Aston Villa Wins English Cup Final

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28269, 6 May 1957, Page 12

Aston Villa Wins English Cup Final

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright)

LONDON, May 4. Aston Villa set a record by winning the £ ootball Association Cup for the seventh time in beating Manchester United by 2 goals to 1 today in one of the most unsatisfactory cup finals of all time. Manchester United had its English international goalkeeper Ray Wood knocked out in the sixth minute by Aston Villa’s Irish international leftwinger, Peter McFarland.

United had to play most of the remainder of the game with their Irish international) centre-half, Jackie Blanchfiower, in goal, and only four forwards for nearly 40 minutes. Wood was a passenger on the right wing when he returned. After the game he was found to have a fractured cheekbone.

This handicap was too great for even a young and outstanding team like Manchester United to overcome.

Substitutes Rule If ever there was a case for allowing substitutes, today proved it, at least as far as goalkeepers are concerned, Reuter's sports editor said (English rules, unlike those on the

Continent and elsewhere, bar the substitution of players during matches.) The injury to Wood completely wrecked a match which the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and 100,000 enthusiasts had come to Wembley to watch in expectation of seeing what could have been one of the most fascinating finals ever. Aston Villa’s win set a record for English football as it became the first club to win the cup seven times since the competition was started in 1872. Newcastle United and Blackburn Rovers are next with six wins each.

Manchester United, 2/1-on favourite. failed in its bid to be the first team since 1897 to bring off the big football double by winning the knock-out cup competition as well as the league championship, which it holds.

The last, team to achieve this was Aston Villa.

Manchester United, an exceptionally young and talented side, has this

year been spearhead of England’s partial soccer revival after its eclipse of the last few years and reached the semi-final of the European cup, yielding to Real Madrid. Held Out United held out magnificently until midway through the second half when McParland’s two goals gave the Midlands team, what appeared to be, under the circumstances, an unassailable lead. But United was far from done for and fought hard right to the finish. Tn an all-out offensive, the international centre-forward. Tommy Taylor, headed through to reduce the lead. After Blanchfiower came out of goal toward the end, the Manchester men swarmed all over Aston Villa, in spite of the battering they had taken by playing with only 10 fit men. It was only the famed defence of Aston Villa that prevented this do-or-die attempt from succeeding. Other results were:—Glasgow Charity Cup—Second round: Queen’s Park 4, Third Lanark 1: Rangers 2, Clyde 0. League 111 (Southern): Southampton 3. Newport County 0. Rugby League Championship.— Semi-finals: Oldham 22, Leeds 12; Hull 45, Barrow 14.