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1873 F A CUP FINAL
WANDERERS 2
VS
OXFORD UNIVERSITY 0
SCORERS-WOLLASTON, KINNAIRD {WAN}
29TH MARCH-LILLIE BRIDGE-LONDON
ATTENDANCE-3,000
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KITS BY ANDY BURTON
to reproduce these kits seek permission from the link above
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The F A cup of 1873 is unique in the competition's history. It is the one and only time that the cup was a challenge, hence the name F A Challenge Cup. The term challenge had been added to the cup's title because the original intention of the F A was that the holders would be exempt from competing in the rounds of the cup and would be challenged by the last team left in the competition for the trophy itself. The Wanderers, as holders earned this honour and happily played friendlies while the cup was taking place, safe in the knowledge that they were guaranteed to be in the final. In addition they also could chose where to play the game itself. Their choice was severly limited by fate though as the F A had chosen March 29th for the final only to discover to their horror later that this was also the date chosen for the annual Varsity boat race. In 1873 the boat race was about as big a sporting event as there was on the calendar at the time and both players and spectators alike would not want to miss it. The Wanderers wisely chose Lillie Bridge, the closest stadium to the Thames as the venue.
In the meantime the teams battled through another poorly arranged tournament which was set out in such a way that there would be only one quarter final and one semi final tie. Wanderers' walk-over to the final meant that only two other teams were required in the semi final. To make matters more complicated Queens Park were again given a bye straight to the semi final leaving just one available place and so requiring only one quarter final tie to fill it. Oxford University and Maidenhead would contest this quarter final having won through the three previous rounds. The University side had disposed of Royal Engineers on their way with a 1-0 win in round three and came through the quarter final with an easy and expected 4-0 victory. Then Queens Park decided that they could not afford to travel to London to face Oxford and withdrew creating the strange and unique situation of an F A cup competition where there were no semi finals.
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THE FINAL
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The shambles that had been the 1873 cup competition was forgotten by final day. The tie was not described as the F A Cup final at the time though but was actually known as the F A cup Challenge round. Wanderers entered the game as Champions, Oxford University as challengers and the Wanderers came into the match with only four of the side that had claimed the cup last year. Two notable absentees were Charles Alcock, last year's winning captain and Morton Betts, the winning scorer in '72. Due to the boat race taking place on the same day the kick off was set at 11 a.m. in order to allow everyone in attendance the best possible chance of getting to the nearby Thames in time for the start. There must still have been some concern though as some Wanderers players had still not arrived at Lillie Bridge by 11 o'clock. There was a healthy smattering of supporters sporting the dark blue of Oxford in the crowd and it could be a fair guess that Wanderers support was probably made up of a large contingent of Cambridge students and old boys hoping for an omen for the race later. The game finally kicked off at 11.30 and the University students seemed to have other things on their mind as Wanderers were clearly the better side. Arthur Kinnaird, in his first of a record nine finals was outstanding and had there been a man of the match award it would have been his. Exactly when the goals were scored is not known but Charles Wollaston broke the deadlock for the holders before Kinnaird capped his fine display with the clincher. Wanderers had reclaimed the cup but would have to play from the first round for it next year as the challenge aspect was dropped and never used again. As for Oxford, it was just one bad part of a very bad day for the dark blues as their boat race crew went down by three lengths that afternoon. It would have been hard to imagine then that in less than twenty years the Cup final would far exceed the boat race in sporting popularity. Finally the venue Lille bridge. Few Londoners today would have heard of Lillie bridge but back in 1873 it was a top London sporting venue. Middlesex County Cricket Club used the venue for a year in 1871 but it was as an athletics and cycling track that it was best known. The stadium opened in 1869 but survived for less than 30 years. It was situated in West Brompton just across the road from where the Earls court exhibition centre stands today. Sadly the stadium was destroyed by fire in the 1890's when an angry mob ran amock and set fire to the stands after an athletics event was cancelled. A car park and market just off Seagrave road and across the railway line from West Brompton cemetary stand on the site today. It was a perfect venue back then though as it stood less than a ten minute walk from Hammersmith bridge, always a popular spectator point for the boat race.
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THE TEAMS
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1 A KIRKE-SMITH
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EDWARD E BOWEN 1
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ALBERT C THOMPSON 2
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2 A J LEACH
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R DE C WELCH 3
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3 C C MACKARNESS
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HON ARTHUR F KINNAIRD 4
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4 FRANCIS H BIRLEY
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L S HOWELL 5
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5 C J LONGMAN
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6 FRED CHAPPELL-MADDISON
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CHARLES H WOLLASTON 6
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JULIAN R STURGIS 7
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7 H B DIXON
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REV H H STEWART 8
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8 W B PATON
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WILLIAM KENYON-SLANEY 9
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9 ROBERT W VIDAL
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R K KINGSFORD 10
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10 W E SUMNER
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ALEXANDER G BONSOR 11
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11 CUTHBERT J OTTAWAY
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