On the 25th January 1947, Barnsley arrived at Deepdale for a 4th round FA Cup tie, fully expecting a replay at least. Their confidence was high due to the fact that they had won their last two outings, away at Huddersfield Town (4-3) and Birmingham City (2-1).
According to newspaper reports from the time, the Barnsley fans started assembling outside the Deepdale enclosure from as early as 9am. Maurice Lucas and his two younger brothers had actually hitch-hiked the journey from Yorkshire in an attempt to sell 'club favours' (rosettes) to both sets of fans.
It wasn't long before they were joined by keen North End fans from Morecambe, where the Preston team had been in training, in a hope that they would benefit from a 'change of air'. The first coach party to arrive from the Barnsley area were coal miners who said that they had worked extra shifts so as not to interrupt coal production! Loyal or what? One of the party said that "we have every confidence of winning, as Deepdale is a lucky ground for us. Our only worry is that chap, Finney!" Two female Preston supporters had made themselves special headscarves with the initials PNE, and the players names embroidered on them.
Although the right-wing triangle of Bill Shankly, Tom Finney and Andy McLaren were paramount in the victory, the 'man of the match' was inside-left, Bobbie Beattie. His worth to the strategy of the team was so apparent, he was a thinker, a craftsman and, on his day, a match winner.
Willie Hamilton fed Beattie with precise balls to his feet, just how he liked them, then watched his fellow Scot tantalise his markers. Bobbie had the ability to send defenders the wrong way before timing his passes to perfection on the greasy surface. Mainly through Beattie and Finney the second half of the cup tie was a thrilling spectacle for both North End and neutral fans alike, amongst the large crowd of 39, 738.
Unbelievably the first forty-five minutes of the game was goalless. During the second half, four goals in a nine minute period more than disheartened the Barnsley players and their boisterous following. In fact, it could have been much worse as four 'open goals' were missed, when the score was 5-0 (McIntosh & Beattie being the guilty ones).
Finney showed that given the ball in an advantageous position, it is virtually impossible to subdue him, let alone stop him. His first goal was a magnificent piece of calculated opportunism. Tom's close alliance with McLaren was a constant source of pleasure to the appreciative eye. "We want six" screamed the Lilywhite fans and North End's Willie Hamilton duly obliged, scoring his one and only goal for the Club.
The South Yorkshire team, who had arrived with great expectation, left Lancashire well beaten and bewildered by a display of football not seen by Preston North End fans for many a year.
PNE: Fairbrother; A. Beattie, Scott; Shankly, Williams, Hamilton (1); Finney (2, 1 pen), McLaren, McIntosh (2), R. Beattie (1), Wharton.
Barnsley: Rimmington: Cunningham, Pallister: Glover, Wilson, Asquith: Smith, Bennett, Robledo, Baxter, Morris.
Ironically Jimmy Baxter of Barnsley was the footballer bought by Preston North End to replace the aging Bobbie Beattie in 1952.
Ian Rigby
