Cardiff last reached the final in 2008 and won the cup in 1927
IT has been 95 years since Cardiff City won their only FA Cup final, but the game itself is 150 years old tomorrow.
In what is recognised as one of the most iconic events in Welsh sporting history, Cardiff beat Arsenal in the 1927 FA Cup.
Newspapers of the time reported how London was woken by a chorus of Welsh songs as special trains carried thousands of Bluebirds from Cardiff to Paddington station.
Those without tickets were forced to head to Cathays Park, where 15,000 fans listened to the radio broadcast of the game.
The game was settled by Scottish forward Hughie Ferguson’s 74th minute goal in front of 90,000 spectators at the old Wembley.
Cardiff’s 1-0 win was the first time the Cup had left the trophy cabinet of England.
To this day Cardiff is the only team from outside England to have won the FA Cup.
Prior to the final, the Cup had always been referred to as ‘the English Cup’.
Captain Fred Keenor received the FA Cup trophy at the end of the match from King George V only seven years after Cardiff City had entered the Football League.
When the team returned to Cardiff the next day, a reported crowd of 150,000 people lined the streets to welcome them home.
The 1927 final marked a swift return to Wembley for the Bluebirds, who returned to London for the second time in two years.
Cardiff lost the 1925 final 1-0 to Sheffield United following a goal from England international Fred Tunstall.
2008
In more recent times, the Bluebirds reached the 2008 final, their first FA cup final since the 1927 triumph.
Victories over Chasetown, Hereford, Wolves, Middlesbrough, and Barnsley set up a final with Harry Redknapp’s Portsmouth.
Dave Jones’ Cardiff side included the likes of Peter Whittingham, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Joe Ledley and was captained by Stephen McPhail.
A win at Wembley would have seen City become the first side from outside the top flight to lift the FA Cup since 1980.
But it was Portsmouth who tasted victory when Cardiff goalkeeper Peter Enckelman parried a tame shot, allowing former Arsenal striker Nwankwo Kanu to poke home the only goal of the game in the 37th minute.
Claire Richards, from Roath, was part of the 89,874 supporters in attendance that day, the largest football attendance in the new Wembley’s history.
She said: “Despite losing, it was the best memory I have as being a Cardiff fan.
“Being surrounded by thousands of Cardiff fans in London was really special, it will stay with me for the rest of my life.”
Post-2008
Since 2008, Cardiff have had little to cheer in the Cup.
They reached the fourth round back in the 2019/20 season when Neil Harris’ side needed a replay to beat League 2 Carlisle United.
Steve Morison’s side reached the same round this year when a 3-1 defeat away to Liverpool was their latest adventure in world’s oldest football competition.
Ben Jones, 35, who lives on Corvette Court travelled to Anfield in February for the fourth round tie.
He said: “The result never mattered to me. It was a great day out and felt good to be back in a Premier League stadium again.”
The 1872 final
Aside from Cardiff’s success’ and failures in the FA Cup, tomorrow is the 150th anniversary of its inaugural Final.
Rewind the clock back to 1872 when on 16 March Wanderers FC faced Royal Engineers at Kennington Oval in London.
The day marked the first Football Association Challenge Cup, known now as the FA Cup.
The final was decided by a single goal, scored after fifteen minutes by Morton Betts of Wanderers.
On 13 March 1872 the Maidenhead Advertiser published this short announcement:
