Col. Edmond William Cotter (12 February 1852 – 23 August 1934)[1] was an Irish Republican, who played for the Royal Engineers in the 1872 FA Cup Final.

[7][8] Cotter was educated at St Munchin's College in Limerick, Ireland[2] followed by the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich from 1868 to 1871.

[1] In November 1871, the Royal Engineers were among fifteen teams who entered the inaugural FA Cup competition; after victories over Hitchin (5–0), Hampstead Heathens (3–0) and Crystal Palace (3–0 after a replay),[9][10] the Engineers met Wanderers, the top amateur club of the day, in the first FA Cup Final, played at Kennington Oval on 16 March 1872, which the Engineers lost 1–0, to a goal from Morton Betts.

[18][21] Cotter was based at Chatham between August 1871 and November 1873, when he was posted to the Gold Coast under General Garnet Wolseley, where he served in the Ashanti campaign, including the Defence of Quarman during the Battle of Amoaful where he was part of a rearguard force to the main action.

In 1884, he was part of the Zhob Valley Expedition, where he was in command of the 4th Company, Bengal Sappers & Miners under Brigadier-General Sir Oriel Tanner.

[18] Cotter returned to Chatham in February 1885, but his stay was short-lived and in April he was posted to Egypt where he served in the Nile Expedition of 1884–85.

[24] Another witness to the Irish Bureau of Military History, Diarmuid Coffey, described Cotter as "an elderly... idealistic nationalist (who) had commuted part of his pension in order to come over to Dublin and work for the Volunteers.

[26] Cotter's time with the Irish Volunteers was short-lived, however, and he returned to England after three months when he ran out of funds to support himself, refusing offers of help, not wishing to be "a charge on the movement in any way".

[24] In his statement, Coffey said of Cotter:[25]He should be remembered as a great-hearted Irish gentleman who sacrificed his health and a large portion of the little money he had to serve his country but, unfortunately, owing to age and temperament was unable to make the mark which his intentions and devotion deserved.Cotter married Jessie Tyeth Frost (1855–1937) on 8 October 1876 at St Stephen's by Saltash, Saltash, Cornwall.