The 1924–25 season was the 24th season of competitive football played by Cardiff City F.C. and the team's fourth consecutive season in the First Division of the Football League. During the previous campaign the club had finished as runners up in the First Division, losing the title on the final day of the season via goal average. However, they were unable to repeat their form and endured a disappointing season, finishing in 11th place.
In cup competitions, Cardiff enjoyed considerably more success, becoming the first Welsh club to reach the final of the FA Cup in the tournament's 50-year history. Cardiff needed two replays to overcome Third Division side Darlington in the first round. Fulham and Notts County were dispatched in rounds two and three respectively before Cardiff met Leicester City in the fourth round. With the tie set for a replay, Wiilie Davies scored directly from a corner-kick with the final act of the match to win the tie for Cardiff. After defeating Blackburn Rovers in the semifinal, the side reached their first ever FA Cup final where they met Sheffield United, suffering a 1–0 defeat. In the Welsh Cup, Cardiff entered the competition in the fifth round where they were eliminated by Swansea Town.
Goalkeeper Tom Farquharson and defender Jimmy Nelson made more appearances than any other players during the season, each featuring in 46 matches across all competitions. For the fourth consecutive season, Len Davies was the club's top goalscorer, scoring 22 times in all competitions.
Background Cardiff City joined the Football League in 1920 after being elected into the Second Division. The side won promotion in its first season after finishing as runner-up to Birmingham, reaching the First Division. During the 1923–24 season the club finished second in the First Division despite leading the table for the majority of the campaign. Cardiff had entered the final day of the season top of the table and needed to beat Birmingham to secure the title but could only manage a goalless draw, during which top scorer Len Davies saw a penalty saved. Second placed Huddersfield Town secured a 3–0 victory over Nottingham Forest to overtake Cardiff and claim the league title on goal average. The margin of victory, 0.024 of a goal, remains the closest finish to a First Division title race in the history of the top tier of English football.
At the end of the campaign Cardiff embarked on its first overseas tour, playing matches in Czechoslovakia, Austria and Germany. The first match was a bad-tempered affair against Czech side AC Sparta Prague as Cardiff players were kicked and punched by spectators as they attempted to take corner kicks and throw-ins. The opposition were also accused of overly physical play by the Cardiff players during a 3–2 victory for the Czechs. A second match against the same opponents saw Cardiff win by the same scoreline before the team continued their tour by beating Austrian side First Vienna 2–0 in front of an estimated crowd of 60–70,000 people. The tour concluded with matches against German sides Borussia Dortmund and Hamburger SV. Cardiff defeated Dortmund 2–0 before being held to a 2–2 draw by Hamburger SV.
Although the side ultimately missed out on the league title, their second-placed finish saw ticket sales increase greatly ahead of the new season with both the Grange and Canton stands being sold out and the rest of the ground largely full. Manager Fred Stewart, who was entering his tenth competitive season in charge, made several changes to his playing squad with ten players being signed. Harry Beadles had arrived at the club from Liverpool immediately following the end of the previous season and had been part of the club's overseas tour. He had previously had a trial at the club after the First World War which had proved unsuccessful. Several players from local teams were also brought in, including forwards Jack Nicholls, son of Cardiff director Sydney Nicholls who was signed from Newport County, and Willie Davies, signed from Swansea Town for £2,500. The club also signed Joe Nicholson from Clapton Orient and Tom Sloan from Linfield, as well as James McLean from amateur side Barn Athletic, a player who was regarded as deaf and dumb although he never played for the first team.
The pitch at the club's home ground, Ninian Park, was overhauled with several tons of sand, soil and grass seeds lain ahead of the campaign after criticism of the playing surface. In the early stages of the season, Cardiff hired noted seed experts Sutton & Co to advise on ways of improving the playing surface.
First Division Cardiff started the season with a goalless draw away to Burnley on 30 August 1924 and a 1–1 draw with Sheffield United two days later. Cardiff were one of several to begin the season slowly, including FA Cup holders Newcastle United, with The Times reporting that the expectant teams' "preconceived ideas have been rudely shaken". The previous four season's top goalscorer Len Davies, who had scored Cardiff's first goal of the season against Sheffield, added a brace to provide his side with their first victory in the following fixture, defeating newly promoted Leeds United 3–1; Denis Lawson added a third with all three goals scored in the second half. However, two successive defeats followed, 1–0 in the reverse fixture against Sheffield United and 2–1 against Birmingham, that left the side in 14th position after winning only one of their opening five fixtures. The Times stated that the side had started the season in "unpromising style" and attributed the downturn in fortunes to a "flaw in the link between the forwards and the half-backs". The newspaper did however predict that "better results are now likely to be achieved." The team's poor start was partly attributed to a series of injuries and illness that saw Len Davies, Jack Evans, Jimmy Nelson and Harry Wake miss several matches.
