The history of the
FA Cup in association football dates back to
1871–72. Aside from suspensions during the
First
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
and
Second World Wars, the competition has been played every year since.
History
19th century
On 20 July 1871, in the offices of
''The Sportsman'' newspaper,
C. W. Alcock
Charles William Alcock (2 December 1842 – 26 February 1907) was an English sportsman, administrator, author and editor. He was a major instigator in the development of both international football and cricket, as well as being the creator of ...
proposed to
The Football Association committee that "it is desirable that a Challenge Cup should be established in connection with the Association for which all clubs belonging to the Association should be invited to compete". The other committee members were:
*
A. Stair (F.A. Treasurer) (
Upton Park)
*
C.W. Stephenson (
Westminster School)
* J.H. Gifford (
Civil Service
The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...
)
* D. Allport (
Crystal Palace)
*
M.P. Betts
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members often ...
(
Harrow School
(The Faithful Dispensation of the Gifts of God)
, established = (Royal Charter)
, closed =
, type = Public schoolIndependent schoolBoarding school
, religion = Church of E ...
)
* Capt.
Francis Marindin
Colonel Sir Francis Arthur Marindin, KCMG (1 May 1838 – 21 April 1900) served with the Royal Engineers and was a key figure in the early development of association football. He was later knighted for his work in public services.[Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...]
)
The proposition was carried.
The
inaugural FA Cup tournament kicked off in November 1871. After thirteen games in all,
Wanderers were crowned the winners in the final at
Kennington Oval, on 16 March 1872. The following year, Wanderers retained the title after receiving a bye to the final, the 'Challenge Round', where they beat
Oxford University to retain the Cup. The rules were changed for the following season, to help inspire teams to try to get to the final, instead of knowing who their opponents would be before they reached it.
1875 saw the first final to be replayed, between Royal Engineers and
Old Etonians
Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...
, on Saturday 13 March (score 1-1 after extra time, in the first drawn final) and on Tuesday 16 March (score 2-0 between the respective teams), both times at
Kennington Oval.
The modern cup was beginning to be established by the 1888–89 season, when qualifying rounds were introduced, with clubs competing on regional basis until only one was left for the fourth qualifying round, and in the same season, the 'magic of the cup' began when Warwick County became the first non-league side to beat a First Division club on 6 October 1888, winning 2–1 away at
Stoke
Stoke is a common place name in the United Kingdom.
Stoke may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
The largest city called Stoke is Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire. See below.
Berkshire
* Stoke Row, Berkshire
Bristol
* Stoke Bishop
* Stok ...
.
20th century
The
1901 FA Cup Final
The 1901 FA Cup Final was an association football match between Sheffield United and Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, 20 April 1901 at the Crystal Palace stadium in south London. It was the final match of the 1900–01 FA Cup, the 30th edition of ...
was won by London club
Tottenham Hotspur, which became the only
non-League club to have ever won the FA Cup final after the formation of the
Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
in 1888 (Tottenham were then in the
Southern League). The final between Tottenham and
Sheffield United held at
Crystal Palace was attended by 110,820 fans, then the largest crowd ever for a football match.
The game ended in a 2–2 draw, with both Spurs goals from
Sandy Brown, and a disputed goal from Sheffield United – the final was the first to be filmed and it would be the first referee decision demonstrated to be wrong by film footage as it showed that the ball did not cross the line.
The replay was held at
Burnden Park, Bolton on 27 April 1901, which Spurs won 3–1.
In the
1915 final,
Sheffield United beat
Chelsea 3–0 at
Old Trafford
Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wemb ...
. The final became known as "The Khaki Cup Final" owing to the large number of uniformed soldiers in attendance. This year the FA Cup competition was controversial as the
First World War had started, and concerns were raised about the appropriateness of football competition continuing in the midst of a world war. The Football Association however argued that it would be better to carry on to provide relief for the workers and soldiers. In the following year the competition was suspended.
The
1923 final was the first FA Cup final to be played at
Wembley Stadium, which was known at the time as the Empire Stadium. Over 200,000 people squeezed into a stadium meant for 127,000 and many spilt out onto the pitch. It took three-quarter of an hour for mounted police to clear the field before the game could start.
Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...
beat
West Ham 2–0 in the match.
The practice of teams from the top two divisions receiving exemption to the third round of the competition began in the 1925/26 season. The
1926 final is the first to be played under a change to the offside rule.
The
1945–1946 FA Cup was the first played since the competition was suspended during
World War II. For one season only, as the intermediate
Football League North and Football League South were of variable quality, to boost clubs' income each tie was played over two legs (one home, one away with the scores being added together to decide who went through) to increase the number of matches in the season. Matches that were level at the end of both legs were replayed at the stadium of whichever team had played the second leg away. The final, played at a neutral venue, remained a single match affair, decided by extra time if teams were level after 90 minutes. The final was won by
Derby County 4–1.
In the
1966–67 FA Cup
The 1966–67 FA Cup was the 86th season of the world's oldest football cup competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup. Tottenham Hotspur won the competition for the fifth time, beating Chelsea 2–1 in the ...
the first substitutes were allowed after many years of finals proving unbalanced due to injuries which forced players into leaving the field early. Players had suffered broken bones in the 1957, 1959, 1960, 1961 and 1965 finals. They were not, however, used in the final until the next year in the
1968 FA Cup Final
The 1968 FA Cup Final was the 87th final of the FA Cup. It took place on 18 May 1968 at Wembley Stadium and was contested between West Bromwich Albion and Everton.
West Brom won 1–0 after extra time. Jeff Astle scored the winning goal, thus a ...
, when
Dennis Clarke
Dennis Clarke (born 18 January 1948) is an English former professional footballer who played as a defender for West Bromwich Albion, Huddersfield Town and Birmingham City in the Football League.
He has the distinction of being the first substi ...
replaced
John Kaye for West Bromwich Albion.
1970 saw the first Wembley final to go to a replay. The replayed final was played at
Old Trafford
Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wemb ...
due to the damaged state of the Wembley pitch caused by the Horse of the Year Show and was contested between
Chelsea and
Leeds United. 1970 also saw the first
third place play-off with Manchester United beating Watford 2–0. This play-off proved short-lived, and the 1973–74 competition saw the last 3rd place play-off match, contested by
Leicester City and
Burnley, with Burnley winning 1–0 at
Filbert Street.
In
1972
Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...
the FA Cup celebrated its centenary (though this was not its 100th season, due to interruptions for the two world wars).
Leeds United won the final against holders
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
. The
1973 FA Cup Final
The 1973 FA Cup Final was the 92nd final of the FA Cup. It took place on 5 May 1973 at Wembley Stadium and was contested between Leeds United, the previous season's winners and one of the dominant teams in English football at the time, and Sunde ...
was the 50th anniversary of Wembley as a venue for the cup final.
