1923 FA Cup final

The crowd was so large that fans swarmed right up to, and even onto, the pitch.

The total number of people in attendance is not known; the official attendance (those who paid for a ticket) was 126,047,[27] but estimates of the actual number of fans in attendance range from 150,000[28] to the official Police estimate of just under 300,000,[29] with other estimates putting it higher than 300,000.[30] The 126,047 official attendance at Wembley is below the 173,850 official attendance of the Brazil v Uruguay World Cup match at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1950. The official attendance statistic for the game in Rio is the official world record.[31] Some of the unofficial estimates for the Wembley match are higher than even the unofficial estimates for the game at the Maracana, which range up to 210,000.[32]

The match was the first event of any kind to take place at Wembley Stadium, which had not been due to open until 1924 but was completed ahead of schedule.[33] After sub-capacity crowds had attended the first three finals after the First World War at Stamford Bridge,[33] The Football Association (The FA) was unconvinced that the match could fill the large capacity of the new stadium and undertook a major advertising campaign, for fans to attend.[34] Despite these fears, the new national stadium, which had been advertised as the greatest venue of its kind and had an unprecedented capacity of 125,000, proved to be a great lure and drew a large number of casual observers.[34] The fact that a London-based team was competing meant that many football fans from all parts of the city chose to attend.[30] The morning newspapers on the day of the match reported that around 5,000 fans were travelling from Bolton and that they were expected to be joined by "at least 115,000 enthusiasts from London and other parts of the country".[35] The easy accessibility of the stadium by public transport and the fine weather were also factors which contributed to the enormous crowd.[30]

Many travelled by train with London Underground selling more than 241,000 tickets from stations within London to Wembley,[36] but that figure does not cover those who travelled without a ticket and those who reached the stadium by road or on foot. The London buses were overwhelmed with the controller of the London General Omnibus Company describing the situation as "absolutely abnornal" and in the East End, the worst affected area, as "absolutely terrific",[29] while large crowds, possibly tens of thousands, walked ten to fifteen miles or more each way from east to west London.[26]

Significant number of Bolton supporters (5,000 had been expected before the game[34]) made their way from Lancashire to Wembley, including five fans who used the Daimler Hire plane service from Manchester Aerodrome to London,[26] with most of the remainder coming by train. Bolton fans headed to the West End to celebrate after the game, with Piccadilly Circus impassable to traffic for a time due to the number of revellers.[37]

As well as West Ham and Bolton fans, there were many neutrals at the game, mostly people from other parts of the capital who wished to support the London underdog. Of the eleven supporters kept in overnight at the Willesden Hospital four were from Bow, Poplar, Wapping and Walthamstow in East London, four from other parts of London, two from northern England, and one from Wisbech in Cambridgeshire.[38]

Among the supporters was a Pathé News cameraman disguised as a West Ham supporter. Pathe's bid had failed to win the rights to film the event, but they sent a disguised cameraman anyway, wearing fake spectacles, a false moustache and carrying a camera hidden in a large cardboard hammer. Many of the day's moving images were taken among the crowds in this way.[39][40]

Fans flood the pitch

The gates were opened at 11:30 am as advertised,[35] three and a half hours before the match was due to begin, and until 1:00 pm the flow of people into the stadium was orderly. By 1:00 pm, however, a vast number of people were pouring into the stadium, and after an inspection by the stadium authorities, the decision was made to close the gates at 1:45 pm. Spectator William Rose said later that the route to the stadium was "seething with people" and that "the nearer I got to the stadium the worse it got, by the time I got there the turnstiles had been closed".[41] Although the information was relayed to various railway stations, thousands of people continued to arrive and mass outside the gates.[42] Organisation within the stadium was poor, and in his report on the match the correspondent for the Daily Mail described the stewarding as "useless" and stated that officials in and around the stadium "seemed to know nothing".[35] Fans were not directed to any specific area, and the tiers in the lower half of the stadium filled up much faster than those higher up.[42]

Under the conditions, gaining access to the ground did not guarantee a view of play, so many tried to find a better position; some supporters found a ladder and then shimmied up a drainpipe to secure a position on the roof, while reporters complained that more than three-quarters of people in the press box, suspended under the roof high above the stands, were fans with no right to be there.[44]

