Using the Revie Plan, Manchester City reached the 1955 FA Cup Final, in which Trautmann became the first German to play in an FA Cup final.
City faced Newcastle United, winners of the cup in 1951 and 1952.
Nerves affected the City players, and they went behind to a Jackie Milburn goal after only 45 seconds.
Further problems were caused by the loss of Jimmy Meadows to injury after 18 minutes, leaving City with 10 men, a disadvantage that meant Trautmann's ability to start attacks from throws was limited.
Though Bobby Johnstone equalised in the first half, they struggled in the second, and after 57 minutes Trautmann was outwitted by Bobby Mitchell, who scored Newcastle's second goal.
The match finished as a 3–1 defeat for City, giving Trautmann a runners-up medal.

Manchester City had a strong season in 1955–56, finishing fourth in the league and reached the FA Cup final against Birmingham City.
Trautmann, one of the team's most prominent performers, won the FWA Footballer of the Year Award shortly before the match, the first goalkeeper to win the award.
Two days later, Trautmann stepped out onto the Wembley pitch for the match that would gain him worldwide acclaim.

During the previous final, nerves had contributed to the opposition scoring an early goal, but the City team was more settled on this occasion.
Under the influence of Don Revie who was outstanding on the day, City scored an early goal, a left-footed strike by Joe Hayes.
Birmingham equalised on 14 minutes.
The match remained level until midway through the second half, when Jack Dyson and Bobby Johnstone scored two goals in as many minutes to give Manchester City a 3–1 lead.
Birmingham attacked strongly in the next ten minutes.
In the 75th minute, Trautmann, diving at an incoming ball, was knocked out in a collision with Birmingham's Peter Murphy in which he was hit in the neck by Murphy's right knee.
No substitutes were permitted in those days, so Trautmann, dazed and unsteady on his feet, carried on.
For the remaining 15 minutes he defended his net, making a crucial interception to deny Murphy once more.
Manchester City held on for the victory, and Trautmann was the hero because of his spectacular saves in the last minutes of the match.
Trautmann admitted later that he had spent the last part of the match "in a kind of fog".

His neck continued to cause him pain, and Prince Philip commented on its crooked state as he gave Trautmann his winner's medal.
Trautmann attended that evening's post-match banquet despite being unable to move his head, and went to bed expecting the injury to heal with rest.
As the pain did not recede, the following day he went to St George's Hospital, where he was told he merely had a crick in his neck which would go away.
Three days later, he got a second opinion from a doctor at Manchester Royal Infirmary.
An X-ray revealed he had dislocated five vertebrae, the second of which was cracked in two.
The third vertebra had wedged against the second, preventing further damage which could have cost Trautmann his life.
Using the Revie Plan, Manchester City reached the 1955 FA Cup Final, in which Trautmann became the first German to play in an FA Cup final. City faced Newcastle United, winners of the cup in 1951 and 1952. Nerves affected the City players, and they went behind to a Jackie Milburn goal after only 45 seconds. Further problems were caused by the loss of Jimmy Meadows to injury after 18 minutes, leaving City with 10 men, a disadvantage that meant Trautmann's ability to start attacks from throws was limited. Though Bobby Johnstone equalised in the first half, they struggled in the second, and after 57 minutes Trautmann was outwitted by Bobby Mitchell, who scored Newcastle's second goal. The match finished as a 3–1 defeat for City, giving Trautmann a runners-up medal.
Manchester City had a strong season in 1955–56, finishing fourth in the league and reached the FA Cup final against Birmingham City. Trautmann, one of the team's most prominent performers, won the FWA Footballer of the Year Award shortly before the match, the first goalkeeper to win the award. Two days later, Trautmann stepped out onto the Wembley pitch for the match that would gain him worldwide acclaim.
During the previous final, nerves had contributed to the opposition scoring an early goal, but the City team was more settled on this occasion. Under the influence of Don Revie who was outstanding on the day, City scored an early goal, a left-footed strike by Joe Hayes. Birmingham equalised on 14 minutes. The match remained level until midway through the second half, when Jack Dyson and Bobby Johnstone scored two goals in as many minutes to give Manchester City a 3–1 lead. Birmingham attacked strongly in the next ten minutes. In the 75th minute, Trautmann, diving at an incoming ball, was knocked out in a collision with Birmingham's Peter Murphy in which he was hit in the neck by Murphy's right knee. No substitutes were permitted in those days, so Trautmann, dazed and unsteady on his feet, carried on. For the remaining 15 minutes he defended his net, making a crucial interception to deny Murphy once more. Manchester City held on for the victory, and Trautmann was the hero because of his spectacular saves in the last minutes of the match. Trautmann admitted later that he had spent the last part of the match "in a kind of fog".
His neck continued to cause him pain, and Prince Philip commented on its crooked state as he gave Trautmann his winner's medal. Trautmann attended that evening's post-match banquet despite being unable to move his head, and went to bed expecting the injury to heal with rest. As the pain did not recede, the following day he went to St George's Hospital, where he was told he merely had a crick in his neck which would go away. Three days later, he got a second opinion from a doctor at Manchester Royal Infirmary. An X-ray revealed he had dislocated five vertebrae, the second of which was cracked in two. The third vertebra had wedged against the second, preventing further damage which could have cost Trautmann his life.
Bert Trautmann