Heroes earn their Spurs

ALF RAMSEY famously won the World Cup for England in 1966 with his team of "wingless wonders".

His aversion towards wide men, however, may have been born at Bootham Crescent 11 years earlier when he was given a torrid afternoon by York City's Happy Wanderer Billy Fenton.

Fifty years ago today, Ramsey - then a player at Tottenham Hotspur - was assigned with the task of marking Fenton in the 21,000 sell-out fifth round clash against the Minstermen.

But the future England manager was trailing in the wake of City's flying left winger for large periods of the match.

Fenton's team-mate Norman Wilkinson, who was City's two-goal hero in the 3-1 conquering of Spurs, remembers Ramsey's misery well.

He said: "Billy wasn't a great player but his pace used to frighten people and Alf Ramsey couldn't handle it."

Wilkinson, himself, would later earn respect from another future England boss Don Revie, who used to send new strikers at Leeds United to Bootham Crescent to study the Minstermen's all-time record goalscorer.

"Don Revie used to come to our matches occasionally and I remember Albert Johanneson being with him once," Wilkinson recalled. "He later told me that he fetched them over to watch me play."

As well as Wilkinson's two goals and Fenton's speed, the Happy Wanderers' eldest statesman Sid Storey also played a key role in victory over the White Hart Lane giants.

Storey, then 35, shackled a certain promising youngster who would later become Spurs' double-winning captain in 1961.

Wilkinson said: "As soon as the draw was made, Sid said Danny Blanchflower's mine. He had played with him at Barnsley and told us he knew what he could do. That was a boon for us and Sid didn't let him play at all."

But it was Wilkinson who grabbed the headlines after his brace and he even went close to scoring a hat-trick.

His shot was parried by Ron Reynolds before Fenton scored City's second goal and the Spurs keeper also made a magnificent diving save from a 20-yard Wilkinson effort late on.

But the Alnwick-born forward was not a greedy man and admitted that two goals was sufficient satisfaction against the mighty Spurs.

He said: "Two goals was pleasing enough and you just enjoy it as it comes. Billy Hughes dropped one on to my head for the first goal, I got to it before their centre-half and it went in lovely from eight yards. I didn't do badly with headers at any time.

"Billy scored the second, beating Ramsey to the ball after the keeper saved my shot. He then got away with ten minutes to go and put a cross in that I turned into the goal. It wasn't really a shot but it went right into the corner.

"We didn't really have any stars or internationals but we just played as a team and were a great side."

The humbling of Spurs, Ramsey and Blanchflower was regarded as City's finest-ever performance at the time.

Tom Lockie's team recovered from an early George Robb goal to outplay their top-flight opponents on an icy pitch.

Wilkinson, however, believes the team were equally impressive in other games during the famous run and says reports that City should have had six against the North London giants were exaggerated.

"I wouldn't say it should have been six but it was good to beat a team like Tottenham," he said. "There were 21,000 supporters there and it was a great atmosphere. The ground was a bit iffy but the snow was cleared away and melted. We adapted better than they did.

"It was one of our best games as a team and I would say that because I scored twice but I also felt we played well at Blackpool and in the semi-final against Newcastle. Unfortunately, in that game, the Hillsborough pitch was a quagmire which didn't help us and I remember feeling sorry for the girl pipers' band who got drenched before we went on."

Wilkinson's tally of 143 goals still puts him at the top of City's all-time list 39 years after he hung up his Football League boots at Bootham Crescent.

The late, great Keith Walwyn fell just three short of Wilkinson's record but the Wearside-based 74-year-old is proud to have maintained his position.

He said: "It will take a while to beat now. I thought Keith Walwyn would.

"He was a handful and didn't half cause some bother for defences. I saw him play really well against Liverpool for York in the FA Cup."

Wilkinson's exploits in front of goal led to constant transfer speculation during his 12-year career with the Minstermen but, despite Revie's admiration, he was only ever made aware of interest from one other club.

