FA Cup

On 20 July 1871, in the offices of The Sportsman newspaper, Charles W. Alcock proposed to the Football Association committee that “it is desirable that a Challenge Cup should be established in connection with the Association for which all clubs belonging to the Association should be invited to compete”. The other committee members were:

  • Stair (F.A. Treasurer) (Upton Park)
  • C.W. Stephenson (Westminster School)
  • J.H. Gifford (Civil Service)
  • D. Allport (Crystal Palace)
  • M.P. Betts (Harrow School)
  • Capt. Francis Marindin (Royal Engineers)

The proposition was carried.

The inaugural FA Cup tournament kicked off in November 1871. After thirteen games in all, Wanderers were crowned the winners in the final at Kennington Oval, on 16 March 1872. The following year, Wanderers retained the title after receiving a bye to the final, where they beat Oxford University to retain the Cup. The rules were changed for the following season, to help inspire teams to try to get to the final, instead of knowing who their opponents would be before they reached it.

In the 1888–89 season qualifying rounds were introduced, with clubs competing on regional basis until only one was left for the fourth qualifying round, and in the same season, the ‘magic of the cup’ began when Warwick County became the first non-league side to beat a First Division club on 6 October 1888, winning 2–1 away at Stoke.

English (FA) Cup Finals in the Nineteenth Century

Season

Winner

Score

RunnersUp

Venue

1871-72

Wanderers

1-0


Royal Engineers

Kennington Oval

2,000

1872-73


Wanderers

2-0

Oxford University

Little Bridge

3,000



1873-74


Oxford University

2-0

Royal Engineers

Kennington Oval

2,000

1874-75


Royal Engineers

1-1*

Old Etonians


Kennington Oval

2,000


Replay

2-0 

Kennington Oval

23000

1875-76


Wanderers

1-1

Old Etonians

Kennington Oval

2,000

Replay


3-0

Kennington Oval

3,000

1876-77

Wanderers

2-1*

Oxford University

Kennington Oval

3,000

1877-78

Wanderers

3-1

Royal Engineers

Kennington Oval

4,500

1878-79

Old Etonians

1-0

Clapham Rovers


Kennington Oval

5,000

1879-80

Clapham Rovers

1-0

Oxford University

Kennington Oval

6,000

1880-81

Old Carthusians

3-0

Old Etonians


Kennington Oval

4,000

1881-82

Old Etonians

1-0

Blackurn Rovers

Kennington Oval

6,500

1882-83

Blackburn Olympic

2-1*

Old Etonians

Kennington Oval

8,000

1883-84

Blackurn Rovers

2-1

Queen's Park

Kennington Oval

4.000

1884-85

Blackurn Rovers

2-0

Queen's Park

Kennington Oval

12,500

1885-86

Blackburn Rovers

0-0

West Bromwich Albion

Kennington Oval

15,000

Replay

2-0

West Bromwich Albion

Racecourse Ground

12,000

1886-87

Aston Villa

2-0

West Bromwich Albion

Kennington Oval

15,500

1887-88

West Bromwich Albion

2-1

Preston North End

Kennington Oval

19,500

1888-89

Preston North End

3-0

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Kennington Oval

22,000

Blackburn Rovers

6-1

The Wednesday

Kennington Oval

20,000

Loughborough (2QR)

Blackburn Rovers

3-1

Notts County

Kennington Oval

23,000

Leicester Fosse (1QR)

Loughborough (4QR)

West Bromwich Albion

3-0

Aston Villa 

Kennington Oval

32,810

Leicester Fosse (1QR)

Loughborough (3QR)

Wolverhampton Wanderers

1-0

Everton

Fallowfield Stadium

45,000

Leicester Fosse (3QR) Loughborough (R1)

Notts County

4-1

Bolton Wanderers

Goodison Park

37,000


Leicester Fosse (R2) Loughborough (4QR)

Aston Villa

1-0

West Bromwhich Albion

Crystal Palace

42,500


Coalville Town (3QR)

Leicester Fosse (R1) Loughborough (4QR)

The Wednesday

2-1

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Crystal Palace

48,836

Coalville Town (2QR)

Hinckley Town (1QR)

Leicester Fosse (4QR)

Leicester YMCA ( 1QR)

Loughborough (3QR)

Aston Villa

3-2

Everton

Crystal Palace

65,891

Coalville Town (1QR)

Hinckley Town (1QR)

Leicester Fosse (5QR)

Loughborough (3QR)

Nottingham Forest

3-1

Derby County

Crystal Palace

62,017

Coalville Albion (1QR)

Coalville Town (4QR)

Hinckley Town (3QR)

Leicester Fosse (R1)

Loughborough (3QR)

Sheffield United

4-1

Derby County

Crystal Palace

73,833

Barwell Swifts (2QR)

Coalville Albion (2QR)

Coalville Town (2QR)

Hinckley Town (1QR)

Hugglescote Robin Hood (1QR)

Leicester Fosse (5QR)

Loughborough (4QR)

Bury

4-0

Southampton

Crystal Palace

68,945

Barwell Swifts (2QR)

Coalville Town (3QR)

Hinckley Town (4QR)

Leicester Fosse (R1)

Loughborough (3QR)

Notes: * extra-time played

Seven Leicestershire clubs – Barwell Swifts, Coalville Albion, Coalville Town, Hinckley Town, Hugglescote Robin Hood, Leicester Fosse and Loughborough – entered the FA Cup competition in the nineteenth century. Only Leicester Fosse and Loughborough managed to get through the qualifying rounds, with Leicester Fosse reaching R2 in 1893-94.