FA Cup Scandal

Everton's second entry into the FA Cup for the 1887-88 season involved the club in the biggest controversy so far in the it's ’s short history. In the first round they were drawn away to Bolton Wanderers, the game was played on the 15th October 1887 and 500 Everton fans made there way to Bolton for the match. The game was played at a high tempo with both teams doing their fair share at attacking but by half-time the score remained 0-0. The second half continued in the same vein and eventually the deadlock was broken when a high ball into the Everton area from the left was cleverly converted by a Bolton player called Roberts to give the home side the lead. Everton pressed forward but no matter how hard they tried they could not break Bolton’s defence and the home side held on to win the game.

Following the defeat the Everton secretary, Alexander Nesbit, lodged an appeal questioning the late registration of a Bolton Player, the Everton official was proved correct and the Football Association ordered the game to be replayed at Anfield. The game ended in a 2-2 draw and this was followed by another draw, 1-1 at Bolton, before Everton finally won the tie after a 2-1 win at Anfield. Everton drew an away tie at the mighty Preston North End in the next round, but this was postponed due to an appeal being lodged by Bolton. They claimed that Everton had, ‘persuaded players to join them by financial inducement’ and the FA ordered an inquiry. The game against Preston, however, went ahead at Deepdale, while the FA deliberated on Bolton’s appeal, with Everton making several changes to the team that had won in the last round. Preston came into the game after recording the highest score in any official game in England, a record that still stands today, when they beat Hyde United 26-0. Everton kicked off but Preston took the lead in the fourth minute and were 2-0 up by half time. In the second period the game was played almost entirely in the visitors half and by the end of the game the home side ran out 6-0 winners.

Meanwhile the FA had found Everton guilty and declared that seven Everton ‘amateur’ players were in fact professional and despite the club discarding the players involved, the FA suspended Everton for one month. The Liverpool Association upheld the FA’s decision and in fact punished the club further. Bob Lythgoe, a local football administrator, was dispatched to the Sandon Hotel in order to take the Liverpool Cup from its place of honour in the hotel entrance. A local mason mischievously carved a gravestone to take the place of the trophy, its inscription read:

‘Sacred to the memory of the Liverpool Cup which was won by the Everton Club, 1884, 1886 and 1887 and taken from them by the Liverpool District Association, April 1888. “Gone but not forgotten.” ‘

In retaliation Everton temporarily resigned from the Liverpool and District Football Association as a way of protest and did not enter the next season’s competition.

Despite the FA Cup controversy Everton were honoured by the FA when thier home ground, Anfield, was selected to stage one of the semi finals of the competition. It was the first time the City of Liverpool had hosted the penultimate round of the contest. The game was between Crewe Alexandra and Preston North End and around 10,000 people attended the game, which was won easily, 5-0, by Preston.