The approach came in 1963 when a former Hull City team-mate came calling for Wilkinson during a rare period in which City's prolific striker was out of the team at Bootham Crescent.

But a sense of duty towards his father prevented Wilkinson from giving up his career as a cobbler and becoming a full-time professional.

He said: "The only club I was ever told were interested in me was Colchester, who were then managed by Neil Franklin -- an old team-mate of mine. He told me if I went there to play I would have to be full-time and the reason I didn't go was my old fella was still alive and he was on his own. I wanted to be close by and he died three years later in 1966."

City skate home at the Crescent

YORK City received their first home draw in four attempts when they were handed a mouth-watering FA Cup fifth round clash against football aristocrats Tottenham Hotspur.

Tickets sold quickly and a sell-out crowd of 21,000 filled Bootham Crescent for the club's first home match against top-flight opposition since 1938.

Ground staff worked long hours to shift snow off a pitch that was to be graced by the likes of Danny Blanchflower and Alf Ramsey and City's illustrious visitors took an 11th-minute lead when George Robb netted from close range.

But the home side were level on 29 minutes when Billy Fenton sped away from Ramsey and back-heeled the ball to Billy Hughes, whose cross was headed in by Norman Wilkinson.

Two minutes later, City were in front. Arthur Bottom beat two defenders before passing to Wilkinson, whose fierce shot was parried by Ron Reynolds only for Fenton to slam in the loose ball.

Spurs' fate was then sealed on 80 minutes when Fenton beat Ramsey down the left again and his cross was steered into the net by Wilkinson, who was only denied a hat-trick by Reynolds' magnificent diving save late on.

City's achievements now made national headlines and a subsequent visit from BBC's Sportsnight cameras propelled the Happy Wanderers into the spotlight.

Cobbler Norman nails Tottenham

LIKE many of the Happy Wanderers' team, two-goal hero Norman Wilkinson combined his playing duties with a full-time job.

He even requested a two-weeks' holiday from his job as a cobbler to participate in pre-season training.

"It used to coincide with the Ebor race meeting so we'd go there as well," he added.

Otherwise, Wilkinson would rely on the generosity of his bosses to attend matches, which he travelled to first by train from the Durham-based factory and then by Morris Minor when he could afford to buy his own car.

"I used to mend my football boots myself or get somebody else in the factory to do them," he laughed.

Wilkinson continued to work as a cobbler after leaving football and now lives near non-league Anfield Plain's football ground, where he ended his playing days.

He also bumps into former City players Kevin Dixon and Kevin McMahon, who are based in the area, and has continued to attend occasional Bootham Crecsent matches with fellow Happy Wanderers Gordon Brown and Sid Storey, normally paying a visit to Billy Fenton's widow Margo as well.

Wilkinson watched several games during last season's heart-breaking relegation from the Football League, providing a cruel irony as City's shot-shy side plunged down the table while the club's greatest ever marksman sat in the stands.

"They were mid-table halfway through the season but, after that, the couldn't score goals and were getting beaten by teams they were far better than," he said ruefully.

:: FA Cup match facts

Fifth round - February 19, 1955

York City 3 (Wilkinson 2, Fenton); Tottenham Hotspur 1 (Robb)

York City: Tommy Forgan, Ernie Phillips, George Howe, Gordon Brown, Alan Stewart, Ron Spence, Billy Hughes, Arthur Bottom, Norman Wilkinson, Sid Storey, Billy Fenton.

Tottenham Hotspur: Ron Reynolds, Alf Ramsey, Mel Hopkins, Danny Blanchflower, Harry Clarke, Tony Marchi, Sonny Walters, Eddie Baily, Len Duquemin, John Brooks, George Robb.

Referee: G Gibson (Manchester).

Attendance: 21,000 (receipts £3,845).

Updated: 11:02 Saturday, February 19, 2005