I was 10 years old and probably saw earlier games but this is the first one I actually recall. My dad got tickets from work on the Friday before the match and we travelled to Villa Park by coach. The weather was awful; it rained all day. I remember queuing in the rain to get in the ground and dad buying me a rosette. The opponents were Sunderland who were a good side with the great Len Shackleton and a big centre forward, ‘Cannonball’ Fleming. The pitch was a mudbath and we went through 1-0 thanks to a goal from Nobby Clarke. By winning we prevented a Tyne & Wear derby in the final as we were to face Newcastle at Wembley. Of course, as all City fans know, we lost that game 3-1 with ‘Wor Jackie’ Milburn scoring after just 54 seconds and Jimmy Meadows being carried off after about 20 minutes. No subs in those days so we played with 10 men for well over an hour. George Hannah, who was to later play for City, also scored and so did Bobby Mitchell. Bobby Johnstone scored for City just as he did 12 months later when we beat Birmingham in the 1956 final. My dad died yesterday (22 December 2008) and this memory is dedicated to his memory.