Memory Match
Saturday 16th November 1957: FA Cup First Round Proper – Hartlepools United v Prescot Cables
In today’s feature, we will look at the first time – that Prescot Cables reached the first round proper of the FA Cup.
Cables were given a tricky draw in the first qualifying round, away at old Cheshire League rivals, Runcorn. Runcorn had beaten Pwllheli away in the Preliminary round and went into the game as favourites. However, the Cables came away from Canal Street with a creditable victory, with the only goal scored by Dave Robertson, to set up a home tie with Bangor City. Goals from Billy Pye, Bill Watkinson (2) and Freddie Crampton gave Cables a comfortable 4-2 victory. In the third qualifying round, Cables were paired away at the West Cheshire League side, Stork.
Stork, the works team of the Lever Brothers factory at Port Sunlight, and named after their most famous margarine product, were having the season of their lives in the FA Cup. In the first qualifying round they had defeated South Liverpool, followed by a win at Marine, in Crosby in the second qualifying round. After an early scare, when Stork went ahead, Cables eventually proved too strong for the Bromborough amateurs and goals from Bill Watkinson and a brace from Freddie Crampton saw them run out comfortable 3-1 winners.
The excitement was mounting amongst the Cables fans when they were drawn at home to Morecambe in the fourth qualifying round, especially as Prescot had just won a league game at Christie Park, the week before. A large crowd packed in to Hope Street to witness an early goal by Ronnie Mercer. A second half strike from Freddie Crampton and a last minute goal from John Smith saw Cables cruise to a 3-0 victory to see them through to the first round proper for the first time.
Prescot would have dearly loved to draw a league side at home. The first names out of the bag, the draw did pair them with a league team, Hartlepools United of the third division North. Unfortunately, this was for an unglamorous away trip to the North East.
Just before the FA Cup tie, Allan Hampson made his Cables debut. Hampson had previously played for Everton, Halifax Town, Bradford City and South Liverpool.
In the run up to the game, the Hartlepools manager, Ray Middleton, was said to be regarding Prescot Cables with as much respect as he would give to Moscow Dynamos, and had laid on a special training schedule for his squad prior to the game. “I'm working on the assumption the Prescot Cables are just as good as us" he said. "There is such a team spirit among teams like that, that they are often very tough nuts to crack".
The spirits of the Cables fans were high on Saturday November 16th, as upwards of 1,000 travelled to Hartlepool for the game, including 14 coaches, an excursion train and a party of supporters who chartered a private plane from Liverpool’s Speke Airport to Newcastle, from where they caught a train to Hartlepool. The Northern Daily Mail reported that, “among other things, they caused an eating out problem. Nearly all of them arrived in time for lunch, and cafes and snack bars were packed everywhere.” The paper reported that “Everybody was equipped with rosettes, rattles and all the paraphernalia of cup time” meaning that the local rosette salesman was “having a quiet time”.
Perhaps, inadvertently, the paper quoted Cables’ stalwart, Bill McEllin, as “one of the travelling faithful”, saying, “We’ll give ‘Pools a real run for their money, draw or lose.” “But if we ever get them back to Prescot, it’s in the bag for Cables.”
Cables started the game well in front of 9,424 supporters, and were on top of their league hosts in the opening minutes, forcing a number of corners and the ‘Pools keeper into several saves. However, they never really threatened to make this early advantage pay. Play was halted for a minute to remove a dog from the pitch, and this seemed to disrupt the Cables, allowing Hartlepools to come into the game. It was no surprise on 20 minutes when Jack Newton crashed a shot from 20 yards into the top left corner of the Cables’ goal before Frank Garton could move. Billy Pye almost equalised soon after with a low drive towards the corner which was turned around the post by the home keeper, but it was, largely, only the heroics of the Cables goalkeeper, “Jumbo” Frank Garton, that kept the score down to one – nil at the half time interval.
Sadly, Cables ran out of steam in the second half and two goals in two minutes from Hartlepools’ centre forward, Peter Thompson, 10 minutes into the second half, broke Prescot’s resistance and their supporters’ hearts. The game became a personal triumph for Thompson, who scored two more in the 68th and 73rd minutes and almost added a sixth in the final minute when he hit the bar with a free header.
So, defeated, but proud, the Cables team and supporters returned home to focus on their league campaign and retaining the championship.
Hartlepools United: Dyson, Waugh, Cameron, Burlison, Stamper, Newton, Lumley, Smith, Thompson, McGuigan, Luke
Prescot Cables: Frank Garton, Ken Fletcher, Harry Grisedale, Don Henderson, Billy Maddison, Frank Phillips, Freddie Crampton, Billy Pye, Bill Watkinson, Allan Hampson, John Smith
Referee: Mr M. McCoy
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