Huddersfield Town FA Cup history goes under hammer

May 1 2010 Huddersfield Daily Examiner

AN FA Cup winner’s medal won by former Town manager Andy Beattie is up for grabs.

The gold medal is expected to fetch up to £7,000 when it goes under the hammer at an auction in London next month.

And ironically, Beattie – who managed Town for more than four years – won the medal playing against Huddersfield.

He was in the Preston North End team that beat Town 1-0 at Wembley in 1938.

This was the first time that a whole match was shown live on television. Even so, far more people watched the game in the stadium as only around 10,000 people at the time owned television sets. No goals were scored during the first 90 minutes and so extra-time was played.

In the last minute of extra-time, Bill Shankly put George Mutch through on goal. Alf Young, Huddersfield's centre-half, brought him down from behind and the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the penalty spot.

Mutch was injured in the tackle but after receiving treatment he got up and scored via the crossbar.

It was the only goal in the game and Beattie won a cup winners' medal.

Beattie, who was Huddersfield's manager between April 1952 and November 1956, won the 14-carat gold medal in a glittering career.

He was one of seven Scots in the Preston team on that Wembley day and went on to win seven Scotland caps.