ASSOCIATION CUP FINAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19620, 26 April 1927, Page 14

ASSOCIATION CUP FINAL.

CARDIFF DEFEATS ABSENAL ' - i . - .. .. ONE LUCKY GOAL SCORED. CROWDS AT WEMBLEY. By Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright. (Received April -4, 5.5 p.m.) A. ai*l N.Z. LONDON, April 23. The Association Football Cup final, between Cardiff City and Woolwich Arsenal, Was played to-day' at the Wembley Stadium. • Cardiff won by one goal to nil. King George was present, and 100,000 Spectators packed the Stadium to the brim.. The Association Cup was won for the first time in its history by a team ftom outside England. Cardiff's winning goal was scored 15 minutes before the close of play, and it was a fluky affair. By the irony of fate, the Arsenal's goalkeeper, Lewis, who is a [Welshman, made Cardiff a present of the goal. Lewis stopped a low shot and was not closely pressed, but in gathering the ball he stumbled and dropped it. A Cardiff playei rushed forward and the ball went into the net. The Arsenal team had the better of the play most of the time. Spin of the Ball ends in Score. The most impressive feature of the great annual spectacle was the mass singling of the crowd. Singing began with the National Anthem when His Majesty arrived, and included "Tipperary," which revived the imperishable memories of 1914, and "Pack Up Your Troubles." But the most striking effect was caused by the singing of the hymn, "Abide With Me," and Elgar's "Land of Hope and Glory." In spite of all the warnings that no tickets were available for the Stadium, a ticket!ess crowd made a menacing demonstration outside the gate, and as a result police reinforcements were called out. Xn the middle of the first half the crowd .rushed one gate and - reached the tarn* " Stiles, but a heavy force of police soon drove them back. A description of the match was breadcast throughout the country. At Cathays Park, Cardiff, 6000 people (gathered around the louct speakers, and they went wild with joy over Cardiff's '-.victory. ! Photographs taken as the goal was scored and a statement made by Lewis, the Arsenal goalkeeper, show that Cardiff !>-as even luckier than tho earlier reports indicated. A spin of the ball when Lewis '•dropped it carried it into the mouth of the goal. Wild Scene at the Conclusion. It was for the*most part a poor game. There have probably been few finals in "which passes so often went to the opposing plavers, or in which the ball so olten went out of plav. Both sides were obviously determined not to take risks. It was noticeable that instead of the customary cheering and counter-cheenng of the rival adherents, the crowd joined .in iho singing, for which the Guards' Band played the accompaniment. When King George handed the cup to the Cardiff captain, the latter was frantically mobbed on returning to the dressing ' room. In spite of the struggles of a bodyguard of police 'a crowd of Welshmen roughly handled some ticket profiteers outside the_ gates. They chased one man for a quarter of a mile, until he escaped by jumping over a fence. .j Another man became entangled in ibarbed wire, on which he left a quantity •of his clothes. The police intervened and rescued many vendors of faked tickets, to one of whom 'some Welsh miners gave the "frog's march." 'BEFORE THE MATCH. PREPARING FOR THE CROWDS CARDIFF TEAM FAVOURITE. (Received April 23, 6.48 p.m.) ■A. and N.Z. LONDON. April 23. The site of the Empire Exhibition at JWembley presented some striking contrasts yesterday. Within the Stadium busy preparations Of every kind were being made to handle and feed the crowd of people expected to attend the cup final to-day. Outside, demolishers were busy clearing away the Jormer Canadian and Australian pavilions. The lesson of the Empire Exhibition epitomised in a streamer as long as the Stadium, on which were the words: ?'At half time and all the time buy Empire goods," A keen and clever game was forecasted. Experts inclined to the opinion that the •odds' were 5 to 4 in favour of Cardiff., in of the previous experience in the cup final, but London critics pinned their faith to the attacking powers cf the iArsenals to keep the cup from its first ■trip to Wales.