1886 FA Cup final

The 1886 FA Cup final was a football match between Blackburn Rovers and West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, 3 April 1886 at Kennington Oval in south London. The result was a goalless draw. Albion wanted to play extra time but Blackburn declined and so a replay was necessary. This took place a week later at the Racecourse Ground in Derby, the first venue outside London to stage an FA Cup final match. Blackburn won 2–0 to win the tournament for the third successive time. Following Wanderers (1876–1878), Blackburn were the second team to win three successive finals and, as of 2023, remain the last to do so. Their goals were scored by Jimmy Brown and Joe Sowerbutts. Both matches were refereed by Major Francis Marindin.

1886 FA Cup final
Event1885–86 FA Cup
Blackburn Rovers won after a replay
Final
Date3 April 1886 (1886-04-03)
VenueKennington Oval, London
RefereeFrancis Marindin
Attendance17,000
Replay
Date10 April 1886 (1886-04-10)
VenueRacecourse Ground, Derby
RefereeFrancis Marindin
Attendance12,000

The replay was the final match of the 1885–86 FA Cup, the 15th edition of the world's oldest football knockout competition, and England's primary cup competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup, better known as the FA Cup. Blackburn were making their fourth (of eight) appearances in the final; Albion their first (of ten). It was the first final to involve two extant clubs who are still members of either the Premier League or the English Football League.

Route to the final

Blackburn Rovers

Blackburn's Jimmy Forrest was a five-time winner of the FA Cup.

Following their debut in 1879–80, this was the seventh time Blackburn Rovers played in the FA Cup. Having been runners-up in 1881–82, they had won the competition in both 1883–84 and 1884–85. Blackburn began the 1885–86 tournament with an away tie[note 1] at nearby Clitheroe. They won this 2–0 and then had three successive home ties before being awarded a bye through the fifth round (the last sixteen) to the quarter-finals. They were drawn away to Brentwood at the Essex County Cricket Ground where Blackburn won 3–1 to reach the semi-finals. This match, played on 13 March at the Derbyshire County Cricket Ground, was against Swifts. Blackburn won 2–1 with goals scored by Nat Walton and Thomas Strahan.[1]

Blackburn Rovers
Round Opposition Score
1stClitheroe (a)2–0
2ndOswaldtwistle Rovers (h)1–0
3rdDarwen Old Wanderers (h)6–1
4thStaveley (h)7–1
5thbye
6thBrentwood (a)3–1
Semi-finalSwifts (n)2–1

West Bromwich Albion

In the sixth round, Jem Bayliss scored Albion's first FA Cup hat-trick.

West Bromwich Albion made their FA Cup debut in 1883–84 and this was their third season in the competition. They were drawn at home in every round prior to the semi-final. In the first two rounds, they defeated Aston Unity 4–1 and Wednesbury Old Athletic 3–2. They received a bye to the fourth round, where they beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 3–1. Old Carthusians were defeated by a single goal in the fifth round. A hat-trick from Jem Bayliss—the first by an Albion player in the FA Cup[2]—contributed to a 6–0 quarter-final victory over Old Westminsters, putting Albion into the FA Cup semi-final for the first time (they had reached the quarter-final in 1884–85). The semi-final took place at Aston Lower Grounds and was against one of Albion's local rivals, Small Heath Alliance. Albion won 4–0—Arthur Loach and George Woodhall each scoring twice—to become the first Midlands club to reach the FA Cup Final.[3] After the game, Small Heath supporters invaded the pitch and then pelted missiles at vehicles bound for West Bromwich, causing several injuries.[4]

West Bromwich Albion
Round Opposition Score
1stAston Unity (h)4–1
2ndWednesbury Old Athletic (h)3–2
3rdbye
4thWolverhampton Wanderers (h)3–1
5thOld Carthusians (h)1–0
6thOld Westminsters (h)6–0
Semi-finalSmall Heath Alliance (n)4–0

Match

Pre-match

The 1886 final was the first to involve two extant clubs who are still members of either the Premier League or the English Football League. The match took place on the same day as the University Boat Race and, in its Sporting Intelligence section the following Monday, the Daily News reported that the kick-off was delayed until four o'clock so that people attending the Boat Race would be able to see the final too. The newspaper said the crowd was "probably the largest to attend an FA Cup final".[5]

Final

The syndicated match report, published in each of the Daily News, The Morning Post and The Standard, said there was "an immense number of spectators, numbering about 17,000".[5][6][7]

According to the Daily News, Blackburn refused to play extra time because they realised that Albion "had the better of them". The FA said the replay would be the following Saturday, 10 April, at either Derby or Kennington.[5][8] The Standard, however, correctly specified Derby as the replay venue.[7]

Replay

The replay in Derby on 10 April was the first FA Cup final match to be played outside London. There were fears that the match would have to be postponed when Derby was hit by a blizzard that morning, but it blew over and the snow had thawed before the kick-off was due. Albion supporters carried cards saying "Play Up Throstles".[9] Nat Walton played for Blackburn instead of Joseph Heys. Albion were unchanged.

