The FA Cup

jimmyq · The FA Cup

The FA Cup starts for real tomorrow when the 3rd round kicks off.

Are you a fan of the competition?

Do you, Like Dave Kitson of Reading 'not give a shit' about the FA Cup?

Do you, like me absolutely love it?

The FA Cup is the only trophy I have not seen Villa lift and would love to one day say that I was at Wembley to see a Villa captain lift the famous trophy.

For their part, Villa have a great History in the competition winning it on 7 occasions. The last time though, was the famous 1957 Final v Man United when Peter MacParlane, Villas tough centre forward knocked out the opposition keeper. This was in the days of no substitutes and while United had to put an outfield player in goal Villa took advantage and won , MacParland actually scoring as well to add insult to injury! The United Keeper was in a bad way but did manage the last 20 minutes of the game.....playing on the wing because he was just so out of it!

Villa also have the dubious honour of being the only club to lose the trophy!Seems I'm in writing mode so will give you an insight into that fatefull time circa 1895:

In April 1895 Villa beat West Bromwich Albion 1-0 in The FA Cup final at Crystal Palace, to win the trophy for the second time.

In the early part of September that year, the club allowed local football boot manufacturer William Sillcock to display the trophy in his shop in Newtown Row (Just outside B'ham City Centre). And that was the last they saw of the original FA Cup. Some time between Shillcock locking up at 9.30pm on Wednesday 11th September and returning to the premises at 7.30am the following day, thieves broke into the shop and made off with the trophy, together with a sum of cash.

Notices were posted around the city appealing for information leading to the cups return or the arrest of the miscreants and a £10.00 reward offered.But honour must have been prevelant amongst last victorian Brummie thieves and the crime was never solved. Villa had insured the cup for £200, the amount they had guaranteed the FA as a safe keeping bond and were ordered to buy a new trophy, which was made by messrs Vaughtons of Hockley (and eventually re-placed itself in 1911), as well as being fined £25.00.

And there for many years, the story ended, until one morning in fenruary 1958, when the Sunday Pictorial carried on it's front page a 'confession' from Harry Burge, an 83 year old inmate of a Birmingham City Corperation nursing home.

Burge claimed that it had been he who, all those years ago, had broken into Shillcock's shop and, along with tweo accomplices, taken the cup, together with several pairs of boots and cash from the till. They had then gone to Burge's nearby house and melted down the cup to make counterfeit half-crowns, some of which had been passed in the salutation public house, then owned by the then Villa winger Dennis Hodgetts. Birmingham City police made enquiries and stated that the old mans memory was none to reliable, although they did disclose that he had spent 46 years in jail since being first convicted of theft in 1897. Burge said his reason for the confession was that he was an old man and the theft had been on his conscience for too long.

And there ends one of teh strangest stories in football history.

There was, though, a reminder when Villa won the European Cup in 1982 and the trophy was taken to a supporters club function in Derbyshire, only to go missing and be found, the following morning, on the steps of a police station in Sheffield. Villa, as fans like to remind their less-fortunate neighbours, have lost more trophies than they have won!!

Blimey...cramp in me fingers now!

Erm..so..yeah...anyone else like/loathe the FA Cup?

clevelandspur

^ Interesting story jimmy. I love nuggest of info like that.

I love the FA Cup. Obviously probably not as much as an Englishman but when I was getting into football Spurs were very good in the FA Cup so it always is one I look out for. Also as the league is now it is nearly impossible for anyone outside the big 4 to win the league so the cup competitions are almost more important.

Also I am always one for the underdog and I love to see non-league sides hooked up against the giants of the Prem. Who doesn't like a good David-Goliath story!

jimmyq

Any year with a 1 in it hey Bri? Spurs are a Great FA Cup team.

I'm so hoping that Chasetown can overcome Cardiff tomorrow

clevelandspur

^ That Chasetown game will be great to watch. I watched a 2nd round tie a few weeks ago with Swansea playing a non-league side (the name escapes me) it was great entertainment. a tiny ground full of mud and a 1-1 draw to force a replay gripping stuff

Spurs do seem to rise up for these FA Cup games, and the cup games in general tend to be more open and more enteratining on the eye which helps.

I saw what Kitson said and was shocked. I mean it is OK to think it I guess but to say it I bet rubbed alot of people the wrong way. I hope the whole Reading squad feels this way tomorrow. laugh

AlexH

I really enjoy the FA Cup but Fulham never get anywhere in it so it does get dull after Round 3 for me. The matches with huge underdogs in are just fabulous to watch and it is great to see lower league players give it their all to match their higher ranked opponents.

What Kitson said was an outrage and im glad people have criticised him for it. I dont really like Kitson so hopefully he feels like an idiot for saying it.

jimmyq

)(&**"*!(£$^&!*%$^*()¬&!$U)!

Ok, now that I have gotten that out fo the system...

Some great upsets today including Manchest United beating The Mighty Aston Villa!

Pure luck.

Anyway, good news for coventry and the other giant killers.

Haywood

Yeah my dads a coventry fan so he was pretty exstatic, I quietened him down by saying that Blackburn only played a weak team, and that convetry would get knocked out next round.

Derby vs sheff weds today at 2 pm, shame its not on telly, but I'll listen to the radio.

clevelandspur

We got screwed with viewing options over here this weekend. I did catch the Newcastle v Stoke game though. Pretty exciting for a 0-0 but Stoke have to feel gutted as they fully deserved to go through.