They entered the South Hants &amp; Dorset Senior Cup, which the Y.M.A. were precluded from entering as they did not have access to an enclosed ground. The works team defeated the Portsmouth Sunflowers 6–1 on 9 October 1886. The Sunflowers were run by Canon Norman Pares, who had played for the Old Etonians when they won the 1879 FA Cup Final. The Works team progressed to the final where they defeated Wimborne Town with a single goal. The umpire for the final was M. P. Betts who won the very first FA Cup Final with the Wanderers in 1872.