On This Day – 29th January
Yeovil Town of the Southern League provided one of the greatest FA Cup shocks of all-time on this day in 1949, beating First Division Sunderland 2-1. The match was played at Yeovil’s Huish Park, famous for its sloping pitch, and the amateur side used this to their advantage to record a famous win.
Sunderland had a real star name in their team in Len Shackleton. He had the nickname ‘The Clown Prince of Soccer’ and had won his first England cap four months earlier.
Shackleton was also the most expensive player in British football history at the time, having cost Sunderland £20,050 towards the end of the previous campaign. His name alone would have caused huge interest in the tie.
Yeovil’s first-choice goalkeeper was unavailable for selection after injuring his shoulder. His replacement Dickie Dyke had only ever played once for the club. Their task was made all the more difficult ten minutes into the game when their winger Jack Hargreaves picked up a nasty injury. Substitutions were not introduced for a further sixteen years, so Hargreaves had to hobble on for the rest of the game.
The Southern League side took the lead after 28 minutes, thanks to a goal from their player/manager Alec Stock. The Scot would go on and have a successful managerial career, winning the 1967 League Cup with QPR and guided Second Division Fulham to the FA Cup Final in 1975. He also spent a year in charge of Italian giants Roma.
Jackie Robinson equalised for the First Division side just over the hour mark and the game ended 1-1. Extra Time was needed to try and find a winner.
The extra thirty minutes had been introduced in the FA Cup to try and settle matches after the Second World War because of fuel shortages in war-torn England.
A fog descended over the pitch, making it difficult for the fans to see what was happening.
Just before half-time in the first period of Extra Time, Yeovil took the lead for the second time. Eric Bryant found the back of the net for the home team and it proved to be the winner.
Yeovil had never reached the Fourth Round of the FA Cup before the match gainst Sunderland and they never expected to go further. The shock win over Sunderland got the club into the Fifth Round draw and they were paired with Manchester United in the next round.
Old Trafford was still under repair following damage from an air raid during the War and so the Fifth Round tie was played at Maine Road. United were comfortable winners, ending Yeovil’s cup run with a 8-0 thrashing.
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