The first reference to football clubs consisting of Old Etonians relates to matches between the former pupils at Oxford University and those at Cambridge University, starting in 1859. These matches were to the Eton Field Game rules.[2]
Sides made up of former pupils played annual matches against the school in the Field Game over the next few years.[3] The first match for an Old Etonian side against non-Etonian opposition was at Westminster School in 1863, probably to that school's rules.[4] At the start of 1866, an Old Etonian side, chosen by Arthur Kinnaird, drew with the Wanderers in an association match.[5] Possibly in relation to preparations for this match, the Old Etonians in period gave the club's foundation date as 1865.[6][note 1]
The Etonians entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1873–74. However, having been drawn to play High Wycombe, the club scratched;[10] at this time, the best Old Etonians were playing for Wanderers in the competition. The following season, the club reached the final, beating Shropshire Wanderers at the Kennington Oval in the semi-final. The Countrymen were without their star half-back John Denning, and the Etonians won 1–0.[11] The final against the Royal Engineers went to a replay. At the time, ends were only changed after each goal; the original match had a stiff breeze, and the Old Etonians had it at their backs for all but the five minutes when the Sappers were 1–0 behind.[12] The law was changed as a result of the unfairness. However, the Etonians were missing several key players for the replay, including Ottaway and William Kenyon-Slaney, and the Sappers won 2–0.[13]
In 1875–76, the club reached the final again, and again suffered from injuries before a final replay, with Kinnaird and A.C. Thompson, amongst others, missing from the original match. This time the opponents were the Wanderers, whose 3–0 win persuaded the Etonians that the Wanderers was still the better option to play for in the Cup, and the Old Etonians did not enter for the next two years.[14] The club was brought back to prominence in 1878 under the auspices of Francis Marindin, an Old Etonian who had played for the Engineers.
When the club did enter next, however, in 1878–79, there was a sea-change. The growth of other clubs and "old boy" teams starting up encouraged the Etonians to play for the old school club rather than the Wanderers, so, when the clubs were drawn together in the first round, prominent Wanderers Kinnaird and Edgar Lubbock switched their loyalties from the Cup holders to the Etonians, and Marindin took over in goal. The Etonians were also bolstered by Cambridge undergraduates opting for the Etonians rather than the University, whose first round tie kicked off at one end of the Kennington Oval shortly before the Etonians v Wanderers match kicked off at the other. The Etonians beat the Wanderers 7–2,[15] and went on to win the Cup for the first time; Marindin had to miss the final through illness, and the game was of poor quality, but the Etonians scored the only goal of the game, after a Goodhart run down the left wing saw him cross for Clerke to shoot under the bar.[16]In 1879–80, the Etonians beat the Wanderers in the third round, which proved to be the effective death knell for the Wanderers as their players abandoned the more cosmopolitan club for their specific old school sides.
Depiction of a match between Old Etonians and Blackburn Rovers, c.1882
The Old Etonians were the last amateur or "true blue" club to win the FA Cup on 25 March 1882 when they beat Blackburn Rovers 1–0 at The Oval with a goal from William Anderson. They lost 2–1 after extra time to another Blackburn club, Blackburn Olympic, the following year.
In all, they reached the final six times in nine years between 1875 and 1883, winning twice. They also supplied a number of players for the England team, including three in one match against Wales in 1879.
Old Etonians' last participation in the FA Cup was the 1887–88 edition.
In modern times, Old Etonians are members of the Arthurian League (affiliated to the Amateur Football Alliance) and field two teams there.[1] The 1st XI have won the league's Premier Division title on two occasions.
International players
Several Old Etonians players were capped for England, either while with the club or subsequently.
