1874 FA Cup final

1874 FA Cup final
Event	1873–74 FA Cup
Date	14 March 1874
Venue	Kennington Oval, London
Referee	Alfred Stair (Upton Park F.C.)
Attendance	2,000
	← 1873 1875 →

Last updated February 25, 2024

The 1874 FA Cup final was a football match between Oxford University and Royal Engineers on 14 March 1874 at Kennington Oval in London. It was the third final of the world's oldest football competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup (known in the modern era as the FA Cup). Both teams had previously reached the final but been defeated by Wanderers. The Engineers had reached the final with comparative ease, scoring sixteen goals and conceding only one in the four previous rounds. Oxford's opponents in the earlier rounds had included two-time former winners Wanderers.

The final was decided by two goals from Oxford in the first twenty minutes. Their opponents had spent two weeks training for the match, an innovative concept at the time, but were repeatedly thwarted by Charles Nepean, the Oxford goalkeeper. The Engineers were said to have missed their best back, Lieut. Alfred Goodwyn, who had been posted overseas.

Route to the final

Oxford University and the Chatham-based Royal Engineers were among 28 entrants to the competition in the 1873–74 season. Both teams were ranked among the strongest in the country at the time, especially the Engineers who played 86 games between 1871 and 1875 and lost only three, scoring a total of 240 goals and conceding only 20.^[1]

Both teams progressed through the first round of the competition with little difficulty, Oxford defeating Upton Park 4–0 and the Engineers winning 5–0 against Brondesbury. In the second round, the University beat Barnes 2–0 and the "Sappers", as the Engineers were nicknamed, beat Uxbridge 2–1.^[2]

The Engineers comprehensively defeated their quarter-final opponents, Maidenhead, winning 7–0, the first time a team had ever scored as many as seven goals in an FA Cup match.^[2]^[3]^[4] Oxford, on the other hand, were paired with Wanderers, who had won the competition in both its first two seasons and never lost an FA Cup match. They had defeated the Engineers in the 1872 final and Oxford in the 1873 final.^[3]^[4] The first match finished in a 1–1 draw, necessitating a replay which Oxford won 1–0 to end Wanderers' grip on the competition.^[2]

Both semi-final matches were played at Kennington Oval, the home of Surrey County Cricket Club, as specified by the rules in use at the time. Royal Engineers defeated Swifts in the first match to be played, and Oxford booked their place in the final a month later with a 1–0 win over Clapham Rovers.^[2]

Match

Summary

Cuthbert Ottaway was the Oxford captain. Cuthbert Ottaway.jpg — Cuthbert Ottaway was the Oxford captain.

Oxford were able to call on their first-choice goalkeeper, Charles Nepean, who had been unable to play in the previous year's final, which Oxford lost. They also selected William Rawson, whose brother Herbert was in the Engineers' team. The Engineers, who represented the British Army's Corps of Royal Engineers, had undertaken two weeks of special training before the match, an innovative concept in an era when little importance was placed on training,^[5] but were unable to field Alfred Goodwyn, considered to be their best back, as he had been posted to India earlier in the year.^[6] Oxford's players were not all students, as the team included Arthur Johnson, an ordained clergyman and Fellow of All Souls College.^[7] Around 2,000 spectators were in attendance, a smaller crowd than had attended the previous final.^[8]

Oxford won the coin toss and elected to begin the game defending the Harleyford Road end of the stadium.^[9] Charles Mackarness gave Oxford the lead after just ten minutes. Following an Oxford corner kick, a melee developed in front of the Engineers' goal, and the ball fell to Mackarness, who shot it over the crowd of players and past goalkeeper William Merriman.^[10] Frederick Patton doubled the lead ten minutes later after some skillful dribbling by captain Cuthbert Ottaway and Robert Vidal, who was nicknamed the "prince of dribblers" for his skill in that aspect of the game.^[11] Just before the call of time, Oxford got the ball between the posts a third time, when a free-kick from near the corner-flag went straight in, but the University did not appeal for a goal;^[12] at the time the laws of the game required all free-kicks to be indirect.

The best effort for the Engineers came when Henry Renny-Tailyour's shot struck the goalpost. Late in the game the "Sappers" mounted a series of attacks on the Oxford goal but were unable to score, being repeatedly thwarted by Nepean. Oxford thus won 2–0 and secured the cup.^[13]

Details

14 March 1874

Oxford University	2–0	Royal Engineers
Mackarness 10' Patton 20'	Report

Kennington Oval, London

Attendance: 2,000

Referee: Alfred Stair (Upton Park F.C.)

