CITY 0 NEWCASTLE UNITED 2
FA Cup Semi-Final
Played at St Andrews
29th March 1924
Attendance 50,039
Scorers Harris 2
City Mitchell, Cookson, Fletcher, Hamill, Wilson, Pringle, Meredith, Roberts, T Johnson, Barnes, Browell
Newcastle Mutch, Hampson, Hudspeth, Mooney, Spencer, Gibbon, Low, Cowan, Harris, McDonald, Seymour
This was Billy Meredith’s last game as a player.
extract from FOOTBALL WIZARD THE BILLY MEREDITH STORY By John Harding
…The enthusiasm and confidence that had grown ever since Meredith had joined the side swiftly drained away in a scrappy, disappointing semi-final.
…City suffered the disappointment of having a goal disallowed, and when Newcastle scrambled a goal in the second half it never looked likely that City would equalise. Newcastle played a holding game to perfection and City could not seem to mount a threatening attack all through the second half. The forwards simply tore along on lone forays, hoping to stem the black and white citadel single handed. Meredith hardly received a pass all afternoon.
One report summed it up: The forwards were never a combined force and, although Roberts made one long dribble, they were not impressive individually. Many of the intended passes sent the ball to opponents. Meredith had many idle moments, although he clapped his hands to tell his colleagues that he was still on the field.
Newcastle coasted to the final whistle, adding a second goal late in the game as many of the crowd were already making their way home. The fary tale had ended.
By one of football’s strange twists of fate, Meredith had ended his career at City on the losing side against Newcastle, just as he had started it, thirty years before.
…The enthusiasm and confidence that had grown ever since Meredith had joined the side swiftly drained away in a scrappy, disappointing semi-final.
…City suffered the disappointment of having a goal disallowed, and when Newcastle scrambled a goal in the second half it never looked likely that City would equalise. Newcastle played a holding game to perfection and City could not seem to mount a threatening attack all through the second half. The forwards simply tore along on lone forays, hoping to stem the black and white citadel single handed. Meredith hardly received a pass all afternoon.
One report summed it up: The forwards were never a combined force and, although Roberts made one long dribble, they were not impressive individually. Many of the intended passes sent the ball to opponents. Meredith had many idle moments, although he clapped his hands to tell his colleagues that he was still on the field.
Newcastle coasted to the final whistle, adding a second goal late in the game as many of the crowd were already making their way home. The fary tale had ended.
By one of football’s strange twists of fate, Meredith had ended his career at City on the losing side against Newcastle, just as he had started it, thirty years before.
NEWCASTLE’S SECOND GOAL
