Route To The Final
Old Etonians, the team for former pupils of Eton College, had reached the 1875 final but been defeated by Royal Engineers. Wanderers had won the competition in both 1872 and 1873 but had not progressed beyond the quarter-finals in the subsequent two seasons. Both teams entered the 1875–76 competition at the first round stage and were allocated matches at home. Wanderers defeated a team from the 1st Surrey Rifles regiment 5–0, and the Etonians overcame Pilgrims 4–1. In the second round Wanderers defeated Crystal Palace (not the modern club) 3–0 and the Etonians had an easy win over Maidenhead, scoring eight goals without reply.
At the quarter-final stage, Wanderers took on the world's oldest football club, Sheffield and won 2–0, and the Etonians gained a 1–0 victory over Clapham Rovers. Both semi-final matches took place at Kennington Oval in London, as stipulated in the original rules of the competition. The Etonians beat the 1874 FA Cup winners Oxford University 1–0 in the first semi-final, and a week later Wanderers clinched their place in the final, defeating the Slough-based club Swifts 2–1.
Read more about this topic: 1876 FA Cup Final
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