1959 FA Cup Final
Encyclopedia
The 1959 FA Cup Final was contested by Nottingham Forest
and Luton Town
at Wembley. Forest won 2–1, with goals from Roy Dwight
and Tommy Wilson
just four minutes apart. Dave Pacey
scored Luton's consolation goal.
The game was notable for an unusually large number of stoppages due to injury, particularly to Nottingham Forest players, which was put down to the lush nature of the Wembley turf. The most notable of these stoppages occurred when goalscorer Roy Dwight
was carried off the pitch after breaking his leg in a tackle with Brendan McNally
after 33 minutes.
This also proved a turning point in the game as Forest had been the more dominant team to that point, leading by two goals at the time. Luton gradually took control of the match from this point on, scoring midway through the second half.
Forest were reduced to nine fit men with ten minutes remaining when Bill Whare
was crippled with cramp, being forced to play wide on the wing where he was little more than a spectator.
The high volume of injuries during the second half led to four minutes of additional time being added on by the referee, during which time Luton twice came close to forcing extra time as Allan Brown headed narrowly wide of goal before Billy Bingham
hit the side netting. Given the condition of the Forest team at that time it would have been a remarkable feat for them to have won the game or even forced a replay in extra time had Luton equalised.
At the final whistle the Forest manager Billy Walker
entered the field to congratulate his team and was chased by a steward who tried to marshall him back off. The steward mistook Walker to be a pitch invader.
The game was televised live on the BBC Grandstand
programme who introduced score captions into their broadcast for the first time in an FA cup final. This however caused much annoyance in Nottingham where their team's name was displayed on the screen at regular intervals as Notts Forest. Commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme
apologised live on air for the mistake, stating that the caption should read Nott'm Forest.
During the game the Forest fans were heard to sing the theme tune to the then popular television programme Robin Hood
, this being the first time that popular television culture had made its way into a terrace song during a cup final.
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LUTON TOWN:
1
Ronald Baynham
2
Brendan McNally
3
Ken Hawkes
4
John Groves
5
Syd Owen
(c)
6
Dave Pacey
7
Billy Bingham
8
Allan Brown
9
Bob Morton
10
George Cummins
11
Tony Gregory
Manager:
Syd Owen
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
and Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
at Wembley. Forest won 2–1, with goals from Roy Dwight
Roy Dwight
Royston Edward Dwight was an English footballer.When he was eight, Roy’s mother died in childbirth, while giving birth to his sister Susan, and following his father’s death, he moved in with his grandparents....
and Tommy Wilson
Tommy Wilson (footballer born 1930)
Tommy Wilson was an English professional footballer who played for Nottingham Forest and Walsall....
just four minutes apart. Dave Pacey
Dave Pacey
David "Dave" Pacey is an English former professional footballer best known as a player for his home-town club Luton Town.-Career:...
scored Luton's consolation goal.
The game was notable for an unusually large number of stoppages due to injury, particularly to Nottingham Forest players, which was put down to the lush nature of the Wembley turf. The most notable of these stoppages occurred when goalscorer Roy Dwight
Roy Dwight
Royston Edward Dwight was an English footballer.When he was eight, Roy’s mother died in childbirth, while giving birth to his sister Susan, and following his father’s death, he moved in with his grandparents....
was carried off the pitch after breaking his leg in a tackle with Brendan McNally
Brendan McNally
John Brendan McNally, known as Brendan McNally , is an Irish former professional footballer.He was a right back who moved from League of Ireland club Shelbourne F.C. to Luton Town F.C...
after 33 minutes.
This also proved a turning point in the game as Forest had been the more dominant team to that point, leading by two goals at the time. Luton gradually took control of the match from this point on, scoring midway through the second half.
Forest were reduced to nine fit men with ten minutes remaining when Bill Whare
Bill Whare
William Whare was an English professional footballer who played as a right back....
was crippled with cramp, being forced to play wide on the wing where he was little more than a spectator.
The high volume of injuries during the second half led to four minutes of additional time being added on by the referee, during which time Luton twice came close to forcing extra time as Allan Brown headed narrowly wide of goal before Billy Bingham
Billy Bingham
William Laurence "Billy" Bingham, MBE is a former international footballer and football manager. He is currently a scout for English Football League Championship side Burnley....
hit the side netting. Given the condition of the Forest team at that time it would have been a remarkable feat for them to have won the game or even forced a replay in extra time had Luton equalised.
At the final whistle the Forest manager Billy Walker
Billy Walker
William Henry "Billy" Walker was a prominent English footballer of the 1920s and 1930s. He is considered by many to be the greatest footballer to ever play for Aston Villa Football Club-Biography:...
entered the field to congratulate his team and was chased by a steward who tried to marshall him back off. The steward mistook Walker to be a pitch invader.
The game was televised live on the BBC Grandstand
Grandstand (BBC)
Grandstand was a British television sport programme. Broadcast between 1958 and 2007, it was one of the BBC's longest running sports shows, alongside BBC Sports Personality of the Year.Its first presenter was Peter Dimmock...
programme who introduced score captions into their broadcast for the first time in an FA cup final. This however caused much annoyance in Nottingham where their team's name was displayed on the screen at regular intervals as Notts Forest. Commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme
Kenneth Wolstenholme
Kenneth Wolstenholme DFC & Bar was the football commentator for BBC television in the 1950s and 1960s, most notable for his commentary during the 1966 FIFA World Cup which included the famous phrase "some people are on the pitch...they think it's all over....it is now!", as Geoff Hurst scored...
apologised live on air for the mistake, stating that the caption should read Nott'm Forest.
