Pride of Anglia - Ipswich Town Football Club
since 1878
Do You Remember... January 1939
FA Cup 3rd Round Fever?
Blues first competed in the FA Cup way back in 1890, a time when the Cup Final was played at the Kennington Oval, now of course a test match venue, and was being won by teams with such colourful names as Old Etonians, Royal Engineers and Clapham Rovers! Blues themselves beat teams including Huntingdon County and Old Wykehamists, but never progressed beyond the qualifying rounds.
Aston Villa, one of the founding members of the Football League, and three-time winners of the FA Cup themselves before the end of the 19th century, were a First Division team when, in 1938, Blues were elected to become the newest members of the Football League and were placed in the Third Division (Southern section).
Membership of the Football League had its privleges, one of which was exemption to the First Round proper of the FA Cup and so it was that Town embarked on their 1938/39 campaign with a First Round tie at home to Somerset side Street. The non-Leaguers played well and were only a goal down at the interval, when centre forward Fred Chadwick charged the Street keeper Hardy into the back of the net! However, the second half belonged to the home side and six more goals sealed a 7-0 rout, with Chadwick scoring four times in all.
In the next round Blues were granted another home tie, also against opposition from the South-West in the form of fellow Third Division side Torquay United, a team Blues had already beaten at home, six week previously. The scoreline was different but the result the same, as right winger Jackie Little tormented the opposition, scoring twice and turning provider for a third. The 4-1 victory in front of over sixteen thousand fans sent Blues into unknown territory as they reached the Third Round for the very first time.
Then, as now, this was the stage at which the finest teams in the land made their entrance, and there was much anticipation in the town as to who Ipswich would be drawn against. The holders were Preston North End who had beaten Huddersfield Town in extra time the previous April in the first Cup Final to have been televised. Arsenal were the League Champions and Aston Villa were newly promoted to the top flight, having pipped Manchester United for the Second Division title. Who would it be? When the fixtures were announced, Blues were drawn against Villa, at Villa Park, and so preparations began for the biggest game in the Club's history.
Preparations on the field were going well, with Blues remaining undefeated in their five games since the Second Round victory, including a 5-1 Boxing Day mauling of Mansfield Town, and spirits were high as the town mounted their biggest-ever "Away day" to the midlands.
On the day of the game, imagine the thoughts going through the players minds as they took the field in front of the biggest crowd ever to have witnessed an Ipswich Town game - 34,910. Manager Scott Duncan had made two changes, one of which would have a big bearing on the game. Jock Hutcheson had been signed by Blues in the summer of 1938 as the squad was being strengthened ready for League football. However the Football League refused to allow the player's registration with Ipswich as Hutcheson had, two years earlier, received compensation from the Football League for an injury which ended his career with Chelsea. The restriction did not extend to the FA Cup, however, and so he was eligible to make his First team debut at Villa Park.
On the day of the game the pitch was in poor condition, muddy in the middle and icy at the edges. Villa were at full strength, but Blues weren't daunted and began the game well, surprising both the home team and the crowd. Ipswich tried to play the ball on the groud but on more than one occasion mud stopped the ball in its tracks. There was no score at the break and the Suffolk fans were enjoying their day. Things got better a few minutes into the second half when Hutcheson took a free kick and Fred Chadwick was fouled as he went to head the ball - penalty! As Charlie Fletcher stepped up to take the kick, Biddlestone in the Villa goal was dancing up and down on the goal-line. Fletcher's kick hit the upright and despite protests from the Town players, the referee bizarrely restarted play with a drop ball. As the game wore on, both sides tried to win the game and when Villa scored from a corner with seven minutes to go, it looks as though the First Division side would take the honours. blues' heads did not drop, however, and when Fletcher crossed the ball with two minutes left on the clock, debutant Jock Hutcheson rose to head the ball home and send the tie into a replay.
Four days later the tie resumed at Portman Road. The crowd of over 28,000 was a record at Portman Road, and they were treated to a game of thrills from start to end. Proving that their draw in the mud at Villa Park was no fluke, Blues were hte better team in all departments. The Portman Road surface was immaculate and this allowe the team to play to their strengths. Despite some dangerous attacks, there was no score by half-time. With the prize for victory being a tie against the FA Cup holders Preston, there was every incentive to score the first goal. Disaster struck soon after the break when Blues' centre-half Dave Bell was injured and had to be helped off the pitch. Althouhg he later returned, he played on the left wing and didn't touch the ball again; Blues were effectively down to ten men. Although Ipswich continued to attack, the Villa's numerical superiority kept the home side at bay, and after 64 minutes Villa had the ball in the back of the net and after consulting with his linesman, the referee awarded a goal. For the second time in the tie the Third Division side were behind, but ten-man Ipswich stuck to their task and with fifteen minutes left ot play Fred Jones hit a cross shot which beat the Villa keeper to level the scores. Town continued to attack in search of the winner, but with 90 seconds to play it was Villa who cruelly snatched a winner. Town were beaten, but left the field with their heads held high, and over the course of the two games had shown the sporting world that Suffolk on was well and truly on the footballing map.
Ian Hunneybell