1883 FA Cup Final  

The 1883 FA Cup Final, though few recognised it at the time, was a watershed in nonleague football history.   

Blackburn Olympic’s extra-time victory over Old Etonians was the first instance of a northern team winning the FA Cup and, it later emerged, the first team to be made up entirely of professionals.   

The previous year Old Etonians had beaten Blackburn Rovers, comprised of ex public school boys, in the Cup final and the team of ‘southern gentlemen’ confidently expected to beat their latest opponents from Lancashire especially as Olympic drew their team from the ranks of the working class.   

For their part Olympic, coached by former England international Jack Hunter and bank-rolled by local foundry owner Sidney Yates, had reached the final in their first season of competing for the FA Cup. 

8,000 fans turned out at the Kennington Oval for te 1883 FA Cup Final with most expecting Old Etonians captain Arthur Kinnaird to pick up the trophy in his ninth final appearance.   

But Jack Hunter had other ideas and with the financial support of Sidney Yates had taken his team to a training camp at Blackpool to prepare for the match.   

This unprecedented preparation for a cup final soon paid off with the northern side controlling the game much to the delight of their vociferous supporters in the Oval stands. 

But, despite being on top, Olympic were caught out when Harry Goodhart gave the public schoolboys the lead at half-time.  

A fearsome tirade from Jack Hunter during the break pumped the Olympic players up and they dominated the second-half.  Arthur Matthews equalised but Old Etonians grimly hung on despite playing the last ten minutes a man short after England international Arthur Dunn had to leave the field injured. 

Extra-time wasn’t compulsory but Blackburn’s captain, Albert Warburton requested the additional period with the Old Etonians honour bound to accept the challenge.  Jimmy Costley emerged as the Blackburn hero by hitting the winning goal after Olympic and practically laid siege to the Old Etonians area.  

The FA Cup was going north for the first time and the joyous Blackburn fans invaded the pitch when their team was presented with the trophy.   

Old Etonians captain and doyen of the amateur game Arthur Kinnaird would not play in another final and nor would any strictly amateur club ever again win the FA Cup. 

After the final it emerged that the Blackburn players who each had a daytime job were also being paid £1 a week by Sidney Yates as ‘expenses’ for playing football.   

The 1883 FA Cup Final essentially signalled that age of the amateur was over and the professional northern teams would dominate the FA Cup for the next 18 years before Tottenham, ironically then a Nonleague club, won the cup in 1901.