The Road to Crystal
Palace: how Burnley won the Cup
For most folk, 1914 seems a long time ago.
Anyone reading this today who can lay claim to being around when the Clarets lifted the FA
Cup will be an octogenarian at the very least. Anyone who can clearly remember the
occasion will probably have been the recipient of a Buckingham Palace telegram list as
well. To be sure, this triumph in the history of Burnley FC is now a very healthy lifetime
distant, but when I set about researching this subject for the Clarets Archive, I soon
realised how deceptive (albeit entirely natural) it was to think of this as being a world
apart from our existence today.
To illustrate: imagine the reaction if Burnley
won their way through to the FA Cup Final today. The press coverage, the excitement in the
town, the colours in every shop window, the manufacture of Cup momentos and all the
logistics of arranging travel to London; and then on the big day - the mass exodus from
town, the colours down Wembley Way, the singing, the pre-match entertainment, the huge
crowd, the attendance of Royalty and so on.
What the articles I found reveal is how similar
the Cup-fever experience was for the lucky folk of Burnley in 1914. In an amazing article,
"Up in London: the Lancashire invasion", a Burnley Express journalist details
the determination of the Burnley fans to make the most of their visit. After journeying to
London overnight, the Claret fans boarded chartered buses to see the sights, and many took
advantage of the invitation by Burnley’s MP to a guided tour of the Houses of
Parliament. And if you thought that a journey to London and a Cup Final ticket would be
beyond your average Burnley fan in 1914, forget it. Although the cost was undoubtedly
prohibitive, over 15,000 made the trek to Crystal Palace, turning the Royal route to the
ground into a sea of claret and blue. Like we would do today, the fans partied long and
hard on the station platform while waiting for the train home. This first-hand description
makes a mockery of the flat cap and whippet image, and they’re still peddling that
one today!
In the parlance of football scribes, it could be
said arguably that, in 1913-14, Burnley’s name was "on the Cup". Up to that
point, the Clarets had little of a Cup tradition and had only just lifted themselves back
into the First Division. The 1913-14 season was, in League terms, a season of mid-table
consolidation. Yet something special was clearly brewing at Turf Moor. With promotion and
a Cup semi-final behind them from the previous season's campaign, Burnley were fast
earning a reputation for dynamic attacking football. Their dynamism on the field was
matched by determination and vision in the boardroom. Under Chairman Windle, the men
behind the scenes gave manager John Haworth the resources to build a strong team, Burnley
at one point acquiring most of the Gainsborough Trinity defence in one deal. The ambition
was palpable - all concerned talked openly to the press about their dream of bringing the
League Championship to Turf Moor.
FA Cup success came first, despite a decidedly
poor record in the competition. Having first made their mark in the Cup in 1888 (by which
time Blackburn Rovers had won the Cup three times) with a first round defeat of Old
Westminsters, appearances in the last eight of the competition were rare, with first and
second round exits the routine. In their Second Division Championship season of 1897-98,
Burnley finally graced the last eight, but went down to First Division Everton. With their
first major honour behind them, the club returned to the First Division with high hopes of
a good Cup run. But it was in the League where the Clarets excelled, finishing the season
in a highly creditable third position, behind Liverpool and champions Aston Villa. Their
Cup hopes were dashed by a tough draw to reigning League champions Sheffield United,
although the Blades were having a poor season, and were nearly relegated. Nonetheless, the
Clarets went down 2-1 in a replay after a 2-2 draw.
The following season, 1899-1900, was to see the
Clarets relegated and the start of a dismal 13 wasted years in the Second Division at a
time when there were only two divisions. There were times during this period when the
club’s future looked uncertain, especially in 1903 when Burnley finished bottom of
the Football League and had to apply for re-election. But while struggling in the Second
Division, the Clarets found a vein of Cup form. A convincing win at Bristol Rovers was
followed by a club record 9-0 demolition of Crystal Palace. Although not yet in the
Football League, Palace had knocked out Cup holders Wolves in the previous round. The
third round saw the Clarets at Tottenham. At this point, Spurs were also a Second Division
club, but would go on to win promotion that season. The Clarets travelled to North London
and held the home team to a goalless draw, before sending the Londoners home on the back
of a 3-1 defeat in the replay.
In the Third Round - the last eight - Burnley
drew reigning League Champions Manchester United at Turf Moor. In highly controversial
circumstances, the game was abandoned with only 18 minutes remaining and with the Clarets
holding a 1-0 lead. In the replayed game, United prevailed 3-2, and went on to lift the
Cup.
By 1911, Burnley were beginning to show signs of
real recovery. A better-than-average League campaign was supplemented by another Cup run
to the last eight, which was halted by defeat to the eventual winners Bradford City. After
narrowly missing out on promotion in 1912, the Clarets finally made it back to the top
division the following season, finishing runners-up to Preston North End. This season was
also notable for the Clarets’ first significant Cup run, which took them to the
semi-final after defeats of First Division opponents Middlesborough and Blackburn Rovers.
