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FA Cup

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Note: for the full results of all FA Cup finals, see FA Cup Final
The FA Cup - this is the fourth trophy, in use since 1992, and identical in design to the third trophy introduced in 1911. The trophy shares its name with the competition.

The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is the main "knockout" cup competition in English football, run by and named after The Football Association.

The FA Cup is the oldest football competition in the world, commencing in 1871-72 (the Scottish Cup beginning two years later in 1873-74). As such, its reputation as the sport's premier domestic cup competition extends around the world. Because it involves clubs of all standards playing against each other, there is great scope for "giant-killers" from the lower divisions to eliminate top clubs from the tournament. A record 674 teams entered the FA Cup in 2005-2006. In comparison, the League Cup, a lower prestige English football knockout tournament, can involve only the 92 respective members of the Football League (which organises the competition) and the FA Premier League.

The name "FA Cup" usually refers to the English men's tournament. The equivalent competition for women's teams is the FA Women's Cup. The women's cup has a much lower public profile than the men's, in common with all women's football in England. Many nations also have similar competitions, inspired by this legendary tournament.

On Saturday 13th May 2006 Liverpool became the current holders of the trophy. They defeated West Ham United 3-1 in a penalty shootout that followed a 3-3 draw after extra time.

Format

The competition is a knockout tournament with pairings drawn completely at random - there are no seeds however the qualifying round draws are regionalised to reduce the travel costs of smaller non-league sides. Rounds One and Two were also previously split into Northern and Southern draw sections, however this practice was abandoned after the 1997-8 Cup competition. The draw also determines which team will play at home. If a match is drawn, there is usually a replay at the ground of the other team although it is possible for teams to agree in advance not to replay a tie in which case the initial match will be settled by means of extra time and penalty shootouts if necessary. Drawn replays are now settled with extra time and penalty shootouts, though in the past further replays were possible, and some ties took as many as six matches to settle; In their 1975 campaign, Fulham played 12 games over 6 rounds. This remains the most games played by a team to reach a final [citation needed]

Traditionally, the FA Cup Final is played at London's Wembley Stadium. However, due to extensive redevelopment of Wembley, finals have been played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff since 2001. Although early venues include Kennington Oval, 1872 & 1874-92, the Crystal Palace Park, 1895-1914, Stamford Bridge 1920-22, and Lillie Bridge, Fulham, London in 1873, this was the first time the final had been played outside of England (it should be noted that not only English League teams participate in the competition, so Welsh teams in English leagues such as Cardiff City F.C. do participate in the cup, and Cardiff City F.C. did win the Cup in 1927). In the early years teams from Ireland and Scotland also took part in the competition with Glasgow side Queens Park reaching the final in 1884 and 1885, while Belfast club Linfield played in the First Round in the 1888-1889 season.

The FA had hoped that the 2006 final would take place at the rebuilt Wembley Stadium, but the FA Cup final on May 13, 2006 was played at the Millennium Stadium, because the builders had failed to guarantee that it would be completed on time.

The semi-finals are contested at neutral venues; in the past these have usually been the home grounds of teams not involved in that semi-final, such as Old Trafford in Manchester, Villa Park in Birmingham and Hillsborough in Sheffield. The 1991 semi-final between Arsenal and Tottenham was the first to be played at Wembley. Two years later both semi-finals were held at Wembley after the Sheffield Wednesday/Sheffield United derby was switched from the original venue of Elland Road, Leeds. In later years e.g. 2005 both semi-finals were held at either Wembley or the Millennium Stadium. In future years it is expected that all semi-finals will be played at the new Wembley Stadium. However, in 2006 the FA decided to revert to the neutral ground system - Chelsea played their tie with Liverpool at Old Trafford whilst West Ham played their tie with Middlesbrough at Villa Park on 22 and 23 April respectively.

The competition begins in August with the Extra-Preliminary Round contested by clubs occupying a low position in the English football league system, which any FA affiliated club meeting a basic standard of ability and ground facilities may enter. 644 clubs entered the competition in the 2003/04 season, a (then) record 660 for 2004/05 (the old record was 656 in 1921/22), and new record of 674 for 2005/06. Following the Extra-Preliminary Round is a Preliminary Round, four Qualifying Rounds, and six Rounds of the competition proper, followed by the Semi-Finals and the Final. All of FA Premier League and Football League clubs may enter. Non-league clubs may also enter if they competed in the previous season's FA Trophy or FA Vase and are deemed to be playing in an "acceptable" league for the current season. All clubs entering the competition must have a suitable and safe stadium capacity.

