All articles are by Garry Archer unless otherwise noted. The FA Cup Trivia
articles were originally sent to rec.sport.misc during January - May 1989.
FA Cup Trivia #6: Overall statistics from the first two FA Cups
FA Cup Trivia #7: The Gypsy Final, 1946
FA Cup Trivia #8: FA Cup finalists from outside the top division
FA Cup Trivia #9: Record number of wins
The English FA Cup - the oldest existing football competition
The 1886/7 FA Cup
The Charity Shield
Bolton Wanderers And The 1953 and 1958 Cup Finals
Scottish FA Cup trivia
==========================
Subject: FA Cup Trivia #6.
From: Garry Archer (archer@hsi.com)
Date: Fri Mar 3, 1989
This piece of "trivia" is really only for a bit of fun.
The following is a record of all teams entered for the first two FA Cup
competitions. It's very interesting, isn't it?:
RDS - Rounds reached, PL - Games actually played.
W/O - Walk Over, LST - Lost, SCR - Scratched,
FOR - Goals for, AGA - Goals against, PTS - Points (see below)
Teams sorted by "points" (not actually given in the FA Cup, but I gave
two points for WON, W/O and BYE and one point for a TIE just so I could
sort them...).
FA Cups 1871-72 and 1872-73
TEAM RDS PL WON W/O BYE TIE LST SCR FOR AGA PTS
Wanderers 11* 5 3 2 5 2 0 0 6 1 22
Queen's Park 10* 1 0 1 6 1 0 2 0 0 15
Royal Engineers 8 6 4 1 1 0 2 0 11 3 12
Oxford University 6 5 4 1 0 0 1 0 11 4 10
Maidenhead 6 6 4 0 0 0 2 0 7 8 8
Windsor Home Park 3 3 2 0 0 0 1 0 7 3 4
Hampstead Heathens 3 2 1 0 1 0 1 0 2 2 4
Crystal Palace 5 5 1 0 0 2 2 0 5 6 4
Clapham Rovers 4 3 1 1 0 0 2 0 4 6 4
1st Surrey Rifles 2 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 3 3 2
Barnes 3 3 1 0 0 0 2 0 2 3 2
South Norwood 2 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 3 2
Hitchin 3 2 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 3 1
Harrow Chequers 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
Donington School 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
Reigate Priory 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 4 0
Great Marlow 2 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 3 0
Civil Service 2 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 5 0
Upton Park 2 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 5 0
*Replay in 1871-72 Semi-Final
It's interesting to note that Wanderers and Queen's Park, both at the top of
my table, never lost a "real" game, but in two FA Cups could only win three
games between them (in a combined total of 21 rounds --- although they met
in one of them, so it's really 20). Both teams made it to the Semi-Finals
or beyond. Note also that Queen's Park only played ONE "real" game in 10
rounds of FA Cup soccer --- and that was a 0-0 draw!
And so there you are, the humble origins of one of the greatest sports
competitions in the world!
=========================
Subject: FA Cup TRIVIA #7
From: Garry Archer (archer@hsi.com)
Date: Fri May 26, 1989
I meant this to be a frequent series, but I'm only up to #7 ! Oh well...
While posting the English League and FA Cup winners for David C. the other
day, while reviewing the 1945-46 season I remembered some "trivia" that you
will find both amusing and interesting.
The fact that my team, Derby County, won the FA Cup that season is purely
concidental... ok, so it isn't :-)
Some time ago when we were discussing great goalkeepers of the world,
someone (I apologise, I forget who and I no longer have copies of the
discussions) mentioned the Cameroon goalie in the 1982 World Cup. N'Komo,
I think his name was. In the poster's opinion, he didn't think this
goalie was all that everyone made out to be (albeit he had a GREAT World Cup!).
The rumours were that he used WITCHCRAFT on his opponents, perhaps causing
them to miss goals or give him super powers to pull off amazing saves.
You know, this is not all as crazy as it seems... in every sport there is
an element of luck and many athletes are very superstitious (perhaps you
can come up with some examples for certain individuals). Some players
won't shave while they're on a goalscoring spree. Some players won't even
talk on game day until the game kicks off. Some players have some weird
rituals... but I won't go into that here.