During the game the Forest fans were heard to sing the theme tune to the then popular television programme Robin Hood
The Adventures of Robin Hood (TV series)
The Adventures of Robin Hood is a popular British television series comprising 143 half-hour, black and white episodes. It starred Richard Greene as the outlaw Robin Hood and Alan Wheatley as his nemesis, the Sheriff of Nottingham. The show aired weekly between 1955 and 1959 on ITV in London in the...
, this being the first time that popular television culture had made its way into a terrace song during a cup final.
Match details
| style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> | NOTTINGHAM FOREST: | ||
| 1 | Chick Thomson |
||
| 2 |  Bill WhareBill Whare William Whare was an English professional footballer who played as a right back.... |
||
| 3 | Joe McDonald Joe McDonald (footballer) Joe McDonald was a Scottish footballer who played for Sunderland and the Scotland national football team. He was born in Blantyre, Scotland.-Club career:... |
||
| 4 | Jeff Whitefoot |
||
| 5 | Bobby McKinlay |
||
| 6 | Jack Burkitt Jack Burkitt Jack Burkitt was an English-born football midfielder, who made over 500 senior appearances for Nottingham Forest between 1947 and 1962 and who captained them to win the 1959 FA Cup Final.... (c) |
||
| 7 | Roy Dwight Roy Dwight Royston Edward Dwight was an English footballer.When he was eight, Roy’s mother died in childbirth, while giving birth to his sister Susan, and following his father’s death, he moved in with his grandparents.... |
||
| 8 | Johnny Quigley Johnny Quigley John "Johnny" Quigley , was a Scottish football midfielder. He began his career as a provisional signing with Glasgow Celtic, who farmed him out to Scottish Junior Football club St Anthony's... |
||
| 9 | Tommy Wilson Tommy Wilson (footballer born 1930) Tommy Wilson was an English professional footballer who played for Nottingham Forest and Walsall.... |
||
| 10 | Billy Gray Billy Gray William Patrick "Billy" Gray was an English professional association footballer and manager who played initially as a winger.... |
||
| 11 | Stewart Imlach Stewart Imlach -External links:* * by Angus Robertson MP.... |
||
| Manager: | |||
| Billy Walker Billy Walker William Henry "Billy" Walker was a prominent English footballer of the 1920s and 1930s. He is considered by many to be the greatest footballer to ever play for Aston Villa Football Club-Biography:... |
|||
Ronald BaynhamRonald Baynham
Ronald Leslie "Ron" Baynham is an English former footballer, best known as a goalkeeper for Luton Town.-Playing career:...
Brendan McNally
John Brendan McNally, known as Brendan McNally , is an Irish former professional footballer.He was a right back who moved from League of Ireland club Shelbourne F.C. to Luton Town F.C...
Ken HawkesKen Hawkes
Kenneth Kilby "Ken" Hawkes is an English former professional footballer best known as a player for Luton Town.-Career:Joining Luton Town as a trainee in 1951, Hawkes didn't break into the first-team until 1957. Appearing in the 1959 FA Cup Final, Hawkes made 102 appearances for Luton before...
John GrovesJohn Groves (footballer)
John Groves is an English former professional footballer best known as a player for Luton Town.He is the son of former Halifax, Blackburn Rovers, Derby County and Portsmouth forward, Arthur Groves.-Career:...
Syd OwenSyd Owen
Sydney William Owen was an English footballer and football coach.Owen was born in Birmingham. He made 388 first-team appearances for Luton Town. In 1959 he was the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year and led Luton Town to the FA Cup Final...
(c)
Dave PaceyDave Pacey
David "Dave" Pacey is an English former professional footballer best known as a player for his home-town club Luton Town.-Career:...
Billy BinghamBilly Bingham
William Laurence "Billy" Bingham, MBE is a former international footballer and football manager. He is currently a scout for English Football League Championship side Burnley....
Allan Brown Bob MortonBob Morton (footballer born 1926)
Robert Hendry "Bob" Morton was an English professional footballer who played for Luton Town. Morton holds the record for most appearances for the club, with 495 in the Football League and 550 overall.-Playing career:...
George Cummins (footballer)
George Cummins was an Irish professional footballer.Cummins was an inside forward who played for St. Patricks Athletic before joining Everton in 1951. He made just 24 appearances for the Merseyside club and didn't score before moving on to Luton Town in 1953...
Tony GregoryTony Gregory (footballer)
Anthony Charles "Tony" Gregory is an English former football player, coach and manager. He played as a wing half and as a winger. During his career he played for Vauxhall Motors, Luton Town, Watford, Bexley United, Bedford Town, Hastings United and Dover...
Syd OwenSyd Owen
Sydney William Owen was an English footballer and football coach.Owen was born in Birmingham. He made 388 first-team appearances for Luton Town. In 1959 he was the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year and led Luton Town to the FA Cup Final...