FA CUP 1877-78

 

Winners: Wanderers

Runners-up: Royal Engineers

 Holders from previous season: Wanderers

 

First round
10 November 18771st Surrey Rifles1-0Forest School 
 Kirkpatrick     
10 November 1877103rd Light Infantry0-2Old Harrovians 
     Bevington, Betts 
Walkover Barnes   St MarksScratched
2 November 1877Cambridge University3-1Southall Park 
 Churchill 2, A.Lyttleton   not known 
7 November 1877Darwen3-0Manchester 
 Lewis, 2 others     
27 October 1877Grantham0-2Clapham Rovers 
     Mackem, W.Taylor 
3 November 1877Hawks5-2Minerva 
 

JR Fox, J Hamilton, Pitman,

Ram, Rumball

   Clegg, Duthie 
3 November 1877Hendon0-2Great Marlow 
     Flint 2 
27 October 1877High Wycombe4-0Woodgrange 
 Grange 2, Wellcombe, 1 other     

27 October 1877

Maidenhead10-0Reading Hornets 
 F.Price, 9 others     
3 November 1877Notts County1-1Sheffield 
 CL Curhsam   Cursham 
WalkoverOld Forresters   Old WykehamistsScratched
3 November 1877Oxford University5-2Hertfordshire Rangers 
 not known   not known 
10 November 1877Panthers1-9Wanderers 
 E Farquharson   Heron 4, Wace 2,Wylie 2, Kenrick 3 
3 November 1877Pilgrims0-0Ramblers 
7 November 1877Reading2-0South Norwood 
 Field, H Wilson (og)     
10 November 1877Remnants4-0St Stephens 
 not known     
WalkoverRoyal Engineers   Highbury UnionScratched
12 November 1877Shropshire Wanderers0-1Druids 
     not known 
10 November 1877Swifts3-2Leyton 
 WS Bambridge 2, Short   Rawson 2 
10 November 1877Upton Park3-0Rochester 
 D Hunter 2, J Hunter     
Replays
9 November 1877Ramblers0-1Pilgrims 
     Redwood 
1 December 1877Sheffield3-0Notts County 
 Cursham 2, Matthews     
Second round
22 December 18771st Surrey Rifles0-6Old Harrovians 
     

Bevington 2, Prior 2, Colbeck,

Hadow

 
15 December 1877Barnes3-1Great Marlow 
 Ainslie 2, Dorling   not known 
8 December 1877 Cambridge University 4-2Maidenheadaet
 Jarvis, Steel, Styan, Wild   Mackie 2 
22 December 1877Clapham Rovers4-0Swifts 
 Buchanan 2, Holden, Sedgwick     
29 December 1877Darwen0-1Sheffield 
     Matthews 
15 December 1877High Wycombe0-9Wanderers 
     

Wace 2, Wollaston 2, Wylie 2,

Denton, Kinnaird, og

 
15 December 1877Oxford University1-0Old Forresters 
 og     
8 December 1877Reading0-1Upton Park 
     not known 
22 December 1877Remnants2-0Hawks 
 Keyser, 1 other     
8 December 1877Royal Engineers6-0Pilgrims 
 Hedley 3, others 3     

Bye

Druids     
Third round
2 February 1878Old Harrovians2-2Cambridge University 
 Bevington, Greaves   Hill, Styan  
2 February 1878Oxford University3-2Clapham Rovers 
 Heygate, Otter, Parry   Birkett, Rawson 
30 January 1878Royal Engineers8-0Druids 
 

