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1905 F A CUP FINAL
ASTON VILLA 2
VS
NEWCASTLE UNITED 0
SCORERS-HARRY HAMPTON-2, 76
15th APRIL-CRYSTAL PALACE-LONDON
ATTENDANCE-101,117
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The major powers of Europe, particularly the British and Germans embarked on a race to determine who could dominate the sea should war ever emerge on the continent. The Russians were not prepared to hang around for war in Europe and instead entered into conflict with the Japanese. Fortunately the madness of war in Europe was still a long way off as many theatres around the Nation began to screen the new longer French dominated silent movies. Georges Melie's adaptation of Jules Verne's "Incredible voyage" was perhaps the most popular film on show as the year began. Much of the popular music of the day reflected the fantastic scenes from St Louis at the World's fair the previous year which gave the world ice cream and hamburgers, though neither were available in the UK yet.
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Perhaps some of the many thousands of spectators who travelled to the sixteen first round cup ties in January had planned to go to the cinema that night to watch the above mentioned film as it was first screened in the UK on the day of the games. The headlines were created by Southern league Portsmouth who managed to ride their luck to win 2-0 at Small Heath and leave the home fans asking how on earth they lost a game they should have won by a Country mile. Chance after chance came the Midlands club's way but the ball would not go in. There was no such joy for Leicester Fosse who angered Aston Villa by equalising at Villa park before going down 5-1 but both Middlesbrough and Woolwich Arsenal were held at home by lesser clubs Tottenham and Bristol City respectively before being humbled in the replays. Cup holders Manchester City kicked off the defense with a 2-1 away win at non league Lincoln, Billy Meredith scoring the second but cup runners up Bolton were held by Bristol Rovers before winning 3-0 in the replay. As usual the draw every smaller club wanted was champions Sheffield Wednesday but they made the difficult journey to fellow top flight Blackburn and won 2-1.
The champions got home advantage in round two against giant killers Portsmouth in an action packed tie in which the underdogs shouls have led only to give away a penalty that Wednesday' Chapman took twice and saw keeper Harris save twice. Eventually Wednesday did take the lead but Pompey equalised before Wednesday clinched their quarter final spot in the 88th minute. Both Tottenham and Bristol City again forced replays with top flight clubs but this time both were at home and both lost the return journey as Newcastle, on their way to their first league title crushed Tottenham 4-0 while Preston found a solitary goal in their replay enough to end City's campaign. Hyde Road played host to a replay of last years final and this time second division Bolton took revenge over their Manchester City hosts to win 2-1. Aston Villa kept up the balance for the top flight when they sent soon to be relegated Bury packing 3-2 but the final two second round ties produced another two shocks. Wolves fans could not see their side being beaten by Southern league Southampton at Molyneux and despite going a goal down early on, things looked good for the home side when they were awarded a penalty with the score at 1-1. Wooldridge missed it and Southampton took both heart and control in the second half. By the time the Wolves scored again it was too late and Saints were through 3-2. Nottingham Forest fans watched bemusedly as Fulham not only led 1-0 at half time but hit both posts in the second to fully deserve their 1-0 victory.
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The smaller trio all had to face top flight opposition as the draw set up only one top flight quarter final. Preston and Sheffield Wednesday were the duo as they met at Deepdale and drew 1-1 to set up a replay at Olwerton. No replays were needed in the other three ties in a bad day for the underdogs. A contortionist entertained the visiting Fulham fans at Aston Villa but that was as good as it got for them as their team were humbled 5-0 in the biggest win of the day. Southampton were toothless as Everton swarmed all over them at Goodison to win 4-0 but second division Bolton gave the gutsiest display of the day at home to Newcastle before conceeding a goal in each half to bow out 2-0.
Three of the top four clubs in the land were now in the semi finals to be joined by the defending league champions when Wednesday beat Preston in their replayed quarter final. Newcastle were their opponents at Hyde Road in Manchester, at the time the home of Manchester City. The Magpies were in the last four for the first time but were missing their Scottish International Orr who broke his collar bone in the quarter final. Jimmy Howie's first half goal from Albert Gosnell's cross settled the game for the Geordies, playing in white to distinguish them from the stripes of Sheffield but the Owls could count themselves desperately unlucky when a clear penalty for hands against Andrew McCombie was missed by the referee. Harold Ruddlesdin missed the best chance for a replay when he fired over the Newcastle bar with the goal at his mercy but Newcastle could have increased their lead as well as Bill Appleyard missed an open goal and Colin Veitch hit the bar.
Stoke's directors rubbed their hands with glee as Aston Villa and Everton attrcated a record 30,000 crowd to the Victoria ground for the other semi final. The two sides had met in the final just eight years earlier. Everton were regarded as the best supported club in the land at the time so even Villa's huge following seemed outnumbered as the clubs kicked off but it was the Villians who held their heads in their hands first when Harry Hampton hit the woodwork when clean through. Billy George did what keepers do best at the other end with a fantastic save from Settle that looked all the more important when Albert Hall headed Villa in front early in the second half. Villa were seven minutes away from the final when Harold hardman's cross was headed home by Jack Sharp to force a replay. Nottingham's City ground hosted the replay and yet again it was a fiercly tight affair marked with a goal from Jack Sharp. This time however Harry Hampton got his shot between the posts and for good measure Billy Garrity scored a second to clinch their place in the final.
