The Day We Went to Arsenal - Carlisle United and the 1951 FA Cup

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In 1951, tiny Carlisle United, from the Third Divison North played the biggest game in their brief history when they were drawn to play the mighty Arsenal in the 3rd Round of the FA Cup. It was an event that has gone down in Carlisle folklore.

The tie caught the imagination of the whole city and seven trainloads of fans travelled down to London to see their team take on the Cup holders. Incredibly, the Blues played out an honourable draw and brought the Gunners back to Brunton Park.

The whole city reached fever pitch and the queue for tickets that stretched for two miles became legendary. It was the first major post-event for the city and is therefore a key part of Carlisle's 20th century social history.

United’s charismatic manager was a little known Scot called Bill Shankly. His unswerving self-belief rubbed off on the whole city who dared to dream of the biggest cup upset in history.

About the Author

Martin Daley was born in Carlisle in 1964. He originally began writing after studying the life and times of his own ancestors. A writer of both fiction and non-fiction, another inspiration is his home city and its history which features in his books.

Martin is a member of the Crime Writers' Association and in 2011 he completed the first volume of stories featuring his own local fictional detective - the Edwardian policeman, Inspector Cornelius Armstrong.

As an avid historian and football fan, there was a certain inevitability about Martin turning his attention to his hometown football club Carlisle United which he did with his book 'First, Fourth and Fulham'.