90 Years Of Wembley Stadium | Wembley Stadium This year Wembley Stadium celebrates its 90th birthday with a blockbuster calendar of events. While the new 90,000 stadium only opened in 2007, it is built on the site of the original Wembley Stadium that first appeared on the north London skyline in 1923. Originally the centrepiece of the British Empire Exhibition, the old Wembley Stadium was built in under a year at a cost of £750,000. Some 250,000 tons of clay had to be dug out to form the bowl of the stadium and the stands and terraces were built with 25,000 tons of concrete, reinforced with 600 tons of steel rods. The stadium became the symbol of English football, and the famous Twin Towers, which stood at the entrance, were iconic throughout the world. The FA Cup Final between Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United on 28 April 1923 was the first event to take place at Wembley Stadium.

The official attendance was 126,047, still the largest for any football match in England, but estimates of the number of people who entered the stadium put the number at around 200,000. A year later, international football made its debut as England drew 1-1 with Scotland. Since then Wembley has hosted 78 FA Cup Finals, 258 England senior internationals, the 1966 World Cup, 40 League Cup Finals, six European Cup Finals and Euro 96. But it’s not just football that has wowed Wembley... Great Britain won 23 medals at the 1948 Olympic Games, three of them gold, while Henry Cooper floored Cassius Clay in one of boxing’s best-ever bouts in 1963. Rugby League’s Challenge Cup Final has been a fixture here since 1929, while the glitz and glamour of the NFL has wowed the crowds since the 80s.

Greyhound racing, speedway, hockey, American wrestling and Evel Knievel are just some of the other stunning spectacles to have featured over the years and even the Pope graced Wembley’s hallowed turf in 1982! Wembley’s credentials as a music Mecca were boosted with the global phenomenon of Live Aid in 1985 and concerts by Queen in 1986, Michael Jackson in 1988 and the Rolling Stones in 1990. The last football match at the old stadium was England’s World Cup Qualifier against Germany on 7 October 2000. A crowd of 76,377 saw the Germans win 1-0 with Hamann’s free kick on 14 minutes. While Wembley was being rebuilt Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium hosted six FA Cup Finals and arguably the pick of them was the 2006 match between Liverpool and West Ham United, which the Merseysiders won on penalties after a 3-3 draw.

The new £750 million venue opened in 2007, and the most striking feature of the new stadium is the 133 metre high arch that towers over the North stand. The single largest roof structure in the world, the Wembley arch supports the north roof and 60% of the weight of the south roof. The Stadium also has a sliding roof that sits 52 metres above the pitch. Even though the roof does not completely close, it does cover every seat in the stadium, which makes Wembley the largest fully covered stadium in the world. The capacity is now 90,000, the second largest seating capacity in Europe, with the biggest attendance so far the 89,874 who watched the 2008 FA Cup Final featuring Portsmouth and Cardiff City. The first official match was an Under-21s friendly between England and Italy, an exciting 3-3 draw on 24 March. Chelsea became the first team to win The FA Cup at the new stadium as Didier Drogba’s strike saw-off Manchester United.

Blues’ captain John Terry scored England’s first goal at their new home in a 1-1 draw with Brazil two weeks later. Other landmarks moments so far include England v Kazakhstan in 2008 (which was watched by 89,107, still the record for an international at the new stadium), the UEFA Champions League Final between Barcelona and Manchester United in 2011, the football tournaments of the London 2012 Olympics and Muse’s 2007 H.A.A.R.P. tour which was voted Wembley’s Greatest Event in 2011. And this year, a festival of football awaits as the Champions League Final and a series of blockbuster England internationals lie ahead. And it’s not just football taking centre stage at Wembley in 2013, big name concerts include The Killers, Bruce Springsteen, Robbie Williams and Roger Waters. Here’s to another 90 years of magical moments... FA Cup by numbers - Telegraph FA Cup by numbers By Christopher Lyles 12:01AM GMT 05 Jan 2008 0 The official attendance for two third-round replays that were played behind closed doors.

The first was between Norwich City and Bradford City at Lincoln City's Sincil Bank ground in March 1915. Supporters were banned so as not to disrupt production at a nearby armaments factory. The second was between Leicester City and non-League Burton Albion at Coventry City's Highfield Road in 1985 when fans were banned because a missile had been thrown at the Burton goalkeeper in the first game. Football fans' forum 1 The number of clubs who have won the FA Cup at Wembley in the current millennium. Chelsea have done so twice, beating Aston Villa in 2000 and Manchester United last year. 1 Occasion that the FA Cup has been won by a non-League club, in 1901 when Southern League Tottenham Hotspur beat First Division Sheffield United in a replay at Bolton. 1 The number of non-English clubs who have won the FA Cup. Cardiff City became the first and only club to do so when they beat Arsenal 1-0 at Wembley in 1927. 1 Scottish club who have played in an FA Cup final. Queen's Park were runners-up in 1884 and 1885.

2 Clubs who have won the FA Cup in three successive years. Wanderers did so in 1876, 1877 and 1878 before Blackburn Rovers repeated the feat in 1884, 1885 and 1886. 3 Successive years (between 1956 and 1958) in which Leeds United were drawn at home to Cardiff City in the third round. Cardiff won all three matches 2-1. 3 Weeks between Wanderers winning the first FA Cup final in 1872 and being presented with the trophy at their annual dinner. 4 Times in seven seasons (including the current one) that Aston Villa and Manchester United have been drawn together in the third round. 4 FA Cup finals that have finished goalless. The last final without a goal was the 2005 contest between Arsenal and Manchester United, which Arsenal won 5-4 on penalties. The three previous goalless draws were in 1886, 1911 and 1912. 4 Players who have represented three different clubs in an FA Cup final.

They are Harold Halse (Manchester United, Aston Villa and Chelsea), Ernie Taylor (Newcastle United, Blackpool and Manchester United), John Barnes (Watford, Liverpool and Newcastle United) and Dennis Wise (Wimbledon, Chelsea and Millwall). 5 FA Cup final winning teams that have been managed by Sir Alex Ferguson, more than any other manager. 5 Occasions that Tottenham Hotspur have won the FA Cup when the year has ended in a "1". Spurs lifted the trophy in 1901, 1921, 1961, 1981 and 1991 (with their three other winning finals coming in 1962, 1967 and 1982). 5 FA Cup final goals scored by Ian Rush, more than any other player. 6 Games that it took for Alvechurch to beat Oxford City in the fourth qualifying round in 1971, the scores being 2-2, 1-1, 1-1, 0-0, 0-0 and (finally) 1-0. The FA Cup's longest ever tie lasted for an aggregate of 11 hours.

