The 1909 Final. Manchester United vs. Bristol City

Unfortunately, as so often happens the game itself did not live up to the expectation. Nevertheless, the crowd were described in The Daily Graphic as “happy and hopeful to the last. It was a particularly well-dressed crowd, too, and a better behaved one it would be impossible to bring together. While the players were in the arena the crowd was all of a stir and quiver; and when the fighting passion got into its blood it roared and swayed and surged unceasingly. That mighty sea of faces underwent all the barometrical changes from stormy to set fair”.

As both teams normally wore red, they both decided to wear an alternative strip. Manchester United chose an all-white kit with a thin red line at the neck and wrists, the red rose of Lancashire on the breast and a distinctive red chevron from shoulder to breast bone. The company that made the kit was interestingly owned by winger Billy Meredith. Bristol City wore royal blue shirts and white shorts. Billy Meredith had been the hero of the victorious Manchester City team in 1904, while his team-mate, George Wall, had been to the Palace only weeks before, scoring two goals in the England victory over Scotland. Nevertheless, although Meredith mesmerised the Bristol defence, it was Sandy Turnbull, who had also played for Manchester City in 1904, who scored the only goal of the match. Yet it was only by chance that he played because he was suffering with a knee injury, but his captain Charlie Roberts said: “Let him play. He might get a goal and if he does we can afford to carry him”.

Bristol City were also hampered by the loss of Rippon and Marr before the game and Hayes, the Manchester United full back, played with a broken rib. Though many expected Manchester United to romp to victory, the issue was decided by the single goal – in the 22nd minute. Halse’s shot rebounded off the crossbar and Turnbull guided it into the net. On a couple of occasions, the Bristol forwards were presented with an open goal but failed to exploit the situation. The nearest Bristol came to emulating this was when Hardy, left un­marked in front of a goal after a fine bout of passing, had his hard shot turned aside in masterly fashion by a dive from Moger.

We tend to think of fixture congestion as a modern phenomenon but the 1909 United team were just as hard-pressed. After the Final, they stayed in London until the Tuesday afternoon, returning to Manchester to play Woolwich Arsenal at 6 o’clock that evening. On the Thursday following, they played their last league game of that term at Bradford City.

One consequence of the 1909 Final was the loss of the second FA Cup trophy. This time the perpetrators were not robbers but well-wishers in Manchester. They wanted to have a lasting reminder of the great victory and so they commissioned a silversmith to make a replica. On the 9th July 1910, the FA Council met in Cromer and decided that “the present Football Association Challenge Cup, having been duplicated without the consent of the Association, be withdrawn from competition and a new cup offered, the design of which shall be registered”. Following the Cup Final victory, John Davies gave United the then huge sum of £60,000 to purchase a site and build a new stadium, Old Trafford, to which United moved in February 1910.

Manchester United 1 (Turnbull A) vs. Bristol City 0

Manchester United: Moger; Stacey, Hayes; Duckworth. Roberts, Bell; Meredith, Halse, Turnbull (J.), Turnbull (A.). Wall

Bristol City: Clay; Annan, Cottle; Hanlin, Wedlock, Spear; Staniforth, Hardy, Gilligan, Burton, Hilton

Referee: J.Mason (Burslem); Linesmen: J. R. Schumacher (London), A. Green (Birmingham)

Attendance: 71,401

Road to the final

Home teams listed first.

Round 1: Bristol City 1–1 Southampton; Replay: Southampton 0–2 Bristol City. Manchester United 1–0 Brighton & Hove Albion,

Round 2: Bristol City 2–2 Bury; Replay: Bury 0–1 Bristol City. Manchester United 1–0 Everton

Round 3: Bristol City 2–0 Norwich City; Manchester United 6–1 Blackburn Rovers

Round 4: Glossop North End 0–0 Bristol City; Replay: Bristol City 1–0 Glossop North End. Burnley 2–3 Manchester United

Semi-final: Bristol City 1–1 Derby County; Replay: Derby County 1–2 Bristol City. Manchester United 1–0 Newcastle United

Extracts from: "To the Palace for the Cup - An affectionate history of football at The Crystal Palace" by Ian Bevan, Stuart Hibberd and Michael Gilbert and www.fa-cupfinals.co.uk