1923 FA Cup Final

The crowd was so large that fans swarmed right up to, and even onto, the pitch.

The total number of people in attendance is not known; the official attendance (those who paid for a ticket) was 126,047,[23] but estimates of the actual number of fans in attendance range from 150,000[24] to the official Police estimate of just under 300,000,[25] with other estimates putting it higher than 300,000.[26] The match was the first event of any kind to take place at Wembley Stadium, which had not been due to open until 1924 but was completed ahead of schedule.[27] After sub-capacity crowds had attended the first three finals after the First World War at Stamford Bridge,[27] The Football Association (The FA) was unconvinced that the match could fill the large capacity of the new stadium and undertook a major advertising campaign, for fans to attend.[28] Despite these fears, the new national stadium, which had been advertised as the greatest venue of its kind and had an unprecedented capacity of 125,000, proved to be a great lure and drew a large number of casual observers.[28] The fact that a London-based team was competing meant that many football fans from all parts of the city chose to attend.[26] The morning newspapers on the day of the match reported that around 5,000 fans were travelling from Bolton and that they were expected to be joined by "at least 115,000 enthusiasts from London and other parts of the country".[29] The easy accessibility of the stadium by public transport and the fine weather were also factors which contributed to the enormous crowd.[26]

Many travelled by train with London Underground selling more than 241,000 tickets from stations within London to Wembley,[31] but that figure does not cover those who travelled without a ticket and those who reached the stadium by road or on foot. The London buses were overwhelmed with the controller of the London General Omnibus Company describing the situation as "absolutely abnornal" and in the East End, the worst affected area, as "Absolutely terrific",[32] while large crowds, possibly tens of thousands, walked ten to fifteen miles or more each way from east to west London.[33]

Significant number of Bolton supporters (5,000 had been expected before the game[28]) made their way from Lancashire to Wembley, including five fans who used the Daimler Hire plane service from Manchester Aerodrome to London,[34] with most of the remainder coming by train. Bolton fans headed to the West End to celebrate after the game, with Piccadilly Circus impassable to traffic for a time due to the number of revellers.[35]

As well as West Ham and Bolton fans, there were many neutrals at the game, mostly people from other parts of the capital who wished to support the London underdog. Of the eleven supporters kept in overnight at the Willesden Hospital four were from Bow, Poplar, Wapping and Walthamstow in East London, four from other parts of London, two from northern England, and one from Wisbech in Cambridgeshire.[36]

Among the supporters was a Pathé News cameraman disguised as a West Ham supporter. Pathe's bid had failed to win the rights to film the event, but they sent a disguised cameraman anyway; wearing fake spectacles, a false moustache and carrying a camera hidden in a large cardboard hammer. Many of the days moving images were taken among the crowds in this way.[37][38]

Fans flood the pitch

The gates were opened at 11:30 am as advertised,[29] three and a half hours before the match was due to begin, and until 1:00 pm the flow of people into the stadium was orderly. By 1:00 pm, however, a vast number of people were pouring into the stadium, and after an inspection by the stadium authorities, the decision was made to close the gates at 1:45 pm. Spectator William Rose said later that the route to the stadium was "seething with people" and that "the nearer I got to the stadium the worse it got, by the time I got there the turnstiles had been closed".[39] Although the information was relayed to various railway stations, thousands of people continued to arrive and mass outside the gates.[40] Organisation within the stadium was poor, and in his report on the match the correspondent for the Daily Mail described the stewarding as "useless" and stated that officials in and around the stadium "seemed to know nothing".[29] Fans were not directed to any specific area, and the tiers in the lower half of the stadium filled up much faster than those higher up.[40]

As the crowds outside the stadium continued to grow, local police stations were mobilised, but by the time officers arrived the crowd was too large for them to take any effective form of action.[42] At 2:15 pm, the crowds outside the stadium rushed at the barriers and forced their way in. Spectators in the lower tiers had to climb the fences to escape the crush and overflowed onto the pitch itself.[40] Spectator Terry Hickey said later that "To put it mildly, the whole thing was a bloody shambles".[39] The roads around the stadium were blocked and the Bolton players were forced to abandon their coach a mile from the stadium and make their way through the crowds.[42] The stadium authorities were considering calling the game off, but feared the consequences of an angry response to such a decision.[43]

The Times stated that at one point it seemed impossible that the match would ever be able to start, but that when King George V arrived at 2:45 pm[44] the mood of the crowd changed. After enthusiastically singing "God Save The King", the crowd began to assist the authorities in clearing the playing area.[26]

"Billie" the white horse was the defining image of the day when mounted police cleared fans from the Wembley pitch.

