SOCCER

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 19827, 29 April 1927, Page 4

SOCCER

THE ENGLISH CUP LAST FOUR TEAMS INCOMPETITION. (Special to “Chronicle.”) (All Rights Reserved). LONDON, March 10. The clubs of London have sorely disappointed in the Football Association Cup competition, or, as we call it, I the English Cup. There were three of them among the last eight survivors, and all had the good fortune to be drawn clear of each other and on their own grounds. But only the Arsenal wore successful, and they had to fight, desperately to overcome Wolverhampton Wanderers. Chelsea failed to score against Carf diff City. and. after a drawn match, I have since boon beaten at Cardiff by three goals to two. On the' first ocI casion they missed their chances, and | ought not to have boon beaten in the I repfay, though they quickly lost, two ' goals. However, they would not ac- ' eopt what was offered them, Wilson missing a penalty kick. Much the same i thing happened in the tie between I Millwall and Southampton. At Millwall the homo side also failed with a j penalty kick, and then at Southa.mpton I they were defeated by a gobi to nil. : The fourth match was at Swansea, ; and. here the surprise of the day was created, the clever Welsh team being orwoinp by Reading, who thus dis- ‘ polled the possibility of an all-Welsh

final. But Cardiff City remain, an I they will be favourites in the semi’ finial when they meet Reading at Wol verhampton. The four ties excited groat ent ha siasm. At Chelsea t*nere were remaik able scenes. The ground at Stamford (Bridge is the largest in the country, but long before the start the gates had to be shut, and about twenty thou sand people were, left outside. Alto gether the attendance numbered over I seventy thousand, and the receipts amounted to nearly £5,000. The olho* semi-final between the Arsenal and Southampton is to take place on the | same' ground, and there arc sure to be the same exciting scenes. None of the four surviving teams has previously won lhe Cup. but botYi Southampton and Cardiff City have fi- ! gured in the final. The' last time Southampton took part in a deciding match was twenty-six years hgo, when C. B. Fry was one of the backs. Th - Welsh club appeared at Wembley twn seasons ago, when they wore defeated by Sheffield I’nited, who curiously enough also accounted for Southampton in 1901.