No. 89: Worcester City 2-1 Liverpool – 1959

No. 89  -  Worcester City 2-1 Liverpool – 1959

The 15th of January, 1959 will always be remembered as one of the most embarrassing defeats in Liverpool Football’s Club history when Worcester earned a distinguished place among the FA Cup giant-killers when they defeated Liverpool, of the Second Division.

The Southern League team, Worcester, had already grabbed many headlines that season when they comfortably beat Fourth Division Millwall 5-2 at St Georges Lane in the Second Round. When the draw was made for the Third Round tie at home against Liverpool, few expected their cup run to continue.

An initial postponement due to a frozen pitch meant that the cup-tie would be played in midweek. It was at an icy St George’s Lane on January 15, 1959 when the Reds faced Southern League outfit Worcester City in the third round of the FA Cup. St Georges Lane was still packed with over 15,000 fans squeezing through the turnstiles which was, unsurprisingly, a record attendance for the ground.

Although Liverpool were then a Second Division club, they on the brink of top flight and considered a powerful outfit,  a team who were expected to beat a Southern League outfit Worcester City with ease. However, with just nine minuted played, it was Worcester who surprisingly opened the scoring. Tommy Skuse who had just turned 18, turned the ball past Liverpool’s goalkeeper Toomy Younger.

Just after the half time interval, the closest Liverpool came to equalising came when a Geoff Twentyman strike rebounded off the bar, but with the Worcester defence holding firm and with the minutes ticking down, Liverpool couldn’t find the breakthrough and goal they needed to avoid their most embarrassing defeat ever….

As the Reds pushed forward, it was Worcester who got the vital goal in the 81st minute, a bizarre own goal came when Dick White, attempting to clear his defensive lines lobbed the goal beyond the reach of his own keeper, Tommy Younger, and into the back of the net. With just minutes to play, Geoff Twentyman reduced the arrears with a penalty. The Times newspaper reported ‘œPandemoniun broke loose at the final whistle as the crowd, a record of 15,111 surged across the pitch to hoist the Worcester players high on their shoulders and carry them in triumph to the dressing room.’ The defeat was a crushing blow for Liverpool Football Club and for manager Phil Taylor, who departed later that year….. His replacement? One Bill Shankly.

Earlier this year, the 15th of January 2009 saw the 50th anniversary of one of the most embarrassing defeats in Liverpool’s history. Worcester City played AFC Liverpool to mark the 50th anniversary of their famous FA Cup triumph and to commemorate the occasion, a limited edition ticket was also printed.

Liverpool
Younger, Molyneux, Moran, Wheeler, White, Twentyman, Morris, Harrower, Bimpson, Melia, A’Court
Goals : Twentyman (pen 83)

Worcester City
Kirkwood, Wilcox, Potts, Bryceland, Melville, Paul, Brown, Follan, Knowles, Gosling, Skuse
Goals : Skus (9), White OG (80)