6 The number worn by Manchester United's Kevin Moran when he became the first player to be sent off in a Cup final, against Everton in 1985. 7 Years that Portsmouth were the FA Cup holders between 1939 and 1946, because of the Second World War. 8 Times that the FA Cup has been won by a club playing outside the top flight of English football. The last time was in 1980 when West Ham United beat Arsenal thanks to Trevor Brooking's rare headed goal. 9 Finals in which the Hon Arthur Kinnaird, who would later become president of the FA, played, a feat that remains unsurpassed. Kinnaird won three times with Wanderers, scoring in the 1873 and 1878 finals, and twice with Old Etonians. 9 Goals that Ted MacDougall scored when Bournemouth beat Margate 11-0 in a first-round match in 1971. MacDougall's feat is still an individual goalscoring record for the competition proper.

10 Times that the FA Cup has been successfully defended - three times each by Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers, twice by Tottenham Hotspur and once each by Newcastle United and Arsenal. 11 Times that Manchester United have won the FA Cup, more than any other club. United have also reached a record 18 finals. 11 Years between Wimbledon being elected into the Football League in 1977 and winning the FA Cup in 1988. 13 Successive finals between 1911 and 1927 in which the losing finalists failed to score. 15 Clubs who entered the first FA Cup tournament in 1871-72. 15 Penalties that have been awarded in FA Cup finals. The first player to miss in a final was Charlie Wallace, for Aston Villa against Sunderland at Crystal Palace in 1913. The first player to miss a Cup final penalty at Wembley was John Aldridge, for Liverpool against Wimbledon in 1988. 15 Years and 233 days, the age at which Gillingham striker Luke Freeman became the youngest player to appear in the competition proper when he featured in a first-round match at Barnet this season.

17 Years and 119 days, the age at which Millwall's Curtis Weston became the youngest player to appear in a final, when he came on as a late substitute for Dennis Wise in the 2004 final against Manchester United. 18 Years and 19 days, the age at which Norman Whiteside became the youngest player to score in a final when he netted Manchester United's second goal in their 4-0 replay victory over Brighton in 1983. 19 FA Cup goals scored by Preston North End's Jimmy Ross in a single season (1887-88), a competition record. Preston's 26-0 win against Hyde in the first round - a game in which Ross scored eight times - is also the biggest ever FA Cup victory. 20 Pounds, the cost of the original trophy, which was made by Messrs Martin, Hall & Co and was less than 18 inches high. 20 The number of times that Yeovil Town, as a non-League team, have beaten Football League clubs in the FA Cup.

22 The number worn by the Manchester City goalkeeper Len Langford in the 1933 final against Everton, the first when numbers featured. Everton wore numbers 1-11, while City were 12-22. Langford was powerless to prevent Dixie Dean scoring Everton's opening goal on their way to a comfortable 3-0 victory. 23 Years and 20 days, the age at which the late, great Bobby Moore became the youngest FA Cup-winning captain, when West Ham United beat Preston North End 3-2 at Wembley in 1964. 25 The record number of times that Arsenal and Manchester United have each reached the semi-finals. 33 Years that have elapsed since a final did not feature at least one of Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, Manchester United or Tottenham Hotspur. 40 Years that have elapsed since the 1968 final between West Bromwich Albion and Everton was the first to be televised in colour. 40 Years since West Bromwich Albion's Dennis Clarke became the first substitute to be used in a final. 42 Different clubs who have won the FA Cup.

The last first-time winners were Wimbledon, in 1988. 48 Goals that Henry "Harry" Cursham, of Notts County, scored in the FA Cup proper between 1877 and 1887, a record that still stands. Cursham, who also played two first-class cricket matches for Nottinghamshire, recorded seven FA Cup hat-tricks. 53 Years since an FA Cup match was first played under floodlights. The first time was when Kidderminster Harriers played Brierley Hill Alliance in a preliminary round replay in 1955. 55 Years since a hat-trick was last scored in a final, by Blackpool's Stan Mortensen in the "Matthews Final". 66 Days that it took to complete the third round in 1963, the year of the "Big Freeze" that led to the formation of the Pools Panel. 94 Years since King George V became the first reigning monarch to attend a final. He watched Burnley beat Liverpool 1-0 at Crystal Palace in 1914. 126 Years since an amateur team - Old Etonians - won the FA Cup.

136 Years since the first final was played. 731 Teams that were accepted into this season's FA Cup, a competition record. 2,000 Spectators who attended the first final - at Kennington Oval in 1872 - with each of them paying one shilling. Wanderers beat Royal Engineers 1-0. 74,924 The record crowd for a third-round tie is believed to be the 74,924 who packed into Old Trafford for last year's 2-1 victory over Aston Villa when Manchester United substitute Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sneaked a late winner. Henrik Larsson marked his United debut with the first. 126,047 The official crowd figure for the first Wembley final, between Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United, in 1923. In reality, more than 200,000 were believed to have made their way into the stadium after barriers were broken down. 750,000 Pounds, the cost of the original Wembley Stadium, built in 1923.

757,000,000 Pounds, the cost of the new Wembley Stadium. BBC - A History of the World - Object : 1923 FA Cup Final Medal 1923 FA Cup Final Medal The Empire Stadium, more commonly known as the original Wembley, was opened on 24th April 1923. Just 4 days later the first match was played there - The 1923 FA Cup Final. Uncle of Bryn Hughes, Richard Richards played in the game for West Ham against Bolton Wanderers. All players were awarded with a commemorative medal for playing. Bolton won the game by 2 goals to nil. Richard Richards was awarded this gold medal with "Football Assosiation Challenge Cup Runner Up" on the reverse of it. The official attendance for the game was a little over 126,000, however it is believed that there was actually around 300,000 people in the stadium that day. The crowd was so large that they spilled over onto the playing surface, delaying kick off for around 45 minutes.

Now remembered as an iconic image of the time - a policeman on a white horse had to force the crowd back to allow the match to begin, and so the final is now commonly remembered as "White Horse Final." When the new Wembley stadium was finished in 2007 one of the access bridges was named "The White Horse Bridge" in honour of the 1923 FA Cup Final.

