1872 FA Cup final restaged

Surrey County Cricket Club will restage the first FA Cup final between the Wanderers and the Royal Engineers at the Oval, home of the competition’s inaugural final 140 years ago. The match will take place on Wednesday 7th November and money will be donated to the Haig Housing Trust, the Royal British Legion and other local football charities.

Both the Wanderers and the Royal Engineers still compete at non-league level. The Wanderers play in the Surrey South Eastern Combination after reforming in 2009 while the Royal Engineers currently sit fourth in the military’s Massey League.

Colonel Andy Phillips of the Royal Engineers said: “It really is a great honour for the players involved in the match.  Next year is the club’s 150th anniversary and this is fantastic curtain raiser for that. We have a long and illustrious history as a football club and it will be a source of enormous pride for the players that will be going out at the Kia Oval that evening. “

22 of the first 24 FA Cup finals (including replays) took place at the Oval. The Wanderers will hope for a repeat of the 1872 final which they won 1-0 thanks to a 15th minute goal from Morton Betts. Reports from the match tell of “some of the best play, individually and collectively, that has ever been shown in an Association game.”

• Wednesday 7th November at the Kia Oval (7pm kick-off)
• Tickets are £10 for adults and £1 for under 16’s.
• All military personnel wearing uniform who are able to show a valid ID card can get free entry. Please note that groups of 10 people can attend for £50.00.

Buy tickets from: www.kiaoval.com/1872-fa-challenge-cup

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