1909 FA Cup final: Difference between revisions

| title = 1909 FA Cup Finalfinal

| previous = [[1908 FA Cup Finalfinal|1908]]

| next = [[1910 FA Cup Finalfinal|1910]]

The '''1909 FA Cup Finalfinal''' was the [[FA Cup Final|final match]] of the [[1908–09 FA Cup]], the 38th season of England's premier club [[association football|football]] cup competition. The match was played on 24 April 1909 at [[Crystal Palace National Sports Centre|Crystal Palace]], and was contested by [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] and [[Bristol City F.C.|Bristol City]], both of the [[Football League First Division|First Division]]. Manchester United won by a single goal, scored by [[Sandy Turnbull]] midway through the first half. This was the first of Manchester United's twelvethirteen [[FA Cup]] titles to date.

It was the first time that either team had played in an FA Cup Final, but Manchester United went into the match as favourites, having been league champions the previous season. Despite having lost 1–0 to Bristol City at [[Bank Street (football ground)|Bank Street]] just two weeks earlier, Manchester United held a one-point advantage over their opposition with two matches still to play.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.fa-cupfinals.co.uk/images/1909/prog/proga0002.JPG |title=W. H. Smith & Son's Souvenir Card of the English Cup Final 1909 |access-date=7 November 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071213181159/http://www.fa-cupfinals.co.uk/images/1909/prog/proga0002.JPG |archive-date=13 December 2007 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref>In the end, Bristol City finished one point and five places above Manchester United in the First Division; they won one of their final two matches, while United took no points from their final two games.</ref>

Both teams usually wore red shirts, so, prior to the final, the FA issued them with orders to change their kit for the match.<ref name="white_118">White; p.118</ref> Manchester United's players sported white shirts with a red V-stripe and a red rose of Lancashire on the left breast, while Bristol City chose to wear blue shirts.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.historicalkits.co.uk/English_Football_League/FA_Cup_Finals/1900-1909.html |title=English FA Cup Finalists 1900 – 1909 |accessdateaccess-date=3 November 2008 |publisher=Historical Football Kits |archiveurlarchive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080925084712/http://www.historicalkits.co.uk/English_Football_League/FA_Cup_Finals/1900-1909.html |archivedatearchive-date=25 September 2008 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref> Manchester United made an event of the presentation of their new kits, hiring contemporary [[music hall]] star [[George Robey]] to present the uniforms to the players.

The star of the Bristol City team was [[Billy Wedlock]], an [[England national football team|England]] international [[centre half]], but he failed to take control of the game and was nullified by. Manchester United's half back trio of [[Dick Duckworth (footballer, born 1882)|Dick Duckworth]], [[Charlie Roberts]] and [[Alex Bell]].<ref name="barnes_32">Barnes, et al.; p.32</ref> Manchester United [[outside forward|outside right]] [[Billy Meredith]] also played an important part in the match, his contribution to his team's attacking opportunities earning him the man of the match award.<ref>Tyrrell; p.107</ref>

The only goal of the game came midway through the first half, with Charlie Roberts' earlier comments to his manager proving prophetic. As a result of a Manchester United attack, a shot from [[Harold Halse]] hit the crossbar and the ball fell to Sandy Turnbull, who fired the ball past goalkeeper [[Harry Clay]] and into the back of the net.<ref name="murphy_23"/> Bristol City's closest opportunity came after a fine passing move left inside right [[Bob Hardy (footballer)|Bob Hardy]] unmarked in front of goal, only to have his shot turned round the post by a diving [[Harry Moger]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fa-cupfinals.co.uk/1909.html |title=F A Cup Final 1909 |accessdateaccess-date=7 November 2008 |publisher=fa-cupfinals.co.uk |archive-url=https://wwwweb.webcitationarchive.org/612ecrQfG?url=web/20120419221359/http://www.fa-cupfinals.co.uk/1909.html |archive-date=19 AugustApril 20112012 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

