1903 FA Cup Final (lost footage of football match; 1903)
The 1903 FA Cup Final culminated the 32nd FA Cup season. Occurring on 18th April in front of 63,102 at the Crystal Palace, the match saw Bury defeat Derby County 6-0 to claim its second FA Cup. It is the joint-biggest one-sided match in FA Cup Final history, alongside the 2019 Final.
Background
Bury and Derby County, as Football League First Division members, entered the tournament in the First Round Proper.[1][2] Bury's road to the Final saw them defeat Wolverhampton Wanderers, Sheffield United, Notts County, and Aston Villa.[2] Meanwhile, Derby's campaign saw the club overcome Small Heath, Blackburn Rovers, Stoke, and Millwall Athletic.[2] Bury were seeking to claim their second FA Cup, having claimed their first in 1900.[3] Meanwhile, Derby aimed to finally claim the Cup for the third time, after having been defeated in the 1898 and 1899 Finals.[4]
Heading into the match, Derby was deemed the favourites after recording a strong period.[5] However, Bury held the advantage of having all its preferred line-up at its disposal, with the Rams concerned regarding Steve Bloomer and goalkeeper Jack Fryer's fitness.[6][5] Of the two, only Fryer competed, deeming himself fit enough to play despite managing an injury from an earlier league game.[6] Bury had also entered the Final without conceding a goal throughout the tournament.[5][6] Meanwhile, The Bury Times noted that at one of Crystal Palace's stands, a cinematograph could be seen at the top.[6] The organisation conducting the filming of the Final was the Warwick Trading Company, with The British Film Catalogue listing its films titled "The Football Cup Final" as being about 300 feet.[7] Previously, the company had filmed the 1899 FA Cup Final between Sheffield United and Derby, which marked the first instance of the Final being filmed.[8]
The Match
The Final itself commenced on 18th April with 63,102 fans in attendance at the Crystal Palace.[9][5] Despite being deemed the underdogs, it was Bury who controlled play early on.[5] After 20 minutes, the Shakers took the lead courtesy of a bouncing shot from George Ross.[6][9] But in spite of Bury's control, Derby nearly equalised near half-time, only for Ross to clear the shot from the goal-line.[6] Early into the second-half, Bury made it 2-0 when Charlie Sager collided with Fryer as the former scored.[6][5][9] Fryer further injured himself as a result of the collision.[6][5] He was replaced by left-back Charlie Morris, who could not prevent a chip from Joe Leeming from entering the goal after 56 minutes.[6][5][9] Fryer placed himself back in goal, and was immediately forced to deflect a shot from Frank Thorpe.[6] Ultimately, it allowed Willie Wood to capitalise on the rebound to make it 4-0.[6][5][9]
Two minutes afterwards, Jack Plant ploughed through the defence on the left-hand side of the pitch, slamming the ball into the corner to allow the Shakers to lead 5-0.[6][5][9] Morris replaced Fryer for the remaining duration of the game after 65 minutes, with him conceding a sixth goal when Leeming fired a seemingly unsavable shot ten minutes later.[6][5][9] Most observers noted that Derby were absolutely outclassed by the opposition, with the few attacks being nullified by the Shaker defence.[5][6] Therefore, Bury claimed their second FA Cup Final, and delivered the biggest win in Final history, which was previously held by Blackburn Rovers during its 6-1 1890 victory against The Wednesday.[6][5] Only Manchester City have since matched that record, with a 6-0 win against Watford in 2019.[10] The club also became the second to win the FA Cup without conceding a goal throughout the entire tournament, the first being Preston North End in 1889.[6][5][9] The Daily Chronicle praised the Bury team and sharply criticised the Rams, claiming it could have been a 20-0 thumping had Bury not shown mercy.[6]
For Bury, this was to date its last FA Cup win.[3] On 27th August 2019, the club was expelled from League One after experiencing severe financial difficulties.[11] As of the present day, the club still "exists" but is currently not playing in a league, with talks of a merger with phoenix club Bury AFC ongoing.[12] Meanwhile, some again believed Derby was the target of a rather politically incorrect "gypsy curse" following its third consecutive FA Cup Final defeat, allegedly inflicted onto the club when its owners evicted Romani gypsies living within the area of the Baseball Ground.[13] Concerns of a so-called "curse" at FA Cup Finals was finally lifted in 1946, when Derby beat Charlton Athletic 4-1 after extra time to claim its first, and to date, only, FA Cup.[13][4]
