In 1898, Farrell helped guide the Saints to the semi-finals of the FA Cup, scoring in the emphatic 4–0 victory over First Division Bolton Wanderers in the quarter-finals. Farrell was injured in the first semi-final match, a 1–1 draw with Nottingham Forest, and took no part in the replay when Southampton were eliminated in a controversial 2–0 defeat in a blizzard. After a scoreless first half (in which Joe Turner missed a penalty for Southampton), in the second half Saints were on top when, with ten minutes left to play, referee John Lewis stopped the match for a time and the players left the pitch. No sooner had the game restarted than the weather worsened but the referee decided that the match should continue. The Saints' goalkeeper, George Clawley, had his eyes ""choked with snow"" and conceded two goals in the final minutes of the game. Despite Southampton's protests the Football Association (FA) decided that the result should stand – this was perhaps not surprising as Lewis was an eminent member of the FA board.