CARDIFF, A CAT AND A CUP!

 

Cardiff City apparently had little chance of winning the FA Cup Final on this day in 1927. The Welsh cliub had spent much of the se\ason fighting relegation and were expected to meet their match against Herbert Chapman's star studded Arsenal. If you don't know much about the above sentence then have a Google!! 

The Welsh club took a relaxed approach to the Cup Final and trained on a local golf course (with clubs of course) called Royal Birkdale! As the round progressed the lads realised they were being followed, hole to hole, by a friendly Black Cat! Unable to shake it off, the lads reckoned this was an OMEN and that it would bring them luck. Cardiff's team captain, Hughie Ferguson, persuaded the owner to let him take care of it, in exchange for e Cup Final ticket!!

The cat, given the name "Trixie" accomoanied the team to Wembley and was present at the Cup Final, which was a dull affair apparently, until the 74th minute when Ferguson shot at the Arsenal goal, bottom right corner! Arsenal's Welsh goalkeeper, Dan Lewis, dived and appeared to collect the shot, but it squirmed out of his newly worn Cup Final jersey and he knocked the ball into his goal with his elbow. (see his data below)

It was the only goal of the match, ironically on St George's Day, April 23rd! This proved to be the only time the FA Cup had "left" England, being won by a non-English Club. 

Of course, the Cardiff club, put the victory down to the lucky charm, Trixie the cat, while the Gunners developed a "superstition of their own and Lewis blamed his especially bought new keeper's jersey, which he claimed was "slippy"!! For years afterwards, the Arsenal club, would never wash their keeper's kit.

Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
–1924	Clapton Orient
1924–1931	Arsenal	142	(0)
1931–1932	Gillingham	6	(0)
International career
1927–1929	Wales	3	(0)

 before a game! Not sure how that worked but hey-ho...nice story.