By Keith Warsop
This new book provides the most detailed account of
the early F.A. Cup Finals yet to be published.
A lengthy essay sets an account of the twelve finals (and two replays)
in the context of the development of the laws of the game, shedding new light
on hoary old mistruths about the role of referees and umpires, the use of the
whistle, and special training sessions before big games.
A
‘match facts’ section makes a number of revisions to previously published
line-ups for the games. Information in
this section includes attendances, youngest and oldest players, line-up details
and times of goals.
The
book is solely concerned with the six southern amateur clubs who contested the
early finals. The core of the book is a
Who’s Who of the 158 players that appeared for the six clubs; Wanderers, Royal
Engineers, Oxford University, Old Etonians, Clapham Rovers and Old
Carthusians. The
intention has been to make the Who’s Who as comprehensive as possible so that
it should become a helpful contribution to the early history of association
football. Please see the reverse of
this sheet for some of the achievements of the players away from the soccer
pitch.
The book is an illustrated hardback
of 144 pages. It is available from
specialist sports bookshops and by mail order from the publisher, Tony
Brown. The price is £15; please add £2
for p&p. Alternatively, please use paypal.
You will find some pages of the book by following the links below. Please note your browser needs Adobe Acrobat Reader to view these pages. Free downloads are available at www.adobe.com or you will find a copy on many magazine cover discs.
Match Facts 1891/72 to 1873/74