With the semi-finals of the FA Cup coming up next weekend, featuring three of the big four in Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United, after they all missed out last season before that stage, it's worth looking back at the early stages of the competition. The first ever FA Cup season being in 1871-72 after, in the offices of the Sportsmen Newspaper, football referee and cricket umpire Charles William Alcock proposed that "a Challenge Cup should be established in connection with the Association." Only 15 clubs actually entered at the start of proceedings, and three withdrew without even playing a game, that trio comprising of Donington School, Reigate Priory and Harrow Chequers. Donington School managed to make it through to the second round though, as, after being unable to agree a date for their game at the opening stage with Queen's Park from Glasgow the Association committee decided to put both teams through to the next round, with Donington then scratching. The law there being rule eight which stated that : "In the case of a drawn match, the clubs shall be drawn in the next ties or shall compete again, at the discretion of the Committee. In the event of a team refusing to play again or failing to play off the tie in which it has been drawn, within the stipulated time, it shall be adjudged to have lost the match." Queen's Park also scratching later in the competition, when after reaching the semi-finals without actually playing a game, they drew 0-0 at the Kennington Oval cricket ground against Wanderers. The Glasgow side then having to call it a day as they could not afford the travel costs for a replay. The Scottish Spiders one of seven teams that competed in the early years of the English FA Cup, the other six being Third Lanark, Hearts, Renton, Cowlairs, Partick Thistle and Rangers (Hearts and Renton the only non-Glasgow sides), before the Scottish Football Association banned its members in 1887 from taking part across the border. Gretna the only other Scottish side to have featured when they were part of the English non-league pyramid. Royal Engineers also drew 0-0 in the final four stage, their game against Crystal Palace again requiring a second tie which this time round the Engineers won 3-0. That Crystal Palace side not being the one we know these days as the originals were formed in 1861 as an amateur team comprising of groundkeepers at the Great Exhibition, whereas the current "Glaziers" were founded in 1905 by the workers at the Crystal Palace. Presumably down to travel and venue issues, although that hardly helped Queen's Park, both semi-finals and the final were played at the Kennington Oval. An interesting point given that ahead of next weekend Everton boss David Moyes has commented : "It's great to be in the semis but I'd prefer the match was away from Wembley. I don't think anyone likes it. Wembley should only be used for the final." In that final in March 1872 the Wanderers, who were based in Battersea and only existed between 1859 and 1883, defeated a team representing the Royal Engineers 1-0. The only goal of the game scored by Morton Betts who played under the pseudonym A.H. Chequer because he was actually supposed to be cup-tied for the game. Betts having initially been registered at the start of the competition with Harrow Chequers, who had scratched their first round game against, yes you've guessed it, Wanderers. In other news from a game watched by just 2,000 spectators, Edmund Cresswell from the Chatham-based Royal Engineers broke his collarbone early on in proceedings, the Lieutenant then spending the rest of the game out on the wing taking little part in the match. The Engineers unable to grab an equaliser which would have meant a replay despite putting some late pressure on the Wanderers goal which for the rest of the game had been left in pretty much peace and quiet. The cup itself, costing £20 and made by Messrs Martin, Hall & Co, being presented to the Wanderers as late as almost one month on by E.C. Morley from the Football Association at the annual dinner of the Wanderers at the Pall Mall Restaurant in Charing Cross. The FA also giving each winning player a commemorative silken badge, while the eleven received an inscribed gold medal from the committee of the Wanderers. The Wanderers side being comprised mainly of public schoolboys and captained by the earlier mentioned Charles William Alcock, who later became Chairman of the Football Association from 1870 to 1895. The club, having initially been formed as Forest Football Club, winning the FA Cup five times before eventually being disbanded in 1883, individual schools by that time having set up their own sides. |