Unlucky Derby
There was another upset in the
1898. Derby beat Nottingham Forest 5-0 the week before the
Final but lost the big game 3-1. In fact, Derby were the
unluckiest team of this era. In the nine season between
1896 and 1904 Derby County reached the Semi Finals of the
Cup seven times and the Final three times. But they did not
win the Cup until 1946.
In 1901 Tottenham Hotspur played in their first ever Cup
Final against Sheffield United at Crystal Palace. Tottenham
were not even in the Football League at this time, but they
lead 2-1 until Sheffield United scored a very strange goal.
The ball was pushed around the post by the Tottenham
goalkeeper, and the linesman signalled a corner. The
referee, however, was fifty yards down the pitch. He gave a
goal and the game ended a 2-2 draw.
The replay was held in Bolton. Sheffield United scored
first, but Tottenham came back to win 3-1. They became the
first team outside the Football League to win the FA Cup
since 1888.
Newcastle
Newcastle United did not like the
Crystal Palace ground. Between 1905 and 1911 they
played in five FA Cup Finals there - and did not win
one of them. They drew the Final in 1910 and went on
to win the replay, but they never won in London.
During this era Newcastle were the best team in England.
They won the League Championship three times and never
finished outside the top eight of the First Division. Yet
for some reason they seemed to have problems against lower
division teams.
In 1906 they lost at home to non-League Crystal Palace in
the First Round of the Cup. In 1908 they lost in the Final
to Second Division Wolves.
Crystal Palace Pitch
Some Newcastle supporters
blamed the Crystal Palace pitch. They said the grass was
too long, and that this stopped Newcastle's passing game.
But perhaps the problem was in the minds of the Newcastle
players. Football is played with the head as well as the
feet.
In 1910 Newcastle finally won the FA Cup. Lord Kinnaird,
the first famous footballer, presented Cup to the Newcastle
captain. Newcastle kept the Cup because the FA decided to
produce a new one.
Newcastle again reached the Cup Final in 1911, and again
drew the match at Crystal Palace. They lost the replay to
Bradford City.