The Luton Reporter, which came out on Friday 7th November 1884, reported that;

“The match of the season will be played in the Dallow-lane tomorrow (Saturday) afternoon, between the Old Etonians and Wanderers in the first round of the English Association Challenge Cup competition.  Play will commence at two o’clock sharp.  The Old Etonians will be captained by Mr P.J. de Paravicini, back player for England, and Mr E.H. Lomax will captain the Wanderers.  The following are the team selected to do battle for the respective sides; – Old Etonians- J.F.P. Rawlinson, T.H. French, P.J. de Paravicini, C.W. Foley, G.E. Preston, F. Marchant, J.B. Chevallier, H.C. Goodhart, H. Baxter, H.W. Bainbridge, H. Whitford.  Wanderers – T. Veale. W. Barrett, A. Martin, C.H. Lomax, H.G. Spratley, J. Clark, A. Deacon, G. Deacon, R. Ellingham, J.C. Lomax, D.A.N.Lomax”.

It was quite an honour and tribute for E.H. Lomax to be appointed captain in the biggest ever football game in Luton. He was just 18 years old. 

Wanderers played in their black and red “horizontal stripes” as they were known at the time. The Old Etonians played in their familiar “Eton Blue” halved shirts. 

The Old Etonians had reached six F.A. Cup finals and won twice in 1879 and 1882. They lost the 1883 F.A. Cup final to Blackburn Olympic as the cup went north and to the working class for the first time. Although 1883 would be the last time a former Public School team would reach the final, Old Etonians were still a powerful force in the game.  They were packed with quality breeding as well as football ability - 

- J.B. Chevallier was a member of the family that began producing Aspall’s cider in 1728.  He played in four F.A. Cup finals and was a founder member of Derby County Football Club.  

- J.F.P. Rawlinson was a barrister who had played for England and had won the F.A. Cup.  Percy John de Paracivini played for England three times, won the FA Cup and played cricket for Middlesex.  

- Messrs Foley, Goodhart and French were FA Cup winners in 1882 and Goodhart had played for England. 
Herbert William Bainbridge had played in the losing FA Cup final of 1883 and played cricket for Surrey.  

- Herbert Whitfield had won the FA Cup in 1879, had played for England at football and was captain of the Sussex Cricket team. 

The Luton Reporter takes up the story of the match. 

“Luton Wanderers v Old Etonians. The match between these clubs in the first round of the Association Challenge Cup competition was played at Dallow Lane on Saturday afternoon. The weather was splendid and the ground was in excellent condition. This being the most important contest of the season in this district, it attracted a large number of spectators, and the gate could not have been represented much less than 2,000. The strangers were somewhat late in arriving, and they played for the first quarter of an hour or so with two men short. Winning the toss, the Etonians elected to play down hill, and in doing so they had also the benefit of the wind. Aided by these advantages they pressed their opponents very hard during the first forty five, the ball being almost entirely confined to Luton territory. The home team lost one good chance.The leather was got well up the hill and was within measurable distance of the Etonian goal, but Lomax in shooting it in from the left wing was a little off the line, and the ball struck one of the posts. The Luton men had thus had a very narrow shave of securing a goal.  Shortly thereafter the ball was started down hill at the west side of the field and after being smartly passed down to the forwards, it was centred, and after one or two give and take kicks Chevallier managed to send it underneath the Luton bar. After ends were changed the play was distributed itself most evenly over the ground, and was marked by some splendid dribbling and passing on both sides, the Lomaxes and one of the Deacons repeatedly rendering good service to the Luton team in this way. At one point the home goal was in great jeopardy, the strangers charging time after time in a determined manner.  At last after several shots had been made and returned, the Luton colours fell to Whitfield who scored with a fine clean kick. A few minutes after this C. Lomax had a good run across the field, for which achievement he was greatly cheered by the onlookers. The Etonians passing the ball in beautiful style up the west side, repeated their former tactics with considerable smartness and on its being transferred to the centre Chevallier, that watchful player again. succeeded in sending it between the posts.  The Luton men were now bent on making a desperate struggle to retrieve their honours. They again managed to bring the ball down by dint of some creditable dribbling and were within an ace of scoring; but the shot for goal was delivered rather hard and the leather flew over the bar. A few minutes after this however, the same play was again witnessed, and Ellingham for Luton was successful in getting the ball through this time.  The game from this to the end was very exciting, but nothing further was scored, and it thus ended in a win for the strangers by three to one. The match was a fast one and was much enjoyed on both sides. The Luton men had little prospect of winning, but there courageous play against a team who were decidedly heavier than they were, was exceedingly creditable. Veale the goal keeper, acquitted himself admirably for had it not been for his very able defence there is no doubt the victory would have been much greater.  