Wembley Stadium (1923) - Razor Robotics Wembley Stadium (1923) The Twin Towers, Original Wembley Wembley Way at the Germany v England game Euro 96 Former names Wembley, London, England Coordinates 51°33′20″N 0°16′47″W﻿ / ﻿51.55556°N 0.27972°W﻿ / 51.55556; -0.27972Coordinates: 51°33′20″N 0°16′47″W﻿ / ﻿51.55556°N 0.27972°W﻿ / 51.55556; -0.27972 Owner Replaced 2007 by the new Wembley Stadium (also known as New Wembley) Construction cost Sir John William Simpson and Maxwell Ayrton Sir Owen Williams (1930) World Games 1985 The Original Wembley Stadium (/ˈwɛmbli/; formerly known as the Empire Stadium

) was a football stadium located in Wembley Park, London.

It stood on the site now occupied by its successor, the new Wembley Stadium. It was famous for hosting the annual FA Cup finals, five European Cup finals, the 1948 Summer Olympics, the 1966 World Cup Final, the final of Euro 96, and the 1992 and 1995 Rugby League World Cup Finals. The great Brazilian footballer Pelé once said of the stadium, "Wembley is the cathedral of football. It is the capital of football and it is the heart of football" in recognition of its status as the world's best-known football stadium. It also hosted numerous music events, including the 1985 Live Aid charity concert. The twin towers were an icon for England and Wembley, and their demolition in 2003 upset many members of the public. Debris from the Original Wembley Stadium was used to make the award-winning Northala Fields in Northolt, Ealing. History The twin towers of Wembley Stadium, 1995. The stadium's first turf was cut by King George V, and it was first opened to the public on 28 April 1923.

Much of Humphrey Repton's original Wembley Park landscape was transformed in 1922–23 during preparations for the British Empire Exhibition of 1924–25. First known as the British Empire Exhibition Stadium or simply Empire Stadium, it was built by Sir Robert McAlpine for the British Empire Exhibition of 1924 (extended to 1925). The stadium cost £750,000, and was constructed on the site of an earlier folly called Watkin's Tower. The architects were Sir John Simpson and Maxwell Ayrton and the Head Engineer Sir Owen Williams. It was originally intended to demolish the stadium at the end of the Exhibition, but it was saved at the suggestion of Sir James Stevenson, a Scot who was chairman of the organising committee for the Empire Exhibition. The ground had been used for football as early as the 1880s At the end of the exhibition, an entrepreneur Arthur Elvin (later to become Sir Arthur Elvin) started buying the derelict buildings one by one, demolishing them, and selling off the scrap. The stadium had gone into liquidation, after it was pronounced "financially unviable".

Elvin offered to buy the stadium for £127,000, using a £12,000 downpayment and the balance plus interest payable over ten years. After complications following the death of James White, the original Stadium owner, Elvin bought Wembley Stadium from the new owners, Wembley Company, at the original price, since they honoured Elvin's original deal. They then immediately bought it back from Elvin, leaving him with a healthy profit. Instead of cash he received shares, which gave him the largest stake in Wembley Stadium and he became chairman. The electric scoreboard and the all-encircling roof, made from aluminium and translucent glass, were added in 1963. The Royal Box in April 1986. The stadium's distinctive Twin Towers became its trademark and nickname. Also well known were the 39 steps needed to be climbed to reach the Royal box and collect a trophy (and winners'/losers' medals). Wembley was the first pitch to be referred to as "Hallowed Turf", with many stadia around the world borrowing this phrase. In 1934, the Empire Pool was built nearby.

The 'Wembley Stadium Collection' is held by the National Football Museum. The stadium closed in October 2000, and demolition commenced in December 2002, completing in 2003 for redevelopment. The top of one of the twin towers was erected as a memorial in the park on the north side of Overton Close in the Saint Raphael's Estate. Football Wembley is best known for hosting football matches, having hosted the FA Cup Final annually as well as numerous England International fixtures. White Horse Final Main article: 1923 FA Cup Final Billy the White Horse, saviour of the 1923 FA Cup Final The Empire Stadium was built in exactly 300 days at the cost of £750,000. Described as the world's greatest sporting arena, it was ready only 4 days before the "White Horse" Final in 1923. The FA had not considered admission by ticket, grossly underestimating the number of fans who arrived at the 104 gates on match day. However, after the game, every event, apart from the 1982 replay, was ticketed.

Crowds define the edges of the pitch The first event held at the stadium was the FA Cup final on 28 April 1923 between Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United. This is known as the White Horse Final. Such was the eagerness of fans and casual observers to attend the final at the new national stadium that vast numbers of people crammed through the 104 turnstiles into the stadium, far exceeding its official 127,000 capacity. The crowds overflowed onto the pitch as there was no room on the terraces. Estimates of the number of fans in attendance range from 240,000 to well over 300,000. It is estimated that another 60,000 were locked outside the gates. The FA were forced to refund 10% of the total gate money to fans unable to reach the terraces. The White Horse Final has the highest ever unofficial "non-racing" sports attendance in the world, which is very unlikely to be broken in the near future. It was thought that the match would not be played because of the volume of spectators inside the stadium that had spilled onto the pitch.

That was until mounted police, including Police Constable George Scorey and his white horse, Billy, slowly pushed the masses back to the sides of the field of play for the FA Cup Final to start, just 45 minutes late. In honour of Billy, the footbridge outside the new Wembley Stadium has been named the White Horse Bridge. The official attendance is often quoted as 126,047. The match was a 2–0 victory for Bolton Wanderers, with David Jack scoring the first ever goal at Wembley. Matthews Final Main article: 1953 FA Cup Final The 1953 FA Cup Final between Blackpool and Bolton Wanderers was dubbed the "Matthews Final" after Blackpool's winger Stanley Matthews. At 38, he was making his third and ultimately his final attempt at winning an FA Cup medal. In the previous six years, he failed to earn a winner's medal against Manchester United in 1948 and Newcastle United in 1951.

It featured a hat-trick by Blackpool's Stan Mortensen in his side's 4–3 win, with Matthews almost single-handedly turning the game around for Blackpool who had trailed 3–1 to Bolton Wanderers before fighting back to win the game. It remained the only hat-trick ever scored in an FA Cup Final at the original Wembley. The FA Cup final was played there in April or May until 2000 (excluding the 1970 replay when Chelsea beat Leeds at Old Trafford). It was also the venue for finals of the FA Amateur Cup, League Cup (except for the early years when this was settled on a home and away basis) and in later years the Associate Members' Cup and the Football League promotion play-off finals (in the early years of play-offs they were home and away fixtures). The 1988 final of the Middlesex Charity Cup was also played there. International fixtures England v Scotland in 1981 Prior to the 1923 Wembley stadium, international football games had been played by England at various different stadia.