In the semi-final, played at Bramhall Lane, they forced a goalless draw with League
Champions elect Sunderland, before going down 3-2 after a titanic struggle in the replay
at St. Andrews.
The following season was one of League
consolidation for the Clarets. They finished a comfortable 12th in a First Division of 20
teams. But it was in the FA Cup that this team would really distinguish itself. After a
straightforward 3-1 defeat of non-league South Shields in the First Round, the Clarets
were blessed with the luck of home draws for the next two rounds, although they faced
First Division opponents on each occasion. Derby County were first up in the second round,
and, although having a poor season, they made the Clarets fight for a 3-2 victory.
The Third Round appeared to be a different
proposition as high-flying Bolton Wanderers were the visitors. However, the Clarets turned
in an inspirational performance and soundly defeated their opponents 3-0. The draw for the
next round was to provide what many Burnley fans thought was an insurmountable obstacle -
reigning League Champions Sunderland at Roker Park. It was the tie of the round and a
repeat of the previous season’s semi-final clash. As before, the first game ended in
a goalless draw, but this time it was the battling Clarets who came out on top in the
replay, 2-1, after a superb team performance.
In one of the other fourth round ties, Liverpool
had defeated non-league QPR at Anfield. This meant that all four semi-finalists were First
Division clubs. Three of them - Sheffield United, Burnley and Liverpool - were middle of
the table clubs separated by only a few points. The team to avoid was Aston Villa,
reigning Cup holders and second in the table. This the Clarets did, being paired instead
with Sheffield United. But the defeat of QPR also meant something else - that if Burnley
were to lift the Cup that season, they were going to have to defeat five First Division
clubs in one FA Cup campaign, a feat never before achieved. Could the Clarets succeed
where none before had?
With the experience of the previous
season’s semi-final behind them, the Clarets went into the semi-final perhaps with a
slight edge on their opponents, who had done nothing in the Cup since 1902. A goalless
draw at Old Trafford meant a Wednesday replay at Goodison Park. With only 17 minutes of
the replay remaining, a glorious strike by Boyle broke the deadlock and sealed
Burnley’s first ever Cup Final appearance.
With everyone’s Cup favourites Aston Villa
being surprisingly beaten in the other semi-final, played at White Hart Lane, the Clarets
faced Liverpool in the Final at Crystal Palace, in the grounds of the park which housed
the enormous glass structure at the heart of the Great Exhibition of 1851. Liverpool had
had an undistinguished season and had been given kind Cup draws at home to non-leaguers
Gillingham and QPR and Second Division Barnsley, but they had also claimed a formidable
scalp in the semi-final. Burnley, too, had overcome indifferent League form to defeat
illustrious opposition in the Cup. They had also had by far the hardest series of games to
reach the Final, overcoming the challenge of four other First Division clubs. They were
also the club who were clearly on the up, on the cusp of great and lasting achievements.
And this observation is made not just with the benefit of hindsight. The club had invested
in new players; their directors had made their ambition known to the town. And our
predecessors on the terraces of Turf Moor discovered a new-found faith that their team
would deliver, as this "Ode to Burnley", written on the eve of the Cup
semi-final, testifies:
"Has Burnley seen her palmiest
days?"
We thought so in the days of yore
When Lang and Bury were the backs,
And Friel was scoring goals galore.
But things have changed - "the good old
days"
Have given way to strenuous times,
And football’s taken serious now,
For all the town wear coloured lines.
But here we are and must abide,
For time brings changes in its wake,
And Turf Moor’s altered in so much
The throng would make our fathers quake.
Mighty stands now take the place
Where once the people stood aground,
With ne’er a slope to raise them up,
For all the field was flat around.
Now to the teams let’s take a look,
We will not dwell what’s gone between;
Where Hillman stood now Dawson stands,
And keeps our prestige none less mean.
Our backs can go the pace, we know,
Although there’s some who’ll pin their faith
"To those old times," when mostly rush
And heavy charging count forthwith.
The "sugar basin’s" now filled
up,
Where Bryce was wont to play his tricks,
And many a back has been let in,
For "Tom" soon had them in a fix.
Pat Gallacher’s dribbling was a treat -
McCrae and he were like a book;
And Friel went rushing through the backs,
To score with many a pot-shot hook.
But Friel’s not Freeman, though we
thought
We’d seen the best when first he came;
And wings are harder run today,
Though charging wild’s not in the game.
The teams of bygone days fought hard
To keep the standard waving high,
With courage that was good to see,
With that strong spirit - do or die.
But Burnley’s team today are great,
And homage to them must be paid,
For aren’t they going to win the Cup?
Four teams already have been laid.
There Dawson stands between the sticks,
Prepared for all that comes his way;
The backs defend him while he strives
To make all shooters keep at bay.
And half-backs that cannot be beat,
Though search the country far and wide;
And forwards, too, that’s shown by now
That combination makes a side.
So here’s to Burnley and success,
May their last rounds be on their side.
Then if it is, we’ve got the Cup,
And Burnley will honour them with their pride.
Phil
Whalley
February 2000
(The Clarets Archive: http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Track/6698)
Quietly
Making History