In 1981, The
100th FA Cup final took place between Tottenham Hotspur and
Manchester City
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
. It finished 1–1 after extra time. For the first time, the replay was held again at Wembley – previously replayed finals had been held at other neutral grounds. Tottenham won 3–2.
In the
1990–91 FA Cup
The 1990–91 FA Cup was the 110th season of the world's oldest knockout football competition, The Football Association Challenge Cup, or FA Cup for short. Tottenham Hotspur won the competition after coming from 1–0 behind in the final against N ...
, the
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
v
Leeds United fourth round tie had to be replayed three times. After the third replay, The FA decided that from the first round onwards, one replay, then extra time, then a penalty shootout would be a suitable alternative to a fixtures backlog. The semi-final of this year was the first to be played at Wembley, with Tottenham beating Arsenal 3–1, including a 30-yard free kick from
Paul Gascoigne
Paul John Gascoigne (, born 27 May 1967), nicknamed Gazza, is an English former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He is described by the National Football Museum as "widely recognised as the most naturally talente ...
.
After the change in replay rule starting with the season
1991–92 FA Cup
The 1991–92 FA Cup was the 111th season of the world's oldest knockout football competition, The Football Association Challenge Cup, or FA Cup for short. Liverpool beat Sunderland 2–0 in the final to take their 5th FA Cup trophy.
The appear ...
where multiple replays were replaced by one replay and penalty kicks after extra time, the first penalty takers in the competition proper were
Rotherham United and
Scunthorpe United
Scunthorpe United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England. The side currently competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The tea ...
, with Rotherham winning 7–6 in a first round replay. In the qualifying rounds, multiple replays lasted until 1996/97, with the game between Morecambe and Lancaster City on 4 November 1996 being the last second replay.
In 1993, both semi-finals were played at Wembley Stadium for the first time ever, one between Arsenal and Tottenham, the other between Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United. In 1993, the last ever FA Cup final replay took place, with
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
beating
Sheffield Wednesday 2–1. Arsenal became the first team to win both the FA Cup and the
League Cup in the same season, beating Sheffield Wednesday in both finals, the first time the same teams contested the two cup finals in the same season.
In 1999, the last ever FA Cup semi-final replay took place. From 2000 onwards, it was decided that any semi-finals and finals would go first to extra time then penalties, rather than be replayed. In 1999, under pressure from
The FA, Manchester United became the first FA Cup holders not to defend their title when they withdrew from the FA Cup, instead electing to take part in the inaugural
FIFA Club World Championship
The FIFA Club World Cup is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The competition was first contested in 2000 ...
played in Brazil. To decide who took their place, a "lucky losers" draw was held containing the 20 teams knocked out in the second round;
Darlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town.
In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...
were selected.
21st century
Redevelopment of Wembley saw the final played outside of England for the first time ever, with the 2001–2006 finals being played at the
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm y Mileniwm), known since 2016 as the Principality Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm Principality) for sponsorship reasons, is the national stadium of Wales. Located in Cardiff, it is the home of the Wales national rug ...
in
Cardiff.
Upon the opening of the new
Wembley Stadium, the final returned to Wembley, but the semi-finals were played at neutral grounds. However, in 2003, it was announced that all future semi-finals would be played at the new Wembley Stadium once it had opened, and this took effect in 2008.
Beginning with the
2016–17 competition, all quarter-final matches will be played to a result on the day (with draws followed by extra time, with a penalty shootout if level after extra time) instead of being replayed in the event of a draw.
Broadcasting
The 1927 final was the first ever Cup Final to be broadcast by the
BBC, who produced a numbered grid of the pitch for Radio Times readers to follow the ball. This gave rise to the popular myth of the origin of the phrase, "
Back to square one" (i.e. a back-pass to the goalkeeper).
In 1938, after 29 minutes of extra time, it was still 0–0 between
Preston
Preston is a place name, surname and given name that may refer to:
Places
England
*Preston, Lancashire, an urban settlement
**The City of Preston, Lancashire, a borough and non-metropolitan district which contains the settlement
**County Boro ...
and
Huddersfield.
BBC Radio commentator
Thomas Woodrooffe
Thomas Borries Ralph Woodrooffe (24 January 1899 – 25 March 1978) was a British naval officer, broadcaster and writer. He was born in Adelaide, Cape Province, South Africa to George Borries Woodrooffe (1868-1923) and Elizabeth McFarlan "Bessie" ...
declared: "If there's a goal scored now, I'll eat my hat." Seconds later Preston was awarded a penalty from which
George Mutch
George Mutch (21 September 1912 – 30 March 2001) was a Scottish footballer. He played as an inside forward. Born in Aberdeen, Mutch started his football career with Avondale before joining Banks O' Dee. He then moved on to Arbroath, and sig ...
scored. Woodrooffe kept his promise. This was also the first FA Cup Final to be broadcast live by BBC Television.
Notable events
Inaugural tournament
The
inaugural FA Cup tournament kicked off in November 1871. Four first-round matches were the first FA Cup games ever played – on 11 November 1871. The first Cup goal was scored by
Clapham Rovers
Clapham Rovers was from its foundation in 1869 a leading English sports organisation in the two dominant codes of football, association football and rugby union. It was a prominent club in the late 19th century but is now defunct. The club playe ...
player
Jarvis Kenrick
Jarvis Kenrick (13 November 1852 – 29 January 1949) was an English footballer.
Career
Born in Chichester, Sussex, Kenrick scored the first ever goal in the FA Cup, for Clapham Rovers in a 3–0 victory over Upton Park on 11 November 1871. K ...
in a 3–0 win over
Upton Park (Kenrick scoring twice in the process). The following year, on 16 March 1872,
Wanderers became the first winners of the FA Cup, beating
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...
1–0 at
The Oval. Fifteen clubs had entered, only twelve actually played, and there were thirteen games in total. The winning goal was scored by
Morton Peto Betts, who played under the pseudonym of 'A.H. Chequer'.
White Horse Final
The first Wembley FA Cup Final, played on 28 April 1923, was marked by disorderly scenes unparalleled in the history of football. Before the match a massive crowd outside the stadium rushed the gates, burst the barriers and swarmed on to the pitch. Kick-off was delayed for 45 minutes as mounted police, with PC
George Scorey
George Albert Scorey (30 December 1882 – 14 April 1965) was an English soldier and later policeman. He is best known as the rider of the white horse at the 1923 FA Cup Final, played between Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United on 28 April 1923, ...
on his white charger "Billy" – hence the
"White Horse Final" – particularly visible, encouraged people to move behind the touchlines.
