Jim McGookin
"I said: 'To prove to you that I will not sell the ticket, I will produce the signed autographs of the winning team!'"
The Story
Jim went to Wembley stadium to see the 1961 FA Cup Final. He decided to take autograph hunting to a new level. Sneaking down the tunnel, Jim got both a wonderful reception from the players and a very special drink.
The story continues...
Before money became the de facto influence over Football the FA cup was the most romantic, passionate and pulsating competition in club football. Today we still hear the old clichΓ©s such as: "The magic of the cup" or "they are a great cup team", but in the 1960s these adages still rang true.
Spurs were a great cup team. That year, 1961, they were looking to do 'the double' and be the first side since Aston Villa in 1897 to win both the league and the cup in the same year. They would be successful in their quest, beating Leicester 2-0 in the final.
Admittedly the match was not a fantastic one. Spurs scored early in the game, and as Jim says, that killed the match a little bit. They deserved their win and as our eyewitness Jim will testify, they celebrated in style.
In the gallery you may see some familiar faces, in the Tottenham Hotspur team photo the great Danny Blanchflower sits proudly. Danny was born in Bloomfield, Belfast and it is a testament to his skill and character that the Spurs fans in North London regard Danny as a true hero, a legend. Danny was the captain of the 1961 double winning side, but although Danny will always be remembered for his goals for Spurs, one must not forget his contribution to the Northern Ireland side. In the 1958 World Cup, Danny, as captain, led Northern Ireland to the quarter finals of the World Cup in Sweden.
Another player you may recognise from the gallery is the Leicester goalkeeper, Gordon Banks. Gordon will always be remembered as one of the great goalkeepers. He went on to win the World Cup with England in 1966. Gordon will also always be remembered for 'that save against Pele'; you can watch it by clicking the link on the right hand side.
Finally, in the story you will hear Jim speaking of Kenneth Wolstenholme, not everything may know this name, but this man uttered the most famous words in the history of Football..."Some people are on the pitch...they think it's all over...it is now!".
Comments
Name: Jim
Date: 08/071/2008
Comment: Thanks for your comments Stephen. I also heard your story as I seldom miss days like this at either the lunchtime or midnight rendition. It is always good to have been at an FA cup final. Unfortunately I have never seen Man Utd win it in real life!!
I was there in 76, S'thampton won 1-0 and then Utd beat L'pool the next year when I wasn't there.
Jack Blanchflower played with me at school and he was the 1st Busby Babe.
Name: Stephen Palmer
Date: 23/11/2007
Comment: An excellent story and a great photograph of you and Danny Blanchflower with the cup I told the story of the 1988 final between Wimbledon and Liverpool which I was lucky enough to be at with my then fiancee Geraldine There is a photograph of me holding the cup I would be interested to read your comments on my story
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