COLCHESTER United will go into their FA Cup first-round tie against League One side Accrington Stanley tomorrow as underdogs.

However, their task this weekend will be a little less daunting than another trip they made to Lancashire 70 years ago, when they came against the mighty Blackpool and England’s two most famous Stanleys – Matthews and Mortenson.

As John McGreal’s side prepare to cause an upset at the Crown Ground, they might like to draw some inspiration from the stirring form they enjoyed in the world-famous competition in the 1947-48 season, when the U’s embarked on a magnificent run which took them to the last 16 for the first time in their history.

After beating non-league rivals Chelmsford City and Banbury Spencer, Ted Fenton’s plucky Southern League side discovered some real momentum, to give the town its first taste of FA Cup fever.

In an atmosphere of growing hysteria, Wrexham, Huddersfield Town and Bradford Park Avenue of the Football League had also fallen by the wayside at Layer Road.

It presented Colchester with its greatest task ever - a fifth-round away tie at First Division giants Blackpool and a last-16 encounter with Matthews and Mortenson.

More than 30,000 fans, including 3,000 who made the trip from Colchester, crammed into Bloomfield Road that day to see the gallant U’s swamped 5-0 – beaten but not disgraced.

Essex County Standard sports editor at the time, Arthur Wood, described Matthews as ‘the most perfect of hosts, whether he is entertaining a football team at his hotel or a soccer crowd on the playing pitch’.

Matthews and his team-mates showed the class on the field that day to go through.

As the Standard reported at the time, for 20 minutes in the first half – after being a goal down in four minutes – Colchester threw Blackpool right off their game with the speed of their tackling and terrific team spirit.

But Blackpool’s class inevitably told in the end and after they had doubled their lead on the half hour, three further goals immediately after half-time put them in firm control of the tie and ended Colchester’s dream run.

Blackpool went all the way to the final that season, beating Fulham 2-0 in the quarter-finals and Spurs 3-1 in the last four, before losing 4-2 to Manchester United in the Wembley final.

Matthews had to wait another five years before collecting his coveted winners medal, following a memorable 4-3 Wembley victory over Bolton Wanderers.

For Colchester, the extraordinary 1947-48 cup run, along with the club’s highly successful Southern League exploits, earned them their election to the Football League two years later, in 1950.

The two teams who played at Blackpool that day were:

U’s: Harry Wright, Digger Kettle, Bob Allen, Andy Brown, Ted Fenton, Harry Bearryman, Dennis Hillman, Bob Curry, Arthur Turner, Bob Cutting, Len Cater.

Blackpool: Robinson, Shimwell, Suart, Johnston, Hayward, Kelly, Matthews, Mortenson, McIntosh, Dick, Munro.

With thanks to former Gazette sports reporter Francis Ponder