1880 FA Cup Final

1880 FA Cup Final
A trophy, silver in colour and topped by a figure of a footballer, on an ebony plinth
Event 1879–80 FA Cup
Date 10 April 1880
Venue Kennington Oval, London

The 1880 FA Cup Final was contested by Clapham Rovers and Oxford University at the Kennington Oval. Clapham Rovers won 1–0, the only goal being scored by Clopton Lloyd-Jones.

Match details

Clapham Rovers 1–0 Oxford University
Lloyd-Jones
Clapham Rovers
Oxford University
Clapham Rovers:
GKReginald Birkett
DFRobert Ogilvie
DFEdgar Field
MFVincent Weston
MFNorman Bailey
MFArthur J. Stanley
FWHarold Brougham
FWFrancis Sparks
FWFelix Barry
FWEdward Ram
FWClopton Lloyd-Jones
Oxford University:
GKPercival Parr
DFClaude Wilson
DFCharles James Stuart King
MFFrancis Phillips
MFBertram Rogers
MFReginald Thomas Heygate
FWRev George B Childs
FWJohn Eyre
FWFrancis Crowdy
FWEvelyn Harry Hill
FWJohn Lubbock

Scoring

In the first half, Clopton Lloyd-Jones attempted to score twice, with a shot from the left which glanced off a goalpost, and a centre kick downfield which was saved by the Oxford goalkeeper Percival Parr. The ball hit the Oxford crossbar with a shot from Edward Ram and Harold Brougham shot just over the same bar.[1]

In the second half, six minutes before the close of time, the deadlock was broken when Francis Sparks conducted the ball to within "about six yards of the University goal". Although Oxford's Charles King attempted to stop the ball with a weak mis-kick, Lloyd-Jones, "who had followed well up shot it between the posts. This feat quite 'brought down the house.'"[2] According to The Field magazine's report, there was "vociferous cheering, throwing up of hats, and other demonstrations of delight from their supporters." At the game's end, Lloyd-Jones, and his team captain Robert Ogilvie, were specially cheered by the crowd.[3] At 21 years and 150 days Lloyd-Jones was the 'baby' of his team and the youngest Cup Final scorer in the event's then history.[4]

Weather

At the start of the match, a strong and cold north-easterly wind blew into the faces of the Oxford team and the wind neutralised many of their kicks but it eased considerably after half-time.[1]

In Fiction

This match was subject of a spoof anecdote, written in 2006 by journalist John Walsh as a guest editor of a charity issue of The Independent in a list of five "least successful guest-star interventions in history", in which Oscar Wilde was a guest player on the Oxford team, but demurred from a chance to score at the last minute.[5] The anecdotes are purely comedy fiction. Wilde was known for a disdain of 'manly sports' (apart from occasional boxing at university).[6]

References

  1. 1 2 Warsop, Keith (2004). The Early F.A. Cup Finals and the Southern Amateurs, A Who's Who and Match Facts. SoccerData. p. 50. ISBN 1-899468-78-1.
  2. "Football. Association Challenge Cup". The Field. 17 April 1880.
  3. "The Football Association Challenge Cup. Clapham Rovers v Oxford University". The Sportsman. 12 April 1880.
  4. Lloyd-Jones surpassed Charles Clerke (Old Etonians), who was 21 years 173 days at the 1879 Cup Final, and then surpassed in turn by Teddy Wynyard (Old Carthusians), who was aged 20 years 8 days at the 1881 Cup Final.
  5. The Independent, Thursday 16 May 2006; Tales of the City, by John Walsh. The other anecdotes involved Bob Dylan, Groucho Marx, Philip Larkin and Margaret Thatcher.
  6. Ellmann, Richard (1988). Oscar Wilde. Vintage Books: New York. p. 39. ISBN 978-0-394-75984-5.
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