Football Career
Vidal was well known as the "prince of dribblers". In those days, the rule was that the team that scored also kicked off afterwards. On one occasion this rule allowed Vidal to score three goals in a match without the other team touching the ball. He played in the first three FA Cup Finals, of 1872, 1873 and 1874. He was a member of the Wanderers F.C. team when they won the first ever FA Cup. It is said that he assisted the first FA Cup Final goal when, 15 minutes into the match, Vidal broke away and looped the ball across to Morton Betts, who shot between the posts. At 18 years 195 days he was the youngest ever player in a Cup Final until surpassed by 17 years old James Prinsep in 1879, and only winning player still at school on Cup Final day.
The following year, Vidal had moved to Oxford. His team reached the Final, held on 29 March 1873 at Lillie Bridge ground, where they faced Vidal's old side, the Wanderers. However Oxford could not penetrate the defences and Wanderers won 2–0.
In the next season, Oxford again qualified for the final, this time to face the Royal Engineers at Kennington Oval on 14 March 1874. Vidal played again, setting up Charles Mackarness's goal as Oxford University romped with a 2–0 victory. Vidal became the only person to have played in all three of the first FA Cup Finals. However, he never played in a final again. The University side reached the semi-finals in the next year, 1875, but the Engineers exacted their revenge by winning 1–0.
He only received one cap for England. His cap came in the second official international football match, against Scotland on 8 March 1873 which England won 4–2.
Vidal also played for Old Westminsters and Remnants football clubs and in representative matches for London and The South v The North. He was a member of the Football Association committee in 1872 and 1874.
Read more about this topic: Walpole Vidal
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