Cardiff City v Portsmouth
The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON
The Final
3pm, Saturday 17 May 2008
Wembley Stadium
Winning clubs will receive £1,000,000 from The FA
Seating plan - click here



Did you hear the one about the goalkeeper who blamed his team's FA Cup Final defeat on a greasy jersey? Sounds a bit far fetched, but it happened on the one and only occasion the famous old trophy went out of England.

Arsenal, under the legendary Herbert Chapman, were odds-on favourites to beat Cardiff City with some ease at Wembley in 1927. So much so that the Welsh side seemed to have put their faith in a black cat called Trixie.

But in a game dominated by defences, Arsenal struggled to impose themselves and lost to a bizarre 74th minute goal by Hughie Ferguson. His speculative shot looked harmless enough - until it squirmed off the chest of Dan Lewis.

Lewis tried to retrieve his mistake but succeeded only in helping the ball into the net. Later, he pointed the finger at his brand new jersey which, he insisted, was greasy and made it difficult for the ball to grip.

From then on the myth abounded that Arsenal always ensured that their goalkeepers donned well-worn jerseys.

Cardiff's victory more than compensated for a 1-0 defeat by Sheffield United in 1925. An interesting aside on their success was that The Final was the first to be broadcast on BBC Radio.

This season's opponents, Portsmouth, have reached The Final three times, losing 2-0 to Bolton in 1929 and 2-1 to Manchester City five years later, before finally lifting the trophy in 1939.

They beat Wolves 4-1 in the last Final before the competition was suspended for seven years because of World War Two. Portsmouth fans were quick to claim that they held The Cup for longer than any other team.

Wolves were favourites, having scored 19 goals on their way to Wembley but Bert Barlow put Pompey ahead. John Anderson and Cliff Parker scored either side of half-time, and although Dicky Dorsett pulled one back, Parker's second wrapped things up.