Clubs higher up the English football league system are given byes to certain rounds. For example, clubs playing in the Conference North or Conference South are given exemption to Second Qualifying Round, while those from the Conference National are given exemption to the Fourth Qualifying Round. Clubs from Football League One and Football League Two are given exemption into the First Round proper in November, and Football League Championship and Premier League teams are given exemption into the Third Round, traditionally held in the first weekend in January. The Final is played at the end of the season in May.

Since the foundation of The Football League, Tottenham Hotspur in 1901 have been the only non-league winners of the FA Cup. They were then playing in the Southern League and were only elected to the Football League in 1908. At that time the Football League consisted of only two 18-team divisions; Spurs's victory then would be comparable to a team near the bottom of the third level of the English football pyramid (currently League One) winning today.

The winning team qualifies by right for the first round of the UEFA Cup. If the winners also qualify for the Champions League by merit of league position, the losing finalist qualifies for the UEFA Cup in their place. If both finalists qualify for the Champions League, an extra UEFA Cup place is given on the basis of Premier League position.

Trophies

File:Littletinidol.jpg
The first FA Cup trophy

At the end of the final, the winning team is presented with a trophy, also known as the "FA Cup", which they hold until the following year's final. Traditionally, at Wembley finals, the presentation was made at the Royal Box, with players, led by the captain, mounting a staircase to a gangway in front of the box and returning by a second staircase on the other side of the box. At Cardiff the presentation has been made on a podium on the pitch. The cup is decorated with ribbons in the colours of the winning team; a common riddle asks, "What is always taken to the Cup Final, but never used?" (The answer is, "the losing team's ribbons"). Individual members of the teams playing in the final are presented with winners' and runners'-up medals.

The present FA Cup trophy is the fourth. The first, the 'little tin idol', was used from the inception of the Cup in 1871-2 until it was stolen from a Birmingham shop window belonging to William Shillcock while held by Aston Villa on September 11, 1895. It was never seen again and is presumed to have been melted down. The second trophy was a replica of the first, and was last used in 1910 before being presented to the FA's long-serving president Lord Kinnaird. It was sold at Christie's on May 19 2005 for £420,000 (£478,400 including auction fees and taxes) to David Gold, the chairman of Birmingham City. A new, larger, trophy was bought by the FA in 1911 designed and manufactured by Fattorini's of Bradford and won by Bradford City in its first outing, the only time a team from Bradford has reached the final. This trophy still exists but is now too fragile to be used, so an exact replica was made and has been in use since the 1992 final. Therefore, though the FA Cup is the oldest domestic football competition in the world, its trophy is not the oldest; that title is claimed by the Scottish Cup.

Sponsorship

Since the start of the 1994-95 season, the FA Cup has been sponsored. However, to protect the identity of the famous competition, the name has never changed from "The FA Cup", unlike in sponsorship deals for the League Cup. Instead, the competition has been known as "The FA Cup sponsored by ..."

From the 2006/2007 season it will formally be known as "The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON" after the German energy company signed a 4 year sponsorship deal [1].

Giant-Killers

The FA Cup has a long tradition of lower-division and non-league teams becoming "giant-killers" by defeating highly-ranked opponents. There are various famous giant killing feats, and every club will remember their own successes. However, the most famous results are arguably those of:

  • Yeovil Town in 1948-49, who reached the fifth round while in the Southern League. In latter years they defeated League opposition many other times, before winning promotion to the Football League in 2003.
  • Bournemouth and Boscombe Athletic who beat Wolves and Tottenham Hotspur in 1957, before losing to Manchester United in a closely fought quarter-final match.In 1984,however,Bournemouth got belated revenge of a kind by beating United(the then current holders) 2-0 at home in the 3rd round.
  • Hereford United in 1972, who as a non-league club, famously defeated Newcastle United in a third-round replay.
  • Wrexham in 1992, when they defeated the league champions Arsenal in the Third Round, Wrexham having finished bottom of the Football League the previous season.
  • Kidderminster Harriers, who are the last non-league team to reach the 5th Round of the FA Cup, in 1994. They defeated Birmingham City and Preston North End before eventually falling to Premiership side West Ham United by the narrow margin of 1-0 in front of nearly 8,000 at Aggborough.