Hedley 3, Tower 2, Haynes,

Lindsay, 1 other

     
19 January 1878Upton Park3-0Remnants 
 D Hunter, J Hunter, H Williams     
12 January 1878Wanderers1-1Barnes 
 Denton   Ainslie 
ByeSheffield     
Replays
26 January 1878Barnes1-4Wanderers 
 Weston   Kinnaird, Wollaston, Wylie, 1 other 
9 February 1878Cambridge University2-2Old Harroviansaet
 Hill, Styan   Colbeck, Harvey 
Second Replay
16 February 1878Old Harrovians2-0Cambridge UniversityPlayed at Kennington Oval, London
 Lowis, Prior     
Quarter-finals
9 March 1878Old Harrovians3-1Upton Park 
 Betts 2, Colbeck   J Hunter 
15 February 1878Royal Engineers3-3Oxford University 
 not known   not known 
16 February 1878Wanderers3-0Sheffield 
 Denton, Wace, Wylie     
Replay
27 February 1878Oxford University2-2Royal Engineersaet
 Otter 2   Bond, Haynes 
Second Replay
12 March 1878Royal Engineers4-2Oxford UniversityPlayed at Royal Engineers
 Barnet, Bond, Ruck, 1 other   Crowdy, 1 other 
Semi-final
16 March 1878Royal Engineers2-1Old HarroviansPlayed at Kennington Oval, London
 Barnet, Mayne   Prior 
ByeWanderers     
Final
23 March 1878Wanderers3-1Royal EngineersPlayed at Kennington Oval, London
4,500Kenrick 2 (5, 65), Kinnaird (35)   Morris (20) 
 

Team

GK: James Kirkpatrick

FB: Alfred Stratford

FB: William Lindsay

HB: Hon. Arthur Kinnaird

HB: Frederick Green

FW: Charles Wollaston

FW: Hubert Heron

FW: John Wylie

FW: Henry Wace

FW: Charles Denton

FW: Jarvis Kenrick

   

Team

GK: Lieut. Lovick Friend

FB: Lieut. James Cowan

FB: Lieut. William Morris

HB: Lieut. Charles Mayne

HB: Lieut. Frederick Heath

FW: Lieut. Charles Haynes

FW: Lieut. Morgan Lindsday

FW: Lieut. Robert Hedley

FW: Lieut. Francis Bond

FW: Lieut. Horace Barnet

FW: Lieut. Oliver Ruck

Referee:

Segar Bastard

(Upton Park)

 

Match Summary

Wanderers, who were considered the firm favourites by the book-makers, won the coin toss and chose to defend the Harleyford Road end of The Oval. The match drew a crowd estimated at 4,500 spectators, the highest yet recorded for an FA Cup Final. Both teams played with two full-backs, two half-backs and six forwards; the team captains were the Hon. Arthur Kinnaird and Lieut. Robert Hedley.

 

The cup-holders immediately dominated the game and Kinnaird quickly had an unsuccessful shot on goal. After only five minutes Henry Wace crossed the ball from a wide position and Jarvis Kenrick kicked the ball past the Engineers' goalkeeper Lieut. Lovick Friend to give the Wanderers the lead.

 

Approximately ten minutes later, Wanderers goalkeeper James Kirkpatrick suffered a broken arm during a tussle on the goal-line, but managed to keep the ball out of the goal, and went on to play the remainder of the match despite his injury.

 

In the 20th minute of the game, the Engineers scored an equalising goal. Some modern sources state that Lieut. William Morris scored the goal, however contemporary newspaper reports in The Field, The Sporting Life and Bell's Life in London all state that Morris took a throw-in which led to a "scrimmage" or "bully" in front of the Wanderers' goal, out of which the ball was forced over the goal-line.

 

Towards the end of the first half, the Wanderers were awarded a free kick. Kinnaird took the kick, which led to a second goal for the cup-holders. Modern sources list Kinnaird as the goalscorer, but some contemporary reports suggest that, following his free kick, another "scrimmage" ensued in front of the Engineers' goal before the ball was forced over the line.

 

Shortly after the half-time break, the Engineers' captain Robert Hedley appeared to have scored a goal, but it was disallowed due to an infringement of the offside rule.

 

After around twenty minutes of the second half, Kenrick scored his second goal following some skillful play by Hubert Heron, giving Wanderers a 3–1 lead which they retained until the end of the game.

 

Post-match

As was the norm 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.

 

Under the original rules of the competition, if a team won the Cup three times in succession, it would be retired and become their "absolute property".

 

Wanderers secretary, C.W. Alcock, however, returned the Cup to The Football Association on the condition that the rule be removed and no other team permitted to win the Cup outright.

 

The only other team to win the Cup in three successive seasons to date is Blackburn Rovers, who won it three times in a row in the 1880s. On this occasion the club was presented with a commemorative shield.

 

Three weeks after the Cup final, Wanderers played Scottish Cup winners Vale of Leven at Kennington Oval in a match for the unofficial "championship of Britain". In front of a crowd of around 2,000 spectators, Wanderers turned in what was regarded by the press as a sub-standard performance and were defeated 3–1.