During the match, Manchester United [[left back]] [[Vince Hayes]] was injured and had to be removed from the field. As substitutes were not used in those days, it meant that Manchester United were down to 10 men. Mangnall reshuffled his team to retain their numbers in defence, and, after treatment, Hayes returned to the field as a forward.<ref name="barnes_32"/> Despite his injury, Hayes lasted to the end of the game, and the match finished 1–0 to Manchester United. Charlie Roberts went up to receive the trophy, becoming the first Manchester United player to lift the FA Cup.<ref name="white_118"/>

After the match, the Manchester United mascot, a goat named Billy, drank too much champagne and died of alcohol poisoning. His head was preserved and hangs on the wall of the Manchester United museum at Old Trafford.<ref>{{cite news |first=Guy |last=Hodgson |title=Football: Pele, Giggs and Billy the goat |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/football-pele-giggs-and-billy-the-goat-1155683.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/football-pele-giggs-and-billy-the-goat-1155683.html |archive-date=1 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |work=The Independent |date=11 April 1998 |accessdateaccess-date=8 February 2020 }}{{cbignore}}</ref>

| title = {{nowrap|Manchester United <ref>[http://www.historicalkits.co.uk/English_Football_League/FA_Cup_Finals/1900-1909.html FA Cup Final kits, 1900–1909]</ref>}}

|GK ||'''1 ''' ||[[Harry Clay]]

|RB ||'''2 ''' ||[[Archie Annan]]

|LB ||'''3 ''' ||[[Joe Cottle]]

|RH ||'''4 ''' ||[[Pat Hanlin]]

|CH ||'''5 ''' ||[[Billy Wedlock]]

|LH ||'''6 ''' ||[[Arthur Spear]]

|OR ||'''7 ''' ||[[Fred Staniforth]]

|IR ||'''8 ''' ||[[Bob Hardy (footballer)|Bob Hardy]]

|CF ||'''9 ''' ||[[Sam Gilligan]]

|IL ||'''10 '''||[[Andy Burton (footballer)|Andy Burton]]

|OL ||'''11 '''||[[Frank Hilton]]

|GK ||'''1 ''' ||[[Harry Moger]]

|RB ||'''2 ''' ||[[George Stacey (footballer)|George Stacey]]

|LB ||'''3 ''' ||[[Vince Hayes]]

|RH ||'''4 ''' ||[[Dick Duckworth (footballer, born 1882)|Dick Duckworth]]

|CH ||'''5 ''' ||[[Charlie Roberts]] ([[Captain (association football)|c]])

|LH ||'''6 ''' ||[[Alex Bell]]

|OR ||'''7 ''' ||[[Billy Meredith]]

|IR ||'''8 ''' ||[[Harold Halse]]

|CF ||'''9 ''' ||[[Jimmy Turnbull]]

|IL ||'''10 '''||[[Sandy Turnbull]]

|OL ||'''11 '''||[[George Wall]]

* {{cite book |lastlast1=Barnes |firstfirst1=Justyn |author2last2=Bostock, |first2=Adam; |last3=Butler, |first3=Cliff; |last4=Ferguson, |first4=Jim; |last5=Meek, |first5=David; |last6=Mitten, |first6=Andy; |last7=Pilger, |first7=Sam; |last8=Taylor, |first8=Frank OBE & |last9=Tyrell, |first9=Tom |name-list-style=amp |title=The Official Manchester United Illustrated Encyclopedia |publisher=Manchester United Books |date=2001 |location=London |isbn=0-233-99964-7 }}

* {{cite book |lastlast1=Tyrrell |firstfirst1=Tom |author2last2=Meek, |first2=David |title=The Hamlyn Illustrated History of Manchester United 1878–1996 |origyearorig-year=1988 |edition=5th |year=1996 |publisher=Hamlyn |location=London |isbn=0-600-59074-7 }}

* [https://wwwweb.webcitationarchive.org/612ecrQfG?url=web/20120419221359/http://www.fa-cupfinals.co.uk/1909.html Report]

[[Category:FA Cup Finalsfinals|1909]]