Famous Shock Results

  • Cardiff City 2 Oldham Athletic 0 (1919-1920, Round 2)
  • Walsall 2 Arsenal 0 (1932-1933, Round 3)
  • Colchester United 1 Huddersfield Town 0 (1947-1948, Round 3)
  • Colchester United 3 Bradford City 2 (1947-1948, Round 4)
  • Yeovil Town 2 Sunderland 1 aet (1948-1949, Round 4)
  • Worcester City 2 Liverpool 1 (1950-1951, Round 3)
  • Everton 1 Leyton Orient 3 (1951-1952, Round 3 replay)
  • Birmingham City 0 Leyton Orient 1 (1951-1952, Round 4)
  • Arsenal 1 Norwich City 2 (1953-1954, Round 4)
  • Wolverhampton Wanderers 0 Bournemouth 1 (1956-1957, Round 3)
  • Bournemouth 3 Tottenham Hotspur 1 (1956-1957, Round 4)
  • Chelsea 1 Crewe Alexandra 2 (1960-1961, Round 3)
  • Oldham Athletic 1 South Shields 2 (1969-1970, Round 1)
  • Colchester United 3 Leeds United 2 (1970-1971, Round 5)
  • Hereford United 2 Newcastle United 1 (1971-1972, Round 3 replay)
  • Sunderland 1 Leeds United 0 (1972-1973, Final)
  • Burnley 0 Wimbledon 1 (1974-1975, Round 3)
  • Blyth Spartans 3 Stoke City 2 (1977-1978, Round 3)
  • Bournemouth 2 Manchester United 0 (1983-1984, Round 3)
  • Brighton & Hove Albion 2 Liverpool 0 (1983-1984, Round 4)
  • York City 1 Arsenal 0 (1984-1985, Round 4)
  • Birmingham City 1 Altrincham 2 (1985-1986, Round 3)
  • Wimbledon 1 Liverpool 0 (1987-1988, Final)
  • Middlesbrough 1 Grimsby Town 2 (1988-1989, Round 3)
  • Sutton United 2 Coventry City 1 (1988-1989, Round 3)
  • Oldham Athletic 2 Everton 1 (1989-1990, Round 5)
  • Oldham Athletic 3 Aston Villa 0 (1989-1990, Quarter-Final)
  • Crystal Palace 4 Liverpool 3 (1989-1990, Semi-Final)
  • West Brom 2 Woking 4 (1990-1991, Round 3)
  • Wrexham 2 Arsenal 1 (1991-1992, Round 3)
  • Liverpool 0 Bristol City 1 (1993-1994, Round 3 replay)
  • Stockport County 2 Queens Park Rangers 1 (1993-1994, Round 3)
  • Birmingham City 1 Kidderminster Harriers 2 (1993-1994, Round 3)
  • Kidderminster Harriers 1 Preston North End 0 (1993-1994, Round 4)
  • Everton 2 Bradford City 3 (1996-1997, Round 4)
  • Swindon Town 1 Stevenage Borough 2 (1997-1998, Round 3)
  • Barnsley 3 Manchester United 2 (1997-1998, Round 5 replay)
  • Gillingham 3 Sheffield Wednesday 1 (1999-2000, Round 5)
  • Leicester City 1 Wycombe Wanderers 2 (2000-2001, Quarter-Final)
  • Cardiff City 2 Leeds United 1 (2001-2002, Round 3)
  • Shrewsbury Town 2 Everton 1 (2002-2003, Round 3)
  • Liverpool 0 Crystal Palace 2 (2002-2003, Round 4 replay)
  • Slough Town 2 Walsall 1 (2004-2005, Round 1)
  • Oldham Athletic 1 Manchester City 0 (2004-2005, Round 3)
  • Burscough 3 Gillingham 2 (2005-2006, Round 1)
  • Fulham 1 Leyton Orient 2 (2005-2006, Round 3)