Bolton beat West Ham 2–0 and the first Wembley goal was scored after just two minutes by David Jack. It was estimated that 200,000 fans had squeezed into Wembley and Cup Finals were made "all ticket" after that.
Burnden Park disaster
During a Sixth Round second-leg tie between Bolton and Stoke City on 9 March 1946, a human crush killed 33 spectators. Despite the disaster, the match continued, causing Stoke player
Stanley Matthews to later say that he was sickened that the game was allowed to continue.
The Matthews Final
The final of 1953 is known as the
Matthews Final
The 1953 FA Cup Final, also known as the Matthews Final, was the eighth to be held at Wembley Stadium after the Second World War. The football match was contested between Blackpool and Bolton Wanderers, with Blackpool winning 4–3, equalling the ...
. The match between
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
and
Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...
saw
Stanley Matthews, at the age of 38, in his third attempt to win an FA Cup winner's medal for Blackpool. Bolton were 3–1 up with 22 minutes remaining and, despite being reduced to nine fit men through severe injury to two players, looked set to win the match when Blackpool's
Stan Mortensen scored from a Matthews cross. With less than five minutes remaining Blackpool equalised from a Mortensen free kick (his
hat-trick, which remains the only one ever scored in a Wembley FA Cup Final) and shortly after the restart, with everybody anticipating extra time, Matthews passed to
Bill Perry who put the ball in the back of the net securing a 4–3 victory for Blackpool.
Bert Trautmann
The final of 1956 saw Manchester City win 3–1 against Birmingham City. Roughly 15 minutes before the end of the game, Man City's goalkeeper
Bert Trautmann (a German who had been taken as a
prisoner of war by the British in 1945) injured his neck when he made a save at the feet of Birmingham's
Peter Murphy. Despite being in terrible pain he continued to play till the end of match and collected his winners' medal still clutching his neck. An
X-ray later revealed that he had broken a vertebra in his neck.
Hillsborough disaster
In 1989 during the opening minutes of the FA Cup semi-final between
Liverpool and
Nottingham Forest, 96 people were crushed to death because of overcrowding.
Liverpool went on to beat
Everton 3–2 in the final. The Hillsborough inquest states fans were unlawfully killed due to the lack of police support.
Fabrice Muamba
On 17 March 2012, a Fifth Round tie between
Tottenham Hotspur and
Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...
was abandoned after 41 minutes with the score at 1–1, when Bolton midfielder
Fabrice Muamba suffered a
cardiac arrest on the pitch. Muamba later retired from the sport following medical advice, after his heart stopped beating for 78 minutes and remained in intensive care for two weeks. Tottenham won the rearranged fixture 3–1.
Minnows, cup runs and giant killings
In 1894,
Notts County became the first club outside the top division to win the FA Cup: Notts County finished 3rd in
Division Two
NCL Division Two
The NCL or National Conference League Division Two (known as the Kingstone Press NCL Division Two)
League winners
{, class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
, -
, colspan=4 style="text-align:center;" , NCL DIVISION TWO
, ...
that season. However, as they have not won the FA Cup since then, this means that Notts County have been waiting longer than any other winning professional club to win the trophy for a second time. Their first ever final appearance had come three years earlier in 1891, where they were defeated 3–1 by
Blackburn Rovers at
The Oval, despite having beaten the same side 7–1 in the league only a week earlier.
In 1901
Tottenham Hotspur became the first team from outside the Football League to win the FA Cup since the league was founded, with a 3–1 replay victory over
Sheffield United.
1958 saw Leeds United beaten 2–1 at home to Cardiff City in the third round for the third consecutive year.
In 1958–59,
Third Division
In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below.
Association football
*Belgian Thir ...
club
Norwich City had one of the great cup runs, beating
Tottenham and
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
and holding
Luton Town to a draw in the semi-final before losing the replay. Their progress from the first round proper included wins over
Ilford,
Swindon Town (replay), Manchester United, Cardiff City, Tottenham Hotspur, Sheffield United (replay).
When
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
beat Leeds United 1–0 in the
1973 FA Cup Final
The 1973 FA Cup Final was the 92nd final of the FA Cup. It took place on 5 May 1973 at Wembley Stadium and was contested between Leeds United, the previous season's winners and one of the dominant teams in English football at the time, and Sunde ...
, Sunderland were the first Cup winners from outside the top flight since
West Bromwich Albion in 1931. The feat was repeated twice over the next seven seasons (by
Southampton in 1976 and
West Ham United in 1980) but has not been accomplished since.
In 1980,
West Ham United became the last side to date to win the competition from outside the top division in football. They were a
Second Division outfit when they beat holders Arsenal 1–0 thanks to a goal by
Trevor Brooking. Four second-level clubs –
Queens Park Rangers in 1982, Sunderland in 1992,
Millwall in 2004 and Cardiff City in 2008 – have since reached the final, though all four lost.
In 1984,
Johnny Hore
John Hore (born 10 February 1947) is an English former footballer who played as a defender. He made 593 appearances in the Football League for Plymouth Argyle and Exeter City. He also served as manager at both clubs.
Hore appeared for Plymou ...
's
Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, ...
side narrowly missed out on being the first
Third Division
In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below.
Association football
*Belgian Thir ...
side to reach the final. In a tense semi-final at
Villa Park,
Watford came out on top, 1–0 victors. Starting in the first round proper, Argyle had beaten
Southend United (in a replay),
Barking,
Newport County (in a replay),
Darlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town.
In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...
,
West Bromwich Albion and
Derby County (in a replay).
In 1989,
Sutton United beat Coventry City 2–1 at Gander Green Lane. Sutton United were in the Conference at the time, whilst Coventry were in the First Division, and had won the cup 18 months earlier. This was the last occasion that a non-League club beat a top division club in the FA Cup until Luton Town defeated Norwich City in the 4th round in 2012–13 season.
On 11 December 2007
Chasetown became the smallest team ever to reach the FA Cup third round. The
Southern League Division One Midlands side stunned League One
Port Vale
Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in . Vale are the only English Football League club not to be named after a place; their name being a reference to the valley o ...
as Danny Smith's last-minute goal sealed a 1–0 win after Port Vale missed two penalties. There was a five division gap between the two teams.
