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1883 F A CUP FINAL
BLACKBURN OLYMPIC 2
VS
OLD ETONIANS 1
SCORER- {BO} MATTHEWS, COSTLEY
{OE} GOODHART {30}
31st MARCH-KENNINGTON OVAL-LONDON
ATTENDANCE-8,000
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KITS BY ANDY BURTON
Reproduced by permission of the CLASSIC KITS WEBSITE
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1883 was perhaps the greatest turning point in the history of association football in England. The previous year Blackburn Rovers had shown that clubs from the North could compete when they reached the final but Rover's roots were still very much aligned to the southern amatuers, even if some of their players were clearly professional. This year though a team which was truely professional and working class in formation and background would not only reach the final but they would win.
The first round saw a string of convincing victories, none more so than Sheffield Wednesday's 12-2 demolition of Spilsbury where Gregory scored five while Cawley and Newbould helped themselves to hat-tricks. Last years beaten finalists Blackburn Rovers also netted double figures in an 11-1 win over Blackpool while there were also easy victories for Church of Bolton, Darwen Ramblers, Old Carthusians, Etonian Ramblers, Lower Darwen, Wednesbury Old Athletic, Notts County, Eagley and Bolton Wanderers. Stafford Road easily won their replay and the holders Old Etonians also needed a replay before edging out Old Forresters. Blackburn Olympic celebrated their first ever cup tie victory at the third attempt with a 6-3 win over Accrington with Wilson taking the ball home.
Sheffield Wednesday's cup march continued as Gregory netted twice more in a 6-0 victory over Lockwood Bros in round two while Old Carthusians put seven without reply past another of the first rounds goal merchants Etonian Ramblers. Lower Darwen suffered a similar fate in losing 8-1 against Blackburn Olympic where Wilson added two more goals to his tally. Eagley, Darwen Ramblers and Bolton all progressed after tougher matches while Church and Notts County benefitted from byes. Wednesbury Old Athletic and Stafford Road both bowed out here as did Blackburn Rovers when they lost at bitter rivals Darwen 1-0. There were other big winners in round two who had made quieter starts in the first round as Druids, Clapham, Nottingham Forest, Royal Engineers and Phoenix Bessimer all scored at least five goals against their opponents. The holders were still making quiet progress through the rounds as they saw off Brentwood 2-1.
Sheffield Wednesday needed a replay to see off Notingham Forest in round three as another goal from Gregory kept up his tally of a goal in every round but Blackburn Olympic were in fine form as they swept past Darwen Ramblers 8-0. Notts County saw off Phoenix Bessimer by the odd goal in five but the tie of the round was between Druids and Bolton which required a second replay before the issue was settled in Druids favour. Church also needed a replay before eliminating Darwen and there were further wins for Old Carthusians
and Clapham Rovers while Royal Engineers and Eagley enjoyed byes into round four. The holders enjoyed a goal fest in this round as they marked up a 7-0 victory over Rochester but Hendon were the ties headline makers as they beat South Reading 11-1.
Sheffield Wednesday's cup exploits came to an end in round four with a 4-1 home defeat by Notts County with a place in the last eight at stake. Only Old Carthusians enjoyed a one sided tie as they beat the mighty Royal Engineers 6-2. The holders Old Etonians also booked a quarter final spot with a win over Swifts while Blackburn Olympic made the last eight by defeating Church. Druids became the first Welsh quarter finalists as they beat Eagley, Hendon won at Marlow while Clapham enjoyed a bye to the last eight. Aston Villa completed the line up.
the first quarter final saw a cracker which Old Carthusians triumphed in by 5-3 over Clapham and four days later Blackburn Olympic easily overcame the Welsh Druids 4-0. The semi final line up was completed a week later when Nottc County edged past Aston Villa by the odd goal in seven while Old Etonians earned the only away win, 4-2 at Hendon.
The semi final draw set up two North vs South clashes and kept the two former winners Old Etonians and Old Carthusians apart. The Etonians faced Notts County and the formidable Henry Cursham at the Oval and even though Cursham scored, his effort was cancelled out by strikes from MaCauley and William Anderson to earn the Etonians a 2-1 win. The other semi final at Whalley Range in Manchester was convincingly won 4-0 by Blackburn Olympic with goals from Dewhurst, Wilson, Crossley and Matthews ending Old Carthusians cup dreams.
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THE FINAL
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Blackburn Olympic would now make the same journey that their local rivals Rovers had done twelve months earlier but the two sides could hardly have been more different and Olympic were like nothing seen before. They were the first finalists to have a manager and coach in Mr W Bramham and it was he who decided that his cup final team would leave for Blackpool five days before the final to prepare on the beach. That left little doubt that the players were in the pay of the club while they took time from their regular jobs but nothing was made of this by the F A at the time. The forward thinking Olympic team even checked into a hotel in Richmond two days before the final to avoid the long rail journey on the day and while there made use of the hotels grounds to maintain a strict training schedule. It was a model that every subsequent cup final team to this day has followed, though a tounge in cheek suggestion that the players were all measured up for suits to arrive at the Oval is unlikely.
