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1902 F A CUP FINAL
SHEFFIELD UNITED 1
VS
SOUTHAMPTON 1
SCORERS-{SU} ALF COMMON-55
{SO} HARRY WOOD-88
19th APRIL-CRYSTAL PALACE-LONDON
ATTENDANCE-76,914
1902 F A CUP FINAL REPLAY
SHEFFIELD UNITED 2
VS
SOUTHAMPTON 1
SCORERS-{SU} GEORGE HEDLEY-2, BILLY BARNES-79
{SO} ALBERT BROWN-70
26th APRIL-CRYSTAL PALACE-LONDON
ATTENDANCE-33,068
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After three years of bitter fighting in the Transvaal, 1902 dawned with some small hope that the Boers might finally be defeated and that peace might be tasted for the first time in the 20th Century. Away from the conflict, towns and Cities all over the UK preparing for the King’s coronation in April. The King had taken the liberty of ordering a command performance from the Nation’s favourite comedian Dan Leno in his first year on the throne and while Leno continued to leave his London audiences in stitches, those who couldn’t get to see him in the west end now had the chance to hear him perform on vinyl for the first time when “The Huntsman” was released. The music hall was of course by now under threat from the new Edison Kinetiscope that had swept the Country. “The big swallow” was the most popular short film on offer.
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If the non-league clubs had felt optimistic about their cup chances after Southampton had reached the final in 1900 then their confidence must have been sky high and fear of the first division big guns non-existent after Tottenham had lifted the trophy twelve Months later. As fate would have it, these two clubs clashed at Tottenham as the home side began their defence of the trophy. On a day of atrocious weather and heavy snow all over the Country it was a minor miracle that only Blackburn’s clash with Derby fell foul to the weather. Tottenham’s clash with Southampton went ahead and in the end required three games before the holders were dumped out. The headlines went to Southern league Reading who led a dreadful Notts County side 2-0 at half time in Nottingham through an Alison penalty and a goal from Davidson. County did improve in the second half to halve the deficit before their humiliation was complete. They were joined a few days later by Grimsby who were lucky to earn a replay with Southern league Portsmouth but got no reprieve in the replay, which they lost 2-0. To be drawn to face the leaders of the second division has always been a fear of top flight clubs but Bury showed how it should be done as they blew West Bromwich Albion out of the competition in a devastating second half display with a Sagar hat-trick to win 5-1.
The weather on second round day was worse than on the first round and the fans woke to find seven of the eight venues under a heavy blanket of snow. Only Newcastle’s eagerly anticipated clash with Sunderland succumbed though while Southampton’s pitch avoided snow altogether for their meeting with league champions Liverpool. The game on the south coast would linger long in the memory as Southampton humiliated the Merseysiders. The Southern league side were coasting 4-1 with ten minutes remaining when Liverpool inexplicably resorted to almost full-scale assault on their opponents. Saints fans that witnessed it did not forget the bad grace in which the first leaguers took their defeat. The two first round giant killers clashed at Reading where Bedingfield scored the only goal to put Portsmouth into the last eight. Walsall were furious after their tie with Bury as one of the goals was clearly offside but the referee had to point out that it hardly made a difference as it was the last goal in a 5-0 romp for the side being quietly tipped as dark horses to win the trophy. Bury were one of six top flight clubs who joined the two Southern leaguers in the last eight, the others being Nottingham Forest, Stoke, Derby and last years beaten finalists Sheffield United who had quietly disposed of non league Northampton and top flight Bolton on their journey. Newcastle completed the line up when they ended Sunderland’s quest for the league and cup double.
