1903 FA Cup final

The 1903 FA Cup final was an association football match between Bury and Derby County on Saturday, 18 April 1903 at the Crystal Palace stadium in south London.

The final was watched by a crowd of 63,102 and Bury, leading 1–0 at half-time, won a one-sided match 6–0 with goals by Joe Leeming (2), George Ross, Charlie Sagar, Willie Wood and Jack Plant.

[7] In the second round, Bury faced a formidable hurdle after they were drawn away to the FA Cup holders and current league title contenders Sheffield United.

The tie was decided by a fifth-minute goal scored by Charlie Sagar and Bury won 1–0 at Bramall Lane before a crowd of 24,103.

[7] This victory generated tremendous interest in the town of Bury and, when the team faced Notts County at home in the third round, the crowd was 22,841.

[7] The semi-finals were staged at neutral venues on Saturday, 21 March, and Bury were drawn to play the eventual Division One runners-up Aston Villa at Goodison Park.

Villa were clear favourites to win but it was Bury who dominated the match and they won 3–0 with surprising ease to qualify for their second final in four seasons.

After the semi-final, Bury played four league matches before the final on 18 April and managed to complete these without any of their first-team players sustaining injury.

Their star forward Steve Bloomer sustained a swollen ankle that kept him out of the final and he was joined on the sidelines by regular halfback Charlie Leckie.

[4] As both teams normally wore white shirts and blue shorts, agreement was needed about who should change kit but both clubs claimed priority of choice.

[7][4] An estimated 79 special trains were run to London from various points around England and all the major railway stations in the capital were well-stocked with provisions.

[4] Bury had no team problems and could field their full first-choice eleven, including six players who had won the cup three years earlier: Joe Leeming, Plant, Richards, George Ross, Sagar and Willie Wood.

The pitch seems to have helped Bury take the lead after twenty minutes when their captain George Ross aimed a lofted shot goalwards and the ball bounced awkwardly to deceive Jack Fryer before looping over his head.

[4] While Bury had been the better team so far and certainly deserved their lead, it had taken a desperate goal-line clearance by Ross to prevent a Derby goal after goalkeeper Hugh Monteith had been well beaten.

Left back Charlie Morris deputised for Fryer but, after 56 minutes, Joe Leeming chipped the ball over him as he raced out of his goal and that gave Bury a 3–0 lead.

[7][4] Fryer returned at this point but, only a minute later, after he had parried a shot by Frank Thorpe, Willie Wood scored the fourth Bury goal.

[7][4] Morris soon had to take over from Fryer again, but no one would have stopped Bury's sixth goal after 75 minutes when Leeming received a pass from Thorpe and sent it crashing into the net.

[4] Match rules Notes Afterwards, the trophy was presented to Bury captain George Ross by Lord Kinnaird who was himself a famous footballer, having played in a record nine FA Cup finals from 1873 to 1883.

The club's officials and players spent the weekend celebrating at London's Tavistock Hotel before travelling to Birmingham on the Monday for a league match at The Hawthorns against West Bromwich Albion.