1949 FA Cup Final: Wolves vs Leicester City

Wolves 3 - 1 Leicester City

• Wolves
  • Pye 13'
  • Pye 42'
  • Smyth 64'
• Leicester City
  • Griffiths 47'

Wembley - Saturday 30th April

Attendance: 99,500

Match Referee: R A Mortimer

Team Line-ups:

Wolverhampton, with their extra speed and ability to play together as a team, beat Midland rivals Leicester as expected and carried off the Cup for the third time in their history

Except for a twenty-minute spell just after half-time, when the under­dog team, Leicester, threatened to achieve the impossible, the match lacked the sustained excitement of some other Finals.

Wolves showed from the start that they meant business and took an early lead when Pye neatly headed in from Hancocks' perfectly-placed centre in the thirteenth minute. Three minutes before half-time Wolves forced two corners, and from the second of these Pye again scored. The Cup, it seemed, was as good as won.

There was a dramatic change after the break, as Leicester staged a wonderful rally. Within two minutes they had secured the goal they needed so badly. Chisholm's initial shot was blocked by Williams, but the ball ran on to Griffiths who, with split-second timing, hooked it into the net.

Now Leicester were inspired to launch a series of attacks on both flanks, but, seconds after Chisholm's apparent equalizer had been adjudged offside. Wolves' volatile Irishman Sammy Smyth beat three men and shot home with his left foot to make the final score 3-1 to Wolves.

The remainder of the game was something of an anti-climax. Leicester never looking as though they would reduce the two-goal deficit again.

Man Utd v Bournemouth & Bos Ath 6-0; Newcastle Utd v Bradford PA 0-2; Yeovil T v Bury 3-1; Crewe Alex v Sunderland 0-2; Blackburn R v Hull C 1-2; Grimsby t v Exeter C 2-1;Swindon T v Stoke C 1 -3; Barnsley v Blackpool 0-1; WOLVES v Chesterfield 6-0; Sheff Utd v New Brighton 5-2; Nott'm Forest v Liverpool 2-2,0-4; Plymouth Arg v Notts Co 0-1; Lincoln C v WBA 0-1; Gateshead v Aldershot 3-1; Bristol C v Chelsea 1 -3; Everton v Man C 1 -O; LEICESTER C v Birmingham 1-1, 1-1. 2-1 ;PNE v Mansfield T 2-1; LutonT v W. Ham 3-1; Fulham v Walsall 0-1; Brentford v Middlesbro 3-2; Torquay Utd v Coventry C 1-0; Burnley v Charlton Ath 2-1; Rotherham v Darlington 4-2; Portsmouth v Stockport Co 7-0; Sheff Wed v Southampton 2-1; Leeds Utd v Newport Co 1-3; QPR v Huddersfield 0-0. 0-5; Derby Co v Southport 4-1; Arsenal v Spurs 3-0; Oldham Ath v Cardiff C 2-3; Aston Villa v Bolton 1-1.0-0.2-1

Man Utd v Bradford PA 1-1, 1-1, 5-0; Yeovil T vSunderland 2-1; Grimsby t v Hull C 2-3; Stoke C v Blackpool 1-1,1-0; Sheff Utd v WOLVES 0-3; Liverpool v Notts Co 1 -0; Gateshead v WBA 1 -3; Chelsea v Everton 2-0; LEICESTER C v PNE 2-0; Luton T v Walsall 4-0; Brentford v Torquay Utd 1 -0; Rotherham v Burnley 0-1; Portsmouth v Sheff Wed 2-1; Newport Co v Huddersfield 3-3, 3-1; Derby Co v Arsenal 1 -0; Aston Villa v Cardiff C 1 -2

Man Utd v Yeovil T 8-0; Stoke C v Hull C 0-2; WOLVES v Liverpool 3-1; WBA v Chelsea 3-0; Luton T v LEICESTER C 5-5. 3-5; Brentford v Burnley 4-2; Portsmouth v Newport Co 3-2; Derby Co v Cardiff C 2-1

Hull C v Man Utd 0-1; WOLVES v WBA 1 -0; Brentford v LEICESTER C 0-2; Portsmouth v Derby Co 2-1