Newcastle United F.C. 0–1 Crystal Palace F.C. (1907)

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Newcastle United 0–1 Crystal Palace
Event1906–07 FA Cup
Date12 January 1907 (1907-01-12)
VenueSt James' Park, Newcastle
RefereeA.G. Hines
Attendance28,000 (estimate)

Newcastle United v Crystal Palace was a football match played on 12 January 1907 at St James' Park, Newcastle. The match was an FA Cup First Round match. The result, a 1–0 victory for Crystal Palace, is notable for being one of the greatest shocks of all time in the history of the FA Cup.[1][2]

The home team,

Southern League
.

The build-up

As a

Rugby International game, Palace were forced to move the tie to neutral territory, and an estimated 1,500 fans made the trip to Stamford Bridge to watch them triumph 4–0 to ensure a place in the draw for the First Round.[3] When the draw was made, of the 32 ties Newcastle were thought to have the easiest game in the whole round.[1][3][4] They were drawn at home, where they had not been beaten in League or Cup since November 25, 1905.[3] In fact, Newcastle had not lost a home tie in the FA Cup since the previous century, 11 years ago in 1896.[5] They were the pre-eminent side of the era, having been to the Cup Final on the previous two occasions and having won the League in 1904–05. They were again going well in the First Division season, having dropped the fewest points of all the teams. In strict contrast, Palace were only halfway through their second season as a club.[3] The previous season had seen them begin their career in football in the Southern League Second Division, and they were now struggling to compete in the First Division.[2]

The two sides met at St James' Park on 12 January 1907 for the scheduled First Round match.

Match summary

Newcastle played in their traditional shirts of black and white, paired with blue shorts. Palace were still playing in the claret and blue kit handed down from

Sheffield United. The Palace team had been drawn predominately from the North of players who struggled to get into their home teams by former Middlesbrough manager Jack Robson. Thanks to these roots the squad were able to find accommodation for free and travelled up the day before, so avoiding a six-hour journey on the day of the match.[2]

The stadium was filled with 28,000 Newcastle fans, while no more than a dozen Londoners had made the trip,[2] with Palace themselves believing only two or three of their own supporters were in the crowd.[6] It was a cold and wet January day, with a light breeze, and the Newcastle fans gave the Palace team a good reception, rather than the hostile one they might have been expecting. When the game got under way Newcastle started off somewhat complacently. Their passes were going astray and they allowed Palace to impose themselves. Before long the Southern league side were in control. Dickie Roberts, playing on the wing for Palace, was too much for Newcastle's Scottish international defender Andy McCombie, and whilst his crosses were mostly coming to nothing, they were starting to unsettle the crowd. The opening twenty minutes were largely chance free, but then Roberts turned McCombie once again and had the ball in the net, only for the goal to be disallowed controversially as off-side.[2][7]

Newcastle were shocked into action, and the Palace goalkeeper Hewitson failed to keep out a Howie strike which was likewise ruled out for off-side. The decision seemed to unnerve Newcastle, and they once again lost impetus. Palace then took the lead through Horace Astley not long before half-time. Reports differ as to whether Astley seized on a clearance[2] or received a pass from George Woodger,[8] but the old Millwall opportunist managed to evade the Newcastle defenders and crash a shot past an astonished Jimmy Lawrence.[7] The Magpies started the second half the stronger side, but although they had the better of the play and possession, they failed to make it count. Palace were quick on the counter-attack, and Lawrence twice had to deny Woodger the chance to double the lead in the fifteen minutes after the restart. Palace's attacking energy was lost after a crunching collision between Newcastle's forward Speedie and Palace's centre half Ryan. Both men were injured, and whilst Newcastle pushed Speedie out wide, Palace left Ryan in the middle but also pulled back Woodger, Astley and Harker in an attempt to close the game down. With Palace sitting back, Newcastle threw everything into attacking football. With six minutes to go Ryan was again injured, this time forced off the field, leaving Palace reduced to ten men.[2]