Most early internationals (including the first ever international football match (1870)) were played at The Oval, which opened in 1845 as the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club and would in 1880 host the first Test match played in England. For the first 27 years the only International England games played at Wembley were fixtures against Scotland, with other games played elsewhere until 1951. The first team other than Scotland to face England at the venue was Argentina. In 1956 and 1971, it was the venue of the home matches of the Great Britain national football team for the qualification matches to the Summer Olympic Games against Bulgaria. In 1966 it was the leading venue of the World Cup. It hosted nine matches, including the final game, where the tournament hosts, England, won 4–2 after extra time against West Germany. Thirty years later, it was the principal venue of Euro 96, hosting all of England's matches, as well as the tournament's final, where reunified Germany won the cup for a third time, beating the Czech Republic 2–1 with the first international golden goal in football history.

Germany had beaten England on penalties in the semi final after a 1–1 draw, with Gareth Southgate missing a penalty for England in the shoot out. England's final two competitive games played at the stadium resulted in 0–1 defeats for England to Scotland and Germany respectively. The first defeat was in the play off for the Euro 2000 qualifiers in November 1999, but England still went through as they won the other leg 2–0 at Hampden Park. The very last game at Wembley, however, was the opening qualifier for the 2002 World Cup, and defeat prompted the resignation of England manager Kevin Keegan at the end of the game after just 18 months in charge. Club football Bristol Rovers v Tranmere Rovers Leyland DAF Cup Final in 1990 In all, the stadium hosted five European Cup finals. The first two were 1963 final between Milan and Benfica, and the 1968 final between Manchester United and Benfica.

In 1971 it again hosted the final, between Ajax and Panathinaikos, and once more in 1978, this time between Liverpool and Club Brugge, another in 1992, when Barcelona played Sampdoria. Wembley has also hosted two UEFA Cup Winners' Cup finals: in 1965, when West Ham United beat 1860 Munich, and in 1993, when Parma overcame Antwerp. It was also the venue for Arsenal's home Champions League matches in 1998–99 and 1999–2000. It has hosted an individual club's home matches on two other occasions, in 1930 when Leyton Orient played two home Third Division South games whilst their Lea Bridge Stadium was undergoing urgent remedial works, and in 1930–31 for eight matches by non-League Ealing A.F.C. It was also to be the home of the amateur club which made several applications to join the Football League, the Argonauts.

In March 1998, Arsenal made a bid to buy Wembley in hope of gaining a larger stadium to replace their Highbury ground which had a capacity of less than 40,000 and was unsuitable for expansion, but the bid was later abandoned in favour of building the 60,000 capacity Emirates Stadium which was opened in 2006. Last matches On 20 May 2000 the last FA Cup final to be played at the old Wembley saw Chelsea defeat Aston Villa with the only goal scored by Roberto Di Matteo. The final competitive club match there was the 2000 First Division play-off final on 29 May, between Ipswich Town and Barnsley, a 4–2 win resulting in promotion to the Premier League for Ipswich. The last club match of all was the 2000 Charity Shield, in which Chelsea beat Manchester United 2–0. The last international match was on 7 October in Kevin Keegan's last game as England manager. England were beaten 0–1 by Germany, with Dietmar Hamann scoring the very last goal at the original Wembley.

On that day, Tony Adams made his 60th Wembley appearance, a record for any player. Adams also claimed England's final goal at the stadium, having scored in the previous home fixture against Ukraine on 31 May. Other sports Rugby league A marching band entertains the incoming crowd prior to the 1956 Rugby League Cup Final In the sport of rugby league, the RFL held its Challenge Cup final at Wembley from 1929 onwards. The stadium was also regularly used by the sport for major international matches, such as Great Britain versus Australia. In 1949 the France national rugby league team became the first French national team of any sport to win at Wembley. The largest crowd for a Challenge Cup final at Wembley was set in 1985 when Wigan beat Hull F.C.

28–24 in front of 99,801 spectators, which as of 2014 remains the second highest rugby league attendance in England behind only the 1954 Challenge Cup final replay at Bradford's Odsal Stadium when a then world record attendance of 102,575 saw Warrington defeat Halifax 8–4 (the original 1954 cup final at Wembley, drawn 4–4, was played in front of 81,841 fans). The stadium set the international record crowd for a rugby league game when 73,631 turned out for the 1992 Rugby League World Cup Final between Great Britain and Australia (since beaten by the 74,468 attendance for the 2013 RLWC Final at Old Trafford). The Mal Meninga-led Australian team won the game 10–6 on the back of a Steve Renouf try in the north-east corner and Meninga's goal kicking. The 1995 World Cup final between England Australia was also played at Wembley with 66,540 spectators watching Australia win 16–8.

The final of the 1999 Challenge Cup was the last to be played at the stadium and was attended by 73,242 fans, with the annual fixture moving to other grounds (Murrayfield Stadium, Millennium Stadium and Twickenham) before returning to the new Wembley upon its completion in 2007. Internationals Played as part of the Super League Test series 1948 Summer Olympics Wembley was the main athletics venue for the 1948 Summer Olympics, with Fanny Blankers-Koen and Emil Zátopek among the notable winners. The Stadium also hosted the semifinals and finals of the Olympic hockey and football tournaments, the Prix des Nations event in the equestrian competition, and a demonstration match of lacrosse. Speedway Main articles: Wembley Lions (speedway) and Speedway World Championship Motorcycle speedway first took place at Wembley in 1929, and operated until the outbreak of World War II in 1939, a few days before the 1939 World Championship Final was due to be held, but was cancelled as a result of the war.

The Wembley Lions returned in 1946 and operated in the top flight until the end of the 1956 season winning a number of League titles. A short lived revival saw the Lions in the British League in the 1970 and 1971 seasons. Lionel Van Praag (1936), Tommy Price (1949), and Freddie Williams (1950 and 1953), all won World Championships whilst riding for Wembley. The ashes for the speedway track were supplied by Richard Biffa Ltd who's operating base at the time was in Wembley Hill Road. Richard Biffa later became Biffa Waste Services. The Lions were formed by the Wembley Stadium chairman Sir Arthur Elvin. Between 1936 and 1960 Wembley hosted all of the first 15 finals of the Speedway World Championship.