Notable events in the FA Cup

19th Century

  • On July 20, 1871, C. W. Alcock proposed that 'a Challenge Cup should be established in connection with the Association', giving birth to the FA Cup. Four first round matches became the first FA Cup games played on November 11 1871
  • On March 16, 1872, Wanderers became the first winners of the FA Cup, beating Royal Engineers 1-0 at The Oval. Only 15 clubs enter, 12 play and there are 13 games in total.
  • In 1873, for the first and only time the competition lives up to the name Challenge Cup. The Wanderers beat Oxford University in a one off challenge match to retain the Cup. The rules change for the following season.
  • In 1884 and 1885 Scottish side Queen's Park of Glasgow reached the English cup final, the first time a non-English side reached the English cup final. They lost both times. Scotland had their own SFA Cup since 1873.
  • The record score in an FA Cup tie was set in 1887 when Preston North End defeated Hyde United 26-0.
  • 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 Championship 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. Equally impressive was that the cup was won without conceding a single goal. Such was the teams dominance that it was nicknamed "The Invincibles".
  • William Townley scores the first hat trick in the history of the FA Cup final was in the match between Blackburn Rovers and Sheffield Wednesday (6-1)

1900 - 1949

  • In 1901 Tottenham Hotspur became the only non-League team to win the FA Cup with a 3-1 replay victory over Sheffield United.
  • In 1903 Bury defeated Derby County 6-0, in what is still the highest score in an FA Cup final. They also became the second club to win the FA Cup without conceding a goal in any round.
  • 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.
  • In 1915 Sheffield United beat Chelsea 3-0 at Old Trafford in the last final held before the competition was cancelled during the First World War. It became known as "The Khaki Cup Final", owing to the large number of uniformed soldiers in attendance.
  • In 1922, England amateur international Wilfred Minter scores 7 goals for St Albans City against Dulwich Hamlet. Dulwich win 8-7.
  • In 1923 the first FA Cup final to be played at Wembley saw West Ham United lose to Bolton Wanderers. The match drew an over-capacity crowd of more than 200,000 and was played with spectators lining the edge of the pitch. Spectators spilled onto the field, but were moved back by mounted policemen, resulting in the final being nicknamed the "White Horse Final."
  • The 1927 final resulted in a Cardiff City victory over Arsenal. To the present day, Cardiff City are the only non-English-based team to win the trophy.
  • The 1945-1946 FA Cup was the first played since the competition was suspended during World War II. 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 semi-finals and final (both played at neutral venues) remained single match affairs.

1950s

  • The final of 1953 is known as the Matthews Final. The match between Blackpool and Bolton Wanderers saw Stanley Matthews, at the age of 38, in his third attempt to win an FA cup winners medal for Blackpool. Bolton were 3-1 up with 22 minutes remaining and 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 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. This was the first football match attended by The Queen. [2]
  • 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 his neck.
  • 1956-57 also the record for highest number of rounds played in set, when former League club New Brighton 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.
  • 1958 saw Leeds United beaten 2-1 at home to Cardiff City in the third round for the third consecutive year.

1960s

  • 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.
  • In 1967 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.
  • 1970 saw the first Wembley final to go to a replay. The replayed final was played at Old Trafford and contested between Chelsea and Leeds United. It was the last final to be played outside of Wembley before it was moved to the Millennium Stadium in 2001. When Peter Osgood scored for Chelsea in the final, he became the last player to date (and ninth in total) to score in every round of the cup.

1970s

  • 1971 saw the longest tie in Cup history. Oxford City and Alvechurch play 6 games for a total of 660 minutes. Alvechurch won the final game 1-0 to progress to the first round proper.
  • In 1972 the FA Cup celebrated its 100th birthday (though not its 100th season, due to interruptions for the two world wars). Leeds United won the final against holders Arsenal.
  • When Sunderland beat Leeds United 1-0 in the 1973 FA Cup Final it was the first and only time (to date) that a coloured ball (orange) was used in an FA Cup final. It was also the 50th anniversary of Wembley as a venue for the cup final.
  • The 1974-75 compitition saw the record set for the highest number of games played 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.
  • The 1977-78 competition saw New Brighton's 1956-57 nine-round 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 final on 6 may 1978 was the 50th Wembley final. Ipswich Town beat Arsenal 1-0.
  • The 1979-80 competition saw the nine-round record equalled by Harlow Town, 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.

