Watch the highlights, courtesy of FATV, in the gallery above
Royal Engineers outclassed Wanderers in a special match celebrating the very first FA Cup Final.
The original clash took place at Kennington Oval in 1872, with Wanderers’ winning 1-0 thanks to Morton Betts’ 15th minute goal.
But Wednesday night’s showdown – which marked the 140th anniversary of the first Final – saw the Engineers gain revenge in emphatic fashion, recording a 7-1 triumph.
The Engineers were formed in 1863, the same year as The Football Association, by Major Francis Marindin.
They were one of the 15 clubs which entered the first FA Cup competition and the Engineers from Chatham reached four Finals in the 1870s, lifting the trophy in 1875.
Wanderers were developed out of the Forest School club and won all five Finals that it played in, including a hat-trick of successes from 1876 to 1878.
They disbanded in 1882, with the best players joining other teams like the Old Etonians, but the club was reborn three years ago.
It now competes in the Surrey South Eastern Combination, 16 divisions below the Premier League, and home matches take place at Belair Park in West Dulwich.
Last night’s match saw both teams wearing their 1872 colours, with Engineers in blue and red hoops, while Wanderers’, who were managed by Bobby Gould having won The Cup as a player and a manager, wore thinner horizontal stripes coloured orange, violet and black.
The first Final had started about five minutes late but the rematch began promptly at 7pm before a Pavilion crowd of around 2000.
Among the specators were FA Chairman David Bernstein and West Ham United chairman David Gold, who brought along the oldest FA Cup trophy for the presentation.
It was played to modern-day rules, so we had crossbars, goal-nets, two-handed throw-ins, corners, substitutes and shirt numbers!
This was a proper match with both teams trying hard to win and the tackles flying in. Engineers, who had been the 7-4 favourites in 1872, were quickly into their stride and might have scored three or four before finding the net on eight minutes.
Lance Corporal Michael Williams, a 24-year-old right midfielder who supports Manchester United, burst into the box and cut the ball back from the byline for striker Lance Corporal Jay Hubbard, 26, to sweep home at the far post. Both have done tours to Afghanistan.
The Engineers – carving their way through the Wanderers defence at will during that first half – were 4-0 up after 22 minutes and had notched two more before the interval.
A cricket score looked on the cards, which would have been appropriate at an iconic cricket venue like the Oval.
But the second half was an altogether different affair. A spirited Wanderers side conceded just one more goal and even managed one themselves, substitute Daniel Flash netting from close range to produce prolonged cheers from a crowd that seemed to be enjoying every minute of the contest.
Interestingly, a blonde female physio rushed on to treat an injured Wanderers player in the second half. One wonders what the boys of 1872 would have thought of that!
