The FA Cup in the 1870s

The English FA Cup is the oldest competition in the history of football (soccer) and an enormously important symbol of the history of football in England. 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.

The birth of this prestigious tournament

The Football Association in England, had been formed in 1863, but for the first eight years of its existence, its member clubs played only friendly games. In 1871 CW Alcock (he captained The Wanderers to victory in the first ever final), the Secretary of the Football Association, proposed the idea for a knock-out tournament open to member clubs.

The first FA Cup competition was played in the 1871-72 season.  Fifteen teams battled for the title (Queen's Park of Glasgow was the only team from outside the Greater London area). Wanderers won the first final in the history of FA Cup football.  They defeated Royal Engineers 1-0 at Kennington Oval.  A crowd of 2,000 attended the match. Morton Betts scored the first goal in the history of the competition.

Club of the decade: The club of the decade was founded as Forest Football Club in 1859, but changed its name to Wanderers in 1864. CW Alcock, the man who proposed the idea for a knock-out tournament, was one of the co-founders. Wanderes played in five finals in the 1870s and won all.

Player of the decade: Arthur Fitzgerald Kinnaird played both for Wanderers and Old Etonians. He won the FA Cup three times with Wanderers (1873, 1877, 1878), and two times with Old Etonians (1879, 1882). Kinnaird took part in nine FA Cup Finals (a record to this day) during his career. Kinnaird was football's first superstar and the best player of the 1870s.

Results and Scorers in the FA Cup Finals 1872-1879

1872 FA Cup Final (Kennington Oval)

Wanderers - Royal Engineers 1-0

1-0 Betts 15'

1873 FA Cup Final (Lillie Bridge)

Wanderers - Oxford University 2-0

1-0 Kinnaird 27', 2-0 Wollaston 80'

 1874 FA Cup Final (Kennington Oval)

Oxford University - Royal Engineers 2-0

1-0 Mackarness 10', 2-0 Patton 20'

1875 FA Cup Final (Kennington Oval)

Royal Engineers - Old Etonians 2-0 (replay after 1-1 draw)

1-0 Stafford, 2-0 Renny-Tailyour

1876 FA Cup Final (Kennington Oval)

Wanderers - Old Etonians 3-0 (replay after 1-1 draw)

1-0 Wollaston 30', 2-0 Hughes 33', 3-0 Hughes 50'

1877 FA Cup Final (Kennington Oval)

Wanderers - Oxford University 2-1 aet

0-1 Kinnaird 15' (o.g.), 1-1 Lindsay 86' 2-1 Kenrick 97'

1878 FA Cup Final (Kennington Oval)

Wanderers - Royal Engineers 3-1

1-0 Kenrick 15', 1-1 Morris 20', 2-1 Kinnaird 35', 3-1 Kenrick 65'

1879 FA Cup Final (Kennington Oval)

Old Etonians - Clapham Rovers 1- 0

1-0 Clerke 59'