Wembley Cup Tie Is A Colourful Occasion

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28896, 16 May 1959, Page 5

Wembley Cup Tie Is A Colourful Occasion

[From the London Correspondent of “The Press”!

LONDON, May 4. AN hour before the kick-off at Wembley on Saturday the price the ticket touts could get for 3s 6d standing-room-only, tickets had slumped. It was down to 30s. Some had paid £2 for them and were eager to cut their losses though no-one doubted that they had made a nice packet on earlier sales. One Cup Final spiv was said to have taken £6OOO in the resale of tickets, making an average profit of £8 on each. He even sold tickets on the instalment plan. Excitement But an hour before the match between Luton Town and Nottingham Forest people were forgetting the money they had paid out and were being swept up in the great excitement that always attends this fixture. Along the approach to the stadium a Methodist Church was pretending to ignore the occasion by holding a children’s party and jumble sale, but doing nice business on the side with cups of tea. The touts and their assistants dodged through the crowd offering to sell—and buy—tickets. Scores of stands peddled souvenir cups, hats, rosettes and flags. The only things going free were the “Daily Express” song sheet, tracts from religious societies, messages of hope and warning and the advice on placards: “Flee from the Wrath to Come,’’ but nobody did. Singing The sun shone and the crowd of 100,000 joined heartily in the singing of “Daisy Bell,” and “Keep Right on to the End of the Road.” and “She’ll be Cornin’ Round the Mountain,” and “All the Nice Girls Love a Sailor.” Then there was a little cheer when, after all the fuss and doubt about it. the traditional two verses of “Abide With Me” were sung slowly and fervently to the ac-

companiment of the Band of the Royal Marines (Portsmouth). Veterans were not quite sure when they saw a demonstration of keep-fit exercises by a welldrilled team of young women from Coventry. Pink legs and short, buttercup yellow skirts are not quite in the Cup Tie tradition, but it was an innovation that went down very well. The Royal Standard was unfurled over the main entrance, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh arrived, the teams were presented to the Duke and the scene was set. For 13 minutes the west end of the stadium, where Forest supporters sat in a solid block, was in an uproar of delight and excitement. Their team was going like a perfect machine, and the clockwork attack was rewarded with the first goal. It is strange how quiet such a big crowd can be at times. Silent moments of tension were followed by roars of relief or dismay. Glum The strain of “Robin Hood, Robin Hood,” spurred Nottingham Forest to their second goal and Luton Town looked in bad shape. The supporters behind the east goal sat glumly under their straw boaters and black and rwhite caps. After 33 minutes Dwight, the Forest outside right was carried off to Wembley Hospital with a broken leg. There he watched his 10 team-mates on television playing as well in the second half as they had in the first. At Luton, ‘the Windsor Castle public house had been given a special extension of hours to show the match on television but the Luton Town depression spread even there. According to the landlord “the lads downed their pints and trooped out in silence. Triumph But all was joy and triumph for Nottingham Forest. After their 2-1 win their captain Jack

Burkitt led the team up the steps to the Royal balcony to receive the F.A. Cup from the Queen. He held the trophy high for the crowd to see and was carried shoulder high before the press cameras. “Gate-crash Harry’’ Sugarman, the 35-year-old ironing board salesman from Tottenham, sprinted on to the pitch for the fourth year in succession in an attempt to pose again in the pictures of the winning team. But the police defeated him and bundled him away through a corridor under the stands. His failure cost him a box of chocolates which he had wagered with his wife.