As the crowds outside the stadium continued to grow, local police stations were mobilised, but by the time officers arrived the crowd was too large for them to take any effective form of action.[45] At 2:15 pm, the crowds outside the stadium rushed at the barriers and forced their way in. Spectators in the lower tiers had to climb the fences to escape the crush and overflowed onto the pitch itself.[42] Spectator Terry Hickey said later that "To put it mildly, the whole thing was a bloody shambles".[41] The roads around the stadium were blocked and the Bolton players were forced to abandon their coach a mile from the stadium and make their way through the crowds.[45] The stadium authorities were considering calling the game off, but feared the consequences of an angry response to such a decision.[46]

West Ham board members and players said that the teams were persuaded to go ahead with the game by a representative of the king, on the basis that it would be a friendly match, with the cup final itself played at a later date. West Ham players said they learned the match would stand as a cup final during half time, while George Davis of the West Ham board said that the boards of both clubs learned this later in the game.[48][49]

The Times stated that at one point it seemed impossible that the match would ever be able to start, but the tide turned at 2:45pm, when King George V arrived and was escorted to the royal box. The bands of the Irish and Grenadier Guards, wedged in tightly among the crowds, played "God Save The King" at a noticeably rushed pace, and the crowds sang along with enthusiasm. This was followed by a fervent three cheers for the King and the crowd began to assist the authorities in clearing the playing area.[30][50]

"Billie" the white horse was the defining image of the day when mounted police cleared fans from the Wembley pitch.

At 3:10 pm the players entered the field of play and joined the police in asking to crowd to withdraw so that the game could be played, however the players were soon mobbed by enthusiastic supporters and found themselves trapped on the pitch. Players were tired and shaken as a result of well-intentioned backslapping and vigorous handshaking of the crowd, and as most of the crowd were supporting West Ham, this impacted them much more than Bolton, with Jack Tresadern and Jimmy Ruffell, who was recovering from a shoulder injury, worst affected; with Ruffell experiencing nausea due to the intense pain. While out on the pitch, Bolton’s Scottish striker Jack Smith felt a tap on his shoulder, and turned to see his brother, whom he had not seen in six years.[51][52]

Eventually mounted policemen were brought in to try to clear the crowds from the pitch, including PC George Scorey, who was mounted on a horse named "Billie" (some sources spell the name "Billy"). PC Scorey had not actually been on duty that day but answered a call for emergency assistance as the throng of spectators in the stadium grew.[34] Billie, a gray horse, appeared white in the (high-contrast) black and white newsreel footage of the era.[53] Contrary to what is sometimes claimed, other horses were also involved, but the "white" horse, as the most visible in the news footage, became the defining image of the day and the final is often known as the "White Horse Final".[34][53]

While the pitch was being cleared, the event choir, St Luke’s, sang "Abide with Me"; the crowds of West Ham supporters walking back to the East End are also said to have sung the song. The choir’s spontaneous recital may be the origin of the tradition of singing the song before cup finals, a practice which has been in place since at least 1927.[55]

Eventually the police, assisted by appeals from the players for the crowd to calm, were able to manoeuvre the spectators to just beyond the touchline, and the game began approximately 45 minutes late, while fans stood around the perimeter of the pitch.[30]

Dick Pym and two other Bolton players defend their goal.

Both teams employed the 2-3-5 formation typical of the era: two full-backs, three half-backs, comprising one centre-half and two wing-halves, and five forwards, comprising two outside-forwards, two inside-forwards and a centre-forward.[35] West Ham's game plan initially centred on the two fast-moving outside-forwards Dick Richards and Ruffell, but Bolton set out from the start to keep the two players contained, rushing at them whenever they got the ball.[12]

After just two minutes West Ham half-back Tresadern became entangled in the crowd after taking a throw-in and was unable to return to the pitch immediately. This gave Bolton's David Jack the opportunity to shoot for goal. His shot beat West Ham goalkeeper Ted Hufton to give Bolton the lead, and hit a spectator who was standing pressed against the goal net, knocking him unconscious.[56]

