On this day (April 26) in 1924, Aston Villa lost to Newcastle United in the FA Cup final, courtesy of goals from Neil Harris and Stan Seymour. The match was played in front of more than 91,000 supporters at the Empire Stadium and was the first defeat Villa suffered in a final.
George Ramsay started Tommy Jackson, Tommy Smart, Tommy Mort, Frank Moss, Vic Milne, George Blackburn, Richard York, Billy Kirton, Len Capewell, Billy Walker and Arthur Dorrell – five survivors from the 1920 FA Cup final win over Huddersfield.
The Midlands outfit started brightly and came close to breaking the deadlock, but Newcastle held on and eventually struck late in the second half. With less than ten minutes remaining, Harris was put through on goal and made no mistake. Seymour then put the game beyond doubt minutes later with a fierce effort after collecting the ball in his stride.
Villa thrashed Newcastle 6-1 in the league only days before the final, but they were kept at bay in the cup due to Bill Bradley’s inclusion – an inexperienced goalkeeper who was their reserve at the time.
