SEVENTY years ago, the FA Cup 1st round draw included just one Northern League club, Ferryhill Athletic, and just one other team from that hotbed of football, South West Durham, which was Spennymoor United, members of the North Eastern League.
So in November 1953, Ferryhill were drawn away to Third Division North Workington while Spennymoor were drawn at home to another Third Division North club, Barrow.
Ferryhill had made one previous 1st Round appearance, and that was in November 1935, when they lost 6-1 at Third Division North Oldham Athletic.
Spennymoor, however, were old hands in the Cup, and had made seven previous appearances in the 1st round in 1927, 1928, 1932, 1933 1934 1936, and 1946, but had only been successful twice, beating Third Division North Hartlepool United 5-2 at home in November 1928 with Barkins, 4, and Middleton on the scoresheet, and again in December 1936, beating Midland League Boston United 2-1 at home in a replay after a 1-1 draw at Boston where Hill was the scorer. Hill and Wyness were the scorers in the home replay win over Boston.
Ferryhill had started their Cup campaign with a record breaking 18-0 home win over Skinningrove Works in the 1st Qualifying Round with Allen, 4, Kitchen, 4, Maughan, 3, Duery, 3, Edgar, 2, and Masters and Whitfield their scorers. Strangely, they had beaten Skinningrove Works 7-0 in the same round the previous season.
In the 2nd Qualifying Round in 1953 they hit another seven goals to beat Head Wrightson 7-1 at home with Kitching, 4, Duery, 2 and Edgar their scorers.
In the 3rd Qualifying Round, they beat Billingham Synthonia 2-1 away with Maughan scoring twice, and, finally, they disposed of North Eastern League South Shields 2-0 at home with Duery and Fagan on the scoresheet. This put them in line to meet Workington away from home.
In the Ferryhill side was wing half George Masters, who later was a reserve for Crook Town when they won the FA Amateur Cup in 1959. George was treated rather shabbily by the Millfield club when, after appearing at right half for the injured Bill Jeffs in the semi-final against Leytonstone, he was left out for the final with his place taken by Derek Carr, who had only played a handful of games before the final.
All Spennymoor’s opponents in the qualifying rounds were Northern League clubs. First, a 6-0 win over West Auckland in thr 1st Qualifying Round, Johnson, 3, Humble, 2, and Brownlee on target, followed by a 2-1 home win over Stanley United with Humble and Dick scoring, then a 2-1 home win over Willington with Humble and Peart scoring and finally a 3-1 home win over Bishop Auckland with Humble, 2, and Stewart scoring. Humble, who hailed from Wolsingham, scored six times in the qualifying campaign.
Playing at right half for Spennymoor United was Norman Field, who was born in Durham and had been with professional clubs Portsmouth and Mansfield. He later became Spennymoor’s coach for 11 years before joining Bishop Auckland in 1964.
Ron Evans, the physio at Bishop Auckland in 1964, recalled: "Norman was a lovely fella, a proper gentleman, never lost his temper, I thought the world of him.
“I think Spennymoor found him a job at Smart and Browns.
“While he was coach at Bishop, he introduced a lot of young players like Tony Butterfield, Tony Claydon, John Fenwick, Bob Hull and John Barker. However, he lost the coach’s job when Lawrie McMenemy took over in 1965, and the youth policy went out of the window."
Neither Ferryhill or Spennymoor cut any ice in their 1st Round matches in 1953.
A train load of supporters travelled to watch Ferryhill at Workington where Raich Carter, the Leeds United manager, was on a scouting mission. Workington scored just before the break through Stokoe and then after half time Simmonds made it 2-0, before a late goal from Malone made it 3-0.
Ferryhill: Robinson, Brewis, Hunter, Masters, Nisbet, Whitfield, Allen, Kitching, Maughan, Duery, Fagan.
Spennymoor were meeting a Football League side for the first time in 25 years, and a crowd of 6,557 turned up for the occasion. Barrow were a poor team though and Spennymoor only had themselves to blame for a 3-0 defeat.
The Moor nearly went ahead in the second minute when a Humble shot was deflected by a Barrow defender just wide of the upright.
Barrow won the game with three goals from Gordon in the 75th, 77th and 86th minutes.
Spennymoor: Chisholm, Smith, Spedding, Field, Peart, Sands Brownlee, Johnson, Humble, Armstrong, O'Connor.
- Thanks this week to Ron Evans and Michael Burke.
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