Cultureshock

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Video transcript

I was a Bishop Auckland fan from my earliest memory. I first remember listening to the 1946 cup final on the radio in our kitchen at home with my father and my grandfather. We lost that one to Barnard 3-2. I consider myself very lucky to be born in that age and had a father who was very keen on Bishop Auckland and took me to all the matches. From an early age I always kept scrap books. The best was organised from 1953 in an old leather bound book from when my father worked at Auckland Park colliery. This covered the 4 seasons to 1957 and Bishop Auckland reached Wembley each year. With details of each round including previews of the rounds. My mam kept all the papers in the house in a big pile under the stairs and she kept pestering me to make a big effort to cut out what I wanted so they could throw the rest of the papers out. After 4 heart breaking years of being losing finalists, Wembley is the worst place in the world after losing. The last loss was in a three game match to the local rivals Crook. That was very hard to take especially losing to Middlesbrough in controversial circumstances. Finally in 1955, Hendon were beaten 2-0 and the joy of victory at Wembley was realised. Then the second success came a year later against Corinthian Casuals in a replay at Middlesbrough.

In 1957 when I was just turned 17 I organised about 12 of us to travel overnight, Friday, by train to Kings Cross for the final against Wycombe Wanderers. It was the first time I’d been away without my parents. They did travel down to London and go to the game. To prepare for the final my dad made me a rattle, corncrake, which he copied from a borrowed one and the local vicar gave me an old bowler hat. Both of these I painted in two blue colours. Because we had to play in white at Wembley I sat for hours at home and sewed ribbon onto cardboard to make a 12 inch diameter rosette. So we were ready for the off. The only memory of the train journey down which left Bishop Auckland at about half past 11 on a Friday night was a card school which lasted almost all night. I played early on but I backed out when the stakes started to get a bit too high. We walked over London on the Saturday morning. Lunch at Lion’s Corner House and then we were off on the underground to Wembley Park and to the game. The game was very tense, Wycombe equalised after an early Billy Russell goal, Derek Lewin made it 2-1 at half time. The second half was more enjoyable after Warren Bradley made it 3-1 to Bishop and the final whistle brought great scenes of celebration. It was the third successive win in out fourth consecutive final at Wembley. The tenth win overall. Hindsight lets me realise it was the end of a fabulous era. Bob Hardisty and Jim Nimmins retired after this match and it was the sixth Wembley final and that team would never play together again. Bishop would not play in another FA amateur cup final. After the game we went back into London, tea in Lion’s Corner House and then we went to a cinema where I slept the whole of the performance. They woke me up and we reached Kings Cross at about half past 11 at night to get the train back home. And I was amazed to find out local sports papers were on sale in the station with our pictures in it. Slept on the train home, reached out house at about 8.30 on Sunday morning, very tired but very happy. My mam woke me for Sunday lunch and then the weekend was finished by watching the second half of the match on BBC TV. Happy days.