The 1951 FA Cup Final

Lore & Background

Bill Slater, who played at inside left for losers Blackpool, was the last surviving player to have appeared in the final. He died in December 2018 at the age of 91. The last surviving Newcastle United player from the final was Charlie Crowe, who died in February 2010 at the age of 85.

In Their Own Story

The April sun hung low over Wembley, casting long shadows across the hallowed turf. In the stands, a sea of black and white rippled like the Tyne at high tide, the roar of the travelling supporters a constant, thunderous hum beneath the hush of the pre-match silence. On the pitch, the Newcastle players stretched in their familiar stripes, their boots pressing into the soft grass, and there was a quiet certainty in their eyes. They had beaten Arsenal before. They had beaten everyone before. But this was Wembley, and the FA Cup gleamed under the floodlights like a promise waiting to be kept. The referee's whistle split the air, and for ninety minutes the world narrowed to a single, burning purpose: to run, to strike, to win. And when it was over, the noise that rose from the North-East corner of the ground was not merely a cheer. It was a declaration. Newcastle United, kings of England, once more.

Reader's Guide

Radio listeners around the nation could tune in to hear the match on the BBC light programme with commentary from Raymond Glendenning. However, only the second half of the match was televised by the BBC with commentary from Jimmy Jewell, his last cup final before his death the following year, and Kenneth Wolstenholme. The Television footage has since been lost.

Did You Know?

• Jackie Milburn scored both goals for Newcastle United in the 1951 FA Cup final.
• Bill Slater was the last surviving player from the final, dying in December 2018 at age 91.
• Only the second half of the match was televised by the BBC, and the footage has since been lost.