An extremely scarce and early F.A. Cup Final programme Blackburn Rovers v West Bromwich Albion played at Kennington Oval, London, 3rd April 1886, 2d.

An extremely scarce and early F.A. Cup Final programme Blackburn Rovers v West Bromwich Albion played at Kennington Oval, London, 3rd April 1886, 2d. match card printed by Wright & Co., 41 St Andrews's Hill, London, E.C., printed both sides with line-ups and advertisement for F.H. Ayres sporting equipment manufacturers This programme was issued for the 15th F.A. Cup Final in 1886 and the auctioneer has only ever seen one earlier example, the match card issued for the 1882 Cup Final between Old Etonians and Blackburn Rovers in 1882, also played at the Kennington Oval, and sold at Graham Budd Auctions 13th May 2013, lot 895, for a World Record auction price of £30,000. The 1886 F.A. Cup Final finished goalless after 90 minutes. No formal arrangements regarding extra time were in place at this date, it would require agreement from both sides for the match to proceed on this basis. When the first instance of a drawn game arose in 1875, for example, the Royal Engineers and Old Etonians had both agreed before the match to play 30 minutes extra-time. However, the 1-1 deadlock was not broken and the Final proceeded to a replay. In 1886 West Bromwich Albion wanted to the play extra-time but Blackburn Rovers declined the request. The match therefore went to a replay played at Derbyshire County Cricket Club's Racecourse Ground a week later which Rovers won 2-0 through goals by Joe Sowerbutts and team captain James Brown. It was Blackburn Rovers's third successive victory in the F.A. Cup having beaten Queen's Park twice in 1884 and 1885. It was West Bromwich Albion's first appearance in a F.A. Cup Final. They would reach the final again the following season only to suffer heartbreak to local rivals Aston Villa. But it would prove to be a case of third time lucky as they lifted 'the little tin idol' in 1888 beating Preston North End 2-1.