FA Cup in the 1880s

The FA Cup is the oldest association football competition in the world and an enormously important symbol of the history of football in England. In 1872, Wanderers Football Club won the first title in the history of FA Cup football. The record for the most wins is held by Manchester United with 11 triumphs, followed by Arsenal with 10 and Tottenham Hotspur with 8. The FA Cup is held by Wigan Athletic, who defeated Manchester City 1-0 in the 2013 final.

FA Cup in the 1880s

In the 1880s, the domination of the southern public school and university teams came to an end. Football took root in the industrial midlands and north-west and the game became a mass spectator sport. The competition was intensified and clubs were run for profit, as opposed to FA's strict rules on amateurism. In 1885 the FA had to recognize, against their beliefs, professionalism and the balance of power shifted decisively north. In 1888 the Football League was established as a result of professionalism and its members have enjoyed a monopoly of the FA Cup (with 1901 as the only exception) ever since.

55 teams participated in the tournament 1879-80, compared to 15 teams eight years ago. Eight different teams won the FA Cup in the 1880s. Only Blackburn Rovers managed to defend the title.

Club of the decade: Blackburn Rovers Football Club was established in 1875. In 1882 Blackburn Rovers played their first FA Cup Final. They lost 1-0 against Old Etonians. Two years later they won the title and they did it three years in a row.

Player of the decade: Jimmy Forrest has legendary status when it comes to FA Cup football. He was part of the successful Blackburn Rovers team. Forrest played a major part in the 1884 FA Cup Final. He delivered the pass to Douglas 1-0 and he scored 2-0 himself.  Blackburn Rovers won 2-1. Jimmy Forest won the FA Cup five times (1884, 1885, 1886, 1890 & 1891).

Results and Scorers in the FA Cup Finals 1880-1889

1880 FA Cup Final (Kennington Oval)

Clapham Rovers – Oxford University 1-0

1-0 Lloyd-Jones

1881 FA Cup Final (Kennington Oval)

Old Carthusians – Old Etonians 3-0

Goals scored by Wynyard, Parry, and Todd.

1882 FA Cup Final (Kennington Oval)

Old Etonians – Blackburn Rovers 1-0

1-0 Macaulay

1883 FA Cup Final (Kennington Oval)

Blackburn Olympic – Old Etonians 2-1 aet

Costley and Matthews scored for Blackburn, Goodhart for Old Etonians.

1884 FA Cup Final (Kennington Oval)

Blackburn Rovers – Queen's Park 2-1

1-0 Douglas, 2-0 Forrest, 2-1 Christie

1885 FA Cup Final (Kennington Oval)

Blackburn Rovers – Queen's Park 2-0

Forrest and Brown scored the goals

1886 FA Cup Final (Racecourse Ground, Derby)

Blackburn Rovers – West Bromwich Albion 2- 0 (Replay after 0-0 draw, Kennington Oval)

Brown and Sowerbutts scored the goals.

1887 FA Cup Final (Kennington Oval)

Aston Villa – West Bromwich Albion 2-0

Hunter and Hodgetts scored the goals.

1888 FA Cup Final (Kennington Oval)

West Bromwich Albion – Preston North End 2-1

1-0 Bayliss, 1-1 Dewhurst, 2-1 Woodhall

1889 FA Cup Final (Kennington Oval)

Preston North End – Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-0

1-0 Dewhurst 15′, 2-0 Ross 25′, 3-0 Thomson 70′