Wanderers were formed in 1859 by brothers Charles & John Alcock. The two were from Sunderland and their father was successful in the shipping industry. They were introduced to football at Harrow School and, after they left, they wanted to continue playing.

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They established 'Forest Club' in Epping Forest and played games between friends. The team's first match was a 1-0 win over the original Crystal Palace FC. In 1863, a group of clubs and schools in London met to try and agree on a set of rules they could all abide by. John and AW Mackenzie represented the club at the first meeting of the Football Association.

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The brothers seem to have fallen out as Charles took the core of players and renamed the team 'Wanderers Club' later that year. In 1871, he proposed the idea of the FA Cup and Wanderers would go on to lift the first trophy.