28.5.17

FA Cup Winner's Parades



Athletic News 04.04.83

Manchester United, 1909

Blackburn Rovers, 1928

As the first non-metropolitan team to triumph in the FA Cup it is unsurprising that Blackburn Olympic were also the first to be feted on their return 'home'.
The tradition endures, although the brake pulled by a team of 4 greys is sadly no longer a feature. 


27.5.17

King George V

Image result for FA Cup George VBurnley 1914

1923


 Arsenal 1930

Image result for FA Cup George V
Manchester City 1934


King George V was the first reigning monarch to attend an FA Cup Final (1914). He put in a number of appearances during his 26 years on the throne.
His presence at the Wembley fiasco in 1923 was said to have contributed to the relative restraint demonstrated by the 200,000 plus crowd. 


25.5.17

FA Cup Final 1903


This is one of those records that I don't think we'll see beaten; the most onesided FA Cup Final.
It was a case of one game too many for Derby, who were hampered by injuries. Most significantly Steve Bloomer was absent, whilst  Fryer, Morris and Goodall all came into the final carrying knocks.
The relative strengths of these two sides can be judged from the fact that they finished the 1902-03 League season level on points (in 8th & 9th places)
Bury reached the final without conceding a single goal.


Derby Daily Telegraph

Both teams wore change colours, Bury sky blue and Derby County red.

Derby goalkeeper Fryer sustained a further injury in the 1st half and was incapacitated altogether soon after the break. Bury's 2nd goal in the 49th minute was a significant turning point. Fryer went off after colliding with Sagar as the latter scored. Morris went into goal and Derby played 1-3-5. Under the rules of the day this created an effective offside trap, but Bury soon overcame this inconvenience. Fryer returned with the score at 3-0  but conceded twice in rapid succession and left the field permanently after the 5th goal.
The Sheffield Independent described the match as '(the) worst final. tame and dull', commenting on the  subdued atmosphere in the 1st half, the pessimism of the Derby fans and the fact that thousands of spectators were leaving the ground after 70 minutes.
Other accounts portray Derby as being anxious, lacklustre, and showing poor ball control. 


Fryer

This was Fryer's last game for Derby, who signed Grimsby Town's Walter Whittaker the week after the Final. It was ultimately Harry Maskrey, however, who became Fryer's long term replacement, going on to play 223 matches for County.
Fryer, a big man for the times at  6 ft 1 and  15 st (1.85, 95kg) moved to Fulham that May.


21.5.17

Everton Vina Del Mar

Image result for David Foxley evertonIs it a coincidence that the Chilean Everton was founded in 1909, the year in which the English Everton toured South America?
The founders, youths of 15 years old, were largely of English descent. David Foxley's grandparents moved from Liverpool to Valpairiso in 1859.
Image result for everton vina del mar 1909

16.5.17

Romania 1909

In October 1909 Romania's first governing body for Association football, Asociaţiunea Societăţilor Atletice din România was founded
The founding members were:

Olympia București-  Bucharest's oldest club, founded in 1904 by a mixture of migrants and locals.

Colentina  București-  founded in 1909, representing the workers  of the Colentina Cotton Factory, most of whom were from the United Kingdom.

United Ploiesti- founded by Dutch and American employees in the Petroleum refineries at Ploiești, 56 km from Bucharest, United did not field a Romanian player until 1911.

In December 1909 these 3 clubs contested the Cupa Asociatiunii Romane de foot-ball.


Olympia


Olympia won the tournament 


06.12.09
Olympia Bucuresti
2
1
Colentina Bucuresti
11.12.09*
Olympia Bucuresti
3
3
United AC Ploiesti
25.12.09
Colentina Bucuresti
2
0
United AC Ploiesti

*There has been conjecture over the accuracy of the reporting of this result, which appeared in the journal Minerva (12.12.09)

14.5.17

...too fierce a character to be popular


Sporting Life 05.12.63

A letter supporting the initiative of the Football Association to unify the laws of the game goes on to make a prediction that football played by grown men would never catch on.

13.5.17

Bloomer

In his 5th England appearance 23 year old Steve Bloomer of Derby County nets his 11th international goal.
The 85th minute strike was England's final goal in the 6-0 win over Ireland at Trent Bridge (20.02.97)
Tom Scott is the goalkeeper.

12.5.17

Llandrindod Wells


The increasing popularity of Association football was reflected in the development of grass roots clubs throughout the United Kingdom.
Here we see a team from Llandrindod Wells, Radnorshire, from the 1883-84 season.
The jerseys are quite diverse.
The Spamen currently play in the Mid Wales South Football League, the 5th level of the Welsh pyramid.

7.5.17

Southampton & Sheffield United, 1902


April 19th, 1902.
Sheffield United were to face Southampton at Crystal  Palace and The Sporting Life was jam packed with statistics on the Cup Final teams.


Age
Weight
Height
Foulke
25
21 st
133 kg
6 ft 2 1/2
1.89
Thickett
28
14 st 7
91 kg
5 ft 8 1/2
1.74
Boyle
25
12 st 7
79 kg
5 ft  9
1.75
Johnson
24
12 st  5
78 kg
5 ft  9
1.75
Wilkinson
22
10 st 9
67 kg
5 ft 5 1/2
1.66
Needham
29
11 st 3
71 kg
5 ft  6
1.67
Bennett
28
13 st 3
84 kg
5 ft  7 1/2
1.71
Common
21
13 st
82 kg
5 ft 9
1.75
Hedley
24
12 st 5
78 kg
5 ft 11
1.80
Priest
27
12 st 12
81 kg
5 ft  8
1.72
Lipsham
24
11 st 5
72 kg
5 ft  9
1.75




Age
Weight
Height
Robinson
32
13 st 7
85 kg
5 ft 11
1.80
Fry
20
13 st
82 kg
5 ft 10
1.77
Molyneux
23
11 st 13
75 kg
5 ft 10 1/2
1.79
Meston
31
11 st 11
74 kg
5 ft 9
1.75
Bowman
30
11 st
69 kg
5 ft 7
1.70
Lee
23
13 st
82 kg
6 ft
1.82
A Turner
25
11 st 11
74 kg
5 ft 9
1.75
Wood
34
13 st 1
83 kg
5 ft 10
1.77
Brown
23
11 st 8
73 kg
5 ft 11
1.80
Chadwick
32
10 st 11
68 kg
5 ft 6
1.67
J Turner
29
11 st 5
72 kg
5 ft 7
1.70

The game finished 1-1, Harry 'The Wolf' Wood (playing in his 5th Cup Final) scoring a controversial equalizer for Southampton in the 88th minute. Wood was in an offside position when the ball came to him, reportedly tying his bootlace. The referee, Mr Kirkham, adjudged that the ball had come off a United player. Then followed the  legendary incident in which a naked Foulke berated Mr Kirkham who had to hide in a cupboard to escape the goalkeeper's attentions.


2.5.17

José Laguna

Image result 



José Durand Laguna, known as 'El Negro', was a prolific forward for Huracán. 
He represented Argentina 4 times, scoring 3 goals.
His debut came in unusual circumstances. At the 1916 South American Championship of Nations Laguna went to watch the Argentina vs Brazil game at Gimnasia y Esgrima in Buenos Aires (10.07.16).
Alberto Ohaco was unable to play and Laguna was called from the stand to fill the vacancy. 
He gave Argentina the lead in the 10th minute. The game finished 1-1.
Laguna later moved to Paraguay where he played for Olimpia. He also managed the Paraguay national side at 2 South American Championships and the 1930 World Cup.