In the final, played at the Kennington Oval on 29 March 1879, the Old Etonians met Clapham Rovers, for whom this was the first appearance in the final. Although Clapham dominated the early stages of the final, with Norman Bailey having two attempts on target, Whitfeld continued to run at the Clapham defenders with little assistance from his colleagues. After a goalless first-half, the only goal of the game came after 59 minutes, when Charles Clerke scored from close range following a run from Harry Goodhart. The old Etonians thus claimed the cup for the first time in what was considered to be "the poorest FA Cup Final to date" with Whitfeld being "the most skilful player on view".