1884 FA Cup Final Final Score: Blackburn Rovers 2 Queen’s Park 1
Venue: Kennington Oval – Saturday 29th March 1884
Blackburn Rovers Scorers: Joe Sowerbutts and Jimmy Forrest, Queen’s Park Scorer: Robert Christie
Blackburn Rovers Team: Herby Arthur, Joe Beverley, Fergus Suter, Hugh Mclntyre, John Hargreaves, Jimmy Forrest, Jor Lofthouse, Jimmy Douglas, Joe Sowerbutts, John Inglis, James Brown
Queen’s Park Team: George Gillespie, Walter Arnott, John MacDonald, Charles Campbell, John Gow, William Anderson, William Watt, Dr. John Smith, William Harrower, David Allan, Robert Christie
Referee: Francis Marindin
Attendance: 12,000
Who Won The FA Cup In 1884
The 1884 FA Cup Final had resolved itself into an international contest without precedent. A 12,000 crowd at the Kennington Oval, the largest at any final so far, gathered to see the climax of a competition that had that year attracted a record entry of 101 clubs.
Blackburn Rovers won the first of three successive FA Cup Finals, two of them against this Glasgow club, virtually the Scottish international side.
Understandably, Blackburn Rovers had the crowd on their side, but they looked anything but at home during the first twenty minutes. After this early period of uncertainty, however. Rovers set to work in earnest and played superbly to the end. But, unfortunately, in the second half, the Scotsmen were utterly outplayed.
The 1884 FA Cup match produced three goals, all of which were scored fifteen minutes before half-time. First, James Brown crossed from the left, and Joe Sowerbutts had only to apply the gentlest touch to help the ball between the posts: 1-0 to England.
Blackburn Rovers always looked likely to increase their lead, and, after George Gillespie had sent the ball to the left, Jimmy Forrest obliged with a hard shot just under the bar. They threatened to go further ahead, but then William Anderson forced a corner, took it himself, and, following a bout of passing around the Rovers’ goal posts, Robert Christie neatly side-footed the ball past Herby Arthur and notched a goal for the Scotsmen.
The Kennington Oval crowd gave the northern teams a massive cheer when the referee blew his whistle to end the match.
Queen’s Park is also the only Scottish football club to have played in the FA Cup Final. They followed up this feat in 1885 when they made the final once again. With this victory, Blackburn Rovers became the most successful club from the north in the 1800s. This victory inspired them to win the next two FA Cup finals.
1884 FA Cup Qualifying Rounds
First Round
Grantham v Spilsby 3-2; Rotherham v Spital 7-2; Notts County v Heeley 3-1; Staveley v Middlesbrough 5-1; Lockwood Brothers v Sheffield Club 4-1; Grimsby v Hull T 3-1; Nottingham Forest v Redcar and Coatham wo; Sheff Wed bye; Walsall T v Calthorpe 9-0; Birmingham Excelsior v Small Heath Alliance 3-2; Stafford Road v Aston Unity 5-1; Wednesbury Old Ath v St George’s 5-0; Wednesbury T v West Bromwich Albion 2-0; Aston Villa v Walsall Swifts 5-1; Wolves v Long Eaton Rangers 4-1; Derby Midland bye; Blackburn Olympic v Darwen Ramblers 5-1; Blackburn