The 1879 FA Cup final was contested by Old Etonians and Clapham Rovers at the Kennington Oval in London. Old Etonians won by 1–0, the only goal scored by Charles Clerke.
Summary Although Clapham dominated the early stages of the final, with Norman Bailey having two attempts on target, Herbert Whitfeld continued to run at the Clapham defenders with little assistance from his colleagues. After a goalless first-half, the only goal of the game came after 59 minutes, when Charles Clerke scored from close range following a run from Harry Goodhart. The old Etonians thus claimed the cup for the first time in what was considered to be "the poorest FA Cup Final to date".
Match details
Old Etonians: GK John Purvis Hawtrey DF Edward ChristianDF Lindsay Bury MF Hon. Arthur Kinnaird (C)MF Edgar LubbockFW Charles ClerkeFW Norman ParesFW Harry GoodhartFW Herbert WhitfeldFW John ChevallierFW Mark Beaufoy Clapham Rovers: GK Reginald Birkett DF Robert Ogilvie DF Edgar FieldMF Norman Bailey MF James Prinsep FW Frederick RawsonFW Arthur J. Stanley FW Stanley ScottFW Herbert BevingtonFW Edward GrowseFW Cecil Keith-Falconer
References
External links Line-ups Match report at www.fa-cupfinals.co.uk