1923 FA Cup Final

1923 FA Cup Final

Bolton Wanderers beat West Ham United 2-0 in the 1923 FA Cup Final. It was the first football match to be played at Wembley Stadium. King George V was in attendance to present the trophy to the winning team. Each team had progressed through five rounds to reach the final.

About 1923 FA Cup Final in brief

Summary 1923 FA Cup FinalBolton Wanderers beat West Ham United 2-0 in the 1923 FA Cup Final. It was the first football match to be played at Wembley Stadium. King George V was in attendance to present the trophy to the winning team. Each team had progressed through five rounds to reach the final. Bolton won 1–0 in every round from the third onwards, and David Jack scored the lone goal each time. West Ham faced opposition from the Second Division or lower in each round, the first time this had occurred since the introduction of multiple divisions in the Football League. The final was preceded by chaotic scenes as vast crowds surged into the stadium, far exceeding its official capacity of approximately 125,000. The match began 45 minutes late as crowds stood around the perimeter of the pitch. Although ticket prices were considered to be extremely high, a crowd of 72,000 attended the match, a new record for an FA Cup semi-final. Bolton had appeared in the final twice before, in 1894 and 1904, but West Ham, who had only joined The Football League in 1919, had never previously progressed further than the quarter finals. In the first round Bolton defeated Norwich City of the Third Division South, in the process recording the club’s first away win in the competition since a second round victory over Manchester City in the 1904–05 season. The first match at West Ham’s home ground, the Boleyn Ground, ended in a 1–1 draw, as did the replay at Villa Park, home of Aston Villa.

Billy Brown scored the winner with a goal from a free kick in the 70th minute. The second replay was held at Birmingham’s Dell in the second round, and West Ham won 1-0 at home. All five of the teams that defeated West Ham on their way to Wembley were from the second or lower divisions. This made the first-ever FA Cup final to be held at Wembley, which was also the home of Chelsea, who won 5-2 against Derby County at Stamford Bridge in the semi-finals. The game is often referred to as the “White Horse Final” and is commemorated by the White Horse Bridge at the new Wembley Stadium, which is located on the south bank of the River Thames. The third-round match was played at Huddersfield Town’s Leeds Road ground, and Bolton won the replay 1 0. The fourth round match at the home ground of Birmingham City ended 1-1, and the second replay at the Dell was held in Birmingham in the third round, with West Ham winning 2-1. The fifth and final match of the competition was played against Southampton at St James’ Park in the fourth round, where West Ham defeated the Saints 5-1 in the penalty shootout. The goal came from Herbert Lock, who scored a header past Herbert Lock in the Saints’ goal past the goalkeeper in the first minute of the second half. The result made the final a replay, which West Ham eventually won 3-0.