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1875 F A CUP FINAL
ROYAL ENGINEERS 1
VS
OLD ETONAINS 1
SCORERS-{RE} RENNY-TAILYOUR {40}
{OE} BONSOR {30}
13TH MARCH-KENNINGTON OVAL-LONDON
ATTENDANCE-2,000
REPLAY
ROYAL ENGINEERS 2
VS
OLD ETONAINS 0
SCORERS-{RE} RENNY-TAILYOUR, STAFFORD
16TH MARCH-KENNINGTON OVAL-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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1875 signalled the arrival of the Old boys teams on the F A cup map. in the first couple of years of the cup most of the old boys had turned out for the Wanderers but many of those players had begun to form sides composed solely of players who had attended the same schools such as Eton and Harrow. Wanderers didn't suffer though and promptly racked up a record 16-0 scoreline in the first round against Brondesbury with five goals from Kingsford. There were also big wins in the early rounds for Royal Engineers, Old Etonians and Oxford University and all four sides made it into the quarter finals. For the first time the quarter finals had a full compliment of eight teams, finally starting to put a little balance into the cup. Royal Engineers came through the tie of the round 3-2 against Clapham Rovers while the holders Oxford saw off Wanderers 1-0. Old Etonians ended Maidenhead's cup dream while Shropshire Wanderers needed a replay to defeat Woodford Wells.
The semi final draw was unkind, as it more often than not has been down the years, and paired up last years finalists when most observers would rather have seen them kept apart. Royal Engineers took revenge over Oxford University but it took four hours of football to seperate them. The first game ended 1-1 after extra time and the replay was goalless until Henry Renny-Tailyour netted an extra time winner for the sappers.
The other semi final was both the Old Etonians' and Shropshire Wanderers' first appearance at this stage of the competition. The Old boys team were overwhelming favourites but could only manage one goal from Alexander Bonsor. It proved to be enough however to see them through to the final.
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THE FINAL
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It may have been Old Etonians first F A cup final but never has a debutante entered a final with so much cup final experience. Eight of the Eton line up had played in a previous final, most for either Wanderers or Oxford University and three of them were equalling Robert Vidal's record of three appearances. Alex Bonsor and Albert Thompson had both won two winners medals with Wanderers in 1873 & 1874 while Cuthbert Ottaway was appearing in his third consecutive final having lost and then won with Oxford University.
The Royal Engineers returned for their third final with six of the team beaten the previous March by Oxford. Two of them were also notching up a record equalling third appearance. Club and Regimental captain William Merriman and Lieutenant Henry Renny-Tailyour had both been in the defeated Engineers teams of 1872 & 74.
The first game was expected to be a tight contest but it proved tighter than any previous final as Both semi final goalscoring heroes found the net in the first half. Alex Bonsor struck first for the Etonians on the half hour before Renny-Tailyour cancelled it out five minutes before the break. Neither side could find a break through in the second period and for the first time ever a cup final went to extra time. By the end both sides were exhausted and with no further scoring, would have to return and do it all again.
The replay was set for 2 o'clock the following Tuesday and the preparation of both teams had as much of an effect on the final result as the game itself. The Engineers were able to recall all eleven from the first game and arrived in good time for the kick-off. By contrast the Etonians had lost one of their players to injury while three others were ruled out through prior commitments that could not be cancelled. The old boys scrambled around for four replacements but were severly under strength when they finally arrived at the Oval almost an hour late. Royal Engineers put their annoyance at being kept waiting to good use and easily swept aside their depleted opponents with goals form the prolific Renny-Tailyour and Stafford to settle the matter once and for all. One Sapper in the crowd with mixed feelings would have been Major Francis Marindin. He had played in both the Engineers' losing finals and had also played in every round for the club this year and was also club captain. Unfortunately for Marindin he had also played a major part in the formation of the Old Etonians and when faced with the dilemma of both his clubs being in the final he opted to play for neither. Marindin never did gain a cup winners medal. The Engineers never won the cup again either and slipped away to make room for the professionals a decade later. The Royal Engineers regiment and football club still exists and it is perhaps fitting that 1875 was their best cup campaign as it was also the year of the regiment's most famous Victoria cross recipient when John Chard commanded at the defence of Rourkes Drift and was later immortalised by Stanley Baker in the famous 1964 film Zulu.
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THE TEAMS
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ROYAL ENGINEERS
CAPTAIN WILLIAM MERRIMAN
LIEUTENANT G H SIM
LIEUTENANT G ONSLOW
LIEUTENANT R M RUCK
LIEUTENANT P G VON DONOP
LIEUTENANT C K WOOD
LIEUTENANT HERBERT RAWSON
LIEUTENANT R H STAFFORD
CAPTAIN HENRY RENNY-TAILYOUR
LIEUTENANT A MEIN
LIEUTENANT C WINGFIELD-STRATFORD
UNCHANGED FOR REPLAY
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OLD ETONIANS
ALBERT THOMPSON
ROBERT BENSON
EDGAR LUBBOCK
F H WILSON
HON ARTHUR KINNAIRD
J H STRONGE
F J PATTON
C E FARMER
ALEXANDER BONSOR
CUTHBERT OTTAWAY
WILLIAM KENYON-SLANEY
REPLAY
CAPTAIN E H DRUMMOND-MORAY FOR THOMPSON
T HAMMOND FOR BENSON
ARTHUR LUBBOCK FOR OTTAWAY
M FARRER FOR KENYON-SLANEY
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