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Swansea Town v Sunderland – 19th February 1955 |
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SWANS v SUNDERLAND FA CUP 5th ROUND 19th FEB 1955 There is no doubt that the 1950’s decade was the most productive era in the Swans footballing history, and ultimately in that of the Welsh national side. International players were being produced by Swansea on a conveyor belt basis – along with the legendary Ivor Allchurch there was his brother Len, Terry Medwin, Cliff Jones, Mel Charles, Harry Griffiths, John King, etc. On top of this there were John Charles and Jack Kelsey, world class performers who would play at the highest level, but unfortunately never for their hometown club. It was during this period that the young Swans team was drawn at home to the mighty Sunderland in the FA Cup. This team from the football hot-bed of the North East had, at the time, never played outside the premier division of English football. Such was their stature that they carried the nickname “The Bank of England club” due to their spending capacity. In the Sunderland line-up that day was the “Clown Prince of Football” – the inimitable Len Shackleton. His nickname is self-explanatory, with the nearest modern day equivalent being Paul Gascoine. Also appearing at centre half for the visitors was Swansea’s own Ray Daniel. He was bought by Sunderland from Arsenal, with whom he had played in the 1951 FA cup winning side, and some years later would join the Swans towards the end of an illustrious career. The match was billed as a battle of the inside forwards, with the Swans’ Allchurch up against Shackleton, but will be best remembered for the thick covering of snow that rendered the tie something of a lottery. Despite some neat touches from the home side, it was Sunderland, through Chisholm, who deservedly left the field at half time with a 1 – 0 advantage. The second half saw a more positive Swans performance, and it was not long before they equalised through Len Allchurch. On 65 minutes the Swans took the lead with a Terry Medwin headed goal, but within two minutes they had surrendered this as Fleming put Sunderland back on level terms. The game finished with this 2 – 2 scoreline, and the Swans went to Roker Park the following Wednesday and bowed out with a narrow 1 – 0 defeat. The match programme is a 12 page effort, with use of red on the cover to highlight the date and opponents. There are photographs of visiting players Ken Chisholm and Len Shackleton on the front cover, and a photo of Swans captain Tom Kiley on page 4. Although the programme is very basic by today’s standards, with plenty of adverts throughout, it is nevertheless beginning to lose the austere look of the 1940s’ programmes, and for 3d is a decent effort. The type of adverts certainly provides an insight into the lifestyle of the period, with several motor car and motor cycle dealers included, a couple of “long gone” local pubs featured (The Gardeners Arms and the Oystermouth Inn), and a front page appeal for donations from Dr Barnardo’s Homes (caring for 7000 children and dependent on public support). Estimated value of a reasonable condition copy of this programme – £5 – 10 |
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This article first appeared on JACKARMY.net.