1888 FA Cup Final

The 1888 FA Cup Final was contested by West Bromwich Albion

West Bromwich Albion F.C.

West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...

 and Preston North End

Preston North End F.C.

Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...

 at the Kennington Oval

The Oval

The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...

. Preston were strong favourites for the Cup, having set a record which still stands today by beating Hyde

Hyde F.C.

Hyde F.C. are an English semi-professional football club from Hyde, Greater Manchester, who are nicknamed The Tigers. Formed in 1885 the club changed its name to Hyde United in 1919, before reverting to Hyde F.C. in June 2010...

 26-0 in the first round, and were so confident of overcoming West Bromwich Albion in the final that they asked to be photographed with the trophy before the game. The FA president Major Francis Marindin

Francis Marindin

Colonel Sir Francis Arthur Marindin, KCMG served with the Royal Engineers and was a key figure in the early development of association football. He was later knighted for his work in public services....

 turned them down and said: "Hadn't you better win it first?" They didn't get their photo after the game either. So lacking in confidence were their West bromwich opponents that when offered bets on the outcome of the game by the Preston players, they all refused, no matter how great the odds.
West Brom won 2–1, with their goals scored by George Woodhall

George Woodhall

George 'Spry' Woodhall was an English footballer, who played most of his career with West Bromwich Albion, helping them to reach three consecutive FA Cup finals, including winning the cup in 1888....

 and Jem Bayliss

Jem Bayliss

Albert Edward James Matthias 'Jem' Bayliss was an English football player who played for West Bromwich Albion, as well as the English national side.He captained the West Bromwich Albion side which won the 1888 FA Cup Final....

. Fred Dewhurst

Fred Dewhurst

Fred Dewhurst was a professional footballer, who played as an inside forward for Preston North End in the late 19th century...

 scored Preston's effort.

John Goodall recalled many years later how, at the final whistle, he stood motionless in the centre circle for many minutes unable to comprehend the result. The refereeing of the game by Major Francis Marindin was also questioned privately by many observers who felt that he had potentially shown bias towards Albion's all English eleven. At one point during the game he stopped play just as Preston were about to score to award a free kick to Albion despite no Albion player having made an appeal, as was required by the rules of the game at that time. Cambridge University captain Tinsley Lindley later commented to defeated Preston player Jack Ross "Well Jack, you cannot expect to win when playing against eleven men and the devil." The Preston players however cited their own pre match routine for their defeat. Bob Holmes recalled "We got starved to death on the Thames bank {While watching the Oxford vs Cambridge boat race} and could not get warm again. The invincibles entered the Kennington Oval field that day in a pitiful state. We were daft." At this time the boat race was considered a greater sporting event than the cup final.

By contrast, Albion captain, Billy Bassett stated "Jack Ross lost his cool that day. that was the key. I managed to keep my cool and the cooler I kept, the rasher Ross got. Bassett also recalled that it was Ross' rashness that cost his side the winning goal as he charged at Bassett and ended up somersaulting clean over him. As he picked himself up he watched as Bassett was able to set up the clinching goal. Bassett however was complimentary of his opponents when, years later he stated "I have seen all the best sides in Football but I have never seen a side that compared to Preston North End at their best. We beat them but I do not pretend for a moment that we deserved to beat them."

