1878-79: The Winds of Change

The 1878-79 season in English football. Discover which team won the last FA Cup of the 1870s as the competition continues to expand and gain more popularity.

[@charlesbritten4220]

Perhaps the most notable fact of this season was it was the first in which teams who were to later play in the Football League - Nottingham Forest and Darwen - reached the quarter-finals or beyond. BTW I make no familial claim on that Grantham goal!

[@BritanniaFootball]

Haha yes and what a side Darwen had! Most people have never heard of them now, but they looked the most likely to take the cup away from the south to start with.

[@richardfurness7556]

It always strikes me as odd that the organisers of this competition couldn't have foreseen that there would only be three sides left at the semi-final stage. I suppose you have to consider that although clubs took the FA Cup seriously, their other fixtures were bigger sources of revenue and prestige, as they were in rugby union until the 1980s.

[@BritanniaFootball]

Yes it is odd. And I've noticed that sometimes there are multiple byes, in the following season in fact. I can't seem to find the reason for this as it doesn't even the numbers in the next round. I can only think it's geographical as teams generally played opponents near to them. I suppose if none were available, they got a bye to stop them withdrawing. Teams usually withdrew if they had too far to travel.