Everton's FA Cup campaign started at home against non league side Burton Wanderers and a 5-2 vistory saw the side comfortably into the next round. Two more home games followed against Lancashire rivals, Bury and Blackburn Rovers, and after 3-0 and 2-0 wins Everton were in their second semi final.

Opponents in the penultimate game of the competition were Derby County, the last time the two sides met in the FA Cup Everton recorded their highest score when winning 11-2 in 1890. Everton went into the game at Stoke City's, Victoria round, as firm favourites but Derby were not there just to make up the numbers and more than played their part in a very good match. The Everton half back line, however, soon took hold of the game and goals from Chadwick, Hartley and Milward saw the team through to the Final by three goals to two.

Everton's opponents in the FA Cup Final were Aston Villa, who were trying to emulate Preston North End and win the league and cup double. The home of the final was now taking place at Crystal Palce, a crowd of 65,891 were in attendance and witnessed an exceptional game of football. The two teams lined up as follows

Wolves: Whitehouse; Spencer, Evans; Reynolds, Cowan (Jas.), Crabtree; Athersmith, Devey (J.), Campbell, Wheldon, Cowan (John)

Referee: J. Lewis

Villa seemed to settle down at once, the half-backs looking far too clever for their opponents. Many times the ball was played up to the front men with tremendous accuracy, and time after time the Villa half-backs broke up an Everton attack. It was all that the stout Everton defence could do to keep the eager Villa forwards at bay. Athersmith twice got into dangerous positions but was forced to shoot from difficult angles and both times the ball went behind.

Villa could not be denied for long, and they scored their first after eighteen minutes. Athersmith and Devey worked their way down the right, and Devey sent Campbell through to fire in a long shot which swerved in the wind and flew into the net giving Menham no chance. Villa kept the advantage for only five minutes. After that a brilliant, high-speed move between Hartley and Bell ended with Bell crashing the ball past Whitehouse from close range.

The game was still less than half an hour old when Everton went 2-1 up. James Cowan gave away a free-kick, and the taker, Boyle, hit it straight into the net.

For ten minutes Everton attacked strongly and looked certain to score a third. Yet, in a match which continued to be played at a dazzling pace, Villa grabbed two goals in the course of five minutes. First Wheldon put the score level from Crabtree's free-kick, and then Villa took the lead for a second time when Athersmith and Reynolds between them won a corner on the right. Reynolds lofted the ball across goal and Crabtree dashed forward, unmarked, to head in.

Whitehouse made two good saves for Villa in the three minutes remain­ing to the interval. The cut and thrust continued throughout the second half, but no further goals were added.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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