Three minutes later Vic Watson received the ball a few yards in front of the Bolton goal but his shot flew over the crossbar.[30] Eleven minutes into the game the crowd surged forward once again and a large number of fans encroached onto the pitch, leading to the suspension of play while the mounted police again cleared the playing area. A number of fans, many unconscious, required first aid from members of the British Red Cross on the pitch near the Bolton penalty area. After play resumed, policemen patrolled the perimeter of the pitch to try to keep it clear for the linesmen, after play was resumed.[12]

Soon after play restarted, West Ham's Dick Richards eluded two Bolton defenders and shot for goal. Bolton goalkeeper Dick Pym fumbled the ball but managed to kick it clear before it crossed the goal-line.[12] Later, Pym parried a Ruffell free-kick and easily saved a shot that Watson took on the rebound. Bolton's John Smith put the ball in the net in the 40th minute, but the goal was disallowed for offside.[57]

Bolton continued to dominate the match, and were only prevented from scoring again by a strong performance from West Ham full-back Billy Henderson.[30] When West Ham attacked, however, Bolton were able to quickly switch to a strongly defensive formation, as players changed positions to form a line of five half-backs. This stifled West Ham's attacking style of play and ensured that the Bolton goal was not seriously threatened. The score remained 1–0 to Bolton until half-time.

Due to the crowds that surrounded the pitch, the players were unable to reach the dressing rooms and instead remained on the pitch for five minutes before starting the second half.[12]

West Ham began the second half as the stronger team, and Vic Watson received the ball in a good goalscoring position but mis-hit his shot.[30] Eight minutes into the second half, Bolton added a second goal in controversial circumstances. Outside-forward Ted Vizard played the ball into a central position and Jack Smith hit the ball past Hufton. West Ham's players claimed that the ball had not entered the goal but rebounded into play from the goalpost, but referee D. H. Asson overruled them, stating that in his view the ball had entered the goal but then rebounded off a spectator standing behind the goal. West Ham also claimed that Bolton had received an unfair advantage, as a Bolton fan at pitchside had kicked the ball towards Vizard, but Asson disregarded these claims as well and confirmed Bolton's second goal.[56]

At this point the crowd began to sense that Bolton would emerge victorious and many began heading towards the exits.[30] Neither team had any more serious chances to score, and the remainder of the match was largely a stalemate with little inspired play.[12] Late in the game, West Ham captain George Kay attempted to persuade Asson to abandon the match, but Bolton captain Joe Smith reportedly replied "We're doing fine, ref, we'll play until dark to finish the match if necessary".[56] The score remained 2–0 to Bolton until the final whistle. The King presented the FA Cup trophy to Joe Smith and then left the stadium to cheers from the crowd.[30] The players from both teams received gold commemorative medals.

In the week before the match, West Ham manager Syd King made a radio broadcast in which he observed that the size and quality of the Wembley pitch suited his side's fast wing play and passing style;[58] but after the match his trainer Charlie Paynter attributed his team's defeat to the damage the pitch had suffered before kick-off, saying "It was that white horse thumping its big feet into the pitch that made it hopeless. Our wingers were tumbling all over the place, tripping up in great ruts and holes".[33]

The Bolton Evening News described the state of the playing surface:

The beautiful stretch of turf, which until two o'clock on Saturday was as green and level as a billiards table, is now a broken and uneven pitch, littered with almost every kind of rubbish, and broken into holes by the hooves of the horses of the mounted police. It is a wonder that none of the players were seriously injured for the game took place on a field sown thick with splinters of shattered glass. For two or three yards around the edges, practically all the grass has disappeared. It has been trodden down by thousands of feet into wet and sticky mud"

— Bolton Evening News, 30 April 1923, [52]

The referee had to adapt to having a crowd inside the field of play; the approach taken was to allow play to continue if the ball struck the crowd and came back into play, and only call a throw-in if the ball went off over the heads of the crowd.[59] George Davis of the West Ham board observed that every one of the game's throw-ins was taken from inside the field of play.[60]

The players feared injuring the spectators on the pitch, while the players were put in danger by some of the fans. Some spectactors would stick their feet out to try and trip the wingers, sometimes successfully.[61]

The view of the press, and one accepted by the defeated West Ham side, was that Bolton were the better side on the day, and adapted to the conditions better than West Ham did.[62]