Eric Houghton’s Villa line up for their record ninth FA Cup Final packed with illustrious players yet it was Manchester United who were feted as the likely winners.
Perhaps the bias was justified as title winners United had delivered an excellent season whilst Villa, despite fielding the likes of goalkeeper Nigel Sims, an outstanding centre half in Jimmy Dugdale, former England captain Jackie Sewell, Captain and Villa dynamo Johnny Dixon and the effervescent Peter McParland, had come off the back of a league season in which they finished 10th.
To date the stewardship of Eric Houghton at the Villa helm had been below par with 13th, 6th, 20th and 10th place finishes and early exits from the FA Cup each season.
Houghton’s high point as manager however was to come this late Spring Saturday afternoon.
Peter McParland’s outstanding contribution with goals in the 68th and 73rd minute gave Villa a 2-0 lead into the closing stages of the game but a late goal on 83’ from United set up a nervy finish.
Villa held on however for a famous victory - lifting the FA Cup for a record seventh time in front of typically exuberant Villa crowd.
Regrettably however the final has been overshadowed by two oft mentioned incidents, one during the match, one the following year. Both the injury to United goalkeeper Ray Wood and the Munich disaster of 1958 have overshadowed Villa’s success for some.
Wood injured himself in the 6th minute of the game as Peter McParland challenged him for the ball. Referee Frank Coultas explained: “It was not a malicious foul. McParland did not try to harm Wood. He was just a bit too robust, as they call it, just a bit too enthusiastic in playing the traditional British game of getting stuck in.”
Wood suffered a fractured cheekbone and was replaced in goal by the accomplished Jackie Blanchflower - brother of Villa’s former player Danny. In the immediate aftermath of the injury United and Villa seemed to forget about playing football and instead took turns to kick lumps out of one another, as what had promised to be an entertaining game had now veered into an altogether different sort of contest.
Thankfully however play returned to its expected pattern by 20’ and Villa showed the near 100,000 crowd that they were a true footballing side equal to their opposition on the day.
In an ebb and flow game United were initially on top before Villa were in the ascendancy to half time and a similar pattern took shape from kick off in the second half with United dominating early play.
Villa however would come back strongly and it wasn’t a surprise when they opened the scoring.
In the 68th minute Peter McParland grabbed his and Villa’s first goal, heading in Captain Johnny Dixon’s fine cross which gave stand in keeper Blanchflower no chance at all.
Within five minutes, Villa had doubled their lead after Billy Myerscough had rattled the United crossbar. Billy’s shot, with the ‘keeper beaten saw the ball came back into play and there was the opportunistic Peter McParland, perfectly positioned to smash in number two.
In a rather confused fashion, United’s injured ‘keeper Wood returned to action in the outfield following the second goal and with eight minutes to go United pulled a goal back.
Wood then replaced Blanchflower in goal creating an almost surreal end to the game as a player injured (to much fanfare during and after the game) returned to the field after 70 minutes in one position only to take his regular spot for the closing stages.
Villa however played on oblivious to the increasingly surreal spectacle to clinch their seventh cup win and cement their position as the most successful FA Cup team in history.

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