Availability
Ultimately, early football films are scarce, with Warwick Trading Company's recording of the 1899 FA Cup Final also being declared missing.[8] No footage of the 1903 film, believed to have been recorded by H.M. Lomas, is known to have survived either, although a photo of the event has resurfaced.[14][7]
See Also
- 1899 FA Cup Final (lost footage of football match; 1899)
- 1937 FA Cup Final (partially found footage of football match; 1937)
- 1938 FA Cup Final (partially found footage of football match; 1938)
- 1939 FA Cup Final (partially found footage of football match; 1939)
- 1947 FA Cup Final (partially found footage of football match; 1947)
- 1948 FA Cup Final (partially found footage of football match; 1948)
- 1948 Summer Olympics (partially found television coverage of London Games; 1948)
- 1949 FA Cup Final (partially found footage of football match; 1949)
- 1950 FA Cup Final (partially found footage of football match; 1950)
- 1951 FA Cup Final (partially found footage of football match; 1951)
- 1952 Coupe de France Final (partially found footage of football match; 1952)
- 1955 Scottish Cup Final (partially found footage of football match; 1955)
- 1956 Southern Junior Floodlight Cup Final (lost footage of football match; 1956)
- 1966 FIFA World Cup Final (partially found original colour film of international football match; 1966)
- 1967 FA Cup Final (partially found footage of football match; 1967)
- 1968 Football League Cup Final (partially found footage of football match; 1968)
- 1970 FA Cup Final Replay (partially found original ITV coverage of football match; 1970)
- 1971 WFA Cup Final (partially found footage of football match; 1971)
- 1973 WFA Cup Final (lost footage of football match; 1973)
- 1974 WFA Cup Final (lost footage of football match; 1974)
- 1976 WFA Cup Final (partially found footage of football match; 1976)
- 1977 WFA Cup Final (lost footage of football match; 1977)
- 1978 WFA Cup Final (lost footage of football match; 1978)
- 1979 WFA Cup Final (lost footage of football match; 1979)
- 1980 WFA Cup Final (lost footage of football match; 1980)
- 1981 WFA Cup Final (lost footage of football match; 1981)
- 1982 WFA Cup Final (lost footage of football match; 1982)
- 1985-1986 WFA Cup (lost list of entries for football tournament; 1985)
- A Football Match at Newcastle-on-Tyne (lost footage of football match; 1896)
- Arsenal 1-1 Sheffield United (lost radio commentary of football match; 1927)
- Arsenal 3-2 Everton (partially found footage of Football League First Division match; 1936)
- Arsenal 7-1 Hibernian (lost footage of charity football match; 1952)
- Arsenal vs Arsenal Reserves (lost footage of early BBC televised football match; 1937)
- Atlético Madrid 1-1 Real Madrid (lost footage of El Derbi Madrileño La Liga football match; 1958)
- Barbados 4–2 Grenada (partially found soccer match footage; 1994)
- Barnet 3-2 Wealdstone (lost footage of Athenian League football match; 1946)
- Bedford Town 1-2 Arsenal (partially found footage of FA Cup match; 1956)
- Blackpool 0-1 Bolton Wanderers (lost footage of Football League First Division match; 1960)
- Brazil 2-0 Italy (lost footage of international football match; 1956)
- Brian Clough's Football Fortunes (lost DOS port of football management game; 1987)
- Carlisle United 2-1 Plymouth Argyle (partially found footage of Football League Third Division match; 1999)
- Charlton Athletic 1-0 Blackburn Rovers (lost footage of FA Cup match; 1947)
- Chelsea 1-1 Burnley (partially found footage of FA Cup match; 1956)
- Chelsea 2-0 Sparta Prague (lost footage of international football match; 1957)
- England 0-1 Scotland (partially found footage of international football match; 1938)
- England 1-0 Scotland (lost footage of Schools' International football match; 1952)
- England 1-1 Scotland (partially found footage of international football match; 1947)
- England 1-2 Scotland (lost footage of international football match; 1903)
- England 1-3 Scotland (partially found footage of international football match; 1949)
- England 2-0 Italy (partially found footage of international football match; 1949)
- England 3-0 France (partially found footage of international football match; 1947)
