“IT was one of those games that people still talk about today. Burnley were chasing us all over the pitch, we were dead and buried, and yet it was us who reached the FA Cup final.”

As all four FA Cup quarter finals get screened this weekend, Mick McGrath will not be the only Blackburn resident whose mind wanders back to Rovers’ most famous last eight tie almost exactly 50 years ago, when they broke the hearts of bitter rivals Burnley.

Picture the scene. Trailing 3-0 at Turf Moor with 17 minutes left against a Burnley side closing in on a league and cup double, Rovers had already lost 1-0 to their nemesis the week before, things were going from bad to worse for the blue and white half of East Lancashire.

Then a Bryan Douglas penalty sparked a 17-minute spell that would change the course of history, as goals from Peter Dobing and McGrath himself earned Rovers an unlikely reprieve and didn’t they take advantage?

Beating the Clarets in an Ewood replay and going on to reach the FA Cup final for only the second time in more than a century.

Former Rovers centre back McGrath has his fair share of memories during a career in East Lancashire that spanned 12 years, more than 300 games and a 1957/58 Division Two promotion but, still residing in the town he made his footballing name, that Burnley escape is never far away from his career highlights.

He said: “They were absolutely all over us. They were 3-0 up with just 17 minutes left and we were dead and buried. Then we got a dubious penalty and Dougie put it in the back of the net.

“Soon after Dobing scored and we suddenly realised we had a lifeline.

"Then I mis-kicked the ball and it went in, and in the replay we beat them 2-0.

"I think there was over 50,000 in the crowd for both games.

“The games against Burnley were always massive but this was an FA Cup quarter final so there was even more riding on it.

"It was never going to be a brilliant game of football but it was always going to be exciting - we didn’t know how exciting though.”

The cup run was to end in ultimate disappointment, losing 3-0 to Wolves at Wembley in a game dubbed ‘the dustbin final’, but for McGrath it was just a delight to reach the showcase – especially having come so close two seasons previous.

Then, the commanding defender was a member of the Rovers side who crashed 2-1 to Bolton in an FA Cup final semi final at Maine Road, pain that made their following run even sweeter.

“It was a memorable cup run for myself,” he said.

“We were losing 1-0 to Blackpool in the fourth round and I still have this photo somewhere of 20 players in the box and I got on the end of it and put the equaliser in the net.

"We then went to Blackpool in the replay to win 3-0.

“I don’t remember much about the semi final against Sheffield Wednesday apart from the fact we won 2-1 and our goalkeeper Harry Leyland really put the shutters up that day.

"He was fantastic.

“Going back to that semi final defeat against Bolton in 1958, the older players like Matt Woods were absolutely devastated.

"I don’t think I realised then the value of it. I felt it though after our win against Sheffield Wednesday.

"I just realised how important the FA Cup was.”

Rovers’ FA Cup final preparations were thrown into turmoil though on the morning of the game, with star striker Derek Dougan handing in a transfer request – and things didn’t improve from there.

Dougan himself was a relative spectator through the 90 minutes, due to injury, before Dave Whelan broke his leg, effectively leaving them with nine men, and McGrath put through his own net as Wolves coasted to a 3-0 win.

“The big disappointment that Saturday morning was Derek Dougan putting in a transfer request,” said McGrath. “That was a blow and very bad timing.

“I kipped with John Bray on away games and I remember us waking up that morning, picking up the papers and seeing Dougie had put in a transfer request. It wasn’t the best start to the day.

“Whether he was fit or not for the game is debatable. He said he was and, even though the manager was dubious, he played and broke down after 10 minutes.

“He wanted to play and who could blame him? This was an FA Cup final, I expect I would have done the same thing.

"But it didn’t help the team because, as there were no substitutes, we basically were left with 10 men.

“Everything went wrong that day. We had all our bad luck that day.”

McGrath, now 73, arrived at Ewood Park from Ireland in 1954 and rapidly became a regular in the first team and a fixture for the Republic of Ireland.

His last game for Rovers, a 2-2 draw at Manchester United in November 1965, will also go down in history as he became the first Blackburn player to be substituted – being replaced by John Byrom.

He said: “Coming from Ireland as a young lad playing for someone like Blackburn Rovers was a great thing in itself and to get in the first team, well it was a feeling hard to describe.

“Ken Clayton broke his leg and I got my chance and kept the shirt.

"The cup run was another great memory and so was winning promotion at Charlton.

"I remember in the dressing room after the game we were going on tour to Holland. A few drinks were had that night.

“My last game was a very strange feeling. I certainly didn’t want to leave the pitch.

"It was funny, no one spoke about it before the game and said we have a substitute now.

"It was just I saw the manager waving at me.

"It was my last game for the club.”