History of the FA Cup

The following is a history of England's FA Cup.

19th century

On 20 July 1871, in the offices of The Sportsman newspaper, 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 were the first FA Cup games ever played – on 11 November 1871. The first Cup goal was scored by Clapham Rovers player Jarvis Kenrick 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 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'. In 1873, 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.

In 1873, Sheffield confirmed a unique place in FA Cup history, knocking out Shropshire Wanderers on the toss of a coin; the only time a tie has been decided in this way.

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 from the losing side became the first to score in two consecutive finals (both of which his team lost).

Lord Kinnaird won the Cup for a still record fifth time in 1882, three times with Wanderers and twice with the Old Etonians. Earlier in 1877, he also scored the first own goal in the final with Wanderers defeating Oxford University 2-1. But in 1883 Blackburn Olympic broke the "old order of things" to defeat Old Etonians 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 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) In 1886, Jimmy Brown of Blackburn Rovers became the first to score in three consecutive finals from 1884 to 1886 (winning all three). Blackburn Rovers also 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. The following year, Aston Villa legend Archie Hunter 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.

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. The only game to be played on Christmas Day took place, Linfield Athletic beating Cliftonville 7-0.

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 team's dominance that it was nicknamed "The Invincibles".

William Townley scored the first hat trick in the history of the FA Cup final, in the 1890 match between Blackburn Rovers and Sheffield Wednesday (6-1)

On 25 March 1891, Notts County reached the FA Cup final for the first time. The Magpies 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.

Notts County made up for this on 31 March 1894, when they won the FA Cup at Goodison Park, defeating Bolton Wanderers 4-1 in a game in which Jimmy Logan scored the second hat-trick in FA Cup final history - and the last until 1953 (when Stan Mortensen scored three times for Blackpool FC in their 4-3 win over Bolton Wanderers). This achievement is also memorable for Notts County becoming the first club outside the top division to win the FA Cup: Notts County finished 3rd in 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.

Aston Villa's Bob Chatt scored the winner in the 1895 FA Cup Final with the then-fastest goal after just 30 seconds; his record stood until broken by Louis Saha in 2009, who scored in 25 seconds. In 1897, the record score in an FA Cup tie was set when Preston North End defeated Hyde 26–0.

20th century

1901-1949

• 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. Tottenham became the first team to attach ribbons in their team colours to the trophy, a tradition that continues to this day.
• 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.
• 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).
• 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 1913, Steve Bloomer scored his 41st goal in the competition proper, a record up to that time.
• In 1914 Swansea Town became the first club from South Wales to reach the second round. They were beaten 2-1 by QPR.
• 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 1921, Birmingham set the record for shortest FA Cup run - they forgot to send in their entry form.
• In 1922, England amateur international Wilfred Minter scored 7 goals for St Albans City against Dulwich Hamlet. Dulwich won 8-7.

• 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 on his white charge "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.
• Billy Hampson of Newcastle United, the oldest FA Cup finalist, was 41 years and 257 days old when his side beat Aston Villa 2-0 in the 1924 Final.
• 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 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. It was also 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).
• W. "Doc" Dowden scored 19 FA Cup goals for Wimbledon in the 1929/30 season. This is believed to be the record for one individual in a season.
• 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 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.
• In 1938, after 29 minutes of extra time, it was still 0-0 between Preston and Huddersfield. BBC Radio commentator Thomas Woodrooffe declared: "If there's a goal scored now, I'll eat my hat." Seconds later Preston was awarded a penalty from which George Mutch scored. Woodrooffe kept his promise. This was also the first FA Cup Final to be broadcast live by BBC Television.
• Portsmouth hold the record for holding the FA Cup the longest. After beating Wolverhampton Wanderers in the 1939 final the competition was not played until after World War II, meaning they held the cup for nearly seven years.
• 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. The final was won by Derby County.
• 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 would repeat the feat (in reverse) for Manchester City in 1981. Arthur Turner, also of Charlton, became the only player to play in the final who never played a League game for his club, since the League's inception.
• In 1948, Manchester United became the only team to win the FA Cup after being drawn against top-division opposition in every round.

