Manchester United green and gold scarf
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Newton Heath, or Manchester United as we know it today, played their very first FA Cup match on this day 140 years ago. It was a noteworthy campaign that ended in a forfeit.
The history of Manchester United stretches back to 1878, when it was called Newton Heath LYR Football Club, founded by the Carriage and Wagon department at the Newton Heath depot of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway.
There was no Old Trafford in those days, so Newton Heath played at North Road. Their first competitive match was played in the 1883/84 season. They also wore green and gold rather than red.
However, in 1886, Newton Heath played in the FA Cup for the first time. The match ended in controversy and started a brief boycott by the club of the competition, which lasted until 1889.
Here’s a throwback to Newton Heath’s first FA Cup encounter in 1886.
Man Utd forfeit FA Cup debut against Fleetwood Rovers
On October 30, 1886, Newton Heath played their first-ever FA Cup match. A first-round tie against Fleetwood Rovers at Fleetwood Park, in front of a crowd of approximately 2,000 fans.
Jack Doughty scored a brace for Newton Heath, including the opener after 10 minutes, but it wasn’t enough to secure a win away from home. The referee proposed extra time at the end of normal time, but Heathens’ captain Jack Powell refused.
This meant United forfeited the tie and Fleetwood Rovers progressed to the next round. It led to a boycott of the FA Cup by Newton Heath until 1889. Reports at the time claim there was belief that Fleetwood Rovers fielded ineligible players, which may explain why the Heathens were reluctant to play extra time.
Newton Heath’s FA Cup debut may not have been a positive one, but it certainly made history, given the controversial manner of their exit. The football club was very, very different in those days and was funded by a railroad company.
United won the FA Cup for the first time in 1909, but had to wait until 1948 to win it again.