Jimmy Forrest, soon to be a mainstay in the Rovers team. © Cottontown

Rovers improved their team by luring Joe Beverley from Blackburn Olympic, a move which did not amuse those at Hole I’th Wall. Yet they would have the last laugh over Rovers that season. Two important members of the team were to play their last games for the blue and whites that season and both were England internationals. Doc Greenwood announced his decision to retire while Fred Hargreaves received such a bad injury in a friendly against Aston Villa that he never played again. Later that year this was compensated for by the debut of a man to become a Rovers legend, as well as becoming another England international. Jimmy Forrest made his debut for Rovers after moving from Witton in 1883 and would remain in the team until 1895, by which time he had picked up a total of 5 FA Cup Winners medals.

Before his appearance however, Rovers had been knocked out of the FA Cup in the second round. After an easy 11-1 win over Blackpool St John’s they met the old enemy in the second round, Darwen. They lost 1-0 at Barley Bank and to compound their misery they watched as their other local rivals, Blackburn Olympic, went on to lift the trophy be beating Old Etonians 2-1 at Kennington Oval (for more on Blackburn Olympic see ‘Local Rivals’). As the town celebrated this national triumph, Rovers had to celebrate by bringing the 1883 Lancashire Cup back to their Leamington Street ground. The most remarkable of the early games seems to be the 8-0 first round thrashing of Everton. The final saw the team gain a certain measure of revenge as they beat Darwen 3-2, at Darwen. Another trophy found its way to the cabinet but it was not as prestigious as the one that Blackburn Olympic had won. For that, they would have to wait. Not for very long though.