Premier League side
Norwich City lost at home
''Lost at Home'' is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from April 1 to April 22, 2003. The show starred Mitch Rouse, Connie Britton, Gregory Hines (in his final television role), Stark Sands, Leah Pipes, Gavin Fink and Aaron Hill. The show was ...
to non-League
Luton Town in the
2012–13 FA Cup
The 2012–13 FA Cup was the 132nd season of the FA Cup, the main domestic cup competition in English football, and the oldest football knock-out competition in the world. It was sponsored by Budweiser for a second consecutive season, thus the com ...
competition. This was the first time a non-league side had defeated top flight opposition since 1989, and the first time that a non-League side had won away at a top flight side since
Altrincham had won at
Birmingham City in 1985–86.
The
2016–17 FA Cup
The 2016–17 FA Cup (also known as the FA Challenge Cup) was the 136th edition of the oldest recognised football tournament in the world. It was sponsored by Emirates, and known as The Emirates FA Cup for sponsorship purposes. 736 clubs were accep ...
had two non-League teams reaching the fifth round;
Lincoln City and Sutton United, both of the
National League. Sutton United's run included a 3–1 win away to
League One side
AFC Wimbledon
AFC Wimbledon is an English professional Association football, football club, based in London Borough of Merton, Merton, London, that plays in the EFL League Two, after being relegated from the EFL League One following the 2021–22 EFL Leagu ...
in a third round replay and a 1–0 win at home to
Leeds United of the
Championship in the fourth round, before succumbing 2–0 to eventual winners
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
in the fifth round. Lincoln City became the first non-League side in 103 years to reach the quarter-final stage of the FA Cup, since
Queens Park Rangers F.C. of the
Southern Football League
The Southern League is a men's football competition featuring semi-professional clubs from the South and Midlands of England. Together with the Isthmian League and the Northern Premier League it forms levels seven and eight of the English fo ...
in
1913–14, and the first outright since the non-League became part of the
English football league system
The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for men's association football clubs in England, with five teams from Wales, one from Guernsey, one from Jersey and one from the Isl ...
as opposed to running parallel to it. Their run included a 3–2 victory over League One
Oldham Athletic in the second round, two Championship scalps in rounds three and four — a 1–0 replay win against
Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. They play in League One, the third tier of the English football league system.
The club was founded in 1878 but did not turn profession ...
and 3–1 against
Brighton & Hove Albion, respectively — before
a 1–0 win away to
Burnley of the
Premier League in the fifth round. Lincoln City were eventually knocked out in the quarter-finals, a 5–0 reversal at Arsenal.
Come-backs
In 1966, Everton became only the second side ever to win the cup after being two goals down, without the need of extra time. The Merseysiders had gone two goals down with thirty-one minutes remaining before coming back to win 3–2, emulating Blackpool's achievement of thirteen years earlier, however, while Blackpool had been up against a Bolton side reduced to nine fit men, Sheffield Wednesday, by contrast, were in no way handicapped. The match, however, was largely forgotten as it was overshadowed by England's
World Cup victory later that year.
Records and statistics
Individual records
Most wins and final appearances
The record for most FA Cup wins by a player is held by
Ashley Cole
Ashley Cole (born 20 December 1980) is an English football coach and former player who is currently a first-team coach at Premier League club Everton. As a player, he played as a left-back, most notably for Arsenal and Chelsea. Cole is consi ...
, who has won it seven times (with
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
in 2002, 2003 and 2005, and
Chelsea in 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2012). With Chelsea's victory over Portsmouth in the
2010 final, Cole beat the record of five jointly held by
Charles Wollaston (
Wanderers),
Arthur Kinnaird (
Wanderers &
Old Etonians
Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...
) and
Jimmy Forrest James, Jim or Jimmy Forrest may refer to:
Sports
* James Forrest (rugby union) (born 1907), Scotland international rugby union player
* James Forrest (baseball) (1897–1977), American baseball player
* James Forrest (basketball) (born 1972), Ame ...
(
Blackburn Rovers).
Cole has appeared in 8 finals, having also been on the losing side for Arsenal in 2001.
The record for most FA Cup wins by a manager is held by
Arsène Wenger
Arsène Charles Ernest Wenger (; born 22 October 1949) is a French former association football, football Manager (association football), manager and football player, player who is currently serving as FIFA's Chief of Global Football Developme ...
, who won it seven times (with
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
in 1998, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2014, 2015 and 2017).
Most goals
Notts County's
Harry Cursham
Henry Alfred Cursham (27 November 1859 – 6 August 1941) was an English footballer and cricketer. He played football mostly for Notts County, with spells at Corinthian, Grantham Town and Thursday Wanderers. In cricket, he played two first ...
has scored the most goals in the FA Cup, with 49 goals in 44 appearances from 1877 to 1891. Cursham has held the record continuously since 1887. The closest anyone has come to breaking this long-standing record was
Ian Rush, who scored 44 FA Cup goals in his career, from 1979 to 1998.
W. "Doc" Dowden scored 19 FA Cup goals for
Wimbledon
Wimbledon most often refers to:
* Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London
* Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships
Wimbledon may also refer to:
Places London
* ...
in the 1929/30 season. This is believed to be the record for one individual in a season. For rounds proper only, the highest total is that of Albert Brown who scored 15 times for Tottenham in 1900/01.
When
Peter Osgood scored for Chelsea in the 1970 final, he became the last player to date (and ninth in total) to score in every round of the cup.
In one tie, between Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic vs. Margate,
Ted MacDougall scored 9 of Bournemouth's goals in their 11–0 victory.
Scoring firsts
In 1876,
Thomas Hughes was the first to score more than once in the final, in a replay match in which Wanderers defeated Old Etonians 3–0. In the same final,
Alexander Bonsor
Alexander George Bonsor (7 October 1851 – 17 August 1907) was one of the earliest known footballers.
Career
Bonsor played in the 1872 FA Cup Final – the first ever final in the FA Cup's history – and finished on the winning side. He playe ...
from the losing side became the first to score in two consecutive finals (both of which his team lost).
Eddie Kelly from Arsenal became the first substitute to score when he came on the pitch in the 70th minute of the 1971 final and scored in the 96th.
Stuart McCall
Andrew Stuart Murray McCall (born 10 June 1964) is a professional football coach and former player. He is assistant manager at Sheffield United.
McCall played in a total of 763 league games and in 40 full international matches for Scotla ...
from Everton scored two goals after coming in from the bench in the 1989 final in the 90th and 102nd minutes.
In 2001,
Dagenham & Redbridge F.C. goalkeeper
Tony Roberts became the first goalkeeper in the history of the tournament to score a goal, this happened in a Fourth round qualifying game against
Basingstoke Town.
Scoring streaks
In 1886,
Jimmy Brown of
Blackburn Rovers became the first to score in three consecutive finals from 1884 to 1886 (winning all three).
