31st Oct 1885 Queen's Park 5 Partick Thistle 1 (FA Cup 1st Round)

matches:1885-86: ← 10game 1112 →

Match Information

					J. Sutherland
					Jerry Suter
George Somerville (1-1, 1st half); David Allan (1-2, 46 mins); Alec Hamilton (1-3, 47 mins); George Somerville (1-4, 2nd half); ? (1-5, 2nd half)					Andrew Johnston (1-0, 1st half)
			future Jag George Gillespie		Andrew Duff			26y, 6m, 21d
			Walter Arnott		John Hendry
			Andrew Watson		Bobby Brown			23y, 10m, 25d
			Charles Campbell		H. Eadie
			John Gow		Robert Middleton			23y, 4m, 14d
			John Lambie		Bob Marshall			21y, 0m, 1d
			Alec Hamilton		James Miller
			George Somerville		Bob Robertson			20y, 5m, 9d
			David Allan		John Marshall			35y, 7m, 0d
			William Harrower		J. Sutherland
			Woody Gray		Andrew Johnston			20y, 0m, 19d
								24y, 4m, 31d

notes

QP's no.2 is listed as “Walters”, explained as a psuedonym for Walter Arnott by the QP historians. Our teamlines follow the GH, although we are uneasy about it from the Thistle perspective as EY quotes Boag (which would be his only known game for the first team if true) and Suter in the play. We've checked at least 10 “reports” in the BNA but they are not helpful. The DC is the only one to mention Thistle players, namely Duff, Suter, Miller and Johnston. In favour for the GH, the Queen's Park line-up is fully corroborated by respected publications, HQP and QPC. As a “something or nothing” point of observation, we note the similarity letter-wise of J. Suter to J. Sutherland. One other “issue” in the GH is the naming of a T. Hendry at #2 for Thistle (the paper takes the unusual step of giving all eleven Thistle players at least one first name letter in this match). We don't know of a T. Hendry at this time, with John Hendry and A. Hendrie being the only known candidates from the playing pool. Never having identified A. Hendrie properly, we speculate that the T. Hendry could stand for Tony Hendry, which could be translated as Anthony Hendrie. The other (more likely) solution is that T. Hendry is simply a typo for John Hendry. John is the regular #2, is quoted in the EY report for this game, and played in the Scottish Cup team of last week, all of which give strength to his claim, and we therefore allocate the appearance to him.

match data help required

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Match Report

TTA report

Queens started strongly but gradually the game evened out and chances were made by both teams. Thistle took the lead through Johnston after a fine run down the left “amidst loud applause” (GH). This only served to spur Queens on and after equalising before half-time they had all the play in the second half.

Media report

Richard Robinson, History of the Queen's Park Football Club, 1920

It was rather remarkable to see an English Cup tie being played at Hampden Park between two Scottish clubs—namely, Queen's Park and Partick Thistle—an event sufficient to rouse the ire of the Scottish Association, whose patience in this connection must by this time have been quite exhausted. Murmurs went round at this encroachment on the jurisdiction of the Scottish body, and the public at home did not approve of this lack of patriotism on the part of clubs who Played under the banner of the Thistle, acknowledging the superior jurisdiction of the Rose, for at this period the Football Association claimed to be the head and front of Association football. At this very time, however, the Football Association was preparing to climb down, and did so in 1886, when the International Board was agreed upon. These murmurings heralded the storm which burst out in the spring of 1887, with the result that Scottish clubs were forbidden to compete for the English, or any other national trophy. An exception was made in the case of the "Dewar" and " Sheriff of London" Charity Shields.

Queen's Park and Partick Thistle met in a first-round tie for the English Cup at Hampden Park, 31st October, 1885. Though previous to this match fault had been found with the Queen's Park players for lack of condition, a vast improvement was observable, and they came out of the contest with flying colours. Partick Thistle drew first blood, and this was their only goal. Scores were equal at half-time—one each. Then the senior team showed its vast superiority, and, scoring goal after goal, won finally by 5-1. There was not a laggard in the Queen's Park team. Arnott was in rare fettle; Watson was not so good. Campbell exhibited no signs of deterioration, and Gow reminded one of old times. "Woody" Gray filled Christie's place, and he and Allan gave a grand display. Somerville (late Rangers) and Harrower, in centre, were a great pair; the ex-Ranger, beside men of his own calibre, played with confidence, and Harrower worked with self-reliance and go. Hamilton was in great form, and Lambie gave him every support. The Thistle kept Gillespie on thorns in the first half, but the prince of goalkeepers was equal to the occasion. The Thistle used their weight with effect, and expended all their energies at the commencement.

Stats Watch

● The first clash between two Scottish sides in the English Cup. Chirk 4–1 Wrexham Olympic (29 November 1884) beat them to it as the first "non English" clash of the English Cup. In 1877-78 Queen's Park withdrew from an away tie with Druids (North Wales) which would otherwise have taken this accolade.

● Thistle make their first-ever visit to Old Hampden Park II, later to be known as Cathkin Park throughout the 20th century.

● Thistle play their first match in the FA Cup, their fifth competition.

ongoing sequences:

● 6 consecutive quoted competitive appearances (not known to be broken) for Bob Robertson, 29th Sep 1883 to date. (Longest run since: Jerry Suter - 12 games, 9th Sep 1882 to 24th Oct 1885. Joint club-record: Jack Beattie, 17 games - 5th Apr 1879 to 13th Sep 1884 & George Leckie, 17 games - 5th Apr 1879 to 10th Nov 1883.)

Stats Watch adheres to our stated definitions of League, League Max, Major Competitive, Competitive or All Games. Where there is no written qualification, you should presume that the Stat in question is compiled from the All Games criteria.

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