THERE were five of us who worked as apprentice fitters at North Road shops, and we got the midnight train down to London for the first match. It didn’t get in until 5.15am and we had to wait until the Lyons café opened at 6am for breakfast.

We were only 17 and had never been in London before, and we spent the day seeing the sights – we were amazed by what we saw in Soho – and after the match we got the last train back to Darlington.

We were told we couldn’t take the day off work for the replay, but half of the staff went and they let it go, nothing was said.

And I remember going to Wolves for the next match, but the ground was packed and I could only see the occasional orange shirt.

Billy Cass of Darlington

I was an apprentice at JD Ord, Ferguson main dealers in Hargreave Terrace, and the boss said we could go, although we had to work after the match to make up for the time we had off.

The match was brilliant, 16,000 there, the noise, Pathe news cameras on top of the stand, extra time and Darlington scored three goals in six minutes. The excitement was amazing. Sixty years on I can still feel how I felt. After the match the scenes on the ground were never to be forgotten.

Thank-you for reminding me of a very happy day in 1958.

Ron Yole of Morton-on-Swale​

I had just started work as an apprentice at North Road Railway Works. My first job was office boy in the stores offices, and I had to give out mail and pick up orders from all the stores departments in the factory.

My father first took me to Feethams when I was eight years old in 1950 and that was me hooked. On the day of the replay with Chelsea, I, like many others, in the factory bunked off on the afternoon. We stood at the South Park end on Spratts corner where dogfood was advertised on the end wall.

It was a great game, one I will never forget, Darlington’s greatest FA cup win. When I went to work the next day, I was hauled over the coals for going off, as I should have been there to deliver mail to be sent from North Road Station. I was lucky to keep my job when I look back, but I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

I'm still supporting the team through all our trials and tribulations, and will do so as long has I'm able, and I hope some day we get back where we belong.

Maurice Etherington of Darlington​

I, like so many others, bunked off school – not really a good idea considering it was my final days at Albert Road Secondary Modern.

John Seddon of Darlington

I wasn't at the winning replay but was at the original tie at Stamford Bridge. I was a drama student in London and my Dad got me two tickets for the match. I took a fellow student with me (also from Darlington, but I don't think she'd ever been to a football match before).

It was a very exciting match played on an extremely icy and partly snow-covered pitch. Darlington were 3-0 up at half time but sadly Chelsea scored three in the second half.

My dad took the afternoon off work, with permission, for the first and only time in his life, to attend the replay.

Wendy Acres of Darlington

I worked for Darlington Forge, which had been instrumental in saving the club at the end of the First World War, but workers were not allowed to attend the replay which was held on a Wednesday afternoon – we did listen to it on the radio, though.

Malcolm Scratcherd of Darlington