The Old Etonians of course had seen and done it all before. Ten of their eleven players had cup final experience behind them including the record breaking Arthur Kinnaird who would captain the side in his ninth final.
Blackburn brought a huge multitude of fans with them on cup final day as the Lancashire town descended on London with the team's favours displayed in all manner of ways. The sheer noise they made among the 8,000 record cup final crowd was like nothing ever before witnessed but The Old Etonians were ready for it having been given a taste of Northern football, and their fans, in last year's final. This time though things were different as Olympic were if anything even more physical than their neighbours Rovers. Referee Crump's whistle was constantly blown to signal fouls from the Northern team. Old Etonians knew how to get physical when needed and were soon giving as good as they got and despite having spent much of the opening half hour on the back foot they took the lead through Harry Goodhart. For the first time in the afternoon the Olympic fans had been silenced and it was the Etonians who finished the first half the stronger team.
One thing the Old Etonians hadn't bargained for was the half time team talk. The teams had retired to the pavillion for the interval and the Old Etonian players looked bemusedly at one another as they listened to the oaths and swearing hailing from the Olympic dressing room in what must have been the first instance of a half time cup final dressing down. It worked though as Olympic raised their game in the second half with much better passing and a little less fouling. They began to regain the upper hand and a deserved equaliser came from Matthews. To make matters worse for the cup holders their England International forward Arthur Dunn had to leave the field injured and Old Etonians were forced to play out the remaining minutes with ten men.
At the final whistle Arthur Kinnaird could have called for a replay as extra time was not compulsary in those days but was decided upon between the two captains. Kinnaird though was honour bound to accept the extra half hour when Squire Warburton, the Olympic captain asked for it as it would have been considered bad sport to refuse in the final.
Both captains knew there would only be one winner in extra time and Kinnaird re-organised his ten men to defend in numbers and play for the replay. Conversley Warburton instructed Hunter, one of the backs to move forward to make full advantage of the time available. Warburton's tactics paid off when Dewhurst's long pass gave Jimmy Costley a clear sight of goal which he pounced at with a first time shot which crept under the bar before Rawlinson in the Etonian goal could react.
The Oval erupted and for a moment it was feared that the Olympic supporters might invade the pitch but they remained composed enough to stay in the stands until the final whistle signalled that the cup was going north for the first time.
The fans now poured onto the field to celebrate with their heroes while Etonian captain Arthur Kinnaird quietly slipped back to the dressing room in what had proved his last final. Warburton and his team returned to a huge roar some twenty minutes later having washed and changed to recieve the cup from another former cup final captain, Major Francis Marindin. The fans though were less than impressed with the prize on offer as one supporter close by was heard to say "Is that T'Coop? why it looks more like a tea kettle." Warburton quickly and prophetically responded "Aye it might do, but it's very welcome in Lancashire, we'll gi' it a good home and it won't be returning to London." Warburton was right, the cup never did fall to a London club again. Having been won in each of the subsequent twelve years by a club from no further south than Birmingham, it was stolen from a shop window in that very city in 1895 while on display by the boot maker for that year's winners Aston Villa. The cup was never recovered despite a £10 reward being offered and nothing more was heard of it until 1958 when an elderly former local petty criminal named Harry Burge claimed to have stolen the cup and melted it down to make half crowns.
*Many thanks to Graham Phythian {Blackburn olympic historian who states}
1. The scorer of Olympic's winning goal was named Jimmy Costley, and not Crossley. (A couple of contemporary reports got it wrong.)
2. The correct full name of Olympic's captain Warburton was "Squire Albert Warburton", according to Blackburn Trade Directories. He also ran a pub, the Dog and Partridge, after giving up plumbing later on. Again, "Sam" is a contemporary error by a reporter.
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THE TEAMS
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BLACKBURN OLYMPIC
T HACKING
JIMMY WARD
SQUIRE WARBURTON {CAPTAIN}
T GIBSON
W ASTLEY
JOHN HUNTER
TOMMY DEWHURST
A MATTHEWS
G WILSON
JIMMY CROSSLEY
JOHN YATES
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OLD ETONIANS
JOHN RAWLINSON
T H FRENCH
PERCY DE PAVARICINI
{CAPTAIN} ARTHUR KINNAIRD
C W FOLEY
J B CHEVALLIER
WILLIAM ANDERSON
REGINALD MACAULEY
HARRY GOODHART
ARTHUR DUNN
E C BAINBRIDGE
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