NOTES ON SPORT.
THE FIGHT FOR THE ENGLISH CUP.

The English Cup competition has lost much of its interest from a local point of view through the defeat of the Aston Villa, and, indeed, has suffered generally. Although proverbial for the glorious surprises it has provided, the final now looks a very good thing for the Blackburn Rovers, especially when their fine performance, at Derby on Saturday is taken into account. With the, Villa and the Rovers in the last four the competition would have been keenly watched in every part of the kingdom, and if the two had only met in the final what excitement there would have been. But the Villa will take no further part in this season’s fight.

THE VILLA DEFEATED AT SHEFFIELD.
After a desperate struggle of two hours’ duration Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday gained a sensational and lucky victory over the Aston Villa at Olive Grove.

They were lucky to win, because they were manifestly the inferior combination, and because during the extra half-hour their opponents were greatly handicapped by having Woolley and Chatt badly injured.

Both men were hurt some considerable time before the expiration of the second half, and, as often happens, most of the best chances of scoring came to them, and were, lost through the inability of the players to accept them.

Had both men kept sound there would have been no necessity to play the extra half hour, and the Villa would have won.

And won they should have done, despite all their bad luck.

They had the game in their own hands at one period, and a little judgment would have secured them the victory.

Two minutes from the end of the time proper they were leading by two goals to one, and the match seemed theirs.

The crowd were about to disperse, telegrams giving the result had been filled in ready for prompt despatch, the inevitable pigeons had been loosed, and the two thousand spectators from Birmingham were only waiting for the whistle’s sound to send forth a shout of triumph, when Spikesley got the ball, dodged Baird, and equalised.

In a twinkling all was changed, and the Villa’s fate was sealed.

The great crowd of more than twenty thousand Sheffielders cheered themselves hoarse, recognising that the Wednesday possessed a great chance of winning, for not only were two of the Villa forwards practically /hors de combat/, but most of the men showed evident signs of fatigue, the hour-and-a-half’s fast play on the heavy ground, following on their severe work of the preceding Saturday and Wednesday, having told its tale.

As was forecasted by many persons, the Villa were stale, but despite that fact they would have won on Saturday had they been favoured with ordinary luck.

With two men hurt and the others jaded and worn, their prospect was very gloomy when they commenced the extra half-hour.

Still, they made a gallant fight, actually having the best of the play, and until Dunning made the fatal mistake of leaving his goal it at least seemed probable that the game would be drawn.

But when Woolhouse scored that last goal six minutes from time, the Villa’s chances of winning the English Cup had vanished.

True, they played like desperate men in the few minutes that remained, and twice they looked likely to equalise, but the Sheffield defence was very sound, time after time the defenders beat back the attacks, and, playing with rare judgment, kicked the ball anywhere so that they removed it from goal.

Every kick was cheered by the crowd, and when the referee blew his whistle there was a scene of the wildest excitement.

Want of condition was primarily responsible for the Villa’s defeat, for long before the finish many of their players were terribly fatigued, and in the closing stages of the game several of them were struggling pluckily against nature.

The contests with Sunderland had put a great strain upon the men, but, nevertheless, despite the disadvantage under which they laboured, the Villa were the better team, as was generally admitted in a sportsmanlike spirit by many of the Sheffield supporters, to whom the victory of the Wednesday was as big a surprise as it was to the Villa themselves.

The exercise of a little judgment and the adoption of the same tactics as those displayed by the Wednesday when they had got the leading goal, would have secured the victory to the Perry Barr team.

But it is easy to be wise after an event, and instead of trying to frame excuses for defeat, and blaming individual players, it is more sportsman-like to accept it with good grace, and to acknowledge that under all the circumstances the defeated players fought a great and plucky fight, and are in no wise disgraced by losing.

They are rather to be praised for the desperate attempt which they made to stem the tide of disaster, and for the gallant way in which they struggled on until the bitter end.

The Wednesday players, who had had the benefit of a fortnight’s rest and were in splendid condition, set a rare pace at the commencement, no doubt hoping that some of the Villa men would crack up; but their tactics did not look like being successful, for during the whole of the second half there was only one side in it, and defeat stared the Sheffielders in the face until Spikesley scored his runaway goal.

But afterwards their better condition stood them in good stead, and enabled them to just win.

They had the advantage of the wind and sun in the first half, and in ten minutes from the commencement Woolhouse scored with an oblique shot.

Prior to that, however, the game had been evenly contested, and both goals had narrowly escaped capture. Well, the game went on without there being much to choose between the teams, but it was noticeable that the Villa were not playing as well as they have previously done, and several times some very foolish mistakes were made.

