SATURDAY, April 10, 1954, was the day that southwest Durham “moved” to Wembley as 100,000 spectators armed with corncrakes, bells, trumpets, banners, rosettes and decorated hats took their place inside football’s famous stadium to watch Bishop Auckland play Crook Town in the FA Amateur Cup Final.

They proudly roared their encouragement at 2.45pm when both teams, side by side, emerged from Wembley's famous tunnel.

Crook’s left-winger Jimmy McMillan recalls: “What struck me when we walked out on the pitch at Wembley was how remote we seemed to be from the crowd. We were used to playing at grounds where the spectators were very close to the pitch.

The crowd though made a lot of noise on what was a fine day.”

This was to be a final like no other – there was too much at stake.

Crook had lived in the shadow of Bishop Auckland, already seven times winners of the Amateur Trophy, for too long.

Furthermore, there was other “history” between the two clubs.

Bishop Auckland had instigated an FA investigation into the running of Crook Town Club, which became known as the Crook Affair in 1927-28.

Crook, beaten 4-1 and 3-1 by Bishop Auckland in the league had brought in Newcastle United’s Joe Harvey as coach.

Crook players normally kept fit on there own, but Harvey organised proper training sessions and they were hard.

Crook skipper Bobby Davison once said: “On the morning after Harvey’s training sessions I had to come down the stairs on my bum as the muscles in the back of my legs were so tight and sore with all the running.”

However there was little in the way of tactics, as McMillan again recalls: “The only words I can remember Joe Harvey saying were, ‘If it’s near the end and you’re not losing, hit their corner flags.”

BISHOP took the lead through Dixon in the first half, but Crook appeared quicker to the ball and soon equalised through Thompson.

Oliver restored the Bishop advantage before the interval and it was the second half before Appleby equalised again for Crook.

It became war after that and at one point Wembley’s wide-open spaces resembled a battlefeld as players of both sides lay on the ground shaken, bruised and winded by thundering challenges.

Both trainers were often on the pitch together as play was held up. At one such break, Auckland’s Bobby Hardisty came up to Crook skipper Bobby Davison and said: “If it was not for you Bob, we would be winning this game.”

Davison replied: “It will be over my dead body that you win this game Bob.”

Nimmins, of Bishop, had already broken his leg after five minutes, while Williamson, of Crook, had hobbled on the wing since the 20th minute. O’Connell played a blinder for Bishop, covering for Nimmins (the next season he won a Division 1 championship medal with Chelsea).

The replay was in front of 60,000 spectators at St James’ Park Newcastle and again it was a 2-2 draw.

Harrison scored twice for Crook in the first five minutes, but Oliver replied with two second half goals for Auckland.

The Northern Echo:
A ticket for the North grandstand and arguably the greatest final, amateur or professional, the national stadium has seen

It should have ended there, both teams sharing the trophy, because the second replay at Ayresome Park watched by nearly 40,000 fans stretched the patience and the nerves of the strongest people.

Crook won it with a goal from Harrison, but not before Oliver had a header disallowed for a foul on Davison.

There was contact but did the Crook skipper make a meal of it?

Not according to Davison, who was still claiming 50 years after the event that he still had to rub ointment into his shoulder in order to get a good night’s sleep. I once told Ray Oliver that story and he erupted louder than the Krakatoa volcano in 1883.

A TOTAL of nearly 200,000 spectators watched the three games, surely some kind of record. Lifelong Bishop Auckland supporter John Atkinson says: “The 1954 FA Amateur Cup Final produced three great games which were a credit to the area. It was a shame that someone had to lose.”