1936 FA Cup final
Event | 1935–36 FA Cup | ||||||
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| |||||||
Date | 25 April 1936 | ||||||
Venue | Wembley Stadium, London | ||||||
Referee | Harry Nattrass (County Durham) | ||||||
Attendance | 93,384 | ||||||
The 1936 FA Cup final was a football match between Arsenal and Sheffield United on 25 April 1936 at Wembley. The showpiece match of English football's primary cup competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup (better known as the FA Cup), it was the 61st Cup final, and the fourteenth at the national stadium.
Each team received a bye to the third round of the tournament, and then progressed through five rounds before reaching the final. Arsenal were in a successful phase, with this final following recent First Division titles, while Sheffield United were attempting to emulate the success of their rivals
Route to the final
Arsenal
Round | Opposition | Score | Venue |
---|---|---|---|
3rd | Bristol Rovers | 5–1 | Eastville Stadium (a) |
4th | Liverpool | 2–0 | Anfield (a) |
5th | Newcastle | 3–3 | St James' Park (a) |
5th (replay) | Newcastle | 3–0 | Arsenal Stadium (h) |
Quarter-final | Barnsley | 4–1 | Arsenal Stadium (h) |
Semi-final | Grimsby Town | 1–0 | Leeds Road (n) |
Being from the First and Second Divisions respectively, both Arsenal and Sheffield United were seeded into the third round of the FA Cup.[1] In the third round itself, Arsenal were drawn away against Third Division South team Bristol Rovers. Arsenal missed a penalty, and the third Division team went a goal up in the first half; Arsenal were playing so poorly that it seemed they would struggle even for a draw. The turnaround in the match occurred when Cliff Bastin took over from Bobby Davidson at the inside left position. Arsenal equalised in the 65th minute, and scored further four times over the course of the following fourteen minutes to win the game by five goals to one, with a single goal from Bowden and two each from Drake and Bastin.[2]
They followed this in the fourth round with a 2–0 victory over
In their quarter final, they defeated Second Division Barnsley 4–1, having outplayed them right from the start, the first goal coming in the fourth minute from Beasley in an attacking move. Bowden scored the second goal, and the third came from a penalty scored by Bastin. The fourth and final Arsenal goal was Beasley's second, with Barnsley's consolation goal coming a couple of minutes from the end of the match.[7] In the semi-final, played at Huddersfield Town's ground, beating Grimsby Town 1–0 in a match that was described by reporters as completely one sided, with the goal coming from Bastin five minutes before half time.[8]
Sheffield United
Round | Opposition | Score | Venue |
---|---|---|---|
3rd | Burnley | 0–0 | Turf Moor (a) |
3rd (replay) | Burnley | 2–1 | Bramall Lane (h) |
4th | Preston North End | 0–0 | Deepdale (a) |
4th (replay) | Preston North End | 2–0 | Bramall Lane (h) |
5th | Leeds United
|
3–1 | Bramall Lane (h) |
Quarter-final | Tottenham Hotspur | 3–1 | Bramall Lane (h) |
Semi-final | Fulham | 2–1 | Molineux Stadium (n) |
Meanwhile, Sheffield United's third round match at Burnley ended in a 0–0 draw, before winning 2–1 in the replay at home on a snow-covered pitch in a game that was marred by heavy fog at the start. Harold Barton scored for United, before Ted Hancock equalized for Burnley. Bobby Barclay scored United's second goal before the break. An additional goal by Jock Dodds for United was disallowed in the second half due to the player being ruled offside.[9]
The fourth round saw them drawn away again, this time at
Sheffield United were drawn against Fulham in the semi-final, which guaranteed that a Second Division team would make it through to the final.[13] The match was held at Wolverhampton Wanderers' Molineux Stadium on 21 March, where United won 2–1.[1] The two teams faced each other again a week later in a league match, where Fulham won 1–0 thanks to a penalty, ending an unbeaten run of 22 games for United.[14]
Pre-match
Arsenal had most recently appeared in the final in
Both teams had provided players to the
Wembley bosses were in dispute with
It was the first year that commentators were used in the broadcast of an FA Cup final, with the BBC describing it as an "experiment".[22] The first commentators were Ivan Sharpe and Norman Creek, who broadcast from 2:30 pm onwards before the game to take in the pre–match entertainment.[22]
Arsenal played in red and white shirts in an FA Cup final for the first time, on previous occasions in 1930 and 32 they wore fully red shirts. Additionally, before the 1967/68 season, Arsenal only wore team badges on their shirts on special occasions, such as FA Cup Finals. The 1936 cup final was the fourth occasion such a badge was worn.[23] Sheffield United also wore crested red and white shirts, their vertical stripe design.[24]
Match
More than 93,000 spectators attended the match, with fans from Sheffield travelling from the north on specially laid-on trains.[25] Changes to the teams were made before the match, with Ted Drake available for Arsenal following an injury. Sheffield United replaced Don Bird with Bertie Williams on the outside left,[16] and Charlie Wilkinson was brought back into the team to replace Albert Cox who had played in the semi-final against Fulham while Wilkinson was injured.[26]
While the weather was fine, the wind whipped up to such an extent at pitch level that the ball was taken out of its proper flight on occasion.
During the match, the attacks of Arsenal were mostly held at bay by Sheffield United's backs, with
The second half started off with Crayston briefly taking on the role of a forward, driving in a shot that Smith did well to save. Arsenal's forwards followed this with a flowing move from James, Hulme and Bastin, with the final move resulting in Bastin heading just wide of the post. Although play in the first half was relatively equal, in the second half Arsenal were the superior side, simply outclassing the Second Division Sheffield United. In the 74th minute a movement was started by James, who passed the ball to Bastin. Bastin dribbled the ball past
Match details
Arsenal | 1–0 | Sheffield United |
---|---|---|
Drake 74' | Report |
Arsenal
|
Sheffield United
|
|
|
Match rules
- 90 minutes.