1980s

1990s

  • In 1991, after the Arsenal vs Leeds United third round tie went to a third replay, The FA decided that one replay, then extra time, then a penalty shootout would be a suitable alternative to a fixtures backlog. Arsenal also took part in the first semi-final to be played at Wembley, losing to Tottenham.
  • In 1993, both semi-finals were played at Wembley Stadium for the first time ever.
  • In 1997, Ruud Gullit became the first overseas manager to win the FA Cup, as his Chelsea side beat Middlesbrough 2-0.
  • Also in 1997, the fastest ever goal in a Wembley FA Cup final was scored by Chelsea's Roberto di Matteo after 43 seconds.
  • In 1999 Manchester United became the first FA Cup holders not to defend their title when they failed to enter the FA Cup, instead electing to take part in the inaugural FIFA World Club Championship played in Brazil.

2000s

  • 2000 was the last final to be played at the old Wembley Stadium. Chelsea beat Aston Villa 1-0. The FA decided that from 2000 onwards any semi-finals and finals would be decided on the day rather than replayed.
  • The first FA Cup final played outside of England was in the final of the 2000-01 season at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. Liverpool came from behind to snatch a 2-1 victory over Arsenal. Arsenal went back to Wales the following two seasons to win the Cup.
  • For the first time, the FA Cup was played under a roof in the final of the 2002-03 season, held on May 17, 2003 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, with Arsenal and Southampton benefitting from cover from the rain (Arsenal were the 1 - 0 winners). This Final was also the first in which a goalkeeper was substituted. Paul Jones replaced the injured Southampton goalkeeper Antti Niemi.
  • That same year, Team Bath (from the University of Bath) became the first university team to enter the competition since Gonville & Caius in 1881, and progressed through the qualifying rounds before being knocked out in the first round proper by Mansfield Town.
  • In 2004 Roy Keane of Manchester United became the first player to play in six finals since the 19th century, and Curtis Weston of Millwall F.C. became the youngest ever player to play in the final at the age of 17 years and 119 days, beating the record of James Prinsep of Clapham Rovers set as long back as the 1879 final.
  • The 2005 FA Cup Final between Manchester United and Arsenal was the first final ever to have to go to penalties. After ordinary time and extra time, the score was still 0-0. Arsenal won the shootout – and thus the Cup – 5-4. It was the first 0-0 draw in an FA Cup final since 1912.
  • During the 2005 final, Roy Keane extended his own record by appearing in his seventh final.

Past Winners of the FA Cup

For the full results of all FA Cup finals, see FA Cup Final

The top 10 clubs by number of wins (and when they last won and lost a final):

Club Wins Last win Runners-up Last final lost
1 Manchester United 11 2004 6 2005
2 Arsenal 10 2005 7 2001
3 Tottenham Hotspur 8 1991 1 1987
4 Liverpool 7 2006 6 1996
= Aston Villa 7 1957 3 2000
6 Newcastle United 6 1955 7 1999
= Blackburn Rovers 6 1928 2 1960
8 Everton 5 1995 7 1989
= West Bromwich Albion 5 1968 5 1935
= Wanderers F.C. 5 1878 0

Clubs with up to 4 wins:

Three clubs have won consecutive FA Cups on more than one occasion: Wanderers (1872, 1873) and (1876, 1877, 1878), Blackburn Rovers (1884, 1885, 1886) and (1890, 1891), and Tottenham Hotspur (1961, 1962) and (1981, 1982).

Six clubs have won the FA Cup as part of a League and Cup double, these are Preston North End (1889), Aston Villa (1897), Tottenham Hotspur F.C. (1961), Arsenal (1971, 1998, 2002), Liverpool (1986) and Manchester United (1994, 1996, 1999). Arsenal and Manchester United share the record of three doubles. Arsenal are the only club to win doubles in distinct decades, and have in fact won in three different decades.

In 1999, Manchester United added the Champions League crown to their double, an accomplishment known as The Treble.

In 2001, Liverpool did not win the league, but won the League Cup and UEFA Cup to complete a different treble. They also won the FA Charity Shield and the European Super Cup in 2001, at the start of the following season.

Leicester City hold the unfortunate record of having appeared in four FA Cup finals without ever winning the cup.

Kettering Town have scored the most goals in FA Cup history, having scored 803 goals between 1879 and 2005. (up to 12 October 2005) with Ollie Burgess scoring the 800th goal against St Albans City on 11 October 2005

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