It hosted another nine World Finals before the last one at Wembley took place in 1981 in front of 92,500 fans, just shy of the venues record speedway attendance of 95,000 set at the 1938 World Final. Riders who won the World Championship at Wembley include; inaugural champion Lionel Van Praag (Australia), Jack Milne (United States), Bluey Wilkinson (Australia), Tommy Price (England), Freddie Williams (Wales), Jack Young (Australia – the first two-time winner, first back-to-back winner and the first second division rider to win the title), Ronnie Moore (New Zealand), Ove Fundin (Sweden), Barry Briggs (New Zealand), Peter Craven (England), Björn Knutsson (Sweden), Ole Olsen (Denmark), Bruce Penhall (United States – the winner of the 1981 World Final), and legendary New Zealand rider Ivan Mauger. With four wins, Sweden's Ove Fundin won the most World Championships at Wembley, winning in 1956, 1960, 1963 and 1967.

Wembley also hosted the Final of the Speedway World Team Cup in 1968, 1970 and 1973 won by Great Britain (1968 and 1973) and Sweden (1970). The speedway track at Wembley Stadium was 345 metres (377 yards) in length and was notoriously difficult to ride for those not used to it. Despite regularly being used for World Championship and other British championship meetings, Wembley long had a reputation as a track that was difficult to pass on which often led to processional racing. Among those who never performed well there despite their credentials include 1973 World Champion Jerzy Szczakiel (who won his title at home in Poland and two weeks later under difficult circumstances failed to score in the World Team Cup Final at Wembley), while others such as Ivan Mauger and Ole Olsen often seemed to find their best form at the stadium. The track itself was located inside of the greyhound racing track, but intersected the stadiums playing field at the corners. The pits were located in the tunnel at the eastern end of the stadium.

The track record at Wembley will forever be held by Denmark's World Champion of 1984, 1985 & 1988 Erik Gundersen. In Heat 6 of the 1981 World Final, Gundersen set the 4-lap record (clutch start) of 66.8 seconds. As this was the last time the stadium was used for speedway racing it remains the track record. Stock car racing Two meetings were held at Wembley in 1974 promoted by Trevor Redmond. The first meeting held featured BriSCA Formula 1 Stock Cars and National Hot Rods. The second meeting featured the BriSCA Formula 2 Stock Cars World Final with F1's in support. Before the first meeting the Wembley groundsman threatened to resign over possible damage to the hallowed turf. The pitch was surrounded by wooden beams and little damage was caused. Rugby union Though the venue was not traditionally a regular host of rugby union matches, England played a friendly against Canada on 17 October 1992, as their regular home stadium at Twickenham was undergoing redevelopment.

Wales played their Five Nations and autumn international home matches at Wembley (as Twickenham Stadium would not accommodate them) while Cardiff Arms Park was being rebuilt as the Millennium Stadium in the late 1990s (a deal reciprocated for FA Cups during the construction of the new Wembley Stadium). In total there were seven internationals. Date Greyhound racing Main article: Wembley Greyhounds Wembley was a regular venue for greyhound racing. It was the first sport Sir Arthur Elvin introduced to the stadium. The opening meeting was in 1927. The greyhound racing provided the stadium with its main source of regular income, especially in the early decades, and continued to attract crowds of several thousand up until the early 1960s. The stadium staged its last greyhound race meeting in December 1998 with the owners, the Greyhound Racing Association, citing economic reasons and the lack of plans for a greyhound track in the stadium's redevelopment.

Two of the biggest events in the greyhound racing calendar are the St Leger and Trafalgar Cup Both were originally held at Wembley, the St Leger from 1928 until 1998 after which it moved to Wimbledon Stadium and the Trafalgar Cup from 1929 until 1998 after which it moved to Oxford Stadium. In 1931 the famous greyhound Mick the Miller won the St Leger. Wembley's owners' refusal to cancel the regular greyhound racing meant that the match between Uruguay and France in the 1966 FIFA World Cup was played at White City. American football The National Football League held nine preseason American football games at Wembley between 1983 and 1993. The Minnesota Vikings and the St. Louis Cardinals played the first game on 6 August 1983. The Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys played the last game on 8 August 1993. The United States Football League also played an exhibition game there on 21 July 1984 between the Philadelphia Stars and Tampa Bay Bandits.

The London Monarchs of the World League of American Football played at the venue in 1991 and 1992. Wembley hosted World Bowl '91 the inaugural World Bowl where the Monarchs defeated the Barcelona Dragons 21–0. Gaelic football From 1958 until the mid-1970s, hurling and gaelic football tournaments known as the "Wembley Tournaments" were held at Wembley Stadium to bring the Irish sports to expatriates in Britain at the time. Several Gaelic football games were played in Wembley Stadium, most of them exhibition matches, most notably Kerry and Down in 1961. Other events The stadium also staged women's field hockey matches in which England appeared in their annual match between 1951 and 1969 and then from 1971 to 1991. On 26 May 1975, in front of 90,000 people, Evel Knievel crashed while trying to land a jump over 13 single decker city buses, an accident which resulted in his initial retirement from his daredevil life.

In 1992, the World Wrestling Federation (now known as WWE) drew a sellout of 80,355 when SummerSlam was hosted at Wembley Stadium. The main event featured English wrestler Davey Boy Smith winning the Intercontinental Championship from Bret Hart. As of April 2016, the WWE considers this to be their fourth largest live gate in history behind only WrestleMania 32 (2016) which drew a reported 101,763, WrestleMania III (1987) which drew a reported 93,173 and WrestleMania 29 (2013) which drew 80,676 fans. Music The stadium became a musical venue in August 1972 with The London Rock and Roll Show, an all star concert. It later played host to a number of concerts and events, most notably the British leg of Live Aid, which featured such acts as David Bowie, Queen, Paul McCartney, Elton John, The Who, Dire Straits and U2, held at the stadium on 13 July 1985.

