NUFC 1954/55 - Season Review

Newcastle confounded the critics by taking the Cup back to Tyneside for the third time in five years by beating Manchester City 3-1 in the Final. They had stuttered and scrambled their way through the qualifying rounds, but aided by an injury to City's Meadows they won at Wembley again.

The goals started to flow once more with Milburn, Mitchell, Keeble, Hannah and White all reaching double figures, but they conceded too many and were not consistent enough to make an impression in the League. In fact they had fallen as low as 19th by Easter and needed a good late run to haul themselves out of trouble.

Disappointing form during the Autumn led the directors to appoint a full-time manager again. Dugald Livingstone had led Belgium during the 1954 World Cup and was eager to implement his "continental" methods on Tyneside. While the newer and younger players were receptive, his approach did not impress the older players who made their feelings known to the directors.

Livingstone had planned to leave Milburn out of the Cup Final team and he only played because the astonished directors overruled him. But it was the beginning of the end for Duggie who was informed within days of the Wembley victory that he would no longer have responsibility for team selection.

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