1885 FA Cup Final Score: Blackburn Rovers 2 Queen’s Park 0
The Venue: Kennington Oval, London
Match Date: Saturday 4th April 1885
Blackburn Rovers Scorers:Â Jim Forrest and Jimmy Brown
Blackburn Rovers Team: Bill Arthur, Bob Turner, Fergie Suter, Hugh McIntyre, George Haworth, Jim Forrest, Joe Lofthouse, Jimmy Douglas, Jimmy Brown, Harry Fecitt, Joe Sowerbutts
Queen’s Park Team: George Gillespie, Walter Arnott, William Macleod, Charles Campbell, John MacDonald, Alexander Hamilton; William Anderson, William Sellar, Woodville Gray, Ninian MacWhannel, David Allan
Referee: Major Francis Marindin
Attendance: 12,500
1885 FA Cup Final Match Report
Although Blackburn Rovers were the current FA Cup holders, Queen’s Park again took the soccer field in the Final as favorites. The Scottish-based team had 6 international players who defeated England only two weeks before the final. Once again, their long journey from Glasgow was doomed to end in failure.
The match finally got underway after the over-anxious Queen’s Park forwards had produced two false starts, and Blackburn Rovers were the first to threaten when Joe Lofthouse’s shot skimmed the crossbar.
Rovers’ superiority this time soon became apparent. After 14 minutes, England international Jim Forrest slipped away from his opponent Charles Campbell. He was able to score from close range with his left foot after Jimmy Brown’s shot bounced back of the upright post. His early strike ensured Blackburn Rovers were never in danger of losing the match.
Very soon after Bill Arthur had been forced to use his hands for the first time in the match.  Just before halftime, Walter Arnott put the ball into the Blackburn only to be disallowed for handball by the referee.
George Gillespie in the Queen’s Park goal was always busy, and. but for his smartness, the defeat would have been much greater. Bill Arthur, on the other hand, only had recourse to handle the ball five times in the whole match, and not at all in the first half.
Twenty minutes from the end, Blackburn Rovers’ Harry Fecitt ran the ball down the left side and squared it for Jimmy Brown, coming up in the nick of time, to make the score 2-0 and become FA Cup winners two years consecutively.
Despite Queen’s Park’s best efforts, Rovers controlled the game for the last twenty minutes. As the final whistle blew, the Scottish team were a little unhappy with the fact that Blackburn Rovers had fielded professional players, just like the year before.
1885 FA Cup Round By Round
First Round
Wednesbury Old Ath v Derby Midland 2-1; St George’s, Birmingham v Aston Unity 5-0; Aston Villa v Wednesbury T 4-1; Walsall Swifts v Stafford Road Works 2-0; Walsall Town v Derby County 7-0; Derby St Lukes v Wolves 4-2; Birmingham Excelsior v Small Heath Alliance 2-0; West Bromwich Albion v Junction Street School 7-1, Nottingham Forest v Rotherham 5-0; Sheffield Club v Lockwood Brothers 3-0 ; Staveley v Notts Rangers 4-1; Sheffield Wednesday v Long Eaton Rangers 1-0; Heeley v Notts Wanderers 1 -0; Notts County v Notts Olympic 2-0; Spital bye; Bolton Association v Astley Bridge wo; Darwen Old Wanderers v Higher Walton 4-1; Lower Darwen v Halliwell 4-1; Darwen v Bradshawl 1-0; Bolton Wanderers v Preston Zingari (not played); Fishwick Ramblers v Darwen Ramblers 2—0; Chirk v Davenham 4-2; Druids v Liverpool Ramblers 6-1; Crewe Alexander v Oswestry 2-1; Leek v Northwich Victoria 4-3; Wrexham Olympic v Goldenhill 1 -0; Macclesfield v Hartford St John’s 9-0; QUEEN’S PARK GLASGOW v Stoke-on-Trent wo; Newtown v Stafford Rangers wo; Lincoln City v Hull T 5-1; Grimsby Town v Grantham 1-0; Redcar v Sunderland 3-1; Middlesbrough