Details

Final

Blackburn Rovers0–0West Bromwich Albion
[5][6][7]
Attendance: 17,000
Referee: Major F. A. Marindin, RE
Umpires: M. P. Betts (Kent) and
J. C. Clegg (Sheffield)
Blackburn
Rovers
West Bromwich
Albion
GKEngland Herbie Arthur
RBUnited Kingdom Richard Turner
LBScotland Fergus Suter
RHEngland Jimmy Forrest
CHScotland Hugh McIntyre (c)
LHUnited Kingdom Joseph Heys
ORScotland Jimmy Douglas
IRUnited Kingdom Thomas Strahan
CFEngland Jimmy Brown (captain)
ILUnited Kingdom Joe Sowerbutts
OLEngland Howard Fecitt
Club secretary:
Scotland Thomas Mitchell
GKEngland Bob Roberts
RBEngland Harry Bell
LBEngland Harry Green
RHEngland Ezra Horton
CHEngland Charlie Perry
LHEngland George Timmins
OREngland George Woodhall
IREngland Tommy Green
CFEngland Jem Bayliss (captain)
ILEngland Arthur Loach
OLEngland George Bell
Club secretary:
Team selection by committee only (till 1890)

Match rules

Notes

  • Players are listed above according to their positions on the field. There was no shirt numbering in 1886.[note 6]

Replay

Blackburn Rovers2–0West Bromwich Albion
Brown
Sowerbutts
[18]
Attendance: 12,000
Referee: Major F. A. Marindin, RE
Umpires: (tbc) M. P. Betts (Kent) and
J. C. Clegg (Sheffield)
Blackburn Rovers
West Bromwich Albion
GKEngland Herbie Arthur
RBUnited Kingdom Richard Turner
LBScotland Fergus Suter
RHEngland Jimmy Forrest
CHScotland Hugh McIntyre
LHEngland Nat Walton
ORScotland Jimmy Douglas
IRUnited Kingdom Thomas Strahan
CFEngland Jimmy Brown (captain)
ILUnited Kingdom Joe Sowerbutts
OLEngland Howard Fecitt
Club secretary:
Scotland Thomas Mitchell
GKEngland Bob Roberts
RBEngland Harry Bell
LBEngland Harry Green
RHEngland Ezra Horton
CHEngland Charlie Perry
LHEngland George Timmins
OREngland George Woodhall
IREngland Tommy Green
CFEngland Jem Bayliss (captain)
ILEngland Arthur Loach
OLEngland George Bell
Club secretary:
Team selection by committee only (till 1890)

Match rules

Notes

  • Players are listed above according to their positions on the field. There was no shirt numbering in 1886.[note 6]

See also

Notes

  1. In English football, a match between two teams in a knockout tournament such as the FA Cup is known as a "tie". This has no connection with a tie (draw), which is a result with identical scores or points.
  2. The duration of a football match has been 90 minutes since an agreement in 1866 for the match between London and Sheffield.[10]
  3. The FA introduced the option of extra time into its rules in 1897.[11]
  4. The 1875 final was the first in which a replay took place;[12] this method of deciding the winners continued until 1999.[13] The 2005 final was the first to be settled by penalty shoot-out.[14]
  5. Although there were isolated instances of substitution in earlier times, it was not until the beginning of the 1965–66 season that substitutes were first allowed in English top-class matches, and then only for replacement of injured players.[15]
  6. The first known instance of shirt numbering in English football was in March 1914.[16] It was not until the 1939–40 season that a numbering system was formally introduced.[17]

References

  1. Collett 2003, p. 139.
  2. Matthews 2007, pp. 392–393.
  3. Matthews & Mackenzie 1987, p. 201.
  4. McOwan 2002, p. 17.
  5. "Sporting Intelligence". The Daily News. No. 12, 475. 5 April 1886. p. 3.
  6. "Football". The Morning Post. No. 35, 503. 5 April 1886. p. 2.
  7. "The Football Association Challenge Cup". The Standard. No. 19, 259. 5 April 1886. p. 6.
  8. "Football". Manchester Guardian. 5 April 1886. p. 7.
  9. Collett 2003, p. 22.
  10. Young, Percy M. (1981) [1962]. Football in Sheffield. Sheffield: Dark Peak. p. 22. ISBN 978-09-50627-24-3.
  11. Murray, Andrew (24 June 2016). "A brief history of (extra) time: is the format right for the modern game?". FourFourTwo. Bath: Future plc. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  12. Collett 2003, p. 19.
  13. McNulty, Phil (4 February 2005). "FA Cup in danger of losing lustre". London: BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  14. "FA Cup Finals". London: The Football Association. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  15. Ingle, Sean (25 July 2001). "Whatever happened to Len Shackleton's old club?". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  16. Cavallini, Rob (2007). Play Up Corinth: A History of The Corinthian Football Club. p. 114. ISBN 978-07-52444-79-6.
  17. "27. Gunners wear numbered shirts". Arsenal History. London: The Arsenal Football Club plc. 1 June 2017. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  18. "Sporting Intelligence". The Daily News. No. 12, 481. 12 April 1886. p. 6.

Sources

  • Collett, Mike (2003). The Complete Record of the FA Cup. Cheltenham: SportsBooks Ltd. ISBN 978-18-99807-19-2.
  • McOwan, Gavin (2002). The Essential History of West Bromwich Albion. Headline. ISBN 978-07-55311-46-0.
  • Matthews, Tony; Mackenzie, Colin (1987). Albion! A Complete Record of West Bromwich Albion 1879–1987. Breedon Books. ISBN 978-09-07969-23-5.
  • Matthews, Tony (2007). West Bromwich Albion: The Complete Record. Breedon Books. ISBN 978-18-59835-65-4.
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