Teams: Old Etonians – J.F.P Rawlinson, goal: T.H. French, P.J. de Paravicini backs; C.W. Foley, G.E. Preston, F. Marchant, half backs; J.B. Chevallier, H.C. Goodhart, H. Baxter, H.W. Bainbridge, H. Whitfield, forwards. Wanderers – T. Veale, goal; W. Barratt, A. Martin, backs; E.H. Lomax, H.G. Spratley, J.Clarke, half backs; A. Deacon, R. Ellingham, J.C. Lomax, D.A.N. Lomax, forwards.  The same teams will again appear against each other in the Dallow-lane on Saturday week”.

This was a remarkable effort by the Wanderers and it seems that the well fed posh lads used their weight to great advantage. Nevertheless the game really caught the imagination of the Luton public. Bearing in mind that a record crowd of 12,000 attended the 1884 F.A. Cup final, a crowd of two thousand demonstrates that Luton was a fervent football loving town from the beginning. Robert Ellingham scored the first ever competitive goal for a Luton team. 

The Old Etonians would stutter on to the sixth round via one replay, extra time and byes in two rounds. The following season they would lose 6 1 away to Marlow in the second round, having had a walkover in the first round. 

The two clubs must have hit it off because two weeks after the cup tie the Luton Reporter advertised that:

“A grand match will be played at the Dallow Lane to-morrow between the Old Etonians and the Luton Wanderers, play to commence at three o’clock instead of two as advertised. The teams will be almost the same as played a fortnight ago. A good game may be anticipated”. 

The match report:

“Luton Wanderers and Old Etonians – teams representing these two clubs again met on the ground of the former at Dallow-lane on Saturday afternoon. The visitors brought an entirely different team from that which beat the local men a fortnight before, and one that was very much weaker. The Wanderers on the other hand, with a view of retrieving their colours, had strengthened themselves, and they proved much more than a match for their opponents. The game was very one sided, and great disappointment must have been felt in consequence. The match opened shortly after three o’clock, the home men playing down hill, and long before half tame had been called the Wanderers had humbled their opponents goal three times, the first being got by J.C. Lomax, the next by A. Deacon and the third by E.H. Lomax. After ends were changed the play was more equal. The visitors made frequent desperate attempts to score, but their want of sympathy and erratic and aimless shooting rendered all their good hits futile. They were badly captained and apparently were not accustomed to play together. The home men, profiting by the exhibition of fine play they were treated to one the former occasions, were dribbling and passing beautifully and some really skilful work was done. J.C. Lomax, as usual, shining in this department. Both goals were several times charged in the second half, but nothing further was gained. The match thus ended in a win for the Luton men by three goals to none.  

Teams, Wanderers Goal – T. Veal.  Backs – W, Barrett and A. Martin.  Half backs – E.H. Lomax, D.A.N. Lomax and T. Brook.  Forwards – A. Deacon, H.S. Spratley, J.C. Lomax, G. Deacon and E.H. Wright.  Old Etonians – Goal T. Read (sub).  Backs – Grant and Coleridge.  Half backs – Hon A.F. Kinnaird and W. Garrett (sub).  Forwards – Gordon, Brand, Rolinson, Wigan, Darbishire and Browne”. 

It is interesting to note that Old Etonians first team played with three half backs and their second team with only two. One of those half backs was a true football giant, Alfred Kinnaird, the future Lord Kinnaird. He was an all round sportsman who played in a record nine F.A. Cup finals, three with Wanderers (Leytonstone) and 6 with the Old Etonians winning 5 times. He would become President of the Football Association in 1890, a position he held until 1923. In his playing days he was a stout advocate of “hacking” to be retained within the Laws of the Game, a battle he lost. However, as President he did increase the appeal of football by introducing common sense laws and made the game more attractive to play and watch.