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The Football League War Cup was an English football tournament held during World War II, between 1939 and 1945, in the absence of the FA Cup.
It was first won by West Ham United when they beat Blackburn Rovers 1-0, in June 1940. Four other teams won the cup outright: Preston North End, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Blackpool and Bolton Wanderers. The 1944 trophy was shared by Aston Villa and Charlton Athletic.
[edit] Format
The first two years saw the remaining two teams meet in a final staged at Wembley Stadium, while the third competition in 1942 saw the final switched to a two-legged format with each team playing one leg on their home ground.
In its final three years, the competition was split into north and south halves, with the winners of each section competing in a play-off, staged at Stamford Bridge, to decide the cup winner. The northern winners were decided over two legs, while the southern finalists met in a one-off Wembley final.
[edit] Finals
| Season |
Competition |
Teams |
Result |
Venue |
Attendance |
| 1939-40 |
Cup Final |
West Ham United vs Blackburn Rovers |
1–0 |
Wembley Stadium |
42,399 |
| 1940-41 |
Cup Final |
Preston North End vs Arsenal |
1–1 |
Wembley Stadium |
60,000 |
| Replay |
Preston North End vs Arsenal |
2–1 |
Ewood Park |
45,000 |
| 1941-42 |
Final 1st leg |
Sunderland vs Wolverhampton Wanderers |
2–2 |
Roker Park |
34,776 |
| Final 2nd leg |
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Sunderland |
4–1 |
Molineux |
43,038 |
| 1942-43 |
North final 1st leg |
Blackpool vs Sheffield Wednesday |
2–2 |
Bloomfield Road |
28,000 |
| North final 2nd leg |
Sheffield Wednesday vs Blackpool |
1–2 |
Hillsborough |
42,657 |
| South final |
Arsenal vs Charlton Athletic |
7–1 |
Wembley Stadium |
75,000 |
| Cup Final |
Blackpool vs Arsenal |
4–2 |
Stamford Bridge |
55,195 |
| 1943-44 |
North final 1st leg |
Blackpool vs Aston Villa |
2–1 |
Bloomfield Road |
28,000 |
| North final 2nd leg |
Aston Villa vs Blackpool |
4–2 |
Villa Park |
55,000 |
| South final |
Charlton Athletic vs Chelsea |
3–1 |
Wembley Stadium |
85,000 |
| Cup Final |
Aston Villa vs Charlton Athletic |
1–1* |
Stamford Bridge |
38,540 |
| 1944-45 |
North final 1st leg |
Bolton Wanderers vs Manchester United |
1–0 |
Burnden Park |
40,000 |
| North final 2nd leg |
Manchester United vs Bolton Wanderers |
2–2 |
Maine Road |
57,395 |
| South final |
Chelsea vs Millwall |
2–0 |
Wembley Stadium |
90,000 |
| Cup Final |
Bolton Wanderers vs Chelsea |
2–1 |
Stamford Bridge |
35,000 |
* title shared
