FA CUP 1878-79
Winners: Old Etonians Runners-up: Clapham Rovers Holders from previous season: Wanderers First round | 19 October 1878 | Barnes | 1 | - | 1 | Maidenhead | | | Dorling | | | | Tilley | | 9 November 1878 | Brentwood | 1 | - | 3 | Pilgrims | | | Sparham | | | | Mott 2, Grieve | | 9 November 1878 | Cambridge University | 2 | - | 0 | Hertfordshire Rangers | | | Harvey, Wild | | | | | | Walkover | Clapham Rovers | | | | Finchley | Scratched | Walkover | Darwen | | | | Birch Manchester | Scratched | 2 November 1878 | Forest School | 7 | - | 2 | Rochester | | | not known | | | | not known | | 9 November 1878 | Grey Friars | 2 | - | 1 | Great Marlow | | | not known | | | | not known | | Walkover | Minerva | | | | 105th Regiment | Scratched | 16 November 1878 | Notts County | 1 | - | 3 | Nottingham Forest | | | Owen | | | | Turner, Goodyer, Smith | | 2 November 1878 | Old Harrovians | 8 | - | 0 | Southall | | | Howell 2, Lowis 2, Prior 2, Colbeck, Hadow | | | | | | 2 November 1878 | Oxford University | 7 | - | 0 | Old Wednesbury | | | not known | | | | | | Walkover | Panthers | | | | Runnymede | Scratched | 9 November 1878 | Reading | 1 | - | 0 | Hendon | | | Holbrook | | | | | | Walkover | Remnants | | | | Unity | Scratched | 2 November 1878 | Romford | 3 | - | 1 | Ramblers | | | Barnes, Lyon, Thirlwell | | | | Andrews | | 9 November 1878 | Royal Engineers | 3 | - | 0 | Old Forresters | | | not known | | | | | | 28 October 1878 | Sheffield | 1 | - | 1 | Grantham | | | Sorby | | | | Hutchinson | | Walkover | South Norwood | | | | Leyton | Scratched | 9 November 1878 | Swifts | 2 | - | 1 | Hawks | | | WS Bambridge, Turner | | | | Ram | | 30 October 1878 | Upton Park | 5 | - | 0 | Saffron Walden | | | Mitchell 2, J Hunter, W Williams, 1 other | | | | | | 9 November 1878 | Wanderers | 2 | - | 7 | Old Etonians | | | Kenrick, 1 other | | | | Calvert, Goodhart, Lyttleton, Novelli 2, Sedgwick, 1 other | | Bye | Eagley | | | | | | Replays | 9 November 1878 | Maidenhead | 0 | - | 4 | Barnes | | | | | | | Wylie 2, Chamberlain, Hudson | | 18 November 1878 | Grantham | 1 | - | 3 | Sheffield | | | Britten | | | | J Barber 2, J Willey | | Second round | 4 January 1879 | Barnes | 3 | - | 2 | Upton Park | aet | | Johnstone 2, Chamberlain | | | | Bastard, J Hunter | | 4 December 1878 | Cambridge University | 3 | - | 0 | South Norwood | | | Jarvis, Martin, Wild | | | | | | 7 December 1878 | Clapham Rovers | 10 | - | 1 | Forest School | | | Payne 2, Scott 2, Smith 2, Stanley, Giles, Growse | | | | Shaw | | 7 December 1878 | Eagley | 0 | - | 0 | Darwen | | 7 December 1878 | Grey Friars | 0 | - | 3 | Minerva | | | | | | | Bain, Hearn, Turner | | 21 December 1878 | Nottingham Forest | 2 | - | 0 | Sheffield | | | Smith, Moss (og) | | | | | | 21 December 1878 | Old Harrovians | 3 | - | 0 | Panthers | | | Prior 2, others 1 | | | | | | 7 December 1878 | Oxford University | 4 | - | 0 | Royal Engineers | | | Childs 2, Mulholland, Page | | | | | | 18 December 1878 | Reading | 0 | - | 1 | Old Etonians | | | | | | | not