The tie of the round on quarter final day was the clash between Newcastle and Sheffield United although in terms of attendance it was one of three that attracted a 25,000 crowd. The magpies had never reached the semi finals before and yet were being hailed as favourites to win the cup but on the day they were no match for the Yorkshire side. Sheffield were a goal up and coasting when they lost two players to injury either side of half time. They held out with nine men until Stewart equalised to force a replay at Bramall Lane. Public attention was with the two non-league sides and it was to be a good day for both in their bid for a Portsmouth vs Southampton final. The former enjoyed a record 16,000 crowd and most of the play against Derby but were unable to make a breakthrough and were held to a 0-0 draw. Southampton looked in trouble at Bury when Sagar gave the first division side a half time lead but Southampton rallied in the second period to come through 3-2. Stoke were by far the better side in the early exchanges at Nottingham Forest but they gave away a needless penalty and never recovered, going down 2-0.
The semi final draw paired the two sides already through and so meant that the prospect of a Southern league local derby final was still on but Derby County made sure that wasn’t going to happen in emphatic style with a 6-3 demolition of Portsmouth. Their semi final opponents would be Sheffield United who finally saw off Newcastle 2-1 in a victory few could begrudge them after their hard luck in the first game.
Semi final day clashed with the annual Scotland vs Wales clash but there were few Scots or Welshmen in any of the four semi finalists and so none of the sides lost players to International duty. Derby met Sheffield United at The Hawthorns in West Bromwich in front of an estimated 40,000 spectators. The Derby Rams had yet to get their hands on the cup but it looked like they might get another chance when Warren put them in front after just twelve minutes and had an effort from Steve Bloomer midway through the first half not cannoned back off the crossbar the tie may well have been settled there and then. It is on such things that semi finals turn and despite being largely outplayed in the first half, United recovered and equalised in the 51st minute when Harry Thickett’s free kick was turned home by George Hedly although an angry Jack Fryer in the Derby goal was convinced Hedley was offside. Both sides had their chances to win the game after that but it ended 1-1. Meanwhile the other semi final at White Hart Lane in London almost fell foul to smallpox with locals complaining at fans arriving from Nottingham and Southampton during an epidemic. Forest’s Calvey came closest to scoring in the first half when he hit the bar but he made up for it in the 51st minute when he fired into an empty net after Robinson had rushed out to clear and made a hash of it. Just when Forest looked to be on their way to the Palace they hit the self destruct button and gifted Edgar Chadwick an equaliser in the 70th minute before White handled in the penalty area for Brown to score a 77th minute penalty. The game had turned on its head and Southampton made certain of a third top-flight scalp when Brown got his second of the game in the dying moments. Derby and Sheffield United could not be separated though as Wombwell and Fred Priest scored the goals in another 1-1 draw at Molyneux before Fred Priest finally settled the issue in United’s favour 1-0 at the City Ground in Nottingham.
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THE FINAL
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The cup final came just two weeks after the Ibrox disaster at the Scotland vs England game in which twenty-five people died and it had a dramatic effect on attendances all over the Country. A 76,000 crowd was very good for cup final standards but many had predicted another 100,000 gate and put the lack of those numbers down to the fear created by the disaster.
Many of the players had been present in Glasgow and George Molyneux in particular had taken the scenes he witnessed very hard while Benbow had entered the history books as turning out for Scotland just once in a game that would be expunged from the records.
Sheffield United were naturally the favourites to win having rested their side the previous week in a victory over Newcastle. Only two of that team, Alf Common and Bernard Wilkinson had not been in the side beaten by Tottenham a year before. Of those nine only Bert Lipsham had not been in the cup winning side of 1899. Southampton had plenty of experience too, not least in captain Harry Wood who was appearing in his fifth final having played for Wolves in 1889, 1893 and 1896 before turning out in Southampton’s beaten 1900 team with John Robinson, Samuel Meston and Arthur Turner. In addition to this they also had Edgar Chadwick, twice a losing finalist with Everton in 1893 and 1897. There were grave doubts over Robinson’s ability to play in Southampton’s goal though as he carried a fever and temperature over 100 on the morning of the game but fears eased as his condition improved enough to take his place.