However, what I'm about to tell you is true and is certainly a candidate
for "Ripley's 'Believe it... or not!'". Certain details are lost in the
mists of time, and parts are legend, but the end result is FACT.
In England, as in most parts of Europe, there are gypsies. Wanderers,
nomads. They have a reputation of being a hygenically dirty race. And
hence, no-one really liked them around. Apparently at the end of the 19th
century, some Derby County players/management did some wrong to the
gypsies camped near (or on) the Baseball Ground, Derby's home stadium.
I'm not sure of the details here... but whatever they did, the gypsies
put a curse on the team. The gypsies vowed that Derby County Football
Club would **never** win the FA Cup. It was laughable at the time.
However, Derby did make it to the Final on several occassions:
1898 Nottingham Forest 3, Derby County 1
1899 Sheffield United 4, Derby County 1
1903 Bury 6, Derby County 0
(Still a record for the biggest win in the Final)
Derby County players and fans remembered the curse and remembered it well.
They didn't laugh anymore. They didn't get to the Final again until 1946.
It was the first FA Cup Final since before the war. Mighty Charlton
Athletic were the opponents. Derby County were taking the curse very
seriously. Some of the players went to visit some gypsies and begged them
to lift the curse. For whatever reasons (financial ones wouldn't be out
of the question!), the gypsies agreed to lift the curse.
Game day, 1946. Derby County versus Charlton Athletic. Derby had the
talent with brilliant players like Duncan, Raich Carter, Peter Doherty
and Jackie Stamps... but they couldn't forget the curse. Was it truly
lifted, or were they tricked? Derby had struggled to win their last
few ties, even though they had scored more goals in the FA Cup competition
than anyone else (33 until the Final) since Preston beat Hyde 26-0 in
the 1887-88 season, whereas Charlton absolutely breezed through their ties.
There was a hint of "the unusual" in the air that day. Derby were
understandably nervous... but at some point in the game --- THE BALL BURST!
Some say this was the point when the curse actually lifted. Oddly enough,
the chances of this phenomenon were discussed in a BBC broadcast shortly
before the game, and the referee, Mr. E.D. Smith of Cumberland, remarked
that it was a million to one chance! (Is this voodoo, or wot?)
Derby's Duncan struck first, a deflection off Charlton's Bert Turner's
legs. Was the luck going Derby's way? A minute later, the same Bert
Turner equilised with a free-kick --- a deflection going in off Peter
Doherty's legs !!!! (Wot drama!). And so the game went into extra-time.
Derby must have wondered about the curse at this point. As I said, I
don't know when the ball burst, but Derby's fortunes did change. They
went on to win 4-1 with two goals from Jackie Stamps and another from
Peter Doherty. It was Derby County's first ever FA Cup Final victory.
Five days after the Final, Derby and Charlton played in a league match.
During the game the ball burst...
Some say this signalled the return of the curse.
Derby County have never made it to the FA Cup Final ever since.
BELIEVE IT... OR NOT!
===================
Subject: FA Cup Trivia #8
From: Garry Archer (archer@hsi.com)
Date: Tue May 30, 1989
The following request prompts me for a subject for FA Cup Trivia #8. This
is hot after the heels of Trivia #7, proving that wonders will never cease.
> From uunet!reed.UUCP!indigo (Hiroshi Ogura)
> Date: Sat May 27 02:59:46 1989
> Newsgroups: rec.sport.misc
> Subject: Re: English Football: Previous championship winners
>
> Of all the F.A. Cup winners, how many of them were non-First Division
> clubs? I have noticed that some clubs that are perennial contenders in the
> Cup competitions are perennial Second Division dwellers in the League
> competitions. The prime example is West Ham, who have won two post-war Cups
> (during the time they were in the Second Division, I believe) and yet have
> been extremely erratic in the League competition (as we all have seen this
> year. :-) How many clubs like that does the English Football have?
Well with some research, I came up with the following. I've also included
1st Division teams just relegated prior to the final and a couple of
Non-League teams too:
Non-First Division teams in the FA Cup Final.
