1887 FA Cup Final vs West Bromwich Albion
Villa's first FA Cup: Hunter and Hodgetts beat Albion 2-0 at the Oval.
The 1887 FA Cup final, played at the Kennington Oval, was the final of the sixteenth FA Cup, a competition entered by 124 teams. Aston Villa beat West Bromwich Albion 2-0 with goals from Archie Hunter and Dennis Hodgetts, the first of the club's seven FA Cup wins.
Quick Facts
- Venue
- Kennington Oval
- Result
- Aston Villa 2-0 West Bromwich Albion
- Scorers
- Archie Hunter, Dennis Hodgetts
- Route
- 13-0 v Wednesbury Old Athletic; three replays v Wolverhampton Wanderers
Reader's Guide
Villa's road to the final included a 13-0 first-round win over Wednesbury Old Athletic and three replays against Wolverhampton Wanderers, while Albion's path was steadier. The two clubs had met once before in the Cup, in 1885, when a goalless draw was followed by a 3-0 Albion win in the replay, long before the rivalry between them developed. Albion, who had knocked out the strong Preston North End side in the semi-final, started as favourites and besieged the Villa defence for a goalless first half. The momentum turned after the break: Hunter fired home the opener while the Albion goalkeeper, believing him offside, made no attempt to save, and in the final minute Hodgetts collided with goalkeeper Bob Roberts and poked the ball over the line for 2-0.
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