The following eight scholars played for England whilst with the club (with the number of caps received whilst registered with Old Etonians F.C.):[17]
The Eton Ramblers cricket club, also made up of Old Etonians, occasionally played the existing students in the Eton Field Game in the cricket off-season.[18] In 1882–83 the Ramblers also entered the FA Cup, being drawn at home to Romford in the first round. The tie was played at the ground of Windsor Home Park F.C. and the Ramblers won 6–2.[19]
In the second round, the club lost 7–0 to the Old Carthusians, this time playing on the Brocas at Eton College itself. Because of a lack of regulation footballs, the tie was played using an Eton Field Game ball, which was much smaller than the Association standard.[20]
The Ramblers' colours have been purple, gold, green, and red since 1863.[21]
Notes
↑ Some sources set the date of foundation as 1865,[7] however the Arthurian League website gives 1871.[8] Nevertheless, the official club website stated that the club was "officially" founded in 1871 but suggests that it had been active as early as 1863.[9]
Related Research Articles
The Royal Engineers Association Football Club is an association football team representing the Corps of Royal Engineers, the 'Sappers', of the British Army and based in Chatham, Kent. In the 1870s, it was one of the strongest sides in English football, winning the FA Cup in 1875 and being Cup finalists in three of the first four seasons. The Engineers were pioneers of the combination game, where teammates passed the ball to each other rather than kicking ahead and charging after the ball. With the rise of professional teams, in 1888 the Engineers joined a newly formed Army Football Association.
Wanderers Football Club was an English association football club. It was founded as "Forest Football Club" in 1859 in Leytonstone. In 1864, it changed its name to "Wanderers", a reference to it never having a home stadium, instead playing at various locations in London and the surrounding area. Comprising mainly former pupils of the leading English public schools, Wanderers was one of the dominant teams in the early years of organised football and won the inaugural Football Association Challenge Cup in 1872. The club won the competition five times in total, including three in succession from 1876 to 1878, a feat which has been repeated only once.
Arthur Fitzgerald Kinnaird, 11th Lord Kinnaird, was a British principal of The Football Association and a leading footballer, considered by some journalists as the first football star. He played in nine FA Cup Finals, a record that stands to this day. His record of five wins in the competition stood until 2010, when it was broken by Ashley Cole.
Old Carthusians Football Club is an association football club whose players are former pupils of Charterhouse School in Godalming, Surrey, England. The club was established in 1876 and won the FA Cup in 1881, as well as the FA Amateur Cup in 1894 and 1897. The club currently plays in the Arthurian League and have won the 'double' of league and Arthur Dunn Cup in 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2019.
Colonel Sir Francis Arthur Marindin, KCMG served with the Royal Engineers and was a key figure in the early development of association football. He was later knighted for his work in public services.
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.
Old Westminsters F.C. is an association football club composed of former pupils of Westminster School, London, England. They play in the Arthurian League.
Crusaders Football Club was an English association football club based in London. It was a founder member of the Football Association.
Lindsay Bury was an English amateur footballer who, playing as a full back, helped the Old Etonians win the FA Cup in 1879 and made two appearances for England in the 1870s. He also played cricket for Hampshire in 1877 and for Cambridge University in 1877 and 1878.
Henry Wace was an English amateur footballer who made three appearances for England and played for Wanderers, with whom he won the FA Cup in 1877 and 1878. By profession he was a lawyer who specialised in bankruptcy law.
Herbert Whitfeld was an English amateur sportsman who played association football and county cricket.
Harry Chester Goodhart was an English amateur footballer who played as a forward in four FA Cup Finals for Old Etonians, before going on to become Professor of Humanity at the University of Edinburgh.
Edgar Lubbock LLB was an English amateur footballer who twice won the FA Cup and played first-class cricket. He later became a partner in the Whitbread Brewery, a Director and Deputy Governor of the Bank of England and the Master of the Blankney Foxhounds.
Revd. Charles Maude Meysey-Thompson was an English clergyman who, as an amateur footballer, won the FA Cup in 1873 with the Wanderers. He also played in the 1876 FA Cup Final for the Old Etonians and for the Scottish XI in the last representative match against England in 1872.
Alfred Lubbock was an English insurance underwriter and banker. He is best known as an amateur cricketer who played first-class cricket for a variety of sides including Kent County Cricket Club and the Marylebone Cricket Club between 1863 and 1875. He was considered to be one of the best batsman of his era, comparable to WG Grace, and also played association football, playing for Old Etonians in the 1875 FA Cup Final.
Gitanos Football Club was an English association football club and one of the first members of the Football Association.
The English Game is a British historical sports drama television miniseries developed by Julian Fellowes for Netflix about the origins of modern association football in England. The six-part series was released on 20 March 2020.
Lancing Old Boys is an amateur association football club, based in Tolworth, for the former pupils of Lancing College.
John Barrington Trapnell "JB" Chevallier was an English amateur footballer who played as a forward for Old Etonians, before taking over the family business, Aspall Cyder.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
