125 years ago today, Bury and Nottingham Forest drew 1-1 in the FA Cup semi-final

 

1900 FA CUP SEMI-FINAL

Saturday 24 March 1900

Played at the Victoria Ground, Stoke

 

 

NOTTINGHAM FOREST 1 (Capes 26)

Allsop, Peers, Iremonger, Cole, McPherson, Norris, Capes, Calvey, Beveridge, Morris, Spouncer

 

Bury 1 (Pray [pen] 12)

Thompson, Darroch, Davidson, Pray, Leeming, Ross, Richards, Wood, McLuckie, Sagar, Plant

Half-time 1-1

Attendance 18,000

 

Forest, formed 1865, played a major role in football’s development.

Forest player Sam Widdowson is recognised as having invented football shin guards in 1874. Forest were the first to introduce the whistle during games. This was done in 1878 in a game with Sheffield Norfolk and when the experiment was successful it led to the replacement of the white flag. Forest is also credited by some with being the first club to play with 2 backs, 3 half-backs and 5 forwards.  

As Cup fighters, Forest entered this semi-final with a better record than Bury, who were making their first appearance in the last four. Formed in 1865, Forest had first entered the FA Cup in the 1878-79 season and after beating local neighbours County, Sheffield FC, Old Harrovians and Oxford University had fallen at the penultimate stage when they were beaten by eventual winners Old Etonians 2-1 at Kennington Oval.

 

There was further semi-final disappointment six seasons later when Scottish side Queen’s Park sent the English side back over the border well beaten 3-0 in a match played at Merchiston Castle School in Edinburgh. Blackburn Rovers were to beat Queen’s Park in the final.

 

Seven seasons later, in 1892, further semi-final disappointment had followed when West Bromwich Albion thrashed Forest 6-2 at the Racecourse Ground, Derby after the sides had played two drawn matches. WBA subsequently went on defeat local rivals Aston Villa in the final by three goals to nil.

 

However in 1897-98, in their fourth semi-final, Forest finally made it through to the Final, beating Southampton, after a replay. Then in the final at Crystal Palace two goals from Arthur Capes and John McPherson were enough to overcome a spirited Derby County side whose only reply came from Steve Bloomer.

 

Could Forest now win their fifth semi-final of the biggest football competition in the world and go on to capture the trophy for a second time? Not if Bury could help it. The Lancashire side were unlikely to be intimidated by a side just one point above them in the League and whom the Shakers had taken three points off in the League by winning at Gigg Lane and drawing away.

 

Although it was only two years since their cup success, the Forest side contained only four players - Dan Allsop, John McPherson, Arthur Capes and Billy Spouncer - who had played in the 1898 final. The Forest side included Welsh international Grenville Morris, who subsequently went on to become the club’s record goalscorer with 199 in the League alone.

 

Bury had chosen not to make any special arrangements for the match. In comparison Forest had been at Skegness on the Lincolnshire coast for a fortnight, but nevertheless the east Midlands side were unable to field a full-strength XI and with captain Frank Forman missing, the executive of the club, who selected the side, preferred to play Gordon Coles, an amateur, rather than George Robinson at right half.

 

A large crowd had been anticipated at the Victoria Ground, Stoke and arrangements had been made to accommodate up to 50,000 with the fence and barricades around the ground strengthened and the embankment on the Boothen side considerably extended. In the event, and despite special trains from across the north and midlands, little more than 20,000 had assembled at kick-off time. Nevertheless, the atmosphere was a good one when the match was started on a fine, but cold afternoon.

 

McLuckie began proceedings with Bury kicking against the wind and the Lancashire side were the first to show but James Iremonger, a fine cricketer who was twice capped for England at football, was in smartly to kick clear. Plant then beat Allsop with a low drive but to the despair of the Bury followers in the crowd the ball cannoned back into play off the post. The keeper was then pushed to scramble away shots from Sagar and Plant but on 12 minutes he was left helpless when a Plant cross headed goalwards by McLuckie was fisted away by Iremonger and Pray scored from the resulting penalty. The goal was no more than Bury deserved for a bright start and it brought ecstatic scenes amongst their followers in the ground.

 

Spouncer raised the hopes of the Forest fans when his shot whistled narrowly wide as the 1898 winners struggled to get back on level terms. Darroch was coming under great pressure down the Bury right but it was from a free-kick that Forest drew level, Bob Norris floating a dangerous cross to the far post where Capes rose to powerfully head the ball back across the goal and into the net.

 

Now it was the turn of the Bury masses to remain silent, and the Forest fans might have had even more to cheer if Thompson hadn’t been out quickly to kick clear on more than one occasion after the Midland side’s forwards broke through the Bury defence. As half-time approached Bury though should have retaken the lead. Sagar, usually so reliable, firing over when left with only Allsop to beat. It meant the half time whistle sounded with the scores level.

HALF-TIME NOTTINGHAM FOREST 1, BURY 1

 

Having played splendidly kicking against the wind, Bury were expected to go on and win the game in the second period. Yet, at first, Forest pushed the Lancashire side back although few chances were created to threaten Thompson in goal. Spouncer and Darroch were again involved in a keen tussle, the Bury full-back just about holding the Forest left-winger. Pray was able to find his forwards with some great passes, but the Bury forwards were having a poor half, and the ball rarely seemed to be under their control.

 

Darroch was in smartly to block Morris as Forest looked to take advantage of some poor play by Bury, and Jack Calvey then fired well wide from just outside the penalty area.

 

With both defences on top the game seemed certain to end in a draw long before the end, although Sagar might have grabbed a winner with a shot on the turn with five minutes remaining. Following this, Forest put the Bury goal under some severe pressure but failed to break through resulting in the match finishing in a draw. A replay would be needed to see who would play either Millwall Athletic or Southampton in the final, after the Southern League sides drew 0-0 in the other semi-final.