1951 FA Amateur Cup Final  

Pegasus v Bishop Auckland 

The 1951 FA Amateur Cup Final pitted the giants of the game, Bishop Auckland, against the new boys on the block Pegasus, the combined Oxford and Cambridge university team formed just three years previously.  

There was no doubt that the Bishop’s were the favourites. 

They had just clinched their 11^th Northern League title (their second successive championship in a run of titles which would eventually reach six in a row), had taken Football league side York City to a replay in the FA Cup First Round and were playing in their fourteenth Amateur Cup Final.   

In short; Bishop Auckland were a hugely successful and talented side. 

In comparison the Pegasus trophy cupboard had only the Oxford Senior Cup on its shelves but there is no doubt that the university club were the peoples choice on cup final day with all 100,000 tickets snapped up well before the match. 

The Bishop Auckland side included four amateur internationals led by Great Britain Olympic captain Bob Hardisty and the outstanding Scottish forward Harry McIivenny.   

But Pegasus too had four amateur internationals as well as others who had played from English representative sides so the teams were quite evenly matched. 

Unsurprisingly for a team coached by Vic Buckingham Pegasus played a short sharp passing game in the style of Tottenham while Bishop’s favoured a more direct style of play.   

The 1951 FA Amateur Cup Final was goalless at half-time with the Pegasus defence holding out well against the arial bombardment.  Pegasus finished the half on the attack and with five minutes of the restart they were ahead from a Potts header.   

Bishops came back into the match but Pegasus sealed victory with ten minutes remaining.  They settled matters with Tanner shooting low into the corner of the net though a late reply from Bishop Auckland meant the match finished with the university men’s nerves jangling.