 St. Andrew's, winner of the match | |||||||
| Event | 1891 Primera División | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| onextra time | |||||||
| Date | 13 September 1891 | ||||||
| Venue | Flores Old Ground,Buenos Aires | ||||||
| Player of the Match | Charles Moffatt | ||||||
| Referee | J. Wilson | ||||||
The1891 Argentine Primera División final was a match contested bySt. Andrew's andOld Caledonians. Both teams had been declared champions of the1891 Argentine Primera División[1][2][3] but the match was held only to determine which of them would be awareded a medal.[4]
The match was organized by theArgentine Association Football League whose president was F.L. Wooley. This league only lasted one season, so in 1892 no championship was held. In 1893 other Association with the same name would be established byAlexander Watson Hutton becoming currentArgentine Football Association.[5]<[6][7]
St. Andrew's defeated Old Caledonians 3–0 inextra time with three goals by forwardCharles Douglas Moffatt.[4]
| Team | Previous finals app. |
|---|---|
| St. Andrew's | (none) |
| Old Caledonians | (none) |
Bold indicates winning years
The match was held in Flores Old Ground (also known as "Old Polo Ground" or "Old Polo Field"[8] or "Flores Polo Ground"[9]), home venue of defunctFlores Athletic Club.
Located in the barrio ofCaballito, Buenos Aires,[10] just behind theBuenos Aires Western Railwayfreight sheds,[11] it hosted severalpolo,rugby union,association football andcricket matches during the period Flores A.C. was active.[12]
The1891 season was the first edition of aPrimera División league in Argentinam with six teams taking part of the competition.
At the end of the season,St. Andrew's (asports club established byScottish immigrants from theSt. Andrew's Scots School, the oldest private school of Argentina.[13]) andOld Caledonians (also established by Scottish immigrants, in this case employees of British studioBateman, Parsons & Bateman, hired to build the main drainage in the city of Buenos Aires.[14]) finished at the top position with 13 points each and identical records: both had won 6 matches, tied 1 and lost 1.[4]
Although Old Caledonians had a bettergoal difference (+21)[4] and despite their claims based onThe Football Association rules,[15][16] both teams were declared champions after a decision taken in an AAFL meeting. The Association also obliged two teams to play a match to decide which team would be awarded medals.[17]
Due to serious financial problems, the AAFL decided to charge for admission to the match in order to balance its finances.[15]
As the Association crowned both, St. Andrew's and Old Caledonians as champion, this match was held only to determine which team got to keep the medals.
| St. Andrew's | 3–1 (a.e.t.) | Old Caledonians |
|---|---|---|
Moffatt | Report | E. Wilson |
        St. Andrew's |  Old Caledonians
|
|
|
During an interview in 1934, strikerCharles Douglas Moffatt stated Old Caledonians was the best team of all that participated in the tournament, also saying that St. Andrew's had won the championship "by chance". Moffatt also praised Old Caledonians' Scottish forward Jack Sutherland, highlighting his dribbling and skills with the ball.[16]
I had played every game except the last one of the championship, due to a sprained right ankle. So I returned to the playoffs, but was unable to shoot from distance. I managed to score the goal by taking advantage of a scramble in front of the Caledonians goal. The ball came towards me, and all I had to do was flick it over the line (with the inside of my foot), and we won our first tournament. Only a few English attended the match... then, people was not even aware about the existence of the game
— Charles Moffatt about the match and the legacy of the 1891 championship, in an interview with Félix Frascara published onEl Gráfico, 1934
TheArgentine Football Association had not included this title in its previous annual reports[18] so the body was established in 1893 and did not organise the championship. Nevertheless, on AFA's official website only St. Andrew's is mentioned as 1891 champion.[19]
