Nottingham Forest posing with the trophy | |||||||
| Event | 1897–98 FA Cup | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Date | 16 April 1898 | ||||||
| Venue | Crystal Palace,London | ||||||
| Referee | John Lewis (Market Drayton, Shropshire) | ||||||
| Attendance | 62,017 | ||||||
←1897 1899 → | |||||||
The1898 FA Cup final was anassociation football match betweenDerby County andNottingham Forest on Saturday, 16 April 1898 at theCrystal Palace stadium in south London. It was the final match of the1897–98 FA Cup, the 27th edition of the world's oldest football knockout competition, and England's primarycup competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup, better known as theFA Cup.
Derby County and Nottingham Forest were both appearing in their first final. As members of theFootball League First Division, they were exempt from the competition's qualifying phase and each joined the competition in thefirst round proper, progressing through four rounds to the final.
The final was watched by a crowd of 62,017 and Forest, leading 2–1 at half-time, won the match 3–1 with goals byArthur Capes (2) andJohn McPherson.Steve Bloomer scored for Derby. Forest won the cup again in1959. Derby reached the final again in1899 but were defeated bySheffield United; they won the cup in1946.
TheFA Cup, known officially as The Football Association Challenge Cup, is an annualknockoutassociation football competition in men's domesticEnglish football. The competition was first proposed on 20 July 1871 byC. W. Alcock at a meeting ofThe Football Association committee. The tournament was first played in the1871–72 season and is the world'soldest association football competition.[1] The 1898 match betweenDerby County andNottingham Forest atCrystal Palace was the 27th final. Both teams were appearing in the final for the first time.[2]
Derby County and Nottingham Forest were both members of theFootball League First Division. In the1897–98 league championship, Forest amassed 31 points to finish in eighth place, eleven points behind championsSheffield United. Derby finished in tenth place, three points behind Forest.[3]
Both teams were selected by a committee with the club secretary in charge on match days. Derby's secretary wasHarry Newbould who, in 1900, became their first formally appointedteam manager.[4] Nottingham Forest retained the policy of selection by committee until 1936.[5] In 1898, their secretary wasHarry Hallam.[6]
| Round | Opposition | Score |
|---|---|---|
| First | Aston Villa (h) | 1–0 |
| Second | Wolverhampton Wanderers (a) | 1–0 |
| Third | Liverpool (h) | 1–1 |
| Third (replay) | Liverpool (a) | 5–1 |
| Semi-final | Everton (n) | 3–1 |
| Key: (h) = home venue; (a) = away venue; (n) =neutral venue.Source:[7] | ||
Derby County entered the competition in thefirst round proper and played five matches, including one replay, en route to the final. All four of their opponents were other teams in the First Division.[7]
In the first round on Saturday, 29 January, Derby were at home toAston Villa
The semi-finals were staged atneutral venues on Saturday, 19 March. Derby faced Liverpool's Merseyside neighboursEverton at Molineux, where Derby had won their second round tie in February.[7]
| Round | Opposition | Score |
|---|---|---|
| First | Grimsby Town (h) | 4–0 |
| Second | Gainsborough Trinity (h) | 4–0 |
| Third | West Bromwich Albion (a) | 3–2 |
| Semi-final | Southampton (n) | 1–1 |
| Semi-final (replay) | Southampton (n) | 2–0 |
| Key: (h) = home venue; (a) = away venue; (n) =neutral venue.Source:[8] | ||
Nottingham Forest entered the competition in thefirst round proper and played five matches, including one replay, en route to the final. One of their opponents was in the First Division, two were in theSecond Division and one was in theSouthern League.[8]
In the first round on Saturday, 29 January, Forest were at home to Second DivisionGrimsby Town.
The semi-finals were staged atneutral venues on Saturday, 19 March, and Forest were drawn to play Southern League championsSouthampton atBramall Lane inSheffield.[8]

Forest took the lead with a goal by Capes which Bloomer equalised. After 42 minutes, Richards tried to lob from a McInnes cross. Fryer was reached it first but he dropped the ball at the feet of Capes, who turned it into the empty goal.
In the second half, McPherson scored Forest's third goal four minutes from time.[4]
| Derby County | 1–3 | Nottingham Forest |
|---|---|---|
| Bloomer | Capes McPherson |
![]() Derby County | ![]() Nottingham Forest |
Match rules
Notes
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Presentation details and post-match events to follow