In 1887, Aston Villa legend
Archie Hunter
Archibald Hunter (23 September 1859 – 29 November 1894) was a Scottish Association football, footballer who was the first captain of Aston Villa F.C., Aston Villa to lift the FA Cup, in 1887 FA Cup Final, 1887. He was one of Victorian football' ...
became the first player to score in every round of the FA Cup in Villa's victorious 1887 campaign (beginning from the second round, as Villa had a bye in the first). This feat was bettered in 1901 by
Sandy Brown of Tottenham Hotspur, who scored in all rounds from the first.
In the 2012 final,
Didier Drogba
Didier Yves Drogba Tébily (; born 11 March 1978) is an Ivorian retired professional footballer who played as a striker. He is the all-time top scorer and former captain of the Ivory Coast national team. He is best known for his career at ...
became the first player to score in four FA Cup Finals.
Fastest goals
Aston Villa's Bob Chatt
Robert Samuel Chatt (August 1870 – c. 1955) was an English footballer who was a member of the Aston Villa team which won the Football League championship three times in the 1890s. Chatt was credited with scoring the fastest goal in FA Cup Fina ...
scored the winner in the
1895 FA Cup Final
The 1895 FA Cup Final was contested by Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion at Crystal Palace. Aston Villa won 1–0, with Bob Chatt being credited with scoring the fastest goal in FA Cup Final history, scored after just 30 seconds. This r ...
with the then-fastest goal after just 30 seconds;
his record stood until broken by
Louis Saha in
2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
, who scored in 25 seconds.
On 13 February 2010,
Jimmy Kebe of
Reading scored the fastest goal in the FA Cup proper after just 9 seconds of Reading's Fifth Round tie against
West Bromwich Albion.
Hat–tricks
William Townley
William James Townley (14 February 1866 – 30 May 1950) was an English football player and coach.
He scored the first hat-trick in the history of the FA Cup final, but his lasting legacy is defined as an important pioneer of the game in Germ ...
scored the first hat–trick in an FA Cup final for
Blackburn Rovers when they beat
Sheffield Wednesday 6–1 in
1890
Events
January–March
* January 1
** The Kingdom of Italy establishes Eritrea as its colony, in the Horn of Africa.
** In Michigan, the wooden steamer ''Mackinaw'' burns in a fire on the Black River.
* January 2
** The steamship ...
.
In
1894
Events January–March
* January 4 – A military alliance is established between the French Third Republic and the Russian Empire.
* January 7 – William Kennedy Dickson receives a patent for motion picture film in the United S ...
,
Jimmy Logan
James Allan Short, OBE, FRSAMD (4 April 1928 – 13 April 2001), known professionally as Jimmy Logan, was a Scottish performer, theatrical producer, impresario and director.
Family
Logan was born in Dennistoun, Glasgow, a member of a famil ...
became the second player to score three goals in the final of the competition, with his
Notts County beating
Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...
4–1.
The third hat-trick in an FA Cup final was scored by
Stan Mortensen for
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
against
Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...
in the
1953 FA Cup Final
The 1953 FA Cup Final, also known as the Matthews Final, was the eighth to be held at Wembley Stadium after the Second World War. The football match was contested between Blackpool and Bolton Wanderers, with Blackpool winning 4–3, equalling the ...
. Blackpool won 4–3.
In 1922,
England amateur international Wilfred Minter created an unusual scoring record. In an era when there was some dispute whether or not a hat–trick had to be scored as consecutive goals, Minter performed the feat twice in one match, as well as scoring a seventh, as he scored all of
St Albans City's goals against
Dulwich Hamlet
Dulwich Hamlet Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in East Dulwich in south-east London, England. They are currently members of and play at Champion Hill.
History
The club was formed in 1893, by Lorraine 'Pa' Wilson. T ...
. Despite his feat, they actually lost the game 8–7.
Penalties
The first penalty in the final was not converted until 1910, with
Albert Shepherd scoring from the spot in the Newcastle 2–0 Barnsley replay. The first missed penalty occurred in 1913, with
Charlie Wallace from Aston Villa being the unlucky player, although Villa did win 1–0 over Sunderland. Two penalties were not converted until 1994, when
Eric Cantona kicked from the spot in the 60th and 66th minutes to contribute to Manchester United's 4–0 win over Chelsea.
In 1988,
Wimbledon
Wimbledon most often refers to:
* Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London
* Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships
Wimbledon may also refer to:
Places London
* ...
's
Dave Beasant became the first goalkeeper to save a penalty in an
FA Cup final at Wembley, when he denied
John Aldridge of
Liverpool (although Charlie Wallace of Aston Villa was the first to miss a penalty in the final). Wimbledon defeated the league champions Liverpool 1–0 in that game, and so Beasant also became the first goalkeeper to captain an FA Cup-winning side.
Own goals
In 1877,
Lord Kinnaird scored the first own goal in the final with Wanderers defeating Oxford University 2–1.
In
the 1946 final,
Bert Turner from Charlton Athletic became famous for scoring for both sides – first he put a goal in his own net, only to equalise from a free kick a minute later.
Tommy Hutchison
Thomas Hutchison (born 22 September 1947) is a Scottish former footballer who played as a midfielder. He made over 1,100 appearances, including 314 in the Football League alone for Coventry City, and more than 160 apiece in the competition f ...
would repeat the feat (in reverse) for Manchester City in 1981, as did
Gary Mabbutt
Gary Vincent Mabbutt (born 23 August 1961) is an English former footballer who made more than 750 professional appearances, first playing for Bristol Rovers and going on to play 619 games for Tottenham Hotspur, despite being diagnosed with type ...
of Tottenham Hotspur in 1987.
Age records
Billy Hampson
Billy Hampson (26 August 1882 – 24 February 1966) was an English football player and manager.
Hampson was born in Radcliffe, Lancashire and was the brother of footballers Tommy and Walker Hampson. He played for Rochdale, Bury and Norwic ...
of
Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
, the oldest FA Cup finalist, was 41 years and 257 days old when his side beat Aston Villa 2–0 in the 1924 Final.
In 1983,
Norman Whiteside, at 18 years and 18 days, became the youngest player ever to score in an FA Cup final, whilst playing for Manchester United against Brighton & Hove Albion. As of 2020 this record remains unbroken.
On 12 September 2020, Evander Grubb scored a brace for
Bristol Manor Farm in their 5–1 victory over
Cadbury Heath
Cadbury Heath is a residential area in South Gloucestershire, England, located east of Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial count ...
aged 16 years and 54 days to become the youngest ever goal scorer in the competition.
In 2004,
Curtis Weston
Curtis James Weston (born 24 January 1987) is an English professional footballer who plays for AFC Fylde.
