 Match programme | |||||||
| Event | 1914–15 FA Cup | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Date | 24 April 1915 | ||||||
| Venue | Old Trafford,Manchester | ||||||
| Referee | H. H. Taylor | ||||||
| Attendance | 49,557 | ||||||
←1914 1920 → | |||||||
The1915 FA Cup final took place on 24 April 1915 and was contested bySheffield United andChelsea. It was the lastFA Cup final to be staged after the implementation of theDefence of the Realm Act 1914 which suspended competitive football in Britain for the duration of theFirst World War. The match was moved from its pre-war location ofCrystal Palace in south London toOld Trafford in Manchester to avoid disruption to travel in and around London.
The match is one of the fewFA Cup finals that has acquired a nickname; the "Khaki Cup Final", owing to the large number of uniformed soldiers in attendance. However, the attendance of about 50,000 was lower than previous years as a result ofwartime travel restriction and the mobilisation of large numbers of young men into the armed forces.
Chelsea had the easiest start in the FA Cup competition, their first round match was withSwindon Town, aSouthern Football League team, but they made heavy work of it requiring a replay to defeat them and conceding three goals during the two matches. Their Cup performance improved considerably, and after defeatingArsenal (then aSecond Division side) in the second round, they defeated severalFirst Division sides who finished above them in the league table, includingEverton, who later went on to win the league thatseason.
Sheffield United defeatedBlackpool, a Second Division side, in the first round and then made steady progress until the fourth round, where they metOldham Athletic, who finished above them in the First Division that season, and they required a replay to finally defeat them. Sheffield United met Bolton Wanderers in the semi-final andGeorge Utley, the Blades' captain, scored a rare goal.[1]
Sheffield United[edit]Home teams listed first. Round 1:Blackpool 1–2 Sheffield United
Round 2: Sheffield United 1–0Liverpool
Round 3: Sheffield United 1–0Bradford
Round 4:Oldham Athletic 0–0 Sheffield United
Replay: Sheffield United 3–0Oldham Athletic
Semi-final:Bolton Wanderers 1–2 Sheffield United
| Chelsea[edit]Home teams listed first. Round 1: Chelsea 1–1Swindon Town
Replay: Chelsea 5–2Swindon Town
Round 2: Chelsea 1–0Arsenal
Round 3:Manchester City 0–1 Chelsea
Round 4: Chelsea 1–1Newcastle
Replay:Newcastle 0–1 Chelsea
Semi-final:Everton 0–2 Chelsea
|
The favourites to win the match were Sheffield United. They had combined a successful FA Cup run with a strongleague campaign where they finished 6th, but only three points behind the League winners. Their defence was one of the best in the league, but they had not managed to score many goals.
Chelsea were statistically the weaker side; whilst they had scored more goals than Sheffield United in the league, their defence was poor and they had conceded many more and lay in therelegation zone. They had however beaten several strong clubs away from home during the FA Cup competition and the programme noted that the underdogs had won on six occasions in the previous ten years.[1]
Chelsea also had injury problems:Bob Thomson, their leading goal scorer thatseason, had been injured in a league game atBolton Wanderers ten days earlier and was doubtful.Vivian Woodward, an amateur and England international who played for Chelsea in peacetime but was at the time serving in theBritish Army, had been given leave to play in the final. However, Woodward sportingly insisted that as Thomson had helped the club reach the final, he ought to play in it. There was bad news when Thomson suffered an eye injury, but he played.
The officialmatch programme was produced byManchester United. A special version was printed on silk for presentation to the players and officials.[2]
The programme showed that both teams played a 2–3–5formation and the Chelsea team sheet listed Vivian Woodward andLaurence Abrams in addition to those who played in the match. Neither played in the match.
As the scoreline suggests, the match was a one-sided affair. Chelsea adopted a gentlemanly "Drawing Room" style of play with attacks made up of zigzag passes. These were broken up by an alert and cooperative Sheffield United defence.[3] The Sheffield United forwards, with their superior tactics, pace and fitness, had the run of the Chelsea half and only the excellent performance of Chelsea goalkeeper Molyneux saved them from further embarrassment. Contemporary reports[3] singled out Brelsford, Simmons and Utley of Sheffield United for their quality of their performances during the match, and Logan, who made some unsuccessful attacks for Chelsea during the second half.
The first goal was scored by Simmons just before half-time. A ball in from the left-hand side crossed over the Chelsea backs and Simmons, racing in from the right half, half-volleyed it into the top of the net. Some sources[4] suggest that Molyneux should have stopped this goal but others[3] state that he was let down by his defence for all three goals. Chelsea had their best chances just before half-time when they had two shots saved by Gough in the Blades' goal.
At some point Chelsea woes were added to when Harry Ford on the right wing was injured.[2]
Play was muted at the start of the second half as a thick fog descended over the pitch, preventing spectators from seeing any action on the opposite side of the pitch, thoughThe Times[5] commented that they were "not missing much". The final two goals were scored in the last ten minutes. A shot from Wally Masterman rebounded from the bar but Fazackerly headed it past the Chelsea keeper for United's second. Directly after this goal Joe Kitchen picked the ball up just inside the Chelsea half and passed two defenders. Molyneaux emerged from the Chelsea goal but Kitchen dodged him and placed the ball in the open net. At this point, before the final whistle, large numbers of the spectators began to leave.
The crowd included many men in uniform but a much larger contingent who, theManchester Guardian commented, should have been in uniform. A number of wounded soldiers, one missing an arm, watched the match from lower stand.[3]
The cup was awarded by theEarl of Derby whose speech, largely drowned out by a noisy crowd of young supporters, noted that all present needed to join together and play "a sterner game for England".[3]
The Irwell Old Prize band provided the half time entertainment, playing a selection of tunes from around theBritish Isles. A collection was made during the match on behalf of theBritish Red Cross.[1]
| Sheffield United | 3–0 | Chelsea |
|---|---|---|
Simmons 36'Fazackerley 84'Kitchen 88' |
        Sheffield United |   Chelsea |
Match rules
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In July 1915, the Football League placed all players on amateur status and clubs were only allowed to pay expenses. Attendances at matches collapsed and as fuel for transport became scarce the national league was abandoned and football teams played inregional leagues with whatever players they could find.[2] Chelsea often played with players from other sides who passed through London whilst on active service, including Stanley Fazackerley.[2]
Sheffield United held the FA Cup until it was contested again in1920. They reached the final and won the cup again in1925.
Chelsea did not reach the final again until1967 and finally won it in1970 at Old Trafford in a replay 55 years later.
