Vidal played half-back for England in the 4-2 win over Scotland. Kenyon-Slaney could be included in the team. Elegos pointed out earlier that he only played a couple of games for Wanderers this season. It is worth keeping an eye on the split of players based in London, Sheffield and Glasgow. This will be more of an issue next season (1873-74) when the Londoners are relatively unsuccessful. Victorian society functioned on a rigid class system. A minimum requirement to represent one of the London teams was to have attended a top private school or to be an officer in the armed services. The FA Cup was fundamentally exclusive to these teams. The same normally applied to selection for England. When the occasional player from the north was chosen, the London-based men rarely spoke to him. The more enlightened Alcock was an exception, and the only reason England teams were not entirely London-based. The lack of Sheffield men in early internationals had little to do with footballing ability.
The next season will be very interesting, with just one international, but with the start of the Glasgow vs Sheffield matches. Also, Sheffield FC entered the FA Cup in the 1873-74 season, but lost early (perhaps because the different rules, perhaps because the best players could not make it to London?). Details of these matches, alongside with the usual three Sheffield vs London matches would be highly appreciated and would be essential to evaluate the next season.
Final results from the season 1872-73 23 Man Shortlist Bonsor, Alexander (Wanderers, Old Etonians, England) Chenery, Charlie (Crystal Palace, London XI, England) Clegg, Charles (Sheffield Wednesday, Sheffield XI, England) Gardner, Robert (Queen's Park, Scotland) Greenhalgh, Harwood (Notts County, England) Howell, Leonard (Wanderers, Old Wykehamists, London XI, England) Kenyon-Slaney, William (Wanderers, Old Etonians, London XI, England) Ker, William (Queen's Park, Granville, Scotland) Kinnaird, Arthur (Wanderers, London XI, Scotland) Leckie, Robert (Queen's Park, Scotland) MacKinnon, Billy (Queen's Park, Scotland) Morten, Alexander (Crystal Palace, London XI, England) Ottaway, Cuthbert (Oxford University, England) Renny-Tailyour , Henry (Royal Engineers, Scotland) Rhind, Alex (Queen's Park, Scotland) Sampson, GH (Sheffield XI) Smith, Arnold Kirke (Oxford University, England) Taylor, Joseph (Queen's Park, Scotland) Vidal, Walpole (Oxford University, Old Westminsters, London XI, England) Weir, James (Queen's Park, Scotland) Willey, TC (Sheffield XI) Wood, A (Derbyshire, Sheffield XI) Wotherspoon, David (Queen's Park, Scotland) Finalists Clegg, Charles (Sheffield Wednesday, Sheffield XI, England) Ker, William (Queen's Park, Granville, Scotland) Kinnaird, Arthur (Wanderers, London XI, Scotland) Winner Kinnaird, Arthur (Wanderers, London XI, Scotland) Team of the Season Forward: Sampson, GH (Sheffield XI) Forward: Willey, TC (Sheffield XI) Forward: Chenery, Charlie (Crystal Palace, London XI, England) Forward: Clegg, Charles (Sheffield Wednesday, Sheffield XI, England) Forward: Weir, James (Queen's Park, Scotland) Forward: Wood, A (Derbyshire, Sheffield XI) Halfback: Vidal, Walpole (Oxford University, Old Westminsters, London XI, England) Halfback: Kinnaird, Arthur (Wanderers, London XI, Scotland) Fullback: Ker, William (Queen's Park, Granville, Scotland) Fullback: Taylor, Joseph (Queen's Park, Scotland) Goalkeeper: Morten, Alexander (Crystal Palace, London XI, England)