Season FA Cup Winners (Div-Pos) FA Cup Finalists (Div-Pos) Score
1892-93 !!
1893-94 Notts County (2-3rd) v Bolton Wanderers (1-13th) 4-1
1899-1900 Bury (1-12th) v Southampton (NL**) 4-0
1900-01 Tottenham Hotspurs (NL++) v Sheffield United (1-14th) 2-2,3-1
1901-02 Sheffield United (1-10th) v Southampton (NL^^) 1-1,2-1
1903-04 Manchester City (1-2nd) v Bolton Wanderers (2-7th) 1-0
1907-08 Wolverhampton Wdrs (2-10th) v Newcastle United (1-4th) 3-1
1909-10 Newcastle United (1-4th) v Barnsley (2-9th) 1-1,2-0
1911-12 Barnsley (2-6th) v West Bromwich Albion (1-9th) 0-0,1-0
1919-20 Aston Villa (1-9th) v Huddersfield Town (2-2nd+) 1-0
1920-21 Tottenham Hotspurs (1-6th) v Wolverhampton Wdrs (2-15th) 1-0
1922-23 Bolton Wanderers (1-13th) v West Ham United (2-2nd+) 2-0
1925-26 Bolton Wanderers (1-8th) v Manchester City (1-21st*) 1-0
1930-31 West Bromwich Albn (2-2nd+) v Birmingham City (1-19th) 2-1
1935-36 Arsenal (1-6th) v Sheffield United (2-3rd) 1-0
1946-47 Charlton Athletic (1-19th) v Burnley (2-2nd+) 1-0
1948-49 Wolverhampton Wdrs (1-6th) v Leicester City (2-19th) 3-1
1963-64 West Ham United (1-14th) v Preston NE (2-3rd) 3-2
1968-69 Manchester City (1-13th) v Leicester City (1-21st*) 1-0
1972-73 Sunderland (2-6th) v Leeds United (1-3rd) 1-0
1974-75 West Ham United (1-13th) v Fulham (2-9th) 2-0
1975-76 Southampton (2-6th) v Manchester United (1-3rd) 1-0
1979-80 West Ham United (2-7th) v Arsenal (1-4th) 1-0
1981-82 Tottenham Hotspurs (1-4th) v QPR (2-5th) 1-1,1-0
1982-83 Manchester United (1-3rd) v Brighton & H Albion (1-22nd*) 2-2,4-0
Legend:
!! 2nd Division Introduced. Note that the following season a 2nd
Division team had already won the FA Cup.
* Relegated from 1st Division to 2nd Division.
+ Promoted from 2nd Division to 1st Division.
NL** Non-League team. Southampton joined the league in 1922, but had
participated in every FA Cup since 1895 (originally as Southampton
St.Mary's) attaining at least the first round proper in every attempt.
NL^^ Southampton reached the Final as a Non-League team again!
NL++ Non-League team. Tottenham Hotspurs joined the League in 1908,
but had participated in every FA Cup since 1895, although they
did not get through to the first round proper in 1895, 1897 and 1898.
Their victory is significant in that they are the first team outside
of the top two divisions AND the whole League to actually win the Cup!
Observations:
Some teams showed up in a lot of these kind of Finals as both 1st Division
and 2nd Division teams! (not at the same time!) Bolton Wanderers,
Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham (as previously noted) particularly
caught my eye.
The results (FA Cup Winners):
1st Division Teams 3, Relegated 1st Divison Teams 0
1st Division Teams 11, 2nd Division Teams 7
1st Division Teams 2, Non-League Teams 1
Conclusion:
There has ALWAYS been a 1st Division team in the FA Cup Final. But history
has shown that they are not guaranteed a victory! In answer to the original
poster's question, League form has absolutely NOTHING to do with how well
a team does in the FA Cup. I suppose this is true for any cup competition.
The reason for this is probably because cup competitions reward teams
that can play well on any given day for a short number of games spaced a couple
of weeks apart, but league championships are won by teams who can survive long,
gruelling campaigns for 40 or more games played week in week out.