Playing career
Born in Greenwich, London, Weston attended Erith Secondary School, and was spotted by a Millwall scout when playing for ...
of
Millwall became the youngest ever player to play in the final at the age of 17 years and 119 days, beating the record of
James F. M. Prinsep of
Clapham Rovers
Clapham Rovers was from its foundation in 1869 a leading English sports organisation in the two dominant codes of football, association football and rugby union. It was a prominent club in the late 19th century but is now defunct. The club playe ...
set in the
1879 Final.
Disciplinary firsts
In 1985,
Kevin Moran of
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
became the first player to be sent off in an FA Cup Final, he had fouled Peter Reid with a sliding tackle which missed the ball. United went on to win the match 1–0, after extra time. Since then, only five other players have been sent off in the FA Cup Final:
José Antonio Reyes
José Antonio Reyes Calderón (; 1 September 1983 – 1 June 2019) was a Spanish professional footballer who played mainly as a left winger and also as a forward.
He made his debut for Sevilla aged 16 and signed for English club Arsenal in Ja ...
for
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
in 2005,
Pablo Zabaleta for
Manchester City
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
in 2013,
Chris Smalling of Manchester United in 2016,
Victor Moses in 2017 and
Mateo Kovačić
Mateo Kovačić (; born 6 May 1994) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Chelsea and the Croatia national team. He is usually deployed in a central or box-to-box role, but can play in deeper po ...
in 2020, both of Chelsea. Of these, only Moran received a straight red and Zabaleta, Moses and Kovačić ended up being on the losing side.
Accident firsts
At the first Final in 1872,
Edmund Cresswell broke his
collarbone in a charge for Royal Engineers against Wanderers ten minutes into the match, but insisted on continuing play, in goal for the duration of the match, "although completely disabled and in severe pain", according to
''The Sportsman'''s report.
Liverpool left back
Gerry Byrne suffered an identical injury during the
1965 FA Cup final
The 1965 FA Cup Final was an association football match between Liverpool and Leeds United on 1 May 1965 at Wembley Stadium, London. It was the final match of the 1964–65 FA Cup, the 93rd season of England's primary cup competition, the Footb ...
against
Leeds United. Byrne, who had a reputation for being physically tough, broke his
collarbone as early as the 3rd minute. Despite being in agony, he played on for the next 87 minutes, and also an additional half hour of extra time. Despite the crippling injury he achieved legendary status, by not only helping Liverpool to win the cup for the first time in their history, following a 2–1 victory, but he also managed to provide an assist, breaking forward on the left and crossing for
Roger Hunt to score the opening goal.
The first injured player forced to retire from a match was
Arthur Dunn (
Old Etonians
Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...
), who injured a knee 15 minutes into the second half against
Blackburn Olympic in 1883. His team carried on playing with ten men but lost.
Nationality firsts
In 1872,
Edward Ernest Bowen
Edward Ernest Bowen (30 March 1836 – 8 April 1901) was an influential schoolmaster at Harrow School from 1859 until his death, and the author of the Harrow school song, " Forty Years On".
Biography
Edward Bowen was born in Glenmore, Count ...
of Ireland became the first non-Englishman to win the FA Cup. In 1873, American
Julian Sturgis was the first man from outside the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland to win the Cup.
In 1881 Canadian born Edward Haggarty was captain (and goal-scorer) of the Old Carthusians team which won the FA Cup Final defeating Old Etonians 3–0. He was the first overseas-born captain of an FA Cup winning team,
and the last until Irishman Johnny Carey with Manchester United in 1948.
In 1997,
Ruud Gullit became the first overseas manager to win the FA Cup, as his Chelsea side beat Middlesbrough 2–0.
Roberto Di Matteo scored what was then the fastest goal in a Wembley cup final, after 42 seconds.
Other individual firsts
In the 1946 final,
Arthur Turner, of Charlton Athletic, became the only player to play in the final who never played a League game for his club, since the
League's inception.
The 2003 Final was the first in which a goalkeeper was substituted.
Paul Jones replaced the injured
Southampton goalkeeper
Antti Niemi.
In the 2012 final,
John Terry became the first player to captain the same team to four FA Cup victories.
Team records
Most goals
The record for most goals in the FA Cup is owned by
Kettering Town
Kettering Town Football Club is a football club based in Burton Latimer, Northamptonshire, England. They are currently members of and play at Latimer Park in Burton Latimer. Kettering were the first club to wear sponsorship on their shirts in ...
having scored 908 goals.
Winning streaks
After winning the competition from 1884 to 1886,
Blackburn Rovers became the second club to win three consecutive FA Cups and remain the only club still in existence to win "three in a row" to this day, as Wanderers, who achieved the feat 6 years earlier, were disbanded in 1883.
Portsmouth hold the record for holding the FA Cup the longest, but only by virtue of the suspension of the competition for World War II.
Undefeated streaks
In 2013, Chelsea set a record of 29 FA Cup matches without defeat (excluding penalty shoot-outs). Their loss to Manchester City in the 2013 semi-finals was their first since a quarter-final loss to Barnsley in 2008.
Arsenal are currently the holders of the most FA Cup trophies (14).
Most final losses
Queen's Park, Birmingham City, Crystal Palace and Watford have each lost two Finals without ever winning the trophy; no other team has made it to the final more than twice but not won a single title. However, 25 other teams have lost as many or more Finals but have also won the Cup at least once. The record number of Final defeats stands at eight for each of Chelsea, Everton and Manchester United.
Game records
On 15 October 1887,
Preston North End
Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syste ...
defeated
Hyde 26–0, which remains the record score in an FA Cup tie.
In 1903
Bury
Bury may refer to:
*The burial of human remains
*-bury, a suffix in English placenames
Places England
* Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village
* Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire
** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...
defeated
Derby County 6–0 in that year's
final, a record that was matched by
Manchester City
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
in the
2019 Final, when they defeated Watford 6–0.
In 1959,
Nottingham Forest became the first team to lose a player to injury in the final and go on to win with 10 men, beating Luton Town 2–1 after having goalscorer
Roy Dwight
Royston Edward Dwight (9 January 1933 – 9 April 2002) was an English footballer. He scored the opening goal in the 1959 FA Cup Final for Nottingham Forest.
Career Fulham
Although a winger, he was renowned for his shooting ability. Dwight sco ...
carried off with a broken leg after 33 minutes.
1971 saw the longest tie in Cup history.
Oxford City and
Alvechurch played 6 games for a total of 660 minutes. Alvechurch won the final game 1–0 to progress to the first round proper.