1950s

• During the 1950s, Newcastle United lifted the FA Cup trophy on three occasions within a five year period. In 1951 they defeated Blackpool 2-0, a year later Arsenal were beaten 1-0 and in 1955 Newcastle United defeated Manchester City 3-1.
• 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 (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. This was the first football match attended by The Queen, in her Coronation year.
• 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.
• 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.
• Manchester United lost to Bolton Wanderers 2-0 in the 1958 FA Cup final. Prior to the match, Manchester United had lost nine first-team players in the Munich air disaster shortly after refueling in Munich, returning from a victory over Red Star Belgrade.
• In 1959 Nottingham Forest fielded the same 11 players in every round of the competition (9 matches including replays), and 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

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. They also retained the FA Cup the following year.
• Manchester United became the quickest winners of all time, apart from the special circumstances of 1873, in 1963. They played their first match on 4 March, after 12 postponements, and won the final on 25 May, 82 days later.
• 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. They were not, however, used until the next year, when Dennis Clarke replaced John Kaye for West Bromwich Albion.
• In 1969 Leicester City lost their fourth FA Cup Final, 1-0 to Manchester City. No other team has made it to the final so many times without ever winning.

1970s

• 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.
• 1970 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.
• 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.
• 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 from Everton scored two goals after coming in from the bench in the 1989 final in the 90th and 102nd minutes.
• 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. Birmingham City became the first team to win a match in a penalty shootout, beating Stoke City 4-3 after a 0-0 draw in the third-fourth playoff.
• When Sunderland beat Leeds United 1-0 in the 1973 FA Cup Final it was the 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 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.
• 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

• 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 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 1981, The 100th FA Cup final took place. The second game between Tottenham and Manchester City became the first final to be replayed at Wembley Stadium. Previously, replayed finals had been held at other neutral grounds. This final contained what many consider to be the greatest ever final goal, scored by Tottenham's Ricky Villa who beat several players in a mazy run before slotting the ball home.
• In 1983 Norman Whiteside, at 18, became the youngest player ever to score in an FA Cup final, whilst playing for Manchester United against Brighton & Hove Albion. As of 2009 this record remains unbroken.
• In 1984, Johnny Hore's Plymouth Argyle side narrowly missed out on being the first Third Division 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, West Bromwich Albion and Derby County (in a replay).
• In 1985, Kevin Moran of Manchester United 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.
• 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 1988, Wimbledon'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). The Crazy Gang of Wimbledon defeated the league champions Liverpool 1-0 with a Lawrie Sanchez goal, and Beasant also became the first goalkeeper to captain an FA Cup-winning side.
• 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. See the Hillsborough disaster. Liverpool went on to beat Everton 3-2 in the final.

1990s

• In 1990, Manchester United won the competition in a replay against Crystal Palace. This was United manager Alex Ferguson's first trophy at United, and this success is seen by many as having saved him from being dismissed after 4 unsuccessful seasons.
• In 1991, after the Arsenal v Leeds United fourth 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. Nottingham Forest's Mark Crossley became the second goalkeeper to save a penalty in a final at Wembley, denying Tottenham's Gary Lineker. Tottenham won the match 2-1 after extra time.
• From season 1991/92, multiple replays in the competition proper were replaced by one replay followed by penalty kicks. The first penalty takers in the competition proper were Rotherham United and Scunthorpe United, 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, because both matches were derbies – 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 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.
• In 1994, Manchester United 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 become the first team to win the double twice as they beat Liverpool 1-0 at Wembley, a week after clinching the league title. Cantona was also the first non-British or Irish player to captain a winning side in the FA Cup.
• In 1997, Ruud Gullit became the first overseas manager to win the FA Cup, as his Chelsea side beat Middlesbrough 2-0. In the same match, Roberto Di Matteo scored the fastest ever goal in a Wembley cup final (after 42 seconds) and Mark Hughes became the only player in the 20th century to win the trophy four times.
• In 1998, Arsenal 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, the last ever FA Cup semi-final replay took place, as Ryan Giggs of Manchester United scored in extra time to defeat Arsenal 2-1. The goal was voted the greatest in FA Cup history in 2003. although the goal did not go without its critics. The Sun later claimed after comparing it to Diego Maradonna's