in the second period when Norman Wilkinson grabbed his second goal of the afternoon. By now the great memories of York's glorious cup run of 1938 were rekindled and talk at Bootham Crescent began to speculate if they could even go beyond the quarter finals when paired with Second Division Notts County. Curiously, despite toppling two famous top flight sides, County probably presented York's toughest test so far as a team pushing hard for promotion. Unlike York, who had gone from strength to strength as the cup run unfolded, County had taken seemed distracted by their cup exploits, a dip in League form causing them to slip off the promotion pace a little. Meadow Lane was packed to capacity and bathed in glorious sunshine for yet another battle of the giant killers for a place in the semi finals of the cup, something neaither club had dreamed of at the start of their respective runs. The match was a tight one with the balance of play flowing from one team to the other and both sides had the ball in the net only to be correctly ruled out for offside. The tie would be won in controversial circumstances though when a late York free kick found Arthur Bottom five yards out with a chance he couldn't miss. This time the linesman didn't flag and the goal was allowed to stand despite furious, and possibly justified protests from the County defenders. It was almost twenty years since a Third Division side had reached the last four in the cup and York had the choice of facing title Manchester City and Sunderland, both of whom had thoughts of trying to land the League and cup double, or struggling Newcastle, who like Blackpool and Tottenham before them were desperately battling against relegation. When the former were paired in the draw the excitement in York reached fever pitch. The Minstermen were surely going to Wembley as Newcastle were not a team to be feared. And so it proved, on a bog of a pitch at Hillsborough in Sheffield, York gave as good as they got and held the Magpis to a draw with Arthur Bottom levelling the scores before the interval in a game in which neither side could find the killer blow. Now York had made history as the first club from outside the top two divisions to play avoid defeat in a semi final since the days of the old Southern League teams before World War I. The replay was at Sunderland in completely contrasting conditions with spring sunshine greeting the teams onto the pitch. This time Newcastle struck early in a game where little went right for a York side that started to look tired. They remained gallant to the end and it wasn't until the final moments and with York down to ten fit men that Newcastle settled the tie and booked their place at Wembley. For York, they now had eight games left to win promotion to the Second Division for the first time but the cup run had taken it's toll and three consecutive defeats at the end of the season cost them dearly.      

City: 1:Tommy Forgan, 2:Ernie Phillips, 3:George Howe, 4:Gordon Brown, 5:Alan Stewart, 6:Ron Spence, 7:Bill Hughes, 8:Arthur Bottom, 9:Norman Wilkinson, 10:Sid Storey, 11:Bill Fenton