This film is part of Free

Football Final - Entry of Teams

Spurs prepare to clash with The Blades to decide the winner of the 1901 FA Cup - the earliest surviving final on film

Sport 1901 1 mins Silent

Overview

"When the Year Ends in One" begins here, Spurs fans. A 2-2 draw with Sheffield United in front of over 110,000 spectators at Crystal Palace saw non-League Tottenham Hotspur head north for a replay a week later. At Bolton's Burnden Park, Spurs went in at half time a goal down. Three second-half goals - the last from Sandy Brown, who became the first player to score in every round of the competition - saw the first major trophy for the North London team with the uncanny knack of winning when the year ends in one.

Film catalogues suggest that the 1898 FA Cup final may have been the first to be filmed, but this is the earliest example that survives. Both 1901 finals were filmed but only the replay footage survives. Along with the entry of the teams seen here, there's a glimpse of the game itself in Football Final - Play in Progress, also on BFI Player.