The FA Cup final today at Wembley will be an emotional one for the Ferguson family as Cardiff City attempt to re-write history.

In the crowd will be 84-year-old Tom Ferguson and his son, Hugh - son and grandson respectively of the Scot who scored the winner for Cardiff in 1927. They beat Arsenal 1-0. It was the only time the FA Cup ever went out of England.

Hughie Ferguson was rightly hailed as a legend. He was born in Glasgow in 1898, and played for Parkhead Juniors as a youth. He signed for Motherwell and was leading Scottish league scorer in 1917-18, 1919-20, and 1920-21, with 111 goals in 284 matches.

His 43 goals in 1921 was the second-highest league total for a season in England and Scotland before the change to the offside law in 1925. His career total of 364 league goals makes him one of only seven players in Scottish or English league history to have topped 350, yet he was never capped. Ferguson still features in Cardiff's record books, netting division-one goals against Burnley in 1928. His 32 Cardiff goals in all games in 1926-27 stood as a record until five seasons ago.

Ferguson scored when the Arsenal 'keeper, Lewis allowed his shot to roll through his grasp. The club's coach, Tom Whittaker, said he's failed to hold it because of the sheen on his new jersey. Arsenal goalkeepers' jerseys since are said to go through the laundry before being worn in a match.

That final was historic as the first broadcast by the BBC, and first rendition of Abide With Me. Bands of the Grenadier Guards and Welsh Guards played, and Ferguson was pictured shaking hands with the King before a 100,000 crowd. Winston Churchill and David Lloyd George were spectators.

But there is no happy conclusion. Hughie signed for Dundee but was dropped after 17 games, having scored only twice, and on January 8, 1930 it ended in tragedy. The player hid in the dressing room overnight, and was found by a painter the following morning with his face near the gas ring.

He left a pregnant wife and a son. He was 31. Soon after, his second son, Jack, was born. Yesterday, aged 78, and with his father's Cup Final jersey among his memorabilia, Jack talked from his home in St Andrews of his father and his own remarkable sports career which stirred eerie echoes.

Jack Ferguson played water polo for Britain at the 1952 and '56 Olympics. Britain hasn't qualified since. Motherwell, his club, won the Scottish Cup 12 times in 13 years to 1960. He captained Scotland with whom he won 25 caps and a further 10 for Britain outside the Olympics. Motherwell made history. They won the British title, the only time the trophy went out of England. Jack scored the winning goal . . .

"I was born three months after my father died," he said yesterday. "I never knew he had taken his own life until I was well into my 20s. It did not make such an impact as it might have done if he had lived another 10 years, and I'd known him. That might have been very different."

Jack spent his working life in physical education, and was deputy principal of pe at St Andrews University. Only when he was inducted to the university Hall of Fame last year did he realise he had matched his father's cup-winning goal feat. Team-mate David Jarvie noted the unique coincidence.

"It's a team game, and I had never thought about it," said Jack. "It takes no account of the good work of our goalkeeper, Ian Johnston."

His grandson, Hugh, has the 1927 Cup Final medal. Jack has the jersey and his Welsh Cup final medal of the same season.