Saints had achieved the impossible. Ted Bates’s men went to Maine Road and recorded one of the great cup wins of Saints’ entire history.
In an incredible turn of events, Ted Bates's Division 3 Saints overturned top-flight Manchester City in a stunning 5-1 victory after originally going a goal down in the FA Cup third-round tie.
It was an embarrassing defeat for The Sky Blues, a rare stunning upset caused by a team from two divisions lower. And to add insult to injury, it was on their own turf.
On that fateful day of January 9, 1960, two men rose to the challenge and propelled their team to a third-round victory - four-goal striker Derek Reeves and young winger Terry Paine.
Paine put on a remarkable display to leave his Welsh counterpart Cliff Sear awestruck.
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He acted as the driving force behind Reeves' goals, with George O'Brien also on target against Manchester City who had lifted the cup at Wembley just four years prior.
But football is a game of highs and lows, and this instance was no exception for the Saints as they were eliminated from the fourth round by Watford, a team one division below the prolific goal-scoring outfit.
O'Brien netted twice as the Hornets claimed a 2-2 draw at The Dell before Saints lost the replay 1-0.
These spectacular pictures of Saints and Watford fans were taken before the 2-2 draw, while expectations and belief were running high from the 5-1 win over Manchester City.
Saints face Watford in the Premier League at St Marys Stadium on Saturday and fans will be hoping for a better outcome.
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