Before then there were hundreds of variations throughout the land, some of them subtle, others massive. Once the FA published their official rules of the game, they decided that they wanted to create a country-wide competition open to all clubs. Well, probably the most valid reason is that this was the first FA Cup Final to take place up North and out of London.
It was also by this point that the Cup had garnered the reputation that it still has today — with hundreds of teams from throughout the country taking part. It may also be that the myth came from the fact that the game itself was rather infamous throughout the city and within the pages of FA Cup history as an absolute bloody disaster.
The game was Wolves versus Everton, with Everton going into the match as the clear favourites. They were so confident that they were going to win that they even played a reserve team for their league match a week before the final — which they won, comfortably, against… Wolves. The official attendance at the game was 45, which is absolutely crazy considering there was no seating and just a silly little knoll in which to watch the game from. That was a lot of money then. The numbers were already astounding long before then.
There was one spectator that specifically stood out as he took his seat in As part of another development that defined the event as a national institution, King Edward VII accepted the role of patron of the Football Association. Royalty would bring more lofty traditions, and a few other trappings. Three years later, Prince Phillip was telling Bert Trautmann to see a doctor as the City goalkeeper awkwardly went up for his medal. It turned out the German had played most of the win over Birmingham City with a broken neck, as a former Nazi soldier became a national hero.
If the royals were among a privileged few watching this growing showpiece in person, a further crucial development was that everyone soon was able to experience it in some other form. From hearing the song ahead of those and finals, Trautmann later remarked on the sense of communion it fostered. There is an irony that one of the few games in that period not fully broadcast on the radio was the final, but then that had already initiated - and been influenced by — another broadcasting revolution: television.
Millions of people had just purchased their first television sets to watch the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, who was attending the game. The entire population outside Bolton seemed to wish for Matthews to finally win his first FA Cup, at the third attempt and at the age of It was a classic storyline, that fostered a classic final; maybe the ultimate final.
Blackpool came from down to win thanks to a last-minute winner. It was a day that really had it all, and thereby infused the entire history of the competition with a compelling folklore.
It was by then undeniably one of the most watched moments. The success of this first ever live television broadcast ensured the BBC immediately decided to give the fixture its own annual schedule. A score of new traditions were created, as well as a national event — and a national sport. Neville Cardus, the celebrated cricket writer, wrote a letter to The Times resignedly accepting exactly that. Having seen how a meeting between the MCC and Yorkshire had been completely overshadowed — and even delayed — by people watching the FA Cup final, he then heard everyone talk about it on the way home.
What really made it was that it also fired the dreams of the people. Such televised images sparked the imagination, as Tueart illustrates. I was six, and it was magic.
That was my first real experience of the cup final atmosphere. It was a golden age. Steve Ogrizovic, a hero of one of the last great shocks when Coventry City beat Tottenham Hotspur in , explains the deeper importance of this. The one thing you could do as a kid is dream. The cup final. Never in my wildest dreams did I believe I could achieve that. That aspirational quality only added to the sense of achievement, and that deeper meaning.
It was seen as an equal achievement to the league, that merely involved different challenges and strengths. The Wanderers was open only to those who had attended leading public schools and Oxbridge. Three of the Cup final line-up had attended Eton and four had gone to Harrow.
The early rules were very different. In a nod to cricket, players had to appeal for a goal and changed ends after each goal, not at half-time. This once allowed Walpole Vidal to score three times without the opposition touching the ball. The historian's view : "Modern fans would be surprised by some of the features of football in Rather than a crossbar, a tape was pitched between two posts eight feet above the ground.
But these rules were not consistent across the country. Variations existed in different areas and it was not until 10 years later, in , that a uniform set of rules was established by the FA. The final will be refereed by Jon Moss, who can expect some grief from the stands. It was a different story for civil servant Alfred Stair, the referee chosen for the first three FA Cup finals.
Stair was the head of the Inland Revenue - presumably seen as a trustworthy gentleman of his day - and also played football for Upton Park.
The historian's view: "In the earliest days of football, referees were literally peripheral figures. They stood outside the playing area and were only called upon to adjudicate if the umpires who were appointed by each club and stood in either half of the pitch could not reach agreement. For winners Wanderers it was the start of a golden - if brief - era of success.
They retained the trophy in by beating Oxford University and added three more trophies before the end of the decade. But by Wanderers could not field a side as players left to play for some of the newer clubs springing up across the country and the team folded in A reformed side was founded in and the club currently play in the Surrey South Eastern Combination.
In fact they are looking for a new manager external-link to get the club back in the FA Cup by The Engineers reached four finals and won the Cup in They continue to play on and are currently managed by Capt Simon Mayers, who has a man squad to select from around 8, men based around the world.
0コメント