Forward trio Len Davies, Jimmy Gill and Joe Clennell all scored in a 3–1 victory over Preston North End on 15 September but another injury to Davies forced him out of the side. His injury proved costly as he missed the following three matches in which Cardiff suffered home defeats to West Bromwich Albion and Bolton Wanderers and drew 1–1 against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane in a match they were regarded as being fortunate to gain a point. New signing Paddy McIlvenny deputised in Davies' absence and, although he scored his first goal for the club to gain a point against Tottenham, he was noted in The Times as not being able "to hold the front line together." Some of his more experienced teammates were also heavily criticised after drawing with Tottenham, with the publication commenting "Some of the older members of the team appeared to have lost much of their fire and zeal". Davies returned in a 3–0 defeat to Notts County on 11 October although he was one of several players who wasted chances during the match. However, his return brought an upsurge in form and he enjoyed a prolific spell in front of goal, scoring braces in consecutive 2–1 victories over Everton and Newcastle United. The team's following tie against Liverpool was postponed after heavy rainfall left the pitch at Ninian Park flooded. On 8 November, Cardiff suffered a 2–1 defeat against Nottingham Forest despite Harry Beadles scoring his first goal for the club after only two minutes. Beadles struck up an effective partnership with Len Davies, having displaced long-serving Joe Clennell from the starting line-up, and the pair both scored a brace during a 4–1 victory over Bury a week later. The pair combined again in the team's following match against Manchester City, both putting Cardiff a goal ahead before Frank Roberts equalised after each goal as the match ended 2–2.
After a 1–1 draw with Arsenal at the end of November, Cardiff began December by defeating Aston Villa with another brace from Len Davies before drawing 2–2 with reigning First Division champions Huddersfield Town. The side's previously postponed fixture against Liverpool was played two days later and ended the club's five match unbeaten streak as they suffered a 3–1 defeat. Jimmy Gill was left out of the club's following match, a 3–1 defeat to Blackburn Rovers after a disagreement with the side that saw him placed on the transfer list. He resolved the issue in time to be named in the side that suffered a 3–2 defeat to West Ham United on Christmas Day, a third straight loss. In the reverse fixture against West Ham on Boxing Day, Cardiff secured a 2–1 victory in what became the team's final match before the New Year after their fixture against Burnley, originally scheduled for 28 December, was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch, leaving Cardiff in 15th place.
Cardiff began January with a 1–0 defeat away to Sunderland on New Year's Day and a goalless draw with Leeds two days later. Len Davies' goal provided brief respite for the side in a 1–0 victory over Birmingham before Cardiff failed to score in their following two matches, defeats to league leaders West Bromwich Albion and Bolton Wanderers. The team ended their goal drought with an emphatic 4–0 victory over Burnley in the rearranged fixture originally scheduled for 28 December. A brace from Len Davies, a penalty by Jimmy Nelson and one from Gill secured victory in front of a relatively small home crowd of 8,000. International call-ups weakened the squad for the visit of Notts County with five first team players being chosen to play in a Scotland vs Wales fixture. Nevertheless, Cardiff held their higher ranked opponents to a 1–1 draw with wing-half Joe Nicholson, who was deputising as a striker in the absence of Len Davies, scoring his side's goal. A 2–1 victory over Everton on 25 February was followed three days later by a 3–0 victory over Newcastle United in which Nicholson, still filling in as a forward, scored a brace.
A two-week break due to FA Cup commitments meant Cardiff's next match was on 14 March against Nottingham Forest. A penalty from Nelson and a goal by Gill secured a third consecutive victory for the side. Cardiff suffered a 2–0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on 18 March and, with their FA Cup semifinal to be played soon after, several first team regulars were rested for a match against Bury the week before and replaced by fringe players, including Jack Lewis who made his only appearance of the season. The weakened side ultimately fell to a heavy 4–1 defeat. A further defeat to Manchester City extended the run of defeats to three before a 1–1 draw with Arsenal ended the run. The Times remarked that reaching the final of the FA Cup appeared to have distracted the side, stating "the edge was off the game early in the match" and noted the lack of celebration for Beadles' equalising goal. Results did improve for the side soon after and, despite injury concerns and international call-ups, they recorded consecutive home victories over Aston Villa, Sunderland and Blackburn Rovers. After a goalless draw with league leaders Huddersfield Town, Cardiff ended its season by beating Liverpool 2–1, with goals from Beadles and Gill, and drawing 0–0 with relegated Preston North End. The side finished the campaign in 11th place.
Partial league table
Match results Key
In result column, Cardiff City's score shown first H = Home match A = Away match
pen. = Penalty kick o.g. = Own goal
Results