The 1964 FA Cup Final was a special day for all involved with Preston North End and club legend Alan Spavin gaveThe One And Only an insight into one of the biggest games in the Club's history for the Colchester edition.
The foundations for PNE's memorable season in 1964 lay four years previous when Chelsea visited Deepdale for the FA Youth Cup Final. Alan Spavin, George Ross and Dave Wilson all played for North End against Chelsea in the two-legged tie that caught the town's imagination.
That trio stayed together and helped form the backbone of the 1963/64 team alongside the experience of the likes of Nobby Lawton, Doug Holden, Tony Singleton and Alex Dawson.
Spavin was 22 that year; however the story that commanded everyone's attention was of his midfield teammate Howard Kendall, as the Lancaster-born North End legend explains.
"The biggest memory I have of it, apart from losing badly, is sharing a room with Howard Kendall. They had a strange situation in that Ian Davidson who had played every game went to Scotland and apparently took some drugs and didn't' make it so Howard got installed and was the youngest player to play in the FA Cup Final at that time.
"He and I roomed together and I'm not a big sleeper before the big game and neither was Howard. My big recollection of the game was that we did a decent job and got a couple of bad breaks. Alan Kelly dislocated his shoulder and there were no subs at that time so he played for the last 16 minutes with a sling and we lost 3-2. We gave a good account of ourselves, but it was great to play in a cup final.
"It was quite special because there were three or four of us kids who'd played in the FA Youth Cup Final and then played in the senior final in 1964."
Rose-tinted spectacles always seem to be applied when supporters look back to that famous year, but for the man who wore the white shirt over 400 times North End got lucky with the balls that season.
"The ironic thing was that we got lucky in that run. We played Bolton and Nottingham Forest away from home, tied them both and then won so we'd beaten two first division teams beyond the odds. Then after that we got Carlisle and then Oxford, who were the last third division team, so that was a good draw for us.
"Against Carlisle I scored, which was unusual for me, then it was Oxford and then in the semi-final it was ourselves, Swansea, West Ham and Manchester United so it was two underdogs and two major clubs."
While PNE were emulating the heroes of times past with their FA Cup exploits they were busy trying to gain promotion to the top flight. North End would eventually finish third and miss out on going up by five points, however, come the season's end they did have the final to look forward to and according to 'Spav' they were fortunate to be there.
"We got lucky that day against Swansea, we went one nil behind then Alex Dawson equalised for us and then Tony Singleton cleared a ball from the halfway line and it just sailed over their keeper into the net."
Masterminding PNE's run to the final was former player and coach Jimmy Milne. The man known as 'Mr Preston North End' had missed out on playing in North End's last winning Cup final appearance in 1938, having played in every previous round, but for the now Florida-based Spavin he was a great man to have in the dugout.
"My best memory is that he was just a great guy who believed in everything honest, he just said go out and enjoy yourselves and that funny things happen in football. About 20 minutes from the end of the final we were still leading so he was nearly right, but we didn't just quite make it."
The team they were facing were no ordinary side, although North End made them look ordinary for long spells of the final. Future World Cup winners Bobby Moore and Geoff Hurst were the stars of a West Ham team that was considered one of the most talented sides of the day, and as such special preparation was needed, as Spavin reveals.
"Before the game we all went to the Isle Of Man to get some days off to spend some time together and get ourselves together. We had two or three fabulous players, Dave Wilson, Howard Kendall and Alan Kelly, but you were talking about Bobby Moore and Geoff Hurst and they had another four internationals in their team and we went 1-0 up, they tied us and then we scored just before half-time. Nobody could believe this was happening and then they equalised and in the last three minutes they got the winner after Alan didn't get to it."
Alan Kelly's injury was the great talking point to come from that game, in those days there were no subs, so does the former Washington Diplomats middle man think they could have gone on to win had the Irishman not been injured or had a sub on in his place.
"I think we could have done, if he'd have been fit. At that time there were no subs and he was a great keeper and would have saved their shot if he'd had two arms but having said that we weren't expected to get close to them although it was nice to get within a goal from them."
After the game the players enjoyed a post-match function with Des O'Connor, but the most fervent reaction was about to come back in Lancashire in front of the thousands of fans who had followed the run from the start.
"The reception we got at Preston was fantastic; it was great when we stood on the balcony at the Harris Library and there were 150,000 people there so anyone who remembers and knows me I just want to thank you. I love North End and the first thing I do is look on the website and see how we've got on."
Since that final second division teams Southampton, Sunderland and West Ham United have all upset the odds and beaten a top flight team however the run has dried up in the past decade. Cardiff and Millwall have both reached the final in the last four years but have come unstuck against Portsmouth and Manchester United respectively.
And Spavin reveals that North End came close to repeating the 1964 feat on a couple of other occasions: "It was special at that time and has happened a few times since. It was unusual for a cup final then not to be between two first division sides and West Ham were a big name at the time. Here were the second division upstarts going to Wembley and we gave them a good performance and hung in there.
"I think it was a more special competition for us. Before that year we had drawn Liverpool in the early stages and brought them to Deepdale and they had loads of good players and drew but we got beat. Then we drew Man Utd at home and Crerand, Stiles, Faulkes, Charlton etc. played and we held them to a draw and then we went to Old Trafford and went down 2-1. I scored against the 'mighty reds' and we gave them a hard time in the last 20 minutes."
Formerly the owner of a travel business in Florida, Spavin now spends his days walking dogs in his spare time and keeping in touch with all things North End. So from a career spanning 20 years and over 400 appearances.
"My top three memories are always going to be meeting Tom Finney and cleaning his boots as an apprentice, playing against Pele in America and the Cup Final with North End.
"I used to go on the ground from age 11 and go on the sidetrack there and I got a job as an apprentice and went there at 12 and at 16 they offered me an apprenticeship. I went into the dressing room and the first team were all there and one of my first jobs was to sweep the terraces and then I cleaned all their boots. I got to know him pretty well and I was lucky enough to play against Pele and then there was the Cup final, those are the three highlights of my playing career."
The One And Only has had big interview after big interview this season and our special Chelsea edition looks back in detail at the 1960 FA Youth Cup Final with pieces with players from both sides. Pre-order your copy for just £3 from MyPNE.com now.