=======================================
From: bruce@tcom.stc.co.uk (Bruce Munro)
Subject: Re: FA Cup Trivia #9 (was Re: F. A. Cup 5th Round Results)
Date: Thu Feb 22 05:34:35 1990
archer@hsi.UUCP (Garry Archer) writes:
>Aston Villa have won the FA Cup seven times and have been runners-up twice.
>
>Eleven is the most appearances by any team in the FA Cup final.
>
>Newcastle United have won 6 of 11, Arsenal have won 5 of 11 and Everton have
>won 4 of 11.
>
>For the record, Manchester United have won the FA Cup 6 times in 10 attempts
>and Liverpool have won it 4 times out of 8.
What? No mention of the Spurs record? Shame on you!
Tottenham Hotspur have also won seven FA Cups, in eight final appearances.
They won in 1901, 1921, 1961 (League and Cup double), 1962, 1967,
1981, 1982.
They lost in 1987, to Coventry. Garry Mabbutt scored the winning goal in
extra time, unfortunately he's a Spurs player. Gaaah!
===================================================
Subject: Oldest FA Cup (was Re: Thatchers own goal)
From: Garry Archer (archer@hsi.com)
Date: 14 Mar 90 13:48:25 GMT
ercn56@castle.ed.ac.uk (D Neilson) writes:
> ... In the 117 year old history of the Scottish Cup, the oldest national
> cup competition in the world, ...
I beg to differ:
The oldest national cup competition is England's FA Cup, first played
in the 1871-72 season. Since there was no Scottish FA Cup at the time, top
Scottish club Queen's Park entered the FA Cup in 1871-72 and 1872-73. The
Scottish FA Cup was first played for in 1873-74.
As I wrote in a "FA Cup Trivia #5" posting back in the days of
rec.sport.misc, Queen's Park's history in the FA Cup is quite unique.
In a possible **NINE** rounds of FA Cup soccer they had qualified for
in two years, they only played two games. If only they could have afforded
the travelling (long distance travelling was very expensive in those days --
not many motor vehicles and regular roads around!) they could have conceivably
won the English FA Cup in it's first two years!
In 1871-72 (the first FA Cup), Queen's Park:
1st Round: Received a bye.
2nd Round: Won by a "walkover" when Donnington School "scratched".
3rd Round: Received a bye because of travelling expenses and difficulties.
Semi-Final: Were scratched. They drew 0-0 in Scotland with Wanderers (the
eventual first FA Cup winners), but couldn't afford to travel
to London for the replay.
In 1872-73, Queen's Park:
1st Round: Received a bye, because of the travelling involved.
2nd Round: Received a bye, because of the travelling involved.
3rd Round: Received a bye, because of the travelling involved.
4th Round: Received a bye, because of the travelling involved.
Semi-Final: Were scratched. They apparently beat Oxford University in
Scotland, but could not afford to travel to London for
the Final. Oxford took their place and lost to Wanderers
2-0 in the Final at Lillie Bridge.
In 1873-74, Queen's Park won the first Scottish FA Cup:
1st Round: Beat Drumreck 7-0 at Hampden Park (Queen's Park's home!).
2nd Round: Beat Eastern 1-0 at Hampden Park.
Semi-Final: Beat Renton 2-0 at Hampden Park.
Final: Beat Clydesdale 2-0 at Hampden Park.
Queen's Park went on to win the next two Scottish FA Cup Finals too!
=======================================================
Subject: Re: Oldest FA Cup (was Re: Thatchers own goal)
From: Garry Archer (archer@hsi.com)
Date: 16 Mar 90 14:03:39 GMT
D Neilson writes:
> Point taken. Has the FA cup been continuous? I think the SFA cup has.
Actually neither the English nor Scottish FA Cups have been continuous.
In fact, the SFA Cup less so! As far as I can tell:
1913-14 Both FA and SFA Cups were contested (and both leagues).
1914-15 Only the FA Cup was contested (with both leagues).
1915-19 Neither the FA Cup nor SFA Cup was contested,
however, Scotland did continue League play
whereas England did not.
1919-20 Both FA and SFA Cups were resumed (and both leagues).
1938-39 Both FA and SFA Cups were contested (and both leagues).
1939-40 Play started for both leagues for only three or four
games before the season was cancelled. There were
limited regional league games, but not the proper
Football Leagues as we know them.
