MORE ROBINS

 I read somewhere that "Arsenal" have not played against two non-league sides in the FA Cup consecutively since 1909. Croydon Common (The Robins), formed in 1897, was an amateur church team that turned professional in 1907 but played in the "non-league" Southern League 2nd Division at the Nest (a future home of Crystal Palace).  

In January 1909, the "original" Woolwich Arsenal played Croydon Common from the Southern League in the FA Cup Round 1, on the16th January, drawing 1-1, at the planned Cup Final venue, the Crystal Palace. It was a bold decision to choose that venue for a qualifying round, but 20,000 turned up to watch the fascinating match. Woolwich Arsenal hosted the replay at their Plumstead Ground winning 2-0 on the 21st January, in front of 15,000 supporters. Earlier Croydon Common had beaten Bradford Park Avenue 1-2 away in the Fifth Qualifying round, a long journey to make north. 

In the FA Cup Proper Rd 2, Woolwich Arsenal drew with Millwall Athletic away, a club originally formed as Millwall Rovers in 1885. The club was made up from workers at JT Morton's canning and preserving factory on the Isle of Dogs and were founder members of the Southern League.

On 6th February 1909 Woolwich Arsenal and Millwall drew 1-1,then Millwall won the replay,1-0.  

Millwall's cup run ended in Rd 3 with a fixture away at Nottingham Forest, a 1-3 defeat. Forest then lost to local rivals Derby 3-0 in Round 4.

By 1910 Millwall had settled at The Den, Cold Blow Lane. It was not until 1920 that Millwall joined the Football League when the  "new " Third Division was added to the pyramid.

 

An unusual name in the Quarter-final was Glossop North End, who as a Second Division club, started their progress in Round 1 and negotiated Chesterfield away 0-2, Stockport at home 1-1 then 0-1 away and Sheffield Wednesday away 0-1. Glossop, in Derbyshire, to this day, in the smallest town by population to host a Football League club that played in the First Division (1889-1900).

In another quarter-final, United were losing to Burnley with 20 minutes left, when a snow storm abandoned the game. United won the rearranged tie 3-2, a win "from" the lap of the gods. 

Derby then lost to another set of Robins (Bristol City) 2-1, after a 1-1 draw in the semi-final and in the other semi-final Manchester United beat Newcastle Utd 1-0. 

United beat Bristol City (depleted through injury) in the 1909 Final 1-0 on April 26th. Over 71,000 saw this at the Crystal Palace. 

United were League champions in 1908. 

A year later United moved from their ground at Clayton to a new home called Old Trafford.

Sadly, after the interruption of the war, in 1917 the Croydon Common club was "wound up", owing significant debts. They were the only Southern League First Division side not to return to the League after the war. The First Divsion then was 22 teams strong and the Second Division was made from 11 Welsh clubs, the following season, to be known as the Welsh Section.

Millwall 1909-10