Park Road v Low Moor 6-1; Accrington Stanley v Blackpool 4-1; Padiham v Lower Darwen 3-1; Darwen v Church 1 -0; South Shore v Clitheroe 3-2; BLACKBURN ROVERS v Southport 7-0; Eagley v Halliwell 5-2; Bolton Wandanders v Bolton Olympic 9-0; Gt Lever v Astley Bridge 4-1; Hurst v Turton 3-1; Rossendale v Irwell Springs 6-2; Bolton v Bradshaw 5-1; PNE bye; Druids v Northwich Vie 0-1; Oswestry v Hartford St John’s 7—0; Davenham v Macclesfield 2-0; Manchester v Stoke-on-Trent 2-1; QUEEN’S PARK, GLASGOW v Crewe Alex 10-0; Wrexham v Liverpool Ramblers wo; Brentwood v Hanover Utd 6-1; Hendon v Old Etonians 3-2; Mosquitoes v Pilgrims 3-2; Old Westminsters v Chatham 3-0; Romford v Woodford Bridge 3-0; Reading v South Reading 2-0; Upton Pk v Acton 2-0; Old Carthusians v Reading Minster 10-1; Old Foresters v Dreadnought 2-1; West End v Maidenhead 1 —0; Clapham R v Kildare wo; Gt Marlow v Hornchurch 9—0; Windsor v Royal Engineers 5-3; Old Wykehamists v Upton Rangers 7-1; Rochester v Uxbridge 2-1; Swifts bye
Second Round
Staveley v Sheff Wed 3-1; Notts Co v Nott’m Forest 3-0; Lockwood Brothers v Rotherham 3-1; Grantham v Grimsby 4-0; Derby Midland v Birmingham Excelsior 2-1; Wednesbury T v Walsall T 6-0; Aston Villa v Stafford Road 5-0; Wednesbury Old Ath v Wolves 4-2; BLACKBURN R v South Shore 7-1; Accrington S v Park Road 3-2 (Accrington disqualified); Blackburn Olympic v Darwen 2-1; Padiham bye; PNE v Gt Lever 4-1; Hurst v Irwell Springs 3-2; Bolton Wand v Bolton 3-0; Eagley bye; Oswestry v Wrexham 4-3; QUEEN’S PK. GLASGOW v Manchester 15-0; Northwich Vic v Davenham 5-1; Romford v Mosquitoes 3-1; Old Westminsters v Hendon 2-1; Brentwood bye; Reading v West End 1-0; Old Foresters v Old Carthusians 7-2; Upton Pk bye; Swifts v Gt Marlow 2-0; Clapham R v Rochester 7-0; Old Wykehamists v Windsor 1-0
Third Round
Notts Co v Grantham 4—1; Staveley v Lockwood Brothers 1 —0; Wednesbury T v Derby Midland 1 -0; Aston Villa v Wednesbury Old Ath 7-4; BLACKBURN ROVERS v Padiham 3-0; Blackburn Olympic bye; PNE v Eagley 9-1; Bolton Wand v Irwell Springs 8-1; QUEEN’S PK. GLASGOW v Oswestry 7-1; Northwich Vie bye; Brentwood v Romford 4-1; Old Westminsters bye; Upton Pk v Reading 6-1; Old Forester’s bye; Swifts v Clapham R 2-1; Old Wykehamists bye
Fourth Round
Upton Pk v PNE 1-1 (PNE disqualified); QUEEN’S PARK GLASGOW v Aston Villa 6-1; Northwich Vic v Brentwood 3-0; Notts Co v Bolton Wand 2-2. 2-1; BLACKBURN R v Staveley 5-1; Blackburn Olympic v Old Wykehamists 6-0; Swifts v Old Foresters 2-1; Old Westminsters v Wednesbury T 5-0
Fifth Round
QUEEN’S PARK, GLASGOW v Old Westminsters 1 -0; BLACKBURN ROVERS v Upton Pk 3-0; Notts Co v Swifts 1-1,1-0; Blackburn Olympic v Northwich Vic 9-0
1884 FA Cup Semi Finals
QUEEN’S PARK, GLASGOW v Blackburn Olympic 4-0; BLACKBURN ROVERS v Notts Co 1-0
Scottish clubs were often invited to compete in England’s FA Cup in its early years. This resulted in Queen’s Park finishing runners-up twice in this FA Cup competition, 2–0 in 1885 and 2–1 in 1884, both against Blackburn Rovers. 1886–87 was the last time that they entered the Football Association Challenge Cup.
