Part 1…

…1871/72

Jarvis Kendrick

…& the race to be the first team to lift Football’s “Little Tin Idol ” (you may have heard it referred to, quite often, as the English, & on occasion, even the F.A Cup…) all kicks off, oh, so innocently, on that second Saturday of November, 1871…

The English Cup, of course, was never exclusively just for English Clubs - Oh no, not at all!

Glasgow’s Queens Park, Scotland’s oldest Club & one of the chief architects of the rather eye catching, new fangled, “Combination Game”…

…glady accept the Football Association’s kind invitation to take on England’s “Dribblers” but are, somewhat unfortunately, forced to withdraw from the competition at the Semi-Final stage, after a draw with the Wanderers down at the Oval, in Kennington, London - However Scotland’s finest “scratch”* from the tournament, not being able to afford the train fare back down to London for the replay…

You can’t help but love the old Football days !

…& after which such a sorry little tale, the original 15* starting clubs, we are, at last, down to the ultimate 2 & we’re off to the Oval for the very first Football Association Cup Final, next…