On January 7th 1956, Rovers played what would go down as perhaps the biggest result in Bristol Rovers history. Performing well in the league and in a battle for promotion to Division One, Rovers played Matt Busby's Manchester United, a team by then nicknamed the Busby Babes, in a FA Cup Third Round Tie. Reporter Desmond Hackett described Rovers as the "£110 team with the million-dollar touch of class" in the Daily Express. This is in a song/chant by Ben Gunstone, called Tote End Boys.
| Bristol Rovers | 4-0 | Manchester United |
|---|---|---|
| Biggs (2) Meyer Bradford (pen) |
(2-0 HT) | |
| at Eastville Stadium | attendance: 35,872 | |
| Lineups | ||
| Ron Nicholls | Ray Wood | |
| Harry Bamford | Bill Foulkes | |
| Frank Alcock | Roger Byrne | |
| Jack Pitt | Eddie Colman | |
| Denzil Hale | Mark Jones | |
| Peter Sampson | Jeff Whitefoot | |
| George Petherbridge | Johnny Berry | |
 Alfie Biggs |
John Doherty | |
| Geoff Bradford |
Tommy Taylor | |
| Barrie Meyer |
Dennis Viollet | |
| Peter Hooper | David Pegg | |
