For many it would be a joyous final 90 minutes watching the game they loved before heading for trenches and , in some cases , certain death . Others , already wearing the scars of gruesome battle , flocked to Old Trafford for the FA Cup Final in their military uniforms and bandages . The presence of so many soldiers on the steep terraces led the 1915 showpiece to be christened the Khaki Cup Final . On Friday it will be 100 years since 50,000 gathered at the home of Manchester United for the last football match to be played in England for four , long years . On Friday it will be 100 years since 50,000 gathered at Old Trafford to contest a controversial FA Cup final . Many soldiers already wounded from war or in uniform for training earned the match its Khaki Cup Final tag . The anniversary is being marked in Manchester by the National Football Museum whose exhibition The Greater Game : Football & The First World War tells the story of a controversial match played on the same day thousands of Allied troops were killed in a deadly German chlorine gas attack near Ypres , Belgium . Some claimed the final , won by Sheffield United following a 3-0 victory over Chelsea , should not have taken place at all following the outbreak of war the previous year . And following the final whistle the watching Earl of Derby implored all of those present who had not enlisted to do so , and play ' a sterner game for England ' . Far from an open-top bus parade and joyous celebration , the Blades carried their silverware across the Pennines under darkness . Crowds who had gathered in Sheffield to greet their heroes were dispersed by police . No parade was held for the victorious Blades , who carried their trophy across the Pennines under darkness . It was certainly a far cry from what will greet Aston Villa and Arsenal when they meet at Wembley Stadium in May . Head of Creative Programmes at the museum , Andy Pearce , explained that the authorities , desperate for reinforcements for the bloodthirsty battles on the muddy fields of Europe , were not impressed . 'Football fans and players had been targeted for recruitment to the military since the start of the season , ' he said . 'By the time of the cup final there was a sense that the game really was up . 'The crowd was largely from the Manchester area , with many already in military uniform , who were either on leave or in training . Many had signed up as part of ‘ Pals ’ battalions. ’ The 11 Sheffield United players who defeated Chelsea in the last game to be played in England for four years . The game was played at Old Trafford as the regular FA Cup final venue at the Crystal Palace had already been requisitioned for military training , and travel restrictions in the capital made an alternative London venue impractical . Collections Officer Dr Alexander Jackson added : 'Anti-football feeling in many sections of the press had reached its peak before the game . Within months many of the crowd , and the players , would be in the trenches . ' On Saturday 25 April 2015 , members of the Manchester 1914-18 Living History Regiment will be at the National Football Museum to commemorate the final .
The 1915 FA Cup final would be the last game in England for four years . So many soldiers in the terraces saw it be known as The First World War . On Friday it will be 100 years since the match was held at Old Trafford . Sheffield United beat Chelsea 3-0 but there was no parade for the victory . It was played on the same day thousands of Allied troops were killed in a deadly German chlorine gas attack near Ypres , Belgium . Earl of Derby urged men not enlisted to play ' a sterner game for England '