1925–26 FAI Cup
The FAI Cup 1925–26[A] was the fifth edition of Ireland's premier cup competition, The Football Association of Ireland Challenge Cup or FAI Cup. The tournament began on 9 January 1926 and concluded on 17 March with the final held at Dalymount Park, Dublin. An official attendance[B] of 25,000[C] people watched inspirational goalkeeper Bill O'Hagan guide Fordsons to their first and only FAI Cup title by defeating the defending champions Shamrock Rovers.
| FAI Cup | |
| Country |  Republic of Ireland |
|---|---|
| Champions | Fordsons |
| Matches played | 16 |
| Goals scored | 62 (3.88 per match) |
← 1924-25 1926-27 → | |
First round
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Athlone Town | 4-0 | Brideville | 9 January 1926 |
| 2 | Bohemians | 0-0 | Shamrock Rovers | 9 January 1926 |
| replay | Shamrock Rovers | 2-2 | Bohemians | 16 January 1926 |
| replay(2) | Shamrock Rovers | 2-0 | Bohemians | 20 January 1926 |
| 3 | Bray Unknowns | 5-2 | St James's Gate | 9 January 1926 |
| 4 | Fordsons | 2-2 | Shelbourne | 9 January 1926 |
| replay | Shelbourne | 1-2 | Fordsons | 16 January 1926 |
| 5 | Lindon | 4-2 | Pioneers | 9 January 1926 |
| 6 | Jacobs | 5-1 | Barrackton United | 10 January 1926 |
Second round
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lindon | 1-1 | Jacobs | 23 January 1926 |
| replay | Jacobs | 4-2 | Lindon | 31 January 1926 |
| 2 | Athlone Town | 2-3 | Fordsons | 24 January 1926 |
| Bye | Bray Unknowns |
| Bye | Shamrock Rovers |
Semi-finals
| Fordsons | 4–1 | Bray Unknowns |
|---|---|---|
| Buckle Kelly Sullivan(2) |
Replay
| Shamrock Rovers | 3–0 | Jacobs |
|---|---|---|
| Jordan Fullam Flood |
Final
| Fordsons | 3–2 | Shamrock Rovers |
|---|---|---|
| Barry(2) Roberts |
Farrell Fagan |
| Winner of FAI Cup 1925–26 |
|---|
| Fordsons 1st Title |
Notes
A. ^ From 1923-1936, the FAI Cup was known as the Free State Cup.
B. ^ Attendances were calculated using gate receipts which limited their accuracy as a large proportion of people, particularly children, attended football matches in Ireland throughout the 20th century for free by a number of means. However, in the instances of capacity crowds attending, this practice might not have been as common as usual or have had as large an effect on actual attendances.
C. ^ The official attendance of 25,000 was a record for the first five FAI Cup finals and the joint highest official attendance for the first ten.
References
- General
- Terry O'Rourke, Sean Ryan (1985). Gillette book of the FAI CUP. Irish Soccer Co-op.