Holders Whitley Bay out of Vase at hands of rivals West Auckland.
West Auckland Town, one of top Northern League sides, finally ended Whitley Bay’s long unbeaten run in The FA Vase on Saturday to book their place in the last eight. Some of their older supporters will recall that they once played in a Wembley Final before a crowd of 45,000!
Their road to The FA Amateur Cup Final in 1961 began with a 3-0 win at Yorkshire Amateurs in the First Round. Then they beat Clapton 3-1 at home, Penrith 1-0 at Carlisle after two draws (1-1 away and 2-2 at home), Walton & Hersham 4-1 at home and Leytonstone 3-1 after going behind in the eighth minute in the Semi-Final at Sunderland’s Roker Park.
West Auckland met Walthamstow Avenue in the Final, the Isthmian Leaguers who had sensationally held Manchester United to a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford in The FA Cup eight years earlier. Avenue inside-left Saggers was injured in the first minute and hobbled on the wing for the rest of the match, played a few years before substitutes were allowed.
‘West’ forced the pace and left-winger Douglass scored from Broomfield’s cross. Avenue levelled almost immediately through Groves after Lewis, a regular for England Amateurs, had thumped a shot against a post. The second half was played in heavy rain and Lewis notched the winner after ‘keeper Bowmaker had dropped the slippery ball from Andrews’ cross. Confident Avenue held onto their narrow advantage to claim The FA Amateur Cup for the second time in their history.
Now West Auckland must win two ties to guarantee another Wembley appearance after a gap of more than 50 years.
Watch the goals from the Whitley Bay v West Auckland game below, courtesy of
www.northernleaguefootball.co.uk
