The first time that Ipswich Town ventured North West to play Preston North End at Deepdale was for a fifth round FA cup tie, on 20th February 1954. At that time Ipswich were riding high, on top of League Division Three South, whilst North End were laying in eight place in Division One, just above Chelsea and Arsenal.
Ipswich had travelled up to Lancashire a few days early, to train locally, staying at the Norbreck Hydro in Blackpool. Their manager, Mr. Scott Duncan, thought that the cup run his team was on was actually hindering their promotion attempt. "We should be five or six points better off, but due to cup distractions, we are just one point ahead of Brighton", he told reporters.
The Ipswich camp also stated that they had made no plans for stopping Tom Finney. Surely that was just newspaper bluff? Reports from different sources stated that Ipswich Town were well known and respected as a club with progressive ideas as how football should be played, the emphasis being on ball play and style. Oh dear, very different from how they tried to play on that day in February 1954.
On the morning of the game, shoppers in Preston town centre were surprised when the football special trains arrived from Suffolk, as the visiting supporters wore blue & white scarves, identical to the North End fans. The football specials from Ipswich had set off at 4.14 a.m. whereas other fans travelling by road had started their journey at midnight - no motorways back then.
One Ipswich fanatic wore a big coloured top hat, surmounted by a cardboard witch! The significance being….? On his back he had a placard showing a caricature of Tom Finney sitting in a cauldron. It all added to the atmosphere and banter between the two sets of supporters prior to the awaited kick-off.
Elsworthy, a key player for the visitors, failed a fitness test and was ruled out with knee ligament trouble. It was a big blow to the 'Imps', as Ipswich were nicknamed in those days.
With the game barely 90 seconds old, Finney showed his obvious class, skipped past his marker, and sent over a pin-point cross which was met perfectly by Angus Morrison to put PNE 1-0 up. That was the last thing the visitors wanted, an early goal against them.
Finney was to have one of those afternoons. His brilliant spadework was responsible for the first four goals for Morrison, Charlie Wayman and Jimmy Baxter (2). After Wayman had made it 5-0 it was only fitting that Finney himself rounded the score up to 6-0. The visitors scored a consolation goal with the last kick of the game, through Tom Garneys.
Helped by that early goal, Preston had easily dealt with the possible threat of Ipswich producing a shock result, dominating a one-sided game. Ipswich had tried, but failed miserably in their attempt to stop Finney.
Furthermore, they did not help their popularity by their chosen tactics, which often exceeded the limits of robust vigour, and in all honesty should have been curbed by the referee. It was a miracle that Tom Finney left the field walking, unaided and uninjured. The local newspaper reporter wrote, "Rarely have I seen this lion-hearted forward take as much unpardonable punishment. The man whose name is on everyone's lips, was subjected to the tyranny of uncouth reprisals." Very strong views indeed, and they said that they had no plans for Finney! Tom was at his best when riled, and Ipswich, on the day, paid the price.
PNE: Thompson, Cunningham, Walton, Docherty, Marston, Forbes, Finney, Foster, Wayman, Baxter & Morrison.
Ipswich Town: Parry, Acres, Feeney, Myles, Rees, Parker, Reed, Crowe, Garneys, Brown & McLuckie.
Attendance: 34,630
For the record, Preston North End reached the FA Cup final only to lose 2-3 to West Bromwich Albion and Ipswich Town got promoted as champions of Division Three South.