Phil Collins made news by performing at Wembley, then boarding a helicopter to London Heathrow Airport, taking a British Airways Concorde to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and performing at that segment of Live Aid at JFK Stadium on the same day. Other charity concerts which took place in the stadium were the 1988 Human Rights Now!, The Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute Concert, Nelson Mandela: An International Tribute for a Free South Africa Concert, The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness and the NetAid charity concert. Acts who played at Wembley Stadium include: Michael Jackson (15 times, most by any artist in the history of Wembley Stadium, selling over 1.1 million tickets in the process) During Michael Jackson's Bad World Tour in 1988, seven sold out concerts were staged at Wembley which included five in a row, and two at a later date. Each concert had an attendance of 72,000 people. According to the Guinness Book of World Records Jackson set a new world record with 504,000 people attending the seven sold out concerts. Over two million people tried to buy tickets.

More concerts could have been staged but the stadium's quota was full. These seven concerts were highly anticipated and created huge media attention. He was also given a special award by Wembley Stadium Officials for achieving this milestone. The concert on 16 July 1988 (One of the seven sell-out concert) was attended by Princess Diana and Prince Charles. The DVD of this concert (Michael Jackson: Live at Wembley July 16, 1988) was released on 18 September 2012 as part of the 25th Anniversary reissue of his 1987 hit album Bad and as well as a stand-alone DVD. A further five sold out concerts followed in 1992 during his Dangerous World Tour and his last three shows in 1997 during HIStory World Tour brought total tickets sale over 1.1 million. To date, this record is not broken.

Hezekiah Walker and his choir, The Love Fellowship Crusade Choir performed in 1997 for their album Live In London Celine Dion (twice, including 11 & 12 July 1999 as part of her Let's Talk About Love World Tour, performing to 80,000 people each night) Tina Turner (five times at Wembley Stadium, three in 1996 and two in 2000. She had five sold out concerts recorded during her Twenty Four Seven Tour for the live tour DVD in the year 2000).

Madonna (9 times, including 18, 19, 20 August 1987, 20, 21, 22 July 1990 and 25 and 26 September 1993, 22 September 2008) The Animals (twice, once 1965 performing three songs at the NME Poll Winners Concert and the other on 31 December 1983, during their reunion tour, which was released as "Rip It To Shreds!" in 1984) Oasis (two times, and recorded their video and album Familiar to Millions at Wembley, which was also the last UK band to headline at the old Wembley) Guns N' Roses (in 1991 Izzy Stradlin played his last show as an official member.

Nine Inch Nails also performed as the opening act on 31 August 1991) Queen (two shows in July 1986, on the Magic Tour, with the concert on 12 July recorded for a live album with edited video released on VHS as Queen at Wembley and full version released on DVD as Queen: Live at Wembley Stadium) David Bowie (two nights on the Glass Spider Tour on 20 June 1987) Genesis (played four consecutive sold out concerts on 1 July 1987, on the Invisible Touch Tour with a total attendance of nearly 300,000. Shows were filmed for Genesis Live at Wembley Stadium) Johnny Cash (played in 1979, recorded for the BBC in 1981 and 1986) The Who (18 August 1979: "The Who And Friends Roar In". Following a series of smaller warm-ups this was the band's first major concert after the death of drummer Keith Moon the previous year.

INXS (the Concert was recorded and released as a VHS/DVD with the name Live Baby Live) Pink Floyd (2 nights in August 1988, on the A Momentary Lapse of Reason Tour, World War II search lights were used outside the stadium for dramatic effect for approaching fans) The Spice Girls (two times, one of which was recorded and released as a VHS/DVD) The Bee Gees ("One Night Only" Tour in 1998 to a crowd in excess of 56,000) Simple Minds (played in August 1989) Elton John (7 times, including 1975, 1984, 1992 and 1998 and with Eric Clapton in June 1992. He headlined The Summer of 84 concert, part of his European Express Tour, along with bands such as Paul Young, Kool and The Gang and Wang Chung. The show was recorded for a Showtime concert special.) Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band (played three times on the 1984–85 Born in the U.S.A.

Tour, twice on the 1988 Tunnel of Love Express Tour) The Rolling Stones (12 times between 1982, (4 July) 1990, 1995 and 1999) U2 (9 times between 1985 and 1997) including two nights on the 4th (European) leg of their "Zooropa" tour on 11–12 August 1993. Eagles (2 nights in 1996 as part of their Hell Freezes Over Tour.) Bon Jovi played three consecutive nights in June 1995, which were filmed for Live from London. They were also the last musical act to play at the old Wembley before it was closed, and they were scheduled to be the first band to play at the new Wembley Stadium, with concerts on 10 and 11 June 2006. However, due to the delays in the construction of the new stadium, the concerts were moved to the much smaller National Bowl in Milton Keynes.They had also previously played on 18 August 2000.

Cliff Richard played 16 and 17 June 1989. The concert was recorded and released as From a Distance: The Event album and VHS/DVD. Guests included The Shadows, Aswad, Kalin Twins, The Searchers, Gerry and the Pacemakers, The Dallas Boys, The Vernons Girls, Stock Aitken Waterman, Tony Meehan and Jet Harris. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young played 14 September 1974. Guests included Joni Mitchell, The Band, Jesse Colin Young. Metallica played on 26 August 1995, along with Skid Row and Slayer. Aerosmith with support from Lenny Kravitz were the guests at the Twin Towers Ball on 26 June 1999. In popular culture Literature Cecil Freeman Gregg's crime novel Tragedy at Wembley (Methuen, 1936) sees his detective character Inspector Cuthbert Higgins investigate a murder at the stadium. Cinema The stadium features in the opening scene of the film The King's Speech (2010).

The 1948 Olympic Marathon and the 1923 Stadium feature in the South Korean war film My Way (2011), though the marathon is clearly filmed in Riga, rather than London, and the stadium standing in for Wembley has an anachronistic electronic scoreboard. Television John Betjeman is shown standing in the Stadium in his 1973 BBC film Metroland, though, as John Bale has pointed out in Anti-Sport Sentiments in Literature: Batting for the Opposition (Routledge, 2007), he shows no real interest in Wembley's sporting connections, either here or elsewhere. In Nigel Kneale's 1979 Quatermass, in which ancient stone circles turn out to be locations designed by aliens to harvest young humans, the Stadium is revealed to have been built on the site of a stone circle ("the Sacred Turf they call it", says Professor Quatermass, "I wonder what's underneath?") In episode 11 of the 2nd series of the revived Doctor Who, the Doctor recalls visiting the 1948 London Olympics and says that he wanted to light the Olympic Flame.

