WEST AUCKLAND WALTHAMSTOWE AVENUE, WEMBLEY AND EVEN WATFORD

31st January 1953 saw the League Champions, Manchester United, held at Old Trafford by Isthmian League team Walthamstowe Avenue, an amateur team from East London. This was a 4th Round tie and having held United 2-2 away in front of nearly a 35,000 crowd, the Avenue played their replay at Highbury and attracted nearly 50,000. On May 5th, they lost 2-5 to United.

Prior to that WAvenue (see below) beat Wimbledon (then an amateur club) 3-0 away after a 2-2 draw at home, in Round 1.
In Round 2 WA forced Watford to a 1-1 draw and then beat them 1-2 at Watford.
In Round 3 Avenue at home beat Stockport County 2-1.

Manchester United continued towards the Cup Final but met their match against Everton on February 14th, 2-1 in Round 5.

Everton then beat Aston Villa away 0-1 in Rd 6 (Quarter-finals) and were beaten 4-3 by Bolton Wanderers in the Semi-final, on neutral ground, Maine Road, 3-4 on March 21st.

In the other half of the draw, Blackpool won their way through to Wembley with Stanley Matthews and all, beating the Wanderers 4-3 in what was known as the Matthews Final.

Blackpool had beaten Sheffield Wednesday away 1-2 in Rd 3, Huddersfield at home 1-0 on January 31st, Southampton after a 1-1 draw at Blackpool and then 1-2 away at The Dell, and Arsenal 1-2 at Highbury.

Finchley was the only other non-league club to venture into the 3rd Round.

Clubs reaching the 2nd Rd that season were: Lanelly, Bath City, Bishop Auckland, Great Yarmouth Town, Peterborough Utd, Hereford United, Gainsborough Trinity.

Now what about Walthamstowe Avenue? Founded in 1900 the club was successful but faced closure in the 1980s, merging with Leytonstone and Ilford in 1988. The club then diluted and "became" part of the ever changing Dagenham and Redbridge FC, then basically lost its identity. It has lately revived as a Essex Sunday Corinthian League side. Its history lives on.......
 1960-1 FA Amateur Cup Final, 2-1 win at Wembley, WA v West Auckland Town in front of 45,000.
The Avenue also beat Leyton the FA Amateur Cup Final in 1951-2, 2-1, watched by 100,000 in the Wembley Stadium.

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