1908 FA Charity Shield

The 1908 FA Charity Shield was the first Charity Shield, a football match contested by the winners of the previous season's Football League and Southern League competitions. The match was played on 27 April 1908 between 1907–08 Football League winners Manchester United and 1907–08 Southern League champions Queens Park Rangers.^[1] The match was played at the neutral venue of Stamford Bridge, London, and ended as a 1–1 draw, goals coming from Billy Meredith for Manchester United and Frank Cannon for Queens Park Rangers.

Origins of the game

The Charity shield was originally designed to be a game between professionals and amateurs.^[2] It had evolved from the Sheriff of London Charity Shield, a similar earlier competition which also pitted an amateur club versus a professional one.^[3]

Match details

27 April 1908	Manchester United	1–1	Queens Park Rangers	Stamford Bridge, London Attendance: 12,000
	Meredith		Cannon

GK 1 Harry Moger RB 2 George Stacey LB 3 Herbert Burgess RH 4 Dick Duckworth CH 5 Charlie Roberts LH 6 Alex Bell OR 7 Billy Meredith IR 8 Jimmy Bannister CF 9 Jimmy Turnbull IL 10 Sandy Turnbull OL 11 George Wall Manager: Ernest Mangnall

GK 1 Charlie Shaw RB 2 John MacDonald LB 3 J. Fidler RH 4 Evelyn Lintott CH 5 J. McLean LH 6 S. Downing OR 7 Fred Pentland IR 8 Frank Cannon CF 9 P. Skilton IL 10 Alfred Gittins OL 11 Billy Barnes Manager: James Cowan

Replay

Summary

Since extra time was not played, and penalty shoot-outs did not exist in the early 1900s, the match went to a replay, also at Stamford Bridge. The replay was played four months after the original match, on 29 August 1908, and finished in a 4–0 victory for Manchester United, crowning them as the first ever Charity Shield winners. Jimmy Turnbull scored a hat-trick for United, the other goal coming from George Wall. The 1908 Charity Shield raised £1,275 for charity and is the only Charity or Community Shield to date to have required a replay.^[3]

Details

29 August 1908 16:00	Manchester United	4–0	Queens Park Rangers	Stamford Bridge, London Attendance: 10,000
	J. Turnbull Wall

GK 1 Harry Moger RB 2 George Stacey LB 3 Herbert Burgess RH 4 Dick Duckworth CH 5 Charlie Roberts LH 6 Alex Bell OR 7 Billy Meredith IR 8 Jimmy Bannister CF 9 Jimmy Turnbull IL 10 Jack Picken OL 11 George Wall Manager: Ernest Mangnall

GK 1 Charlie Shaw RB 2 John MacDonald LB 3 J. Fidler RH 4 Evelyn Lintott CH 5 J. McLean LH 6 S. Downing OR 7 J. McNaught IR 8 Frank Cannon CF 9 P. Skilton IL 10 Alfred Gittins OL 11 Billy Barnes Manager: James Cowan

References

Specific

General

• White, John D. T. (2008). The Official Manchester United Almanac. London: Orion Books. pp. 123, 227. ISBN 978-0-7528-9192-7. 
• Curran, Joe (August 2008). "A Century of Shields". The FA Community Shield sponsored by McDonald's 2008 – Manchester United v Portsmouth – Official Matchday Programme (London: The Football Association): pp.56–60.