Urban myth There is a persistent myth that a small locomotive met with a mishap when Watkin's Folly was being demolished, or the Empire Stadium built, and was buried under what became the "sacred turf" (though in some versions it is a carriage filled with rubble). When the Stadium was rebuilt no locomotive or carriage (or stone circle…) was found, though the foundations of Watkin's tower were. The FA Cup | FA Cup Final History Online | Results & Scores Top 10 FA Cup Matches of All Time The FA Cup's Early Years... The voices of history gather and the appeal of history is imaginative. Imagination craves to behold the past. Consider all that is implicit in that single word 'past', the more so when its wings are folded around such an historic cavalcade of names as the amateurs of the Wanderers, Old Etonians, Royal Engineers and Oxford University, to be succeeded at the birth of professionalism by the likes of Blackburn Rovers, Aston Villa, Preston North End, Newcastle United, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and the rest.

Now we stand in the purple dignity of their collective shadow and, applauding, turn back to that past so that we may 'roam' in a crowded mist and hear lost voices and see lost looks'. The Football Association 'Challenge Cup'. That is its proud title, but to the world it is known simply as 'The Cup'. How profound has been its influence on the world game. There is a charm about this great competition since it is the most democratic of contests. The giants cannot disport themselves in their own world; they must be ready to face the dwarfs of lower spheres and very often they fall with a resounding crash. This is the intriguing David and Goliath character of the competition, here lies its fascination. It was C. W. Alcock, Secretary of the F.A. from 1870 to 1895 who launched the idea of the Cup. Educated at Harrow School, he had taken part there in the Cock House Competition, a system of House matches based on the knock-out principle. The F.A. Cup, indeed, was the adaptation on a national scale of school days so that in October 1871 fifteen teams formed an initial entry.

History took a deep breath and prepared for the plunge. 1871: it is mid-Victorian England - the age of Gladstone and Disraeli, which saw the beginnings of social and industrial reform; the age of the horse and carriage; of the top-hat and cloth cap; of extravagant beards and mutton chop whiskers; of Dickens; which brought the curtailment of long working hours and, importantly, the unique social creation, the Saturday half-holiday. It was this that did as much as anything to help popularise football with the community. The magic of the Cup, too - soon affectionately known as 'the little tin idol' - spread rapidly. By 1882, a mere decade after its start, the entries had grown from 15 to 84; by 1885, when professionalism was legalised, 130 clubs set out in search of the prize. The oak tree had begun to take shape from the acorn. The Cup Final has had three historic homes. First, it was the Kennington Oval from 1872 to 1892, with the exception of its second year.

Since, initially, it was meant to be a challenge cup the winner of the previous season was exempt until the final with a choice of ground. The Wanderers, as holders, in 1873 chose Lillie Bridge for the climax, a site now occupied by railway sidings at West Brompton near to Stamford Bridge. After that year, however, the challenge round was abandoned and the holders, rightly, had to take their chance against the whole field. In 1893 the scene changed to The Crystal Palace where, apart from five replays at the turn of the century, it stayed until 1914. After the first World War there followed three brief visits to Chelsea's Stamford Bridge before the remarkable birth of Wembley in 1923. And there it stayed until 2000 but with a difference.

The whole rim of this world famous stadium, with its lush Cumberland turf, was enclosed with a roof as protection against the elements: once, at the start, the final was no all ticket affair which led to the initial 1923 invasion by a multitude estimated at 200,000 covering the pitch itself like a swarm of insects and holding up the kick-off for three quarters of an hour while His Majesty King George V stood patiently watching the remarkable scene from the royal box. Once upon a time, too, the teams used to emerge into the arena from the west end of the stadium, now they enter from the east underneath the giant electric scoreboard. Life moves on. It may be of some interest to record that in 1876 the Druids became the first Welsh side to enter the Cup, an event which brought a distant echo in 1927 when Cardiff City became the first and only side ever to take the trophy out of England.

It must be added, also, that during the formative years there came challengers from Scotland in the persons of Queen's Park - the Glasgow amateurs, Third Lanark, Rangers, Heart of Midlothian, Renton, Cowlairs and Partick Thistle, while Ireland sent Cliftonville from Belfast. In 1885, indeed, when Queen's Park, Glasgow, drew with Nottingham Forest at Derby in the semi-final round, the F.A. directed the replay to be held at the Merchiston Castle ground in Edinburgh - the only time a semi-final tie has been played out of England. Nottingham Forest , in fact, alone of all clubs hold the unique distinction of having played F.A. cup-ties in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. The first major turning point of the years came in 1882 when the Old Etonians beat Blackburn Rovers in the final. So delighted at the outcome was the Etonian captain, Hon. A. F. Kinnaird, of the red beard and long white trousers, soon to be an Earl and President of the Football Association, that he jumped for joy and celebrated the victory by standing on his head in front of the Oval Pavilion.

But little did he know that was the end of the epoch. It was the last triumph of the true blue amateurs of the south as the curtain fell on a golden age. The following year the 'little tin idol' went north for the first time when the artisans of Blackburn Olympic beat the Etonian Establishment 1-0. What a home coming Olympic were given. Cheering crowds and brass bands marked the triumphal route as the team, with Warburton holding the Cup aloft, were driven through the city of Blackburn in a wagonette drawn by six horses. Somebody in the crowd shouted: "isn't that t'Coop? Why, its like a tea kettle"'. Warburton's reply was to the point: "Ey, lad. But it's very welcome to Lancashire. It'll ne'er go back to Lunnon". Nor did it. On the night of September 11, 1895, the 'little tin idol' ceased to exist. Won by Aston Villa that season, it was stolen while on display in the shop window of William Shillcock, football and football boot manufacturer, of Newton Row, Birmingham. it was never found. The F.A.

replaced it with an exact replica and so came into existence the second cup. However, the trophy to be seen gleaming in the Royal Box this afternoon is actually the third in the long history of the competition. Presented in 1911 by the F.A. and more handsome in design than its predecessors, it was the work of Messrs Fattorini and Sons, silversmiths of Bradford. By an odd coincidence the first to win it were Bradford City on the only occasion this Yorkshire town has been involved in a Cup Final. Events move in a mysterious way! Flicking through the pages of history it can be seen that the nineteenth century drew to a close with the midlands, east and west, showing its power. Here were Wolverhampton Wanderers, Aston Villa (twice), County and Nottingham Forest collecting the prize, with West Bromwich Albion, Wolves again, and Derby County (twice) being runners-up between 1893 and 1899. That Wolves' victory of 1893 was their first success and to mark it there stands to this day in Wolverhampton a memorial.