The first game was not a classic by any stretch of the imagination and the first half in particular was very poor. Neither side really troubled the custodians, Foulke and Robinson in the early stages although Southampton were given an advantage when Walter Bennett limped out of the game after just thirteen minutes. The United player’s cup final was as good as over and despite returning to the field after treatment Bennett remained a virtual passenger. Despite this disadvantage it was United who came closest to breaking the deadlock when Bert Lipsham cracked an effort off the Southampton bar just before the interval.
Both sides began to show a greater sense of urgency in the second period and it was the favourites who finally made the breakthrough in the 55th minute. Alf Common’s long-range shot should have been gathered comfortably by John Robinson but the keeper collided with the onrushing Fred Priest and allowed the ball to roll past him into the net to give United a soft lead. It was a soft goal that looked like clinching the cup as Southampton wilted under the pressure. United poured forward in the closing half hour and it seemed like a matter of time before they doubled their lead as Robinson made good saves from Lipsham, Common and Needham. United didn’t double their advantage though and were made to pay just two minutes from time when Harry Wood just beat the offside trap to slot home an unexpected equaliser. Everyone in the ground felt that this was just a stay of execution for Southampton and that United would finish the job when back to eleven fit men the following Saturday. This time United wore the famous red and white stripes but sadly for Walter Bennett he was unable to take his place and Billy Barnes got the surprise call into the team. Southampton fielded the same side that had been largely outplayed in the last half hour in the first game. 33,000 made the trip despite the continuing smallpox epidemic leaving the main stand sparsely populated at 5 shillings a seat.
United were in no mood to waste time in the replay and with their first attack. Yet again John Robinson was left cursing his luck as he came out to collect Bert Lipsham’s cross only to slip at the vital moment and gift George Hedley the opening goal after just two minutes. Southampton had their chances to equalise during the first period but the other talking point of the first half was the temperament of United’s Alf Common who did well not be cautioned for a fracas a fan who tried to keep the ball when it went out of play. United captain Ernie Needham managed to calm Common down at half time and even forced him to go back out onto the pitch and apologise to the spectator he had clashed with. Unlike today’s super sensitive spectators who are scarred for life if an opposing player swears within earshot, the fan Common clashed with shook hands and carried on watching the game.
The game looked to be petering out in the second half as neither side were able to impose themselves on the other and yet again just when United were beginning to look safe they suffered a sucker punch. J Turner slid the ball into the penalty area for Albert Brown to fire back across goal and just inside Foulke’s left hand post. The goal came with twenty minutes left and all to play for but just when Southampton were threatening to take the lead for the first time in the contest they fell behind for the third time. With just eleven minutes remaining Ernie Needham let fly from long range and forced an excellent save out of John Robinson. The Saints keeper was unable to hold the ball though and it bounced across goal to give Billy Barnes a simple chance to chest the ball home from close range. This time there was no way back for Southampton and it was no surprise to find United pushing for a third goal when the final whistle blew.
It’s doubtful that any of the disappointed Southampton fans that journeyed back to the South coast returned to London to see their club win the cup. That honour wouldn’t fall to the club for another seventy-four years when all of the players had long gone and any surviving fans were at best in their late eighties.
TEAMS
SHEFFIELD UNITED
BILLY FOULKE
HENRY THICKETT
PETER BOYLE
ERNEST NEEDHAM {CAPTAIN}
BERNARD WILKINSON
HAROLD JOHNSON
WALTER BENNETT
ALF COMMON
GEORGE HEDLEY
FRED PRIEST
HERBERT LIPSHAM
REPLAY
BILLY BARNES REPLACED BENNETT
SOUTHAMPTON
JOHN ROBINSON
CHARLES FRY
GEORGE MOLYNEUX
SAMUEL MESTON
BOWMAN
ERNEST LEE
ARTHUR TURNER
HARRY WOOD {CAPTAIN}
ALBERT BROWN
EDGAR CHADWICK
J TURNER
REPLAY-UNCHANGED
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