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THE FINAL
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In the Victorian era the cup final teams had often been purely the eleven players and a coach but the Edwardian era was becomming more sophisticated as both clubs brought a thirteen man squad to stay overnight in the capitol. Billy McCracken and McCombie were the unlucky Newcastle players that were informed that the team would be unchanged from the semi final while Villa had a selection problem at left back where Pearson got the nod over Wilkes. Joseph Windmill had missed the semi final replay through injury but won back his place for the final. As the teams emerged it was noticed that Villa were wearing black armbands in honour of the Lord Mayor of Birmingham who had died suddenly during the week. 101 thousand fans had arrived in glorious sunshine at the grounds with Newcastle fans, eager to see if their club could lift the first leg of the double, sporting black hats and black and white umbrellas. Villa fans laced their claret and blue umbrellas with violets in a very colourful scene.
Most commentators suggested that this final would need an early goal if it had any chance of living up to it's billing and sure enough with just two minutes on the clock the youngest player on the pitch obliged. Pearson disposessed Albert Gosnell and worked the ball out to Albert Hall on the wing. Joe Bache caught the Newcastle defence completely flat footed as he provided the overlap for Hall before crossing for a virtually unmarked Harry Hampton, still a few days shy of his twentieth birthday, to nod past a stranded Jimmy Lawrence. "Appy Arry" the Londoners called him and it was a catch phrase that stuck with Villians fans. For years to come a Hampton goal would be met with a choir of mimicked London accents chanting "Appy Arry Ampton." The Newcastle fans were naturally less than impressed with their sides nervy start to their first final and there was no doubt that Villa had settled the better. Villa captain Howard Spencer was the only man on the pitch who had previously played in a final, having winners medals from 1895 and the double year of 1897 but he was getting a much easier time of it in the Villa defence than he had in both previous contests. The Newcastle players gradually began to get to grips with the game and began to show the ability that would eventually clinch them the league title before the Month was out. Both sides now had half chances but midway through the first period came that golden moment that haunts losing finalists' fans for ever. Bill Appleyard got the better of Howard Spencer and laid on an open goal for Jimmy Howie who lashed at the ball nervously and fired over the bar. Appleyard was becomming the thorn in Villa's side and a potential match winner for United but his luck was bang out on this occasion as he watched his long range shot crash of Billy George's left hand upright five minutes before the break. Villa had their chances too, especially when Joe Bache fired agonisingly wide in first half stoppage time but most neutrals felt that Newcastle had been the better side and at the very least deserved to be level at the interval.
The second half was not a dirty affair but the two teams knocked ten bells out of each other as Newcastle chased a deserved equaliser and Villa sought to kill the game. Joe Bache had the best early chance when he again shot agonisingly wide of Jimmy Lawrence's goal while Lawrence himself was knocked out cold by a shoulder charge from Hampton. He wasn't the only Newcastle casualty either as Jock Rutherford was sporting a lovely left eye shiner after an earlier clash with Freddie Miles. As in the first half Newcastle saw more of the ball but either overworked the move to allow Villa to clear or in desperation resorted to wild long range efforts that rarely troubled Billy George. Villa by contrast made the most of what posession they could get and always looked the more dangerous on the break with Jimmy Lawrence called on to be active if not forced into the outstanding. That changed with fourteen minutes left as Andy Aitkin's clearance was intercepted by Albert Hall who cracked a long range drive that looked destined for Jimmy Lawrence's bottom left hand corner. Lawrence made a fantastic save but to his despair his defenders were slow to react and Harry Hampton nipped in to tuck home the rebound from close range with the keeper stranded. It was harsh on Lawrence who hadn't put a foot wrong all day while Newcastle's midfield had done their job in outgunning Villa's only for both the forward and back line to lose them the cup. Villa meanwhile had been better as a unit and deserved their fourth cup win in the end with Billy Garraty just shading the teenage double scorer in the press as the man of the match. It is Harry Hampton, the rampaging teenager who is remembered by Villa fans as the man who denied Newcastle the double and he went on to be a hero of Villa Park for the next ten years until his career was brought to an end when he was gassed during World War one. Hampton survived but his footballing days were over. Newcastle's fans would grow to hate the Crystal Palace during the coming decade but their revenge over Villa would be sweet at Wembley nineteen years later.
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THE TEAMS
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ASTON VILLA
BILLY GEORGE
HOWARD SPENCER {CAPTAIN}
FREDDIE MILES
J F PEARSON
ALEX LEAKE
JOSEPH WINDMILL
BILLY BRAWN
BILLY GARRATY
HARRY HAMPTON
JOE BACHE
ALBERT HALL
MANAGER
GEORGE RAMSEY
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NEWCASTLE UNITED
JIMMY LAWRENCE
ANDREW MCCOMBIE
JACK CARR
ALEX GARDNER
{CAPTAIN} ANDY AITKIN
PETER MCWILLIAM
JOCK RUTHERFORD
JIMMY HOWIE
BILL APPLEYARD
COLIN VEITCH
ALBERT GOSNELL
MANAGER
FRANK WATT
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