1890 FA Cup final

1890 FA Cup final
The official match programme
Event1889–90 FA Cup
Blackburn Rovers The Wednesday
6 1
Date29 March 1890
VenueKennington Oval, London
RefereeMajor Francis Marindin
Attendance20,000
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The 1890 FA Cup final was contested by Blackburn Rovers and The Wednesday at the Kennington Oval.

Sheffield Daily Telegraph illustration of Wednesday's goal (credited here to Micky Bennett; other sources give it to Albert Mumford.)

Report

Blackburn won 6–1 with goals scored by William Townley (3), Nat Walton, Jack Southworth and Joe Lofthouse. The Wednesday's goal was scored by Albert Mumford. Townley's hat-trick was the first in an FA Cup Final. The match was the 19th FA Cup Final and the fourth time that Blackburn had won the FA Cup.

Wednesday had been handicapped by captain Henry Winterbottom[1] being injured in the previous game against Grimsby Town and unable to play, replaced by Woolhouse of Sheffield F.C., and Billy Ingram was suffering from an illness which made it touch and go whether he would play; in the end, he did play, but was entirely ineffective. Smith was blamed for the first goal, after just six minutes, a Townley header from a Forrest free-kick which Smith "never appear[ed] to make any attempt to stop"; and also the second, a Walton long shot which Smith "entirely misjudged". In between Bennett missed a golden chance to equalise by heading an easy chance over the bar; Bennett also had a goal disallowed on the basis it had already gone out of play. Townley made it three after 38 minutes with a "magnificent shot" and Southworth made it 4 just before half-time.[2]

Wednesday's consolation after 53 minutes was credited to both Mumford and Bennett, but either way was a header from a Woolhouse cross, but soon after Townley completed his hat-trick after Smith parried a shot from Lofthouse, and Lofthouse himself made it six with a handful of minutes remaining after a Forrest corner found him unmarked.

Haydn Arthur Morley, who was Wednesday's captain in the final, earned his living as a solicitor.[3] The match was the last of seven consecutive and eight total finals officiated by Major Francis Marindin of the Royal Engineers, a veteran of the Crimean War.[4] The match set the record for the highest scoring FA Cup Final, later equalled by the 1953 final.[5] Blackburn's six goals remain the record for the most by one team in an FA Cup final, equalled by Bury in 1903 and by Manchester City in 2019.

Match

Blackburn Rovers6–1The Wednesday
Attendance: 20,000
Referee: Major Francis Marindin
Blackburn Rovers
The Wednesday [6]
GK England Johnny Horne
DF England James Southworth
DF Scotland John Forbes
MF England John Barton
MF Scotland Geordie Dewar
MF England Jimmy Forrest
FW England Joe Lofthouse
FW Scotland Harry Campbell
FW England Jack Southworth
FW England Nat Walton
FW England William Townley
GK England Jim Smith
DF England Haydn Morley (c)
DF England Teddy Brayshaw
MF England Jack Dungworth
MF England Billy Betts
MF England George Waller
FW England Billy Ingram
FW England Harry Woolhouse
FW England Micky Bennett
FW England Albert Mumford
FW England Tom Cawley

References

  1. ^ "The Wednesday team for the final". Sheffield Independent: 8. 25 March 1890.
  2. ^ "The English Association Challenge Cup". Sheffield Independent: 7. 31 March 1890.
  3. ^ The Solicitor's Journal. The Journal. 1953. p. 406.
  4. ^ Patrick Barclay (2014). The Life and Times of Herbert Chapman: The Story of One of Football's Most Influential Figures. Hachette UK. ISBN 978-0-297-86851-4.
  5. ^ Ross, James M. (6 August 2020). "England FA Challenge Cup Finals". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  6. ^ English FA Cup Finalists 1890 - 1899