A speculative builder, purchasing the Dudley Road ground (the home of the club before its move to Molineux), built on the site several rows of houses and called them Fallowfield Terrace. Fallowfield was the stadium of the Manchester Athletic Club where the final was played temporarily, following the refusal of the Surrey County Cricket Club any more to permit football on the Kennington Oval Pitch. Surmounting the gate-posts of each house of that terrace - each one of which is named after a member of that Wolves' team - there stands a replica of the Cup in stone. The birth of the twentieth century brought something fresh. The year 1901 saw Tottenham Hotspur at last bring back the Cup to the south for the first time in 20 years and they did so as members of the Southern League, a unique distinction which is unlikely ever to be equalled again. Beyond that, too, The Crystal Palace ground itself at Sydenham created a world record with a crowd of 110,820. Never before had such an attendance gathered for a match anywhere. Every available inch of space was filled on the great Notts banks and in the stands.

Those less fortunate or more daring, left Mother Earth and took to the fringes of trees nesting in the branches like so many rooks. There was scarcely a solitary soul left in North London and Tottenham itself that day resembled Goldsmith's deserted village. One remarkable milestone on the long and winding road of events was the dramatic experiences of Newcastle United at The Crystal Palace. Between 1905 and 1911 they reached the final five times, plus one semi-final, in seven seasons. During that spell, too, they became League champions on three occasions. The classiest team in the land, the Crystal Palace put a jinx on them. They never lifted the cup there once, though in 1910 they did succeed at last against Barnsley but in a replay at Everton after a 1-1 draw at The Palace. Curiously, however, Wembley itself put the record straight. The scales were balanced when the song of the Blaydon Races swept the trophy to the north-east five times as Newcastle triumphed in 1924, '32, '51, '52 and '55.

In 1914 a new mark was made when King George V visited Crystal Palace to become the first reigning monarch to attend the Cup Final. Liverpool played Burnley and as a gesture to the County Palatine the King wore a red rose in his button hole. A special high water mark came in 1913 when Aston Villa beat Sunderland 1-0. It was their fifth victory in the competition, equalling the record five wins in the nineteenth century of the Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers. Also it was the only occasion so far that the sides standing first and second in the League have contested the final. Sunderland , in fact, won the League so it was a fair division of honours. The crowd, too, provided a new world record of 120,081. The year 1923 saw the dramatic birth of Wembley. With invading hordes slowly pushed back to form a human Bolton Wanderers beat West Ham United. There might have been a panic, but there was not. The first Wembley final, indeed, came to the very brink of a disaster, only British humour and a merciful providence saving the day.

The match itself seemed the least important part of an extravagant afternoon. At the end a fiery Irishman with utter astonishment, remarked: "To fink that not a pistol went off." Most memorable of any climax so far played at Wembley stand the 'Matthews final' of 1953. That was surely the master's finest hour as Blackpool pulled back in the closing 20 minutes from 1-3 down to win 4-3 in the dying seconds. At the end Matthews was chaired with his captain Harry Johnston - a unique honour and as each held the cup aloft to a cheering populace the sun glinted and danced on the silver baubles. Watching and playing football games is now the chosen past time of many countries both in reality and with simulation based games like Fifa . Today the apotheosis of the British game is the Cup Final , it is a day of carnival when a whole nation is joined as one. This is the golden coin that was thrown into the pond of 1871. A Cup tie fought to the death may be prolonged almost to eternity, but not quite. One of the two must go at last.

There must inevitably be tragedy and if this is a truism it is none the less tragic. There may be much known in defeat, but defeat it is and one day in springtime only one winner remains. There lies it's magic. Take a look at the Wembley National Stadium for more visuals and information on this fantastic venue where the FA Cup Final is held every year. Our Thanks to Getty Images We personally thank Getty Images for allowing us to embed some of their fantastic FA Cup photos into our match reports, they really do help bring back vivid and exciting memories to fans of both teams in each cup final. © FA Cup Finals. The history of the fa cup. The Black-And-White Years: The Chaos, Crowds And Confusion Of The 1923 ‘White Horse’ FA Cup Final At Wembley (Photos) | Who Ate all the Pies Who Ate All The Pies 1 Comment By Chris Wright This year marks the 90th anniversary of the first FA Cup Final to be played at Wembley – or the Empire Stadium as it was then known – when Bolton Wanderers met West Ham on 28th April, 1923.

The madness began three-and-a-half hours before a ball was kicked, as thousands upon thousands of fans swarmed into the stadium and out onto the pitch. According to the FA, 125,000 supporters were expected to turn out though, such was the fervour to attend the cup final at the newly-opened stadium, it’s estimated that the actual number was closer to 300,000. That said, the attendance for the game is still officially listed as “just” 126,047. Due to the huge numbers of fans surging onto the pitch, the police were bought in to quell the crowds – with a gargantuan white police horse named “Billy” becoming the defining image of the day. To this day the 1923 final is referred to as “The White Horse Final”, while the “ White Horse Bridge ” outside the new Wembley Stadium is so called to commemorate Billy’s exemplary work all those years ago… Hundreds of thousands of fans cram into the Empire Stadium before kick-off.

Billy the white police horse is just about visible in the upper-left corner of the pitch The two captains, West Ham’s George Kay (left) and Bolton’s Joe Smith (right) pose for a photograph amid the chaos Bolton goalkeeper Dick Pym (left) and teammate David Jack (right) turn away as police try to push back the huge crowd from the pitch and back up into the terraces Fans shrink back from the touchline as the action threatens to spill over into the crowd The Bolton players are engulfed by fans as they attempt to make their way back into the dressing rooms King George V (right) surveys the madness from the Royal Box Having eventually run out as 2-0 winners thanks to goals from David Jack and captain Joe Smith, the victorious Bolton team pose with the FA Cup. West Ham manager (or “trainer” as they were then known) Charlie Paynter actually partially blamed Billy the horse for his side’s defeat, claiming that, “It was that white horse thumping its big feet into the pitch that made it hopeless.

Our wingers were tumbling all over the place, tripping up in great ruts and holes” One of the very few surviving match programmes from the 1923 FA Cup Final at The Empire Stadium (Photos: PA)

Question: Who won the FA Cup in 1923, the year it was first played at Wembley?
Answer: Bolton Wanderers