At 3:10 pm the players entered the field of play and joined the police in asking to crowd to withdraw so that the game could be played, however the players were soon mobbed by enthusiastic supporters and found themselves trapped on the pitch.[45] Eventually mounted policemen were brought in to try to clear the crowds from the pitch, including PC George Scorey, who was mounted on a horse named "Billie" (some sources spell the name "Billy"). PC Scorey had not actually been on duty that day but answered a call for emergency assistance as the throng of spectators in the stadium grew.[28] Billie, a gray horse, appeared white in the (high-contrast) black and white newsreel footage of the era.[46] Contrary to what is sometimes claimed, other horses were also involved, but the "white" horse, as the most visible in the news footage, became the defining image of the day and the final is often known as the "White Horse Final".[28][46]

Eventually the police, assisted by appeals from the players for the crowd to calm, were able to manoeuvre the spectators to just beyond the touchline, and the game began approximately 45 minutes late, while fans stood around the perimeter of the pitch.[26]

Dick Pym and two other Bolton players defend their goal.

Both teams employed the 2-3-5 formation typical of the era: two full-backs, three half-backs, comprising one centre-half and two wing-halves, and five forwards, comprising two outside-forwards, two inside-forwards and a centre-forward.[29] West Ham's game plan initially centred on the two fast-moving outside-forwards Dick Richards and Jimmy Ruffell, but Bolton set out from the start to keep the two players contained, rushing at them whenever they got the ball.[11] After just two minutes West Ham half-back Jack Tresadern became entangled in the crowd after taking a throw-in and was unable to return to the pitch immediately. This gave Bolton's David Jack the opportunity to shoot for goal. His shot beat West Ham goalkeeper Ted Hufton to give Bolton the lead, and hit a spectator who was standing pressed against the goal net, knocking him unconscious.[48] Three minutes later Vic Watson received the ball a few yards in front of the Bolton goal but his shot flew over the crossbar.[26] Eleven minutes into the game the crowd surged forward once again and a large number of fans encroached onto the pitch, leading to the suspension of play while the mounted police again cleared the playing area. A number of fans required first aid from members of the British Red Cross while the players looked on and awaited the resumption of play. Policemen patrolled the perimeter of the pitch to keep it clear for the linesmen, after play was resumed.[11]

Soon after play restarted, West Ham's Dick Richards eluded two Bolton defenders and shot for goal. Bolton goalkeeper Dick Pym fumbled the ball but managed to kick it clear before it crossed the goal-line.[11] Bolton continued to dominate the match, and were only prevented from scoring again by a strong performance from West Ham full-back Billy Henderson.[26] When West Ham attacked, however, Bolton were able to quickly switch to a strongly defensive formation, as players changed positions to form a line of five half-backs. This stifled West Ham's attacking style of play and ensured that the Bolton goal was not seriously threatened, and the score remained 1–0 to Bolton until half-time. Due to the crowds that surrounded the pitch, the players were unable to reach the dressing rooms and instead remained on the pitch for five minutes before starting the second half.[11]

West Ham began the second half as the stronger team, and Vic Watson received the ball in a good goalscoring position but mis-hit his shot.[26] Eight minutes into the second half, Bolton added a second goal in controversial circumstances. Outside-forward Ted Vizard played the ball into a central position and Jack Smith hit the ball past Hufton. West Ham's players claimed that the ball had not entered the goal but rebounded into play from the goalpost, but referee D. H. Asson overruled them, stating that in his view the ball had entered the goal but then rebounded off a spectator. West Ham also claimed that Bolton had received an unfair advantage, as a Bolton fan at pitchside had kicked the ball towards Vizard, but Asson disregarded these claims as well and confirmed Bolton's second goal.[48] At this point the crowd began to sense that Bolton would emerge victorious and many began heading towards the exits.[26] Neither team had any more serious chances to score, and the remainder of the match was largely a stalemate with little inspired play.[11] Late in the game, West Ham captain George Kay attempted to persuade Asson to abandon the match, but Bolton captain Joe Smith reportedly replied "We're doing fine, ref, we'll play until dark to finish the match if necessary".[48] The score remained 2–0 to Bolton until the final whistle. The King presented the FA Cup trophy to Joe Smith and then left the stadium to cheers from the crowd.[26] West Ham trainer Charlie Paynter attributed his team's defeat to the damage the pitch had suffered before kick-off, saying "It was that white horse thumping its big feet into the pitch that made it hopeless. Our wingers were tumbling all over the place, tripping up in great ruts and holes".[27]