Tournament game streaks
In 1963,
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
became the quickest winners of all time, apart from the special circumstances of
1873
Events
January–March
* January 1
** Japan adopts the Gregorian calendar.
** The California Penal Code goes into effect.
* January 17 – American Indian Wars: Modoc War: First Battle of the Stronghold – Modoc Indians defeat ...
. They played their first match on 4 March, after 12 postponements, and won the final on 25 May, 82 days later.
The 1973–74 competition saw the record set for the highest number of games played in one season by one club.
Bideford played 13 games over five rounds: one for the 1st qualifying round, two for the 2nd qualifying round, five for the 3rd qualifying round, four for the 4th qualifying round, and one for the 1st round proper. Multiple replays no longer take place, so this record is unlikely to be beaten.
Competition records
1910 saw the start of a string of 14 consecutive finals (including 3 replays, thus 17 matches) in which the losing side failed to score. This series was not approached until 1994–2000, with seven consecutive finals (no replays).
In 1948,
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
became the only team to win the FA Cup after being drawn against top-division opposition in every round.
1956–57 saw the record for highest number of rounds played in a row, when former League club
New Brighton New Brighton is the name of several places, sports teams etc.:
Australia
* New Brighton, New South Wales, a town near Ocean Shores
Canada
* New Brighton, Calgary, Alberta, a neighborhood
* New Brighton (Gambier Island), a settlement in British ...
played in nine rounds. They started in the preliminary round, and progressed through four qualifying rounds to the fourth round proper, where they lost to
Burnley. They had just one replay – for their first round tie. The 1977–78 competition saw this record equalled by
Blyth Spartans, who progressed from the 1st qualifying round to the 5th round proper. The games for the 2nd qualifying round and the 5th rounds proper went to a replay. The 1979–80 competition saw the record equalled again, this time by
Harlow Town
Harlow Town Football Club is an English association football, football club based in Harlow, Essex. The club is a former member of the and plays at The Harlow Arena.
The club is best known for its exploits in the 1979–80 FA Cup, in which it ...
, who progressed from the preliminary round through four qualifying rounds to the fourth round proper, where they lost to
Watford. The matches for the 2nd and 3rd rounds went to a replay.
In 1959,
Nottingham Forest fielded the same 11 players in every round of the competition (9 matches including replays).
1976–77 was the season with the largest number of matches (173) in the competition proper. Due to the abolition of multiple replays, the record is unlikely to be beaten. In seasons after 1996 (when penalty shootouts were introduced) the most ties (163) occurred in 2008–09.
A record 763 clubs were accepted for the
2011–12 FA Cup
The 2011–12 FA Cup (also known as The FA Cup with Budweiser for sponsorship reasons) was the 131st season of the world's oldest football knock-out competition, the FA Cup. The closing date for applications was 1 April 2011, and saw 825 clubs app ...
.
Penalty shoot-outs
In the 1971–72 competition,
Birmingham City became the first team to win a match in a
penalty shoot-out, beating
Stoke City
Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Stoke ...
4–3 after a 0–0 draw in the third-fourth playoff.
The
2005 FA Cup Final
The 2005 FA Cup Final was a football match played between Arsenal and Manchester United on 21 May 2005 at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. It was the final match of the 2004–05 FA Cup, the 124th season of English football's primary cup compe ...
between
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
and
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
was the first final ever to go to penalties, as the score was still 0–0 after extra time. Arsenal won the shoot-out, and thus the Cup, with a 5–4 shoot-out victory. It was the first 0–0 draw in an FA Cup final since 1912.
On 22 January 2008,
Swindon Town became the first club in the FA Cup to miss all four of their penalties in a penalty shoot-out, against
Barnet
Barnet may refer to:
People
*Barnet (surname)
* Barnet (given name)
Places United Kingdom
*Chipping Barnet or High Barnet, commonly known as Barnet, one of three focal towns of the borough below.
*East Barnet, a district of the borough below; an ...
in a third round replay.
Doubles/Trebles
In 1889, Preston North End became the first club to achieve
the double of winning the FA Cup (beating
Wolverhampton Wanderers 3–0) and the Football League in the same season. This double was even more extraordinary in that the league was won without a single defeat, a feat which would not be repeated in the top division until 2003–04, by
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
. Equally impressive was that the cup was won without conceding a single goal. Such was the team's dominance that it was nicknamed
"The Invincibles".
In 1897 Aston Villa won the FA Cup and League Championship on same day, with results in League matches confirming their championship as they beat Everton 3–2 in the final.
1961 saw
Tottenham Hotspur become the first club in the 20th century to win the FA Cup and league championship in the same season, known famously as
The Double. They also retained the FA Cup the following year.
In 1986,
Liverpool beat
Everton 3–1 in the first all-
Merseyside FA Cup final to complete the double and claim their first FA Cup triumph for 12 years. The teams would meet again in the final just 3 years later.
In 1993,
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
were the first team to win the cup double, after beating
Sheffield Wednesday in a replay. They also beat the same opposition in that season's League Cup Final, the first time that both domestic cup finals consisted of the same two teams.
In 1994,
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
completed the double thanks to a 4–0 win over
Chelsea at Wembley.
Eric Cantona scored two penalties and the other goals came from
Mark Hughes and
Brian McClair.
In 1996, a late goal from
Eric Cantona saw
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
become the first team to win the double twice as they beat
Liverpool 1–0 at Wembley, a week after clinching the league title and overtake Tottenham's total of eight cup wins.
In 1998,
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
beat Newcastle 2–0. This was the second time Arsenal had done the domestic double, which includes winning the Premier League and FA Cup in the same year.
In 1999, Manchester United completed
The Treble by also winning the
FA Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
and the
UEFA Champions League.
In 2002,
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
matched
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
's record of three doubles as they defeated
Chelsea 2–0 at the
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm y Mileniwm), known since 2016 as the Principality Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm Principality) for sponsorship reasons, is the national stadium of Wales. Located in Cardiff, it is the home of the Wales national rug ...
and clinched the league title four days later.
In May 2010, Chelsea became the seventh club to complete the league and FA Cup "
Double
A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another.
Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to:
Film and television
* Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character
* Th ...
", by beating
Portsmouth 1–0 in the 2010 final.
In 2019, Manchester City became the first English side to win the
domestic treble with their Cup win, having already secured the
EFL Cup
The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by the ...
and the Premier League.
Additionally,
Cardiff City
Cardiff City Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1899 as R ...
also won the
Welsh Cup in the year of their FA Cup win in 1927, becoming the only team in the world to achieve a transnational cup double.
Oddities
In 1873,
Sheffield confirmed a unique place in FA Cup history, knocking out
Shropshire Wanderers
Shropshire Wanderers F.C. was an amateur association football club based in Shrewsbury, England. The club was active during the 1870s and once reached the FA Cup semi-finals.
