Herbert Muirhead

Col. Herbert Hugh Muirhead (10 December 1850 – 4 March 1904) was a British soldier, who played for the Royal Engineers in the 1872 FA Cup Final.

Muirhead was born at 3 Oriental Place, Brighton, the son of James Patrick Muirhead (1813–1898) and his wife Katharine Elizabeth née Boulton (1819–1890). His father was the biographer of James Watt, the engineer, and his mother was the granddaughter of Watt's partner, Matthew Boulton.

Muirhead's eldest brother was Lionel Boulton Campbell Lockhart Muirhead, who composed hymns, and whose son, Anthony, was MP for Wells in Somerset from 1929 to 1939.

Muirhead never married.

Muirhead was educated at Eton College from 1864 to 1867, before changing schools to Wellington, followed by the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich until 1871.

Muirhead represented both his schools and the RMA at association football, before joining the Royal Engineers. Muirhead played as a forward and was "noticed for his excellent and fine runs".

In November 1871, the Royal Engineers were among fifteen teams who entered the inaugural FA Cup competition; after victories over Hitchin (5–0), Hampstead Heathens (3–0) and Crystal Palace (3–0 after a replay), the Engineers met Wanderers, the top amateur club of the day, in the first FA Cup Final, played at Kennington Oval on 16 March 1872, which the Engineers lost 1–0, to a goal from Morton Betts. In the final, Muirhead was involved in the only attack by the Engineers which succeeded in breaking through the Wanderers defence when, according to the match report in The Field, "a fine run by Lieut. Muirhead brought the ball within a few yards of the centre of the posts".

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