Great goals - Fred Spiksley's match winning goal at the 1896 FA Cup Final

 Fred Spiksley’s second of the game and match winning goal against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the 1896 FA Cup Final

 

Fred Spiksley has a strong claim to be the finest ever Sheffield Wednesday player of all time. He played for the club between 1891 and 1903 and during which time he not only scored the Sheffield club’s first at Hillsbourough but won the First and Second Division titles and the FA Cup in 1896 when he scored both the Wednesday goals in the 2-1 defeat of Wolverhampton Wanderers in the final.

 

His first came within 30 seconds but was equalised by David Black.

 

Wednesday, though, were determined to restore their lead. They did so on eighteen minutes with what Fred Spiksley agreed at the end of his long career, in which from outside left he averaged a goal in every three games, was the best goal he ever scored.

 

The initial movements were almost identical to those of the opening goal with the ball being crossed into the centre from the right wing. Lawrie Bell then helped it on into Spiksley’s path 35 yards out from Billy Tennant’s goal. 

This was five yards further out than from where the Wednesday winger had hit his shot in the first minute but those five yards were to prove crucial as he drove the ball with great power. This time though he put spin on the ball and the initial groan from the crowd meant most believed he had badly miscued his shot. Then when the spin took hold the ball swung violently and at just three feet off the ground smacked against the far right hand goalpost before entering the Wolves net.

So powerful was the strike that when the ball hit the back of the net it rebounded back on to the field. This left Tennant totally confused. It meant that after he kicked it away he missed Billy Beats restarting the game as the shocked crowd tried to work out exactly what they had just witnessed.

 

                                                               The winning goal 

Tennant continued to remain confused. So, on the final whistle as Fred Spiksley was having his hand ‘shook-off’, then as reported in the Athletic News, a bizarre story was unfolding in the centre of the Crystal Palace football pitch. One player couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about. As the players were walking off the pitch, Billy Tennant innocently enquired of Mick Langley when the date for the replay was.

 

“Replay, old chap, there won’t be any replay, we have won the English Cup by the odd goal in three”.

 

Tennant was adamant. “Get away, there were only two goals scored today.”

 

“Why, man alive, where on earth were you when we scored our second goal?” enquired Langley.

 The 1896 FA Cup final marked the first time action photographs were taken of the event. 

    Three photographs were taken and all of them featured Spiksley, shown her leaping 

        in the air.