History
The club was founded out of the Shropshire Wanderers cricket ...
on the toss of a coin; the only time a tie has been decided in this way.
The only game to be played on
Christmas Day took place in 1888,
Linfield Athletic beating
Cliftonville 7–0.
In 1921,
Birmingham set the record for shortest FA Cup run – they forgot to send in their entry form.
In 1931 West Bromwich Albion became the only team to win the FA Cup and get promoted in the same season, defeating Birmingham City 2–1 in the final.
in 1946,
Charlton Athletic became the first team to reach the final despite losing a match in their cup run, due to the one-off two-legged format for that season.
In 1990,
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
won the competition in a replay against
Crystal Palace. This was United manager
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson (born 31 December 1941) is a Scottish former football manager and player, best known for managing Manchester United from 1986 to 2013. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football managers of all time ...
's first trophy at United, and this success is seen by many as having saved him from being dismissed after 4 unsuccessful seasons.
For the first time, the FA Cup was played under a roof in the final of the
2002–03 season, held on 17 May 2003 at the
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm y Mileniwm), known since 2016 as the Principality Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm Principality) for sponsorship reasons, is the national stadium of Wales. Located in Cardiff, it is the home of the Wales national rug ...
in
Cardiff, with
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
and
Southampton benefiting from cover from the rain. Arsenal were 1–0 winners.
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1932, ...
became the first side to win the FA Cup and be relegated in the same season, after beating
Manchester City
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
1–0 in the
2013 final. Their fate in the Premier League was sealed three days after their triumph, following a 4–1 defeat to
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
.
Participants
Amateur, university and professional teams
In 1883
Blackburn Olympic broke the "old order of things" to defeat
Old Etonians
Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...
in the final to become the first professional club to win the trophy. The win marked a turning point in the culture of the game in England.
In 2002,
Team Bath
TeamBath is the University of Bath's sporting organisation. In addition to entering teams in BUCS intervarsity competitions, TeamBath has also entered teams in national leagues and competitions. Team Bath F.C. reached the first round proper of t ...
(from the
University of Bath) became the first university team to enter the competition since
Gonville & Caius
Gonville and Caius College, often referred to simply as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and one of th ...
in 1881, and progressed through the qualifying rounds before being knocked out in the first round proper by
Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Stags', they ...
.
Scottish sides
In 1884 and 1885 Scottish side
Queen's Park reached the final, the first time a non-English side had done so. They lost both times. (Scotland had had its own
Scottish Cup since 1873.) (See also:
Scottish clubs in the FA Cup)
Welsh sides
In 1914
Swansea Town became the first club from South Wales to reach the second round. They were beaten 2–1 by QPR.
The 1927 final resulted in a
Cardiff City
Cardiff City Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1899 as R ...
victory over
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
. To the present day, Cardiff City are the only non-English-based team to win the trophy.
Non-English and all-English teams
Apart from
Queen's Park in 1884 and again in 1885, all of whose players were Scottish, only once has a Cup Final team had no English players at all:
Liverpool won the cup in 1986 with 11 non-English players. Their only English player was an unused sub.
The last team to play a final with only English players was
Crystal Palace who in 1990 played both the final and the replay, which they lost, with 13 English players including the two subs. The last winners of the final with an all-English team were
West Ham in 1975. No Cup Final has ever featured two all-English teams.
Traditions
Ribbons
In 1901, Tottenham became the first team to attach ribbons in their team colours to the trophy, a tradition that continues to this day. Years later, the BBC covered the final and asked viewers the question 'what is taken to the FA Cup final but never used?' The answer was of course the ribbons for the losing finalists.
Abide With Me Hymn
Aston Villa chairman
Frederick Rinder
Frederick William Rinder (July 1858, Liverpool – 25 December 1938, Harborne, Birmingham) was a committee member and later influential chairman of Aston Villa F.C. during the club's 'Golden Age'. During Rinder's time as chairman, a period of 27 ...
in his capacity with the FA, was responsible for the innovation of singing the hymn "
Abide With Me
"Abide with Me" is a Christian hymn by Scottish Anglican cleric Henry Francis Lyte. A prayer for God to stay with the speaker throughout life and in death, it was written by Lyte in 1847 as he was dying from tuberculosis. It is most often sung ...
" at the
1927 FA Cup Final
Nineteen or 19 may refer to:
* 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20
* one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019
Films
* ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film
* ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film
Music ...
. It has been a traditional feature of cup finals ever since.
Equipment
In the 1933 final, Everton players wore shirts numbered 1–11, and Manchester City players 12–22. This was the first major competitive game ever to have the players' shirts numbered.
The
1973 FA Cup Final
The 1973 FA Cup Final was the 92nd final of the FA Cup. It took place on 5 May 1973 at Wembley Stadium and was contested between Leeds United, the previous season's winners and one of the dominant teams in English football at the time, and Sunde ...
was the first that a yellow ball was used in a Cup Final (although an orange ball had been used in previous finals, for example in 1968). An orange ball was used in the
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
and
2015 Cup Finals, as they were used throughout the competition.
Royal attendance
In 1914,
George V became the first monarch to watch the FA Cup Final, between
Burnley and
Liverpool in the last cup final played at
Crystal Palace.
The 'Matthews Final' of 1953 was the first football match attended by
The Queen, in her Coronation year.
Triangular corner flags
It is commonly held that previous winners of the FA Cup are traditionally the only clubs allowed to use
triangular corner flags in English football
The use of triangular corner flags in English football is a regular occurrence based upon traditional achievements. Tradition holds that only clubs that have won the FA Cup have the right to use triangular corner flags rather than the regular squa ...
. However, this tradition is not affirmed in the FA's lawbook.
Greatest goals
The 1981 final contained what many consider to be the greatest ever final goal, scored by Tottenham's
Ricky Villa Ricky may refer to:
Places
*Říčky (Brno-Country District), a village and municipality in the Czech Republic
*Říčky v Orlických horách, a village in the north of the Czech Republic
*Rickmansworth, a town in England sometimes called "Ricky"
...
who beat several players in a mazy run before slotting the ball home.
In 1999,
Ryan Giggs
Ryan Joseph Giggs (né Wilson; 29 November 1973) is a Welsh association football, football coach and former player. Regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation, Giggs played his List of one-club men in association football, entir ...
of Manchester United scored in
extra time
Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played onl ...
to defeat Arsenal 2–1 in FA Cup semi-final replay. The goal was voted the greatest in FA Cup history in 2003.
The Greatest FA Cup Goals
Icons
References
Bibliography
{{DEFAULTSORT:History Of The Fa Cup
FA Cup
History of football in England