Match details

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style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">	WEST BROMWICH ALBION:
	1	Bob Roberts Bob Roberts (footballer) Robert John Roberts , better known as Bob Roberts, was an English football goalkeeper. He spent the majority of his career at West Bromwich Albion, with whom he won an FA Cup winner's medal, and also played for Sunderland Albion and Aston Villa...
	2	Albert Aldridge Albert Aldridge Albert James Aldridge was an English footballer. Aldridge was born in Walsall, England.-Club:Aldridge played for Walsall Swifts, West Bromwich Albion, Walsall Town Swifts and Aston Villa, where he made 14 appearances in the league....
	3	Harry Green Harry Green (footballer) Harold Green was an English footballer who played at both right and left full-back.- Career :Green was born in West Bromwich. He played for George Salter's Works before joining West Bromwich Albion...
	4	Ezra Horton Ezra Horton Ezra Horton was an English footballer who played at right-half, he had the nickname Ironsides. His younger brother Jack was also a footballer.- Biography :...
	5	Charlie Perry Charlie Perry (English footballer) Charles Perry was an English football centre-half who played for West Bromwich Albion and England.- Biography :...
	6	George Timmins George Timmins George Timmins was an English footballer who played at left-half.- Career :Timmins was born in West Bromwich. He played for George Salter's Works before joining West Bromwich Albion. He played in three consecutive FA Cup Finals for Albion, leaving in 1891 to join Old Hill Wanderers.-Honours:West...
	7	George Woodhall George Woodhall George 'Spry' Woodhall was an English footballer, who played most of his career with West Bromwich Albion, helping them to reach three consecutive FA Cup finals, including winning the cup in 1888....
	8	Billy Bassett Billy Bassett William Isiah Bassett was an English association footballer, director and club chairman who served West Bromwich Albion for over half a century.-Playing career:...
	9	Jem Bayliss Jem Bayliss Albert Edward James Matthias 'Jem' Bayliss was an English football player who played for West Bromwich Albion, as well as the English national side.He captained the West Bromwich Albion side which won the 1888 FA Cup Final....  (c)
	10	Joe Wilson Joe Wilson (footballer born 1861) Joseph James Wilson was an English footballer who played at outside left. During his 15-year playing career he represented several teams from the West Midlands region, both as an amateur and a professional...
	11	Tom Pearson Tom Pearson Thomas Pearson was an English footballer who played at inside-left.- Career :Pearson was born in West Bromwich. He turned professional with West Bromwich Albion in April 1886 and made his debut in February 1887 against Notts County in the sixth round of the FA Cup...
Manager:

style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align=center> PRESTON NORTH END: | 1 RH Mills-Roberts

Robert Mills-Roberts

Dr. Robert Herbert Mills-Roberts was a leading football player in the 1880s. He was a Welsh International, and was a player in the Preston North End side which became known as "The Invincibles"....

2 Bob Howarth

Bob Howarth

Bob Howarth was a leading footballer in the 1880s and 1890s. He was an England international and was a member of the Preston North End side that became famous as "The Invincibles".-Career:...

3 Nick Ross 4 Bob Holmes

Robert Holmes (footballer)

Bob Holmes was a professional footballer, who was a member of the famous 'invincibles' of Preston North End.-Career:...

5 David Russell

David Russell (footballer)

David Russell was a professional football player. He was a member of the famous 'invincibles' of Preston North End.-External links:*...

6 Johnny Graham

Johnny Graham (footballer)

John "Johnny" Graham was a leading professional footballer of the 1880s. He was a member of the Preston North End side which became famous as the 'invincibles'.-Career:...

7 Jack Gordon

Jack Gordon (footballer)

John "Jack" Gordon was a leading professional footballer of the 1880s and 1890s. He was a member of the Preston North End side which became famous as the 'Invincibles'.-Career:Jack Gordon was born at Port Glasgow, Scotland in 1863...

8 Jimmy Ross

Jimmy Ross

James D. “Jimmy” Ross , nicknamed the "Little Demon", was a Scottish association football player of the Victorian era, younger brother of Nick Ross...

9 John Goodall

John Goodall

John Goodall was a footballer who rose to fame as a centre-forward for England and for Preston North End at the time of the development of the Football League, and also became Watford's first manager in 1903...

10 Fred Dewhurst

Fred Dewhurst

Fred Dewhurst was a professional footballer, who played as an inside forward for Preston North End in the late 19th century...

  11 George Drummond

George Drummond (footballer)

George "Geordie" Drummond was a professional association football player. Born in Edinburgh, he played for St Bernard's before joining Preston North End. He was a key member of the Preston team which won the first ever Football League championship in the 1888–89 season without losing a match...

Manager:

MATCH RULES 90 minutes. 30 minutes of extra-time if necessary. Replay if scores still level.