Elliott was weaker than usual, and more than once allowed the Wednesday forwards to get dangerously near goal, and on one occasion Dunning had the greatest difficulty in saving a long shot from Davis.

Then came a bit of bad luck for the Villa, inasmuch as Hodgetts received a grand centre from Athersmith, but unfortunately scooped the ball over the bar.

Time was drawing on, and it appeared probable that the visitors would cross over a goal in arrears, but five minutes before the change of ends the forwards worked the ball down the field in a manner which delighted the spectators, and as the result of some skilful manoeuvring by Devey, Chatt was left in a fine position, and promptly equalised.

Following on this, the Wednesday forwards made a sudden dash into the Villa territory, but were driven out, and Chatt ran for fully three-parts of the length of the field, when he unfortunately fell.

Next Woolley tried a shot, but Allan saved, and the whistle was blown a moment later with the score equal; a most satisfactory result from a Villa point of view.

During the interval a heavy snow-storm came on, but the sun soon shone out brightly again, and was very annoying to the home players, who once or twice entirely failed to see the ball.

The Villa soon pressed and matters became very warm indeed for the home defenders, but to their credit it must be said that Earp and Langley played a great game, and kicked with tremendous power.

The efforts of their forwards to break away were continually checked, and it was rarely that they crossed the midfield line.

Some splendid play between Woolley and Hodgetts enabled them to elude the back, and the ball was centred right across their front of goal, but Athersmith shot wretchedly.

The next ten minutes were unfortunate ones for the Villa, inasmuch as Chatt was tripped up and badly lamed, and Woolley received a nasty kick on the knee, and after-wards could only limp about the field.

Still the Villa persevered, but the shooting was weak, and the shots that were straight were easily dealt with by the goal-keeper.

At length, however, Woolley shot the ball through, Hodgetts in the meantime shielding his partner in the manner that he usually does.

The Birmingham spectators cheered, but it was no goal, for the referee had deemed Hodgetts’s action unfair, though it was difficult from the press-box to tell why.

The Villa, however, were not to be denied, and at the end of twenty-seven minutes there was some clever passing between the forwards, and Chatt was left with the ball in front of an open goal, and easily scored.

The game continued to be distinctly in favour of the Villa, and the match to all intents and purposes seemed won, the Sheffield players themselves having apparently lost all hope.

Still, they defended very stubbornly, and the Villa had not improved upon their score, when Spikesley broke away and scored the equalising point.

The odds were indeed great against the Villa when the extra time was ordered, for the scoring of the goal had put the Wednesday players in the best of spirits, and they were less fatigued than their visitors.

Still, the Villa played with great determination, and held the advantage, but failed to get the much-needed goal, and in the last quarter of an hour they had to face the wind.

After Brady had kicked out the Villa obtained a wonderful chance but could not improve upon it and the home team made one of their rushes. The ball was passed to a dangerous position on the right of the Villa goal, and Dunning, believing it to be the best thing to do, came out of his goal. The ball was headed away but was returned, and Woolhouse easily scored. Had Dunning stayed in his goal the shot would not have taken effect, but it was a trying moment, and the goal-keeper did what he believed to be the best thing for his side.

With a point ahead and only six minutes to play the Wednesday gave the Villa no chance. They fell back into goal, and, cheered by the spectators, kicked anywhere and everywhere so long as they got the ball away.

Three minutes from time Athersmith was in a good position near goal, but his legs were pulled from under him, and no other chance being given, the Wednesday were left masters of the situation.

The winners were much fresher than their opponents at the conclusion; indeed, several of the Vilia men were terribly fatigued.

Still, they were the better team, and with ordinary luck would have won.

Apart from the mistake that he made, Dunning kept goal very well, and in the first few minutes of the match he saved marvellously three times in succession.

Baird was a fine back, but Elliott did not perform well at all, and was guilty of several glaring errors of judgment.

The exhibition of the half-backs was irreproachable, Groves, Cowan, and Reynolds working like Trojans in the last quarter of an hour to save their side from defeat.

Until they were hurt Woolley and Chatt were playing very well indeed, but Athersmith was rather weak, whilst John Devey, although he worked hard, did not seem to possess his usual control over the ball, and Hodgetts was placed at a disadvantage through Woolley being hurt.

The Villa, however, were not seen at their best, but, as before said, they were on the day’s play the better team.

The Wednesday played a dashing and powerful game, Spikesley doing some brilliant things, and taxing Reynolds’s resources to the uttermost. Woolhouse and Davis were very useful forwards. The half- backs all worked hard, whilst the backs were a grand pair, and kicked and tackled wonderfully well front start to finish. They shielded Allan splendidly, and he on his part never to made a mistake.