1939-45 No FA or SFA Cup action. Limited regional league play.
1945-46 Only the FA Cup was contested. Scottish clubs
contested for something called the Southern League
Cup instead of a full blown SFA Cup. Limited regional
league play.
1946-47 The SFA Cup was resumed (and both leagues).
> At least the Thatcher own goal was right. Her party trial by 31% in
> Scotland and by 22% in the UK.
>
> Now that's good news.
>
> What's that got to do with football? I asked the same question when she
> drew the Scottish Cup semi finals last Saturday.
She can be such a ratbag at times! She doesn't even like football! Wot a tart!
================================
Subject: Re: 1886/7 FA Cup
From: Garry Archer (archer@hsi.com)
Date: Mon, 7 Mar 1994 15:29:39 GMT
dunford@biol.gis.queensu.ca writes:
>Alan M Stanier (alan@essex.ac.uk) wrote:
>> Our University Library doesn't seem to have a book that can
>> give me the answer to this, so perhaps someone out there can
>> answer these:
>
>> 1) Who won the FA Cup in the 1886/7 season?
>
>> 2) Who was their goalkeeper?
>
> Can't help you with definite facts without any of my reference books out
> here with me, but was this one of Blackburn's three cup wins in a row?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> This was certainly in the mid-1880's. This is also about the time that
> two notable oddities won the Cup, Oxford University and Queen's Park, the
> still-existent Glasgow team. There are many books that could give you
> the information though. As for the goalie, that might prove more tricky.
> I would suggest writing either to the FA at Lancaster Gate or to the club
> that won the trophy, once you find that part out.
Blackburn Rovers won the FA Cup three times in a row for 1884, 1885 and 1886:
1884: 2-1 versus Queen's Park (Glasgow) at Kennington Oval
1885: 2-0 versus Queen's Park (Glasgow) at Kennington Oval
1886: 0-0 versus West Bromwich Albion at Kennington Oval
2-0 replay at The Racecourse, Derby.
The last game is significant in that it:
- Was the first time the Final had been played outside of London.
- Completed a hat-trick of successes never since been repeated.
Blackburn Rovers were awarded a commemorative shield to mark this
special feat. It still hangs in their boardroom to this day.
- Saw one of the greatest goals ever scored in an FA Cup Final.
The Blackburn captain, in his last ever game for the club,
dribbled the length of the pitch to score. In doing so, he
became the only man ever to score in three consecutive Cup
Finals.
The cup stayed in Blackburn for _four_successive_seasons_ actually.
Blackburn Olympic defeated Old Etonians 2-1 in 1883. It was the Old Etonians
last ever FA Cup Final.
1883 saw the Old Etonians in their third successive Cup Final, but they
only won one of them... defeating Blackburn Rovers 1-0. It was the start
of a five year run of seeing a Blackburn club in the Final.
There were no Blackburn clubs in the Finals of 1887, 1888 and 1889. But
the Rovers did Return (apologies to "Coronation Street"!) making more
history.
Blackburn Rovers won two more FA Cups in successive years, 1890 and 1891.
They defeated The Wednesday and Notts County, 6-1 and 3-1, respectively.
William Townley scored the first ever FA Cup Final hat-trick for Blackburn
against The Wednesday. The 6-1 score was the highest score in a Final tie.
Blckburn Rovers do not hold the record for most successive FA Cup Final
victories alone. The Wanderers also won the Cup in three successive tries:
- 1876 1-1 versus Old Etonians at Kennington Oval
3-0 replay at Kennington Oval
- 1877 2-1 versus Oxford University at Kennington Oval
- 1877 3-1 versus Royal Engineers at Kennington Oval
Interestingly, in the last game there, there is no "official" scorer
for the Royal Engineers. It is recorded as "From a Rush"!!!
The Wanderers were awarded the Cup permanently for winning it three
successive times, but the club returned the Cup back to the Football
Association.