known | | 21 December 1878 | Remnants | 6 | - | 2 | Pilgrims | | | Parry 4, E Hawtrey, Keyser | | | | Grieve, Wohgeluth | | 21 December 1878 | Swifts | 3 | - | 1 | Romford | | | EG Bambridge 2, Parry | | | | Lyon | | Replay | 21 December 1878 | Darwen | 4 | - | 1 | Eagley | | | Love 2, Gledhill, Marshall | | | | Sarples | | Third round | 6 February 1879 | Clapham Rovers | 1 | - | 0 | Cambridge University | aet | | Growse | | | | | | 11 January 1879 | Old Etonians | 5 | - | 2 | Minerva | | | Sturgis 3, Goodhart 2 | | | | Thompson, Ware | | 28 January 1879 | Old Harrovians | 0 | - | 2 | Nottingham Forest | | | | | | | Widdowson, Welch (og) | | 2 Febuary 1879 | Oxford University | 2 | - | 1 | Barnes | | | Blaine, others 1 | | | | Dorling | | 30 January 1879 | Remnants | 2 | - | 3 | Darwen | aet | | E Hawtrey 2 | | | | Love 2, Bury | | Bye | Swifts | | | | | | Quarter-finals | 8 March 1879 | Clapham Rovers | 8 | - | 1 | Swifts | | | Bailey 2, Scott 2, Rawso, Stanley, og, 1 other | | | | Bain | | 25 February 1879 | Nottingham Forest | 2 | - | 1 | Oxford University | | | Goodyer, Smith | | | | Blaine | | 13 February 1879 | Old Etonians | 5 | - | 5 | Darwen | read more about the matches here | | Goodhart 3, Christian, Whitfield | | | | Love, og, 3 others | Played at Kennington Oval, London | Replay | 8 March 1879 | Darwen | 2 | - | 2 | Old Etonians | aet | | Kirkham, Bury | | | | Clerke, Whitfield | Played at Kennington Oval, London | Second Replay | 15 March 1879 | Old Etonians | 6 | - | 2 | Darwen | Played at Kennington Oval, London | | Goodhart 2, Sedgwick 2, Clerke, Whitfield | | | | Marshall, F Suter | | Semi-final | 22 March 1879 | Old Etonians | 2 | - | 1 | Nottingham Forest | Played at Kennington Oval, London | | Whitfield, Clerke | | | | Bishop | | Bye | Clapham Rovers | | | | | | Final | 29 March1879 | Old Etonians | 1 | - | 0 | Clapham Rovers | Played at Kennington Oval, London | 5,000 | Clerke (59) | | | | | | | Team GK: John Purvis Hawtrey DF | Edward Christian | | DF | Lindsay Bury | | MF | Hon Arthur Kinnaird | | MF | Edgar Lubbock | | MF | Charles Clerke | | FW | Norman Pares | | FW | Harry Goodhart | | FW | Herbert Whitfeld | | FW | John Chevallier | | FW | H Mark Beaufoy |
| | | | Team GK | Reginald Birkett | | DF | Robert Ogilvie | | DF | Edgar Field | | MF | Norman Bailey | | MF | James Prinsep | | MF | Frederick Rawson | | FW | Arthur J Stanley | | FW | Stanley Scott | | FW | Herbert Bevington | | FW | Edward Growse | | FW | Cecil Keith-Falconer |
| Referee: C W Alcock |
Match Summary Although Clapham dominated the early stages of the final, with Norman Bailey having two attempts on target, Herbert Whitfeld continued to run at the Clapham defenders with little assistance from his colleagues. After a goalless first-half, the only goal of the game came after 59 minutes, when Charles Clerke scored from close range following a run from Harry Goodhart. The Old Etonians thus claimed the cup for the first time in what was considered to be "the poorest FA Cup Final to date". |