Hewiston came under terrible pressure for the remainder of the match, with Newcastle forcing a corner which led to a tremendous goal-mouth scramble, ended when the keeper calmly asserted his authority. It was one of his many clearances that brought the game to an end with the referee blowing for full-time. The Palace players received a standing ovation from the Newcastle fans,

The Penny Illustrated Paper declared the result was "to the utter astonishment of the football world".[4] With some of the team remaining in the North-East to spend time with family, a depleted squad made the six hour journey home, arriving at midnight. They were astonished to find themselves feted by the West Norwood temperance band and around 2000 fans. When the rest of the team returned home on the Monday, an even larger crowd gathered to hoist captain Innerd along to Anerley and back.[2]

Match details

Newcastle United
Crystal Palace
GK Scotland Jimmy Lawrence
Scotland Andy McCombie
Billy McCracken
Scotland Alex Gardner
England Colin Veitch (c)
Scotland Peter McWilliam
England Jock Rutherford
Jimmy Howie
Scotland Finlay Speedie
Scotland Ronald Orr
England Bert Gosnell
Coach:
Scotland Frank Watt
GK England Bob Hewitson
Matthew Edwards
England Archie Needham
England Bill Forster
England Charles Ryan
England Wilf Innerd (c)
England Dick Roberts
England George Woodger
England Horace Astley
England Dick Harker
England Charlie Wallace
Manager:
England Jack Robson

MATCH RULES

  • 90 minutes
  • 30 minutes of extra-time if necessary
  • Match replayed if scores still level
  • No substitutes

Legacy

Palace took home their share of a gate of £841,

Everton. Watched by an estimated 35,000, Palace established a 1–0 lead in the first half, but could not hold on and the game was drawn 1–1. The club made the long trip to Goodison Park on the 13 March and were duly beaten 4–0. At the end of the season they finished 19th in the Southern League.[3] It would take until 1965
for the club to match their run to the Quarter Finals.

Meanwhile, Newcastle were to remain unbeaten at home in the League for the rest of the season, eventually winning the First Division by three points. They went on to win the Division again in the

Of the Crystal Palace players involved in the match George Woodger would go on to play for

1913 FA Cup Final
Wallace became the first player to miss a penalty in a cup final.

Thirteen years and a world war later Crystal Palace again were drawn against Newcastle in the first round of the FA Cup. The press had not forgotten the precedent with the Dundee Evening Telegraph reporting, "Now the moment for revenge has arrived – after 13 years – but even yet the name Crystal Palace is sufficient to cause trepidation in the minds of Newcastle supporters."[10] Newcastle won 2–0.[11]

References

  1. ^ .
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Porter, Steve. "All time greatest F A cup giant killings Number 11 Newcastle United 0-1 Crystal Palace". The Giant Killers. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
  3. ^
  4. ^ a b c "THE WORLD OF PASTIME". The Penny Illustrated Paper and Illustrated Times (London, England), Saturday, January 19, 1907; Issue 2382
  5. ^ "Newcastle United". Football Club History Database. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
  6. ^ a b Lyonsman (January 26, 1907). "The "Glazier's" Notes". Crystal Palace Programme. Crystal Palace F.C. Retrieved 20 June 2013. a lesson to the two or three of our followers who attended.
  7. ^ a b c The Daily Mirror. January 14, 1907. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. .
  9. ^ "The Football Association Cup Victory of Newcastle United", The Times, 29 April 1910
  10. ^ "Newcastle Meeting With Crystal Palace In First Round Of English Cup Competition. Recalls Many Bitter Cup Tie Memories". Dundee Evening Telegraph. 8 January 1920. p. 11. Retrieved 6 February 2015 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. ^ "English Cup – First round". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. 12 January 1920. p. 5. Retrieved 6 February 2015 – via British Newspaper Archive.