===================================
From: Garry Archer (archer@hsi.com)
Subject: Re: Charity Shield
Date: July 31, 1995
Gary Dolphin (gary.dolphin.6406326@nt.com)) writes:
>The purpose of the Charity Shield game is to raise money for charity, and
>at the same time provide a 'tasty' opening to the new season. The big deal
>for UK soccer fans is that at last, after a long cold footballess summer, the
>new season is about to start, and optimism is high (for a few weeks anyhow!!).
>Teams do care to some extent about the outcome, as the two teams contesting
>it tend to have been close rivals the previous season. Previous Charity
>Shield games have seen players sent off for violent conduct, signs I think
>of some passion.
Nice synopsis, Gary.
Yes, I'd say it is pretty important. I can't wait for the _real_ footy
season to come around again. The FA Charity Shield is the official season
opener.
My only trip to Wembley was for the 1975 FA Charity Shield between League
Champions Derby County (my team) and FA Cup Winners West Ham.
It was a highly anticipated clash as both teams were reknown for their
attractive attacking styles at the time.
Derby had just signed Charlie George from Arsenal and so the Rams fans were
eager to see him play in his debut. But perhaps more significantly, it was
Derby's first return to Wembley since the famous 1946 FA Cup Final where
they beat Charlton Athletic 4-1 in extra time. So, it was a unique
opportunity to finally see our team play on the Sacred Turf. Derby's only
other two outings at Wembley were both loses -- a 3-1 defeat in the Anglo-
Italian Cup to Cremonese in 1993 (I think) and a 2-1 defeat to Leicester
City in the Football League's Play-Off Final in 1994.
West Ham were returning to Wembley after beating Fulham 2-0 in the FA Cup
Final only three months before. Plus, it was closer to home for them, a
virtual home game.
To Derby fans it was both a pilgrimage to Wembley, plus a chance to see
if we could beat the Londoners in their home town.
Furthermore, the FA had only just moved the Charity Shield match to Wembley
in 1974 to boost ailing attendances from the supporters and ailing interest
from the teams whom preferred to go on tour or have other plans.
In 1974 the first Wembley Charity Shield would be a clash between Liverpool
and Leeds United. Rather than being remembered as the first Charity Shield
at Wembley it will be remembered more for the fight between Kevin Keegan and
Billy Bremner resulting in them both getting sent off -- at which, as they
walked off the pitch, they took off their shirts, enraging the FA whom
subsequently fined them 500 pounds sterling apiece and banned them until the
end of September.
So in 1975 it was a great day out for the supporters. It was a fine and
entertaining match and the weather was beautiful, if a little hot (90degF
plus on the pitch). Derby seemed to have the better of the play on the day
and so their 2-0 victory was justified -- goals by Kevin Hector (a bender
into the far corner) and Roy McFarland in the first half. So I was a little
more than happy! ;-)
The first match for the Charity Shield took place in 1908 between Manchester
United and Queen's Park Rangers, Football League and Southern League Champions
respectively.
After the First World War the match became a contest between the Champions
and FA Cup holders, but on several occasions during the 1920s it was
played between Amateurs and Professionals.
===================================
From: archer@hsi.com (Garry Archer)
Subject: Re: Tough Question
Date: Tue, 28 Mar 1995 17:41:54 GMT
JUMPERTZC@ul.ie (C jumpertz) writes:
>What was unusual about Bolton's 1958 Cup winning Team appart from the fact that
>everyone on the team was English??
Hmmm... seems like a few people have asked this one. And I'm still waiting
for the answer!
I'm not sure I have an answer, but perhaps I can shed some light on this
particularly interesting FA Cup Final.
It all started in the 1953 FA Cup Final really. "The Matthews Final"
as it is now known in football lore was when the great Wizard Of The Wing,
Stanley Matthews, and his Blackpool club met Bolton Wanderers.
Nineteen-fifty three was a great year -- the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II,
Sir Edmund Hillary's team conquering Mount Everest, Hungary's legendary win
over England at Wembley. Then _the_ greatest FA Cup Final of all time.
There was no doubt about it, everyone wanted to see Stan Matthews win a
Cup Winners Medal. The weight of neutral support was on Blackpool's
shoulders.
Unbelievably, owing to injuries during the game (it has happened to other
teams at Wembley -- known as 'the Wembley Hoodoo'), Bolton made serious
tactical errors when reorganising the team which left a player suffering
from cramp marking Matthews for the last 20 minutes of the game.