- 30 minutes of extra-time if necessary.
- Replay if scores still level.
Post match
Arsenal returned to Brighton following the game to rest, where they had conducted their pre-match training. Each of the victorious player's wives were presented with a silver wristwatch. Neither club reported any injuries sustained during the match.[31] This was not the final match of the season for Arsenal, who followed the final with a further three league matches in a week, including a game against London rivals Chelsea.[31] Their final match of the season was against Brentford in the London Challenge Cup on 4 May,[32] where they won 4–2.[33] Arsenal finished the season in sixth position in the First Division, having drawn 2–2 with Leeds in their final match.[34] Sheffield United finished the Second Division in third place,[34] missing out on promotion to the higher tier by one place.[35]
Sheffield United are yet to return to an FA Cup Final.[36] The shirt worn by Alex James during the 1936 final is displayed in the Arsenal Museum.[37] Jock Dodds, who died on 23 February 2007 aged 91, was the last surviving player from the final.[38]
References
- ^ Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 4 June 2011.
- ^ Sarl, J.M. (13 January 1936). "Bastin Saves The Arsenal". The Daily Mirror. Cecil King. p. 26.
- ^ "Arsenal Regain Command". The Times. John Jacob Astor. 27 January 1936. p. 4.
- ^ a b "An Exciting Game at Newcastle". The Times. John Jacob Astor. 17 February 1936. p. 5.
- ^ "Draw for Fifth round". The Times. John Jacob Astor. 31 January 1936. p. 6.
- ^ "Newcastle Well Beaten". The Times. John Jacob Astor. 20 February 1936. p. 6.
- ^ "Arsenal's Misery". The Times. John Jacob Astor. 2 March 1936. p. 6.
- ^ "Arsenal in the Final". The Times. John Jacob Astor. 23 March 1936. p. 6.
- ^ "Last of the Replays". The Times. John Jacob Astor. 17 January 1936. p. 5.
- ^ "Sheffield United Win". The Times. John Jacob Astor. 31 January 1936. p. 6.
- ^ "Sheffield Utd v Leeds Utd". News of the World. News International Trading Limited. 9 March 2003. p. 81.
- ^ "Sheffield United Beat Tottenham". The Times. John Jacob Astor. 2 March 1936. p. 6.
- ^ "Wembley in Sight". The Times. John Jacob Astor. 21 March 1936. p. 5.
- ^ "Fulham's Revenge". The Times. John Jacob Astor. 27 March 1936. p. 6.
- ^ "English FA Cup : Honours". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 4 June 2011.
- ^ a b "Arsenal's Chances at Wembley". The Times. John Jacob Astor. 25 April 1936. p. 12.
- ^ "England's Chances at Wembley". The Times. John Jacob Astor. 4 April 1936. p. 6.
- ^ "Scotland Draw at Wembley". The Times. John Jacob Astor. 6 April 1936. p. 6.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-86105-903-1.
1936 FA Cup Final.
- ^ a b "Companies' Ruse to Obtain Pictures". The Times. John Jacob Astor. 27 April 1936. p. 11.
- ^ Kennedy, Maev (27 September 2010). "One million bird's eye views of Britain to go online". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
- ^ a b "The Cup Final Broadcast". The Times. John Jacob Astor. 21 April 1936. p. 12.
- ^ "The Arsenal shirt badge". Arsenal F.C. Archived from the original on 30 October 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
- ^ "Sheffield United 1936 F.A Cup Final". Toffs.com. Archived from the original on 2 March 2012. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
- ^ "Arsenals' Success at Wembley". The Times. John Jacob Astor. 27 April 1936. p. 14.
- ^ "United mourn 1936 FA Cup star Albert Cox". The Star. Johnson Press. 9 April 2003. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Arsenal's Victory at Wembley". The Times. John Jacob Astor. 27 April 1936. p. 5.
- ^ Wood, Lainson (27 April 1936). "Massed Defence That Baffled United". The Daily Mirror. Cecil King. p. 30.
- ^ "Ephraim 'Jock' Dodds". The Scotsman. Johnston Press. 1 March 2007. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
- ^ Russell, W.E.; Bryan, T.G.; Spiers, E.H; Musther, W. (27 April 1936). "Stop-Go, Safety-First Final". The Daily Mirror. Cecil King. p. 30.
- ^ a b "Sunday by the Sea – As Reward". The Daily Mirror. Cecil King. 27 April 1936. p. 30.
- ^ "Arsenal's Arrangements". The Times. John Jacob Astor. 16 April 1936. p. 5.
- ^ "Sports in Brief". The Times. John Jacob Astor. 5 May 1936. p. 7.
- ^ a b "Results and Final Tables". The Times. John Jacob Astor. 4 May 1936. p. 7.
- ^ "Charlton Athletic's Fine Performance". The Times. John Jacob Astor. 4 May 1936. p. 7.
- ^ "The FA Cup Archive". The FA. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
- ^ Davies, Hunter (27 October 2002). "Football disciple Hunter Davies embarks on a pilgrimage to the game's museums". The Sunday Times. Associated Newspapers Ltd. p. 90.
- ^ Ponting, Ivan (7 March 2007). "Jock Dodds: Wartime Scotland goal-scorer". The Independent. Independent Print Ltd. p. 37.
External links
- British Pathe Footage of the Final Archived 10 September 2010 at the Wayback Machine