The FA Cup in the 1940s

The FA Cup is the oldest association football competition in the world and an enormously important symbol of the History of Football in England. In 1872, Wanderers Football Club won the first title in the history of FA Cup football. The record for the most wins is held by Manchester United with 11 triumphs, followed by Arsenal with 10 and Tottenham Hotspur with 8. The trophy is held by Wigan Athletic, who defeated Manchester City 1-0 in the 2013 final.

FA Cup Football in the 1940s

1940s was a decade of war. World War II was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. Two Opposing military alliances fought against each other, the Allies and the Axis. Large parts of the European continent were war zones; to play the FA Cup was not to think about. Both the Football League and the FA Cup were canceled during the war. FA reinstated the tournament as soon as the war ended. The first post-war final was played between Derby County and Charlton Athletic.

Attendance figures at the Finals increased during the postwar period. All finals in the 1940s had over 98 000 spectators (1946-98,000|1947-98,215|1948-99,842|1949-98,920). Charlton was the only club that played two FA Cup finals in the 1940s. Both finals Charlton participated in went to extra time. In 1946 they lost after conceding three goals in extra time against Derby. A year later, they won against Burnley since Duffy scored the only goal in the game in the 114th minute.

Club of the decade: Charlton Athletic Football Club was founded on June 1905. Charlton have played two Finals in their history. Both times were in the 1940s. In 1947 they won the Cup thanks to a late goal from Scottish striker Chris Duffy.

Player of the decade: Charlton fullback Bert Turner was probably not the decade’s best players. Scoring for both sides in a FA Cup Final gets you in on the top of the list of the Player of the decade. It’s not just that Turner scored both Charlton and opponents Derby but it only differs one minute between the goals. The game was goalless until the 85th minute, when Turner tried to kick the ball clear, but only managed to put the ball into his own net. In the next minute Charlton fullback Bert Turner scored for his own team when he took a freekick that was deflected past Woodley in to the net. Turner played 179 games for Charlton scoring two goals.

Results and Scorers FA Cup Finals 1946-49

1946 FA Cup Final (Wembley Stadium)

Derby County – Charlton Athletic 4-1 aet

1-0 B. Turner 85′(og), 1-1 B. Turner 86′, 2-1 Doherty 92′, 3-1 Stamps 97′, 4-1 Stamps 106′

1947 Final (Wembley Stadium)

Charlton Athletic – Burnley 1-0 aet

1-0 Duffy 114′

1948 Final (Wembley Stadium)

Manchester United – Blackpool 4-2

1-0 Rowley 28′, 1-1 Shimwell 12′(pen.), 1-2 Mortensen 35′, 2-2 Rowley 70′, 3-2 Pearson 80′, 4-2 Anderson 82′

1949 Final (Wembley Stadium)

Wolverhampton Wanderers – Leicester City 3-1

1-0 Pye 13′, 2-0 Pye 42′, 2-1 Griffiths 47′, 3-1 Smyth 64′

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