It was with 20 minutes to go Bolton were strolling to a 3-1 victory, much
to the dismay of many football followers.
Matthews tore up the right wing during this spell and Blackpool recovered
to 3-2 with three minutes to go and eventually won 4-3.
Matthews won his medal and the country was pleased and proud.
Bolton Wanderers reached the FA Cup Final again in 1958. Their opponents
this time were Manchester United. Poor Bolton. Once again the entire
country was against them...
Nineteen-fifty eight was the year of the Munich air disaster involving
the Manchester United team -- the famous "Busby Babes", destined to challenge
Real Madrid's supremacy in Europe. Six of the 1957 Wembley team -- Byrne,
Coleman, Edwards, Whelan, Taylor and Pegg -- were dead. Two others --
Berry and Blanchflower -- survived but their careers were over. The
nation came to a grinding halt and morned the loss of some of Britain's
brightest prospects for the future.
As with all teams that disaster has befallen on them, a whole country
will get behind them. Remember Zambia in 1994? In that case, a whole
_planet_ got behind them!
With Manchester United, the crowd support bordered on religious fervour.
The club had to reassemble a team very quickly. It was very makeshift,
but, none-the-less, successful as the capacity crowds that followed them
everywhere drove them on. Wherever the new United played, they had to
close the gates.
This Makeshift United arrived at Wembley and _everyone_ wanted to see
them win. Poor Bolton... it is said that even their own fans would not
have minded seeing the Cup end up just down the road at Old Trafford.
But -- against the entire nation's fanatical wishes Bolton would win 2-0.
Nat Lofthouse scoring a goal early in each half.
So, what is unusual about Bolton's 1958 FA Cup Final winning team?
Perhaps it is this: In 1958 Bolton were one of the most unpopular FA Cup
winning clubs in the history of the competition. Even more unpopular than
had they won it in 1953!
I'd be interested to see the correct answer though!
================================
Subject: Scottish FA Cup Trivia.
From: Garry Archer (archer@hsi.com)
Date: Fri Jan 20, 1989
The Scottish FA Cup and English FA Cup are strongly related.
The FA Cup was the first competition of its kind, the first season being
1871-72. Fifteen teams were entered including one *SCOTTISH* team, that
being the great Queen's Park club. (The first FA Cup is quite a story
in itself, but more on that in a later posting). Queen's Park played in the
following 1872-73 competition too, when they were given byes all the way
into the semi-finals because they couldn't afford the travelling expenses!
(They couldn't afford to travel to London for a replay in the previous
season's FA Cup semi-final against The Wanderers, and were "scratched" from
the competition.) In the 1872-73 semi-final, Queen's Park apparently beat
Oxford University, but couldn't afford to travel to London for the final
and were scratched again, so that Oxford went on to lose to The Wanderers
2-0. (Wanderers, as cup holders from 1871-72 were given byes all the way
to the Final!!!)
But, there is a happy part of this story for Queen's Park. The first
Scottish FA Cup was the next season, 1873-74. Queen's Park beat Dumbreck
7-0 in the first round, Eastern 1-0 in the second round, Renton 2-0 in
the semi-finals, and Clydesdale 2-0 in the Final at Queen's Park's famous
home ground, Hampden Park (where they, and the Scotland national team
continue to play). So Queen's Park won the first Scottish FA Cup.
In fact, they won it again, each time at Hampden Park in 1874-75
(v Renton, 3-0) and in 1875-76 (v 3rd Lanark Rifle Volunteers, 2-0 after a
1-1 draw) before succumbing to Vale Of Leven, 2-1, in the fifth round
in 1876-77. Vale Of Leven went on to beat Rangers in the Final at Hampden
Park. Queen's Park (in existence for nine years at the time) conceded
their first ever goal in the Scottish FA Cup against Vale Of Leven in the
1875-76 semi-final, whom they beat 3-1. Their defeat in the fifth round
against the same team the following season was Queen's Park's first ever
defeat in Scotland. (Well, everyone has a "bogey" team, don't they? :-)