- England 3-0 Rest of Europe (partially found footage of international football match; 1938)
- England 6-0 Switzerland (partially found footage of international football match; 1948)
- Falkirk 3-2 Newcastle United (lost footage of football match; 1953)
- FIFA Soccer 2002 (lost build of cancelled Game Boy Advance port of football game; existence unconfirmed; 2001-2002)
- France 3-1 West Germany (partially found footage of international football match; 1952)
- France 6-3 Belgium (partially found footage of FIFA World Cup qualifying match; 1956)
- Hallo! Bundesliga (lost GolTV series; mid 2000s-mid 2010s)
- Hero to Zero (partially found BBC One children's football drama show; 2000)
- Juventus 1-7 A.C. Milan (partially found footage of Serie A football match; 1950)
- The Kaiser Conspiracy (lost unfinished Dermot Morgan novel; 1990s)
- Liverpool vs Sheffield United (lost footage of FA Cup Semi-Final matches; 1899)
- Lowestoft Town 3-0 AFC Hornchurch (partially found footage of Isthmian League Premier Division play-off final; 2014)
- Manchester United Championship Soccer (lost build of cancelled Sega Mega Drive port of football game; 1995)
- Miracle of the Magyars (lost Dermot Morgan screenplay of unmade football drama film; 1990s)
- National Professional Soccer League (partially found footage of soccer matches; 1967)
- Netherlands 0-0 Sweden (lost footage of international football match; 1952)
- Premier League All Stars (partially found Sky One charity football tournament; 2007)
- PSV Eindhoven 2-1 E.V.V. Eindhoven (lost footage of Netherlands Football League Championship match; 1950)
- Quiz Ball (partially found BBC One football-based quiz show; 1966-1972)
- Re-united (lost Dermot Morgan script of unmade football sitcom; 1990s)
- Real Madrid 1-0 Barcelona (partially found footage of El Clásico La Liga football match; 1959)
- Real Madrid 3-0 Racing Santander (lost footage of La Liga football match; 1954)
- San Lorenzo de Almagro 1-1 River Plate (lost footage of Argentine Primera División football match; 1951)
- Scottish Universities 1-1 English Universities (lost footage of international football match; 1952)
- Serbia vs Albania (found footage of abandoned UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying match; 2014)
- Stade de Reims 2-1 FC Metz (partially found footage of French Division 1 football match; 1956)
- Turkey 1-2 Soviet Union (lost footage of 1962 FIFA World Cup qualifying match; 1961)
- United! (lost British soap opera; 1965-1967)
- Walthamstow Avenue 0-2 Queen's Park (lost footage of friendly football match; 1951)
- West Ham United 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur (partially found footage of FA Cup match; 1956)
References
- ↑ World Football detailing the 1902/1903 Football League First Division table. Retrieved 24th Nov '22
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 RSSSF detailing the road to the 1903 FA Cup Final. Retrieved 24th Nov '22
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Transfer Markt detailing Bury's trophy cabinet. Retrieved 24th Nov '22
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Derby County detailing its trophy cabinet. Retrieved 24th Nov '22
- ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 Archived FA Cup Finals summarising the 1903 Final. Retrieved 24th Nov '22
- ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 6.12 6.13 6.14 6.15 6.16 Archived Bury detailing its 1903 win and providing quotes from The Bury Times and The Daily Chronicle. Retrieved 24th Nov '22
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 British Film Catalogue listing the Warwick Trading Company film of the Final Retrieved 24th Nov '22
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 The Bioscope detailing the Warwick Trading Company missing film of the 1899 Final. Retrieved 24th Nov '22
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 11 vs 11 detailing the result of the match and other statistics. Retrieved 24th Nov '22
- ↑ BBC Sport reporting on Manchester City beating Watford 6-0 at the 2019 Final. Retrieved 24th Nov '22
- ↑ BBC Sport reporting on Bury being expelled from League One in 2019. Retrieved 24th Nov '22
- ↑ The Guardian reporting on the Bury merger situation. Retrieved 24th Nov '22
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Spooky Isles detailing Derby County's alleged "gypsy curse". Retrieved 24th Nov '22
- ↑ Blog dedicated towards Charles Urban films summarising H.M. Lomas and his work. Retrieved 24th Nov '22