v Grimsby District wo; Newark v Spilsby 7-3; Blackburn Olympic v Oswaldtwistle R 12-0; Accrington Stanley v Southport 3-0; Low Moor v Park Road wo; Church v Hurst 3-2; BLACKBURN Rovers v Rossendale 11-0; South Shore v Rawtenstall wo; Witton v Clitheroe wo; Old Carthusians v Acton 7-1; Upton Park v West End wo; Reading v Rochester 2—0; Great Marlow v Royal Engineers 10-1; Hotspur v Uxbridge 3-1; Old Wykehamists v Maidenhead 3-0; Dulwich v Pilgrims 3-2; Old Foresters v Hoddesdon 8-0; Hanover United v Reading Minster 1-0; Hendon v Clapham Rovers 6-0; Chatham v Windsor wo; Romford v Clapton 3-2; Swifts v Old Brightonians 3-0; Brentwood v Barnes 2-0; South Reading v Casuals 4-1; Old Westminsters v Bournemouth R 6-0; Old Etonians v Luton Wand 3-1; Henley bye
Second Round
Walsall Swifts v Derby St Lukes 1-0; St George’s, Birmingham v Birmingham Excelsior 2-0; Aston Villa v Walsall T 2-0; West Bromwich Albion v Wednesbury Old Ath 4-2; Sheffield Club v Spital 4-1; Nott’m Forest v Heeley 4-1; Notts Club v Staveley 2-0; Sheff Wed bye; Darwen v Fishwick Ramblers 2-0; Darwen Old Wand v Bolton Association 7-2; Lower Darwen bye; Druids v Newtown 6-0; Chirk v Wrexham Olympic 4-1; QUEEN’S PK, GLASGOW v CreweAlex 2-1; Leek v Macclesfield 5-1; Middlesbrov Newark 4-1; GrimsbyTvRedcar3-1; Lincoln C bye; Church v South Shore 3-2; Southport v Low Moor 3-1; BLACKBURN R v Blackburn Olympic 3-2; Witton bye; Old Wykehamists v Hotspur 2-1; Upton Pk v Reading 3-1; Old Carthusians v Gt Marlow 5-3; Chatham v Hendon 1 -0; Hanover Utd v Old Foresters 2-1; Romford v Dulwich 3-0; Old Westminsters v Henley 7-0; Swifts v South Reading 3-2; Old Etonians v Brentwood 6-1
Third Round
West Bromwich Albion v Aston Villa 3-0; Walsall Swifts v St George’s, Birmingham 3-2; Nott’m Forest v Sheff Wed 2-1; Notts Club v Sheffield Club 9-0; Lower Darwen v Darwen Old Wand 4-2; Darwen bye; QUEEN’S PK, GLASGOW v Leek 3-2; Druids v Chirk 4-1; Grimsby T v Lincoln C 1 -0; Middlesbro bye; BLACKBURN R v Witton 6-1; Church v Southport 10-0; Old Wykehamists v Upton Pk 2-1; Old Carthusians bye; Chatham v Hanover Utd 2-0; Romford bye; Swifts v Old Westminsters 2-1; Old Etonians bye
Fourth Round
Old Carthusians v Grimsby T 3-0; Notts Forest v Swifts 1 -0; West Bromwich Albion v Druids 1 -0; QUEEN’S PK, GLASGOW v Old Wykehamists 7-0; Church v Darwen 3-0; Chatham v Lower Darwen 1-0; Notts Club v Walsall Swifts 4-1; BLACKBURN R v Romford 8-0; Old Etonians v Middlesbro 5-2
Fifth Round
Old Carthusians v Chatham 3-0; Old Etonians bye; Nott’m Forest bye; QUEEN’S PARK, GLASGOW bye; West Bromwich Albion bye; Notts Club bye; BLACKBURN R bye; Church bye
Sixth Round
Nott’m Forest v Old Etonians 2-0; QUEEN’S PARK, GLASGOW v Notts Club 2-2, 2-1; BLACKBURN ROVERS v West Bromwich Albion 2-0; Old Carthusians v Church 1 -0
1885 FA Cup Semi-Finals
QUEEN’S PARK, GLASGOW v Nottingham Forest 1 -1, 3-0; BLACKBURN ROVERS v Old Carthusians 5-1
Journey To The Final
In the 1884–85 FA Cup, Blackburn again progressed without difficulty, defeating Rossendale (11–0) before meeting local rivals, Blackburn Olympic. With two goals by Howard Fecitt and a third by Joe Sowerbutts, Rovers won 3–2 in a tight game.
Following easy victories over Witton (5-1) and Romford (8-0), Rovers entered the sixth round, where they faced West Bromwich Albion. The cup holders won the match 2–0 and went on to face Old Carthusians in the semi-final, played on 7 March 1885.
It was no trouble for Rovers to beat the Old Boys 5–1 to set up a repeat of the previous year’s final against Queen’s Park from Scotland, who had triumphed over Notts County and Nottingham Forest in their last two games.
