The 1874–75 FA Cup was the fourth edition of the annual

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

, the oldest national

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tournament in the world. Entrants increased to 29 teams, one more than the previous season; four would never contest a match. It began on 27 February 1875 and ended at Final Replay on 16 March 1875. Semi-final and final winning results were partly determined through replays.

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

unsuccessfully defended its

in a rematch with their previous season's contestants against the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is the engineering arm of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces ...

, 1–0 in the Semi-final on 27 February 1875 in Kennington Oval, London.

in their third successive final successfully were interrupted by the 13 March 1875 Final match against Old Etonians at Kennington Oval in London, 1–1 draw. 2,000 attended. They would continue the pursuit of their first Cup title at the Final Replay on 16 March 1875 in Kennington Oval, London against Old Etonians, 2–0. 3,000 attended. The widest win score of the tournament was recorded by two-time FA Cup winners Wanderers, who defeated Farningham 16–0 in the First Round.

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The 1875 FA Cup Final on 13 March 1875

and Old Etonians at Kennington Oval in London. 1–1 draw; there would be a replay. 2,000 attended.

Format

First Round: 28 teams (with Reigate Priory F.C. getting a bye) faced another team.
Second Round: 14 First Round teams and Reigate Priory played an opponent, with Old Etonians getting a bye.
Third Round: The remaining teams played in a knockout-round style, due to the teams being a power of two.
Final: Old Etonians lost in a replay to

First round

All 29 teams entered the competition at the First Round stage. Reigate Priory were given a bye to the Second Round due to the odd number of entrants. Three teams –

Civil Service The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...

, Windsor Home Park and Shropshire Wanderers – were awarded walkovers. Three of the ties finished as draws and went to replays; of these, one had to be decided by a second replay. The widest score difference in the competition came at this stage with the Wanderers' 16–0 win over Farningham.

Replays

Second round

The 15 teams that progressed from the First Round took part in the Second Round. Old Etonians were given a bye to the Third Round due to the odd number of teams.

were awarded a walkover in their tie against Windsor Home Park. In all but one of the fixtures, the losing teams failed to score. Two matches saw the biggest win of the round: both

and Wanderers beat their respective opponents 5–0. The Civil Service scratched from its replay against the Shropshire Wanderers as its members could not, or would not, travel to Shrewsbury for the replay.

Replay

Third round

The eight teams that progressed from the Second Round took part in the Third Round. There was no need for any team to be given a bye to the next round, and there were no walkovers. Only one tie required a replay, in which Shropshire Wanderers recorded the biggest win of the round: a 2–0 win over Woodford Wells.

Replay

Semi-finals

The four winning teams from the Third Round took part in the Semi-finals. Old Etonians beat Shropshire Wanderers at the first attempt, but

required a replay to beat

after a 1–1 draw; they won the replay 1–0. All three matches were played at Kennington Oval, London.

Replay

Final

The 1875 FA Cup Final was played on 13 March 1875 between

and Old Etonians at Kennington Oval in London. The match was refereed by cup founder C. W. Alcock of Wanderers F.C. It finished as a 1–1 draw, with goals from Henry Renny-Tailyour for Royal Engineers and Alexander Bonsor for Old Etonians, which meant that there would have to be a replay.

Replay

The replay was played three days later, also at Kennington Oval and refereed by C. W. Alcock. Two goals from Henry Renny-Tailyour gave Royal Engineers a 2–0 win and their first FA Cup title in three attempts.

References

FA Cup Results Archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:FA Cup 1874-75 1874–75 1874–75 in English football cups