O. University

R. Engineers


Gk		Charles Nepean
FB		Charles Mackarness
HB		Francis Birley
HB		Frederick Green
FW		Robert Benson
FW		Frederick Maddison
FW		William Rawson
FW		Cuthbert Ottaway
FW		Rev. Arthur Johnson
FW		Walpole Vidal
FW		Frederick Patton


GK		Capt. William Merriman
FB		Maj. Francis Marindin
HB		Lieut. George Addison
HB		Lieut. Gerald Onslow
FW		Lieut. Pelham von Donop
FW		Lieut. John Blackburn
FW		Lieut. Herbert Rawson
FW		Lieut. Henry Renny-Tailyour
FW		Lieut. Henry Olivier
FW		Lieut. Charles Wood
FW		Lieut. Thomas Digby

Match rules

90 minutes normal time.
30 minutes extra-time if scores are level, at captains' discretion.
Replay if scores still level.
No substitutes.

Post-match

As occurred each year until 1882, the winning team did not receive the trophy at the stadium on the day of the match, but later in the year at their annual dinner.^[14] The secretary of the Royal Engineers club, in his official report, stated that Oxford had thoroughly deserved their victory.^[10] Some time after the match, the Engineers discovered that Alfred Goodwyn, their absent star player, had died in India on the day of the final of injuries sustained in a fall from a horse.^[6]

Related Research Articles

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The 1872–73 season was the second season of competitive football in England. When the Football Association football was formed in 1863, the sport was played mainly by public schools, or teams with public school roots, and amateurism was the norm. This remained the case until the 1880s, when working-class teams began to vie for supremacy. The Football Association staged the second edition of the FA Cup, with Wanderers retaining the trophy by defeating Oxford University in the final.

The 1871–72 Football Association Challenge Cup was the first staging of the Football Association Challenge Cup, usually known in the modern era as the FA Cup, the oldest association football competition in the world. Fifteen of the association's fifty member clubs entered the first competition, although three withdrew without playing a game. In the final, held at Kennington Oval in London on 16 March 1872, Wanderers beat the Royal Engineers by a single goal, scored by Morton Betts, who was playing under the pseudonym A. H. Chequer.

The following are events in 1874 which are relevant to the development of association football. Included are events in closely related codes, such as the Sheffield Rules.

The 1872 FA Cup final was a football match between Wanderers and Royal Engineers on 16 March 1872 at Kennington Oval in London. It was the final of the first staging of the Football Association Challenge Cup, which became the primary cup competition in English football and the oldest football competition in the world. Fifteen teams entered the competition in its first season and, due to the rules in place at the time, Wanderers reached the final having won only one match in the four preceding rounds. In the semi-finals, they drew with the Scottish club Queen's Park, but reached the final when the Scots withdrew from the competition as they could not afford to return to London for a replay.

The 1873 FA Cup final was a football match between Wanderers and Oxford University on 29 March 1873 at Lillie Bridge in London. It was the second final of the world's oldest football competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup. Unusually, the final was held in the morning, so as to avoid a clash with the annual Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race which was held on the same day. Wanderers reached the final without playing a match, as the original rules of the competition stated that the holders would receive a bye straight to the final and other teams would compete to gain the other place in the final and challenge the holders for the trophy. Oxford reached the final when their semi-final opponents, Queen's Park, dropped out of the competition

The 1875 FA Cup final was a football match between Royal Engineers and Old Etonians on 13 March 1875 at Kennington Oval in London. It was the fourth final of the world's oldest football competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup. Heading into the final, the Royal Engineers were playing in their third final after losing the 1872 and 1874 finals while the Old Etonians were playing in their first FA Cup final.

Robert Walpole Sealy Vidal, who from 1892 was Robert Walpole Sealy was a prominent 19th century footballer who featured in the first three FA Cup Finals for two different clubs. In March 1870 he played in the first ever international football match, which took place at Kennington Oval, London. He represented England again in 1871.

The 1877 FA Cup final was a football match between Wanderers and Oxford University on 24 March 1877 at Kennington Oval in London. It was the sixth final of the world's oldest football competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup. Wanderers were the reigning cup-holders and had won the competition three times in total. Oxford had also previously won the tournament, making this the first FA Cup final played between two former winners. Wanderers had reached the final without conceding a goal, defeating Cambridge University in the semi-finals. Oxford had only played three matches in the five rounds prior to the final due to a combination of byes and opponents withdrawing.

The 1876 FA Cup final was a football match between Wanderers and Old Etonians on 11 March 1876 at Kennington Oval in London. It was the fifth final of the world's oldest football competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup. Wanderers had won the Cup on two previous occasions. The Etonians were playing in their second consecutive final, having lost in the 1875 final. Both teams had conceded only one goal in the four rounds prior to the final. In the semi-finals Wanderers defeated Swifts and the Etonians beat the 1874 FA Cup winners Oxford University.

The 1878 FA Cup final was a football match between Wanderers and Royal Engineers on 23 March 1878 at Kennington Oval in London. It was the seventh final of the world's oldest football competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup. Wanderers had won the Cup in the previous two seasons and on four previous occasions in total, including the first FA Cup final, in 1872, in which they defeated the Engineers. The Engineers had also won the Cup, having defeated Old Etonians in the 1875 final.

The 1882 FA Cup final was contested by Old Etonians and Blackburn Rovers at the Kennington Oval. Old Etonians won 1–0, the only goal scored, according to most reports, by William Anderson, although another, questionably, gives Reginald Macaulay. It was the last final to be won by one of the Southern "gentleman amateur" teams who had dominated the first decade of the competition.

Alfred George Goodwyn was an English Royal Engineer, who represented his regiment at football. He was a member of the Regiment's team that was defeated in the very first FA Cup final. He also represented England in the second international football match against Scotland in 1873.

The 1874–75 FA Cup was the fourth season of England's oldest football tournament, the Football Association Challenge Cup or "FA Cup". 29 teams entered, one more than the previous season, although four of the 29 never played a match. The final was contested by Royal Engineers – playing in their third final in the four seasons of the FA Cup – and Old Etonians – playing in their first final. On their way to the final, Royal Engineers knocked out Cambridge University in the Second Round and holders Oxford University in the Semi-finals, while Old Etonians only managed to score more than one goal in one match: their second replay against Swifts, which they won 3–0. The biggest win of the competition was recorded by two-time FA Cup winners Wanderers, who beat Farningham 16–0 in the First Round.

Francis Hornby Birley was an English footballer who played as a half back. He won the FA Cup three times in the 1870s and made two appearances for England in 1874 and 1875.

The Rev. Charles Edward Burroughs Nepean was an English amateur cricketer and footballer who later became a vicar in the Church of England. As a cricketer he played ten first-class matches for Oxford University and Middlesex between 1870 and 1874, whilst in football he was in goal for Oxford University, the winning side in the 1874 FA Cup Final.

Charles Coleridge Mackarness was the Archdeacon of the East Riding between 1898 and 1916. In his youth, he had been a keen amateur sportsman and played twice in the FA Cup Final for Oxford University, being on the victorious side in 1874 and runner-up in the previous year.

Colonel William Merriman was a British officer in the Royal Engineers who played as a goalkeeper in three FA Cup Finals, winning the cup in 1875.

Lieut-Colonel George William Addison was an English soldier who played for the Royal Engineers in the 1872 and 1874 FA Cup Finals.

References

General

Warsop, Keith (2004). The Early FA Cup Finals and the Southern Amateurs. SoccerData. ISBN 1-899468-78-1.

Specific

↑ Warsop, p. 20
1 2 3 4 "England FA Challenge Cup 1873–74". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 27 January 2001. Retrieved 25 November 2009.
1 2 "England FA Challenge Cup 1871–72". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 27 January 2001. Retrieved 25 November 2009.
1 2 "England FA Challenge Cup 1872–73". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 27 January 2001. Retrieved 25 November 2009.
↑ Warsop, p. 19
1 2 Warsop, p. 81
↑ Warsop, p. 91
↑ Warsop, p. 41
↑ Warsop, p. 42
1 2 Warsop, p. 31
↑ Warsop, p. 130
↑ "report". The Field : 287. 21 March 1874.
↑ Gibbons, Philip (2001). Association Football in Victorian England – A History of the Game from 1863 to 1900. Upfront Publishing. pp. 41–42. ISBN 1-84426-035-6.
↑ Warsop, p. 53

External links

Line-ups

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[1] Warsop, p. 20

[RS-2] 1 2 3 4 "England FA Challenge Cup 1873–74". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 27 January 2001. Retrieved 25 November 2009.

[RS1-3] 1 2 "England FA Challenge Cup 1871–72". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 27 January 2001. Retrieved 25 November 2009.

[RS2-4] 1 2 "England FA Challenge Cup 1872–73". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 27 January 2001. Retrieved 25 November 2009.

[5] Warsop, p. 19

[W81-6] 1 2 Warsop, p. 81

[7] Warsop, p. 91

[8] Warsop, p. 41

[W42-9] Warsop, p. 42

[W31-10] 1 2 Warsop, p. 31

[11] Warsop, p. 130

[12] "report". The Field : 287. 21 March 1874.

[13] Gibbons, Philip (2001). Association Football in Victorian England – A History of the Game from 1863 to 1900. Upfront Publishing. pp. 41–42. ISBN 1-84426-035-6.

[14] Warsop, p. 53

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v t e FA Cup
Seasons	1871–72 1872–73 1873–74 1874–75 1875–76 1876–77 1877–78 1878–79 1879–80 1880–81 1881–82 1882–83 1883–84 1884–85 1885–86 1886–87 1887–88 1888–89 1889–90 1890–91 1891–92 1892–93 1893–94 1894–95 1895–96 1896–97 1897–98 1898–99 1899–1900 1900–01 1901–02 1902–03 1903–04 1904–05 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24
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