Triumph in knockout final

Footage from the Yorkshire Film Archive shows the the halfway-line flag fluttering vigorously as the players run out of the Old Trafford tunnel, Newcastle United in their black and white vertical striped shirts, City in claret and amber.

The pitch-side camera doesn’t show all the pitch, which was different in those days.

Penalty area semi-circles did not come in until 1937. Players could be ruled offside from a throw-in. To remain onside, three defenders had to be between an attacker and the goal when the ball was kicked. Goalkeepers were not obliged to stand on the goal-line for penalties.

What the camera does show was how fit and lively the players were, even though they had played the first Cup Final match at London’s Crystal Palace ground the previous Saturday and had a league game to play against Middlesbrough at Valley Parade the day after the Cup Final replay at Manchester. Three important matches including two Cup Finals in six days – the players had to be fit. Old Trafford, built at a cost of £60,000 in 1909 and opened in February 1910, had capacity for 70,000 spectators. Judging by the film footage, the ground was full for the replay.

Train services between industrial and commercial cities were such that the supporters of Bradford and Newcastle would have no little or no trouble getting to and from Manchester.

Dave Pendleton, Bradford railwayman and author of the book Glorious 1911, says the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway company organised five special trains from Exchange Station, calling at Bowling Junction, Low Moor and Halifax.

The Great Northern Railway company operated an excursion direct to Old Trafford station, which left Thornton at 11.35am, picking up at Queensbury, Clayton, Great Horton, Manchester Road, Bradford Exchange and Dudley Hill.

A third railway company, the Midland, put on an FA Cup final special that ran from Forster Square to Manningham, Shipley, Bingley, Keighley and Earby.

Mr Pendleton wrote: “Forty minutes before kick-off the gates were closed with over thirty thousand people locked out. In complete contrast to the match at Crystal Palace, a boisterous wind blew around the ground and the pitch was soft after a heavy rainfall the previous day.”

In the first half, Newcastle, with the breeze at their backs, tried to take advantage of the conditions but were defied by City’s Scottish defender Robert Torrance. A rare City attack saw centre-forward Jimmy Speirs follow up and head the ball over Newcastle’s goalkeeper Jim Lawrence.

Sir George Robertson, MP for Central Bradford, sent a telegram to the Bradford Weekly Telegraph in the manner of a war correspondent. “The forwards and half backs played with the brilliance and impetuosity of the old-fashioned amateur cup teams, while the full backs and goal were as steady and deadly as the guards at Waterloo.”

So, Bradford City, eight years after joining the Football League, were the first winners of the new FA Cup trophy, designed in Bradford by William Norman, who worked for gold and silversmiths firm Fattorini & Sons.

His design, chosen from 250, was the third FA Cup trophy in 39 years. It was made at Fattorini’s Barr Street works in Birmingham and cost 50 guineas (£52.50).

Thousands greeted the team and club officials when they arrived back at Exchange Station that evening. A celebration dinner took place at the Midland Hotel that night. The game against Middlesbrough the following day could wait.