Flu hit Brighton blunt Blades in one of their biggest FA Cup shocks
Alexa, what is the worst thing that can happen to a football team a couple of days before a game against a team from two divisions higher? A question Charlie Webb may well have been pondering before Brighton hosted Sheffield United in the first round of the FA Cup but not one he could ask Alexa, this being January 1922 and all that.
One potential answer would be a flu epidemic ripping through the squad, impacting on six or seven players. That was the hand fate dealt Albion manager Webb as he prepared his Division Three South Seagulls to take on the Blades of Division One.
And yet, having been forced into a strange team selection with so many individuals out of position which even Mark McGhee would raise an eyebrow at, Brighton came out the other side victorious.
The Albion had a reputation through the 1920s and 1930s as giant killers. In the years preceding the Sheffield United upset, Brighton eliminated other higher division clubs Oldham Athletic (twice), Lincoln City, Clapton Orient and Leeds City from the FA Cup.
Further shocks came in the decade after beating the Blades, including accounting for top flight outfits Everton, Grimsby Town, Portsmouth, Leicester City and Chelsea.
Even taking into account all of those impressive FA Cup scalps, the circumstances of Sheffield United in 1922 mean it must rank as one of the biggest, most extraordinary acts of giant killing in Brighton history.
The gap on paper between the two clubs may have been a couple of division; in reality, it was much more, with the Albion spending much of the 1921-22 campaign in what the local press described as “a slough of despond.”
Brighton ended the season 19th of 22 clubs in Division Three South. They were just one point clear of having to reapply for their Football League place, these being the days when promotion and relegation in and out of non-league were done via election rather than footballing merit.
That the Albion did not finish rock bottom was largely down to striker Jack Doran. The Irish international scored Brighton’s first 12 goals of the campaign himself – including two hat-tricks against Exeter City – single-handedly delivering three victories.
It was not until the 13th match of the season on the final weekend of October that a Seagull other than Doran got on the scoresheet, Andy Neil notching in a 2-0 win over Charlton Athletic.
Not content with having to share the limelight, Doran responded by bagging five the following week in a 7-0 home win over Northampton Town.
Given the importance of Doran to Brighton, you can probably guess he was one of the players struck down by illness in the run up to the Sheffield United FA Cup match.
The wellness of three others in particular was giving Webb serious cause for concern – full back Jack Thompson, outside right Fred Groves and captain Jack Feeberry.
The Albion’s struggles for league form and availability were in stark contrast to the rude health Sheffield United found themselves in.
In their two matches before visiting the Goldstone Ground, the Blades hammered Middlesbrough 6-1 and beat Manchester United 3-0.
They could call upon England international goalkeeper Harold Gough. Both Fred Tunstall and Harry Pantling would go onto represent the Three Lions.
And as for the Sheffield United captain, George Utley was himself a former England international with an impressive FA Cup pedigree having helped Barnsley win the competition nine years earlier.
The Blades had a formidable starting XI. It was not until the morning of the game when Webb picked his own, giving every flu-struck player as long as possible to recover. Thompson and Feeberry ended up making it. Doran and Groves did not.
Webb responded by selecting a weird and wonderful team. If a 1920s version of WAB existed, it would have accused Webb before kick off of picking his side via a roulette wheel (or the closest thing to a roulette wheel in 1920s Brighton).
Thompson was moved from full back at one end of the pitch to take over as centre forward in place of Doran at the other. A 1920s Adam Virgo, belying another mention of McGhee.
Harry Bentley came into the right back role left vacant by Thompson’s redeployment. Having joined the Albion for a big £250 fee 18 months earlier from boyhood club Sheffield Wednesday, Bentley had more reason than most to want to get one over the Blades.
Groves was replaced at outside right by young Jack Nightingale. It was only the 21-year-old’s third start since signing for the Albion from Shrewsbury Town in the summer. He would go onto have a long and successful Brighton career, making 195 appearances over six season at the Goldstone.
Despite all the uncertainty, Brighton made a fast start to their FA Cup tie against Sheffield United. So fast in fact that many of the bumper 15,328 crowd were yet to make it through the turnstiles when Wally Little struck the only goal of the game.
And it was not just supporters who missed Little score. Before Webb was able to take his seat, he heard an almighty roar from the terraces, signifying his team were ahead.
The Blades had plenty of the ball but the Brighton defence were more than happy to soak up every attack. The Albion never looked like conceding which made this not only a big shock, but a surprisingly comfortable one.
There was only downside to the afternoon. Popular inside forward Ted Rodgerson picked up an injury which ended up finishing his career at the age of only 22.
Sheffield United were magnanimous in defeat afterwards, including a knock on the door of the home changing room from Blades skipper Utley.
He entered, shook hands and spoke with each Albion player, wishing Brighton all the best for the next round. Just as Utley was about to leave, Webb asked him what he thought of the game. With a smile on his face, Utley’s response was two simple words: “Damn Little.”
The draw for round two presented the Albion with another potential giant killing against Division One opponents at the Goldstone.
Huddersfield Town made the trip to Sussex, right at the start of their domination of the 1920s under the management of Herbert Chapman.
A record-breaking crowd of 22,241 witnessed Brighton hold their star-studded hosts to a 0-0 draw. Huddersfield made no mistake in the replay, winning 2-0 at Leeds Road.
The Terriers went onto win the FA Cup come the end of the season. Two years later and they racked up three consecutive league titles, finished runners up on two further occasions and reached another two FA Cup finals.
