Programme cover | |||||||
| Event | 1912–13 FA Cup | ||||||
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| Date | 19 April 1913 | ||||||
| Venue | Crystal Palace, London | ||||||
| Referee | A. Adams | ||||||
| Attendance | 121,919 | ||||||
←1912 1914 → | |||||||
The1913 FA Cup final was contested byAston Villa andSunderlandon 19 April 1913 at London'sCrystal Palace. Aston Villa won 1–0 with a goal byTommy Barber from a cross byCharlie Wallace. Wallace had earlier missed a penalty, something that would not occur again in an FA Cup final until the1988 final betweenWimbledon andLiverpool.
It was Sunderland's first appearance in theFA Cup Final and the first time theFootball League's top two finishers had vied for the trophy, even though the League would not be decided for another week.[citation needed] On their way to the match Sunderland had to replay their quarter-final twice and then their semi-final once after draws in those contests. Aston Villa were appearing in the final after an eight-year absence and their victory was their fifth, equalling the record at that time of theWanderers andBlackburn Rovers.
During the match Sunderland's Charlie Thomson and Villa's Harry Hampton almost immediately resumed a long-running feud that led to both players being suspended for a month at the start of the following season.[1] The contest was noted for its rough play and led to the withdrawal of Sunderland's invitation to take part in the 1913Charity Shield match. The referee, Mr. A. Adams, from Nottingham was also suspended, to the dismay of the Referees' Union,[2] having allowed 17 minutes for stoppage time.[citation needed]
Prior to the match,suffragettes of theWomen's Social and Political Union plotted to bomb thegrandstand ofCrystal Palace, however their plans were foiled before they could execute theirterrorist attack.[3]

| Round 1 | Derby County | 1–3 | Aston Villa | |
| Round 2 | Aston Villa | 5–0 | West Ham United | |
| Round 3 | Aston Villa | 5–0 | Crystal Palace | |
| Quarter-final | Bradford Park Avenue | 0–5 | Aston Villa | |
| Semi-final | Aston Villa | 1–0 | Oldham Athletic | |
| (atEwood Park) | ||||
| Round 1 | Sunderland | 6–0 | Clapton Orient | |
| Round 2 | Sunderland | 2–0 | Manchester City | |
| Round 3 | Sunderland | 4–2 | Swindon Town | |
| Quarter-final | Sunderland | 0–0 | Newcastle United | |
| Quarter-final replay | Newcastle United | 2–2 | Sunderland | |
| Quarter-final 2nd replay | Newcastle United | 0–3 | Sunderland | |
| Semi-final | Sunderland | 0–0 | Burnley | |
| (atBramall Lane) | ||||
| Semi-final replay | Sunderland | 3–2 | Burnley | |
| (atSt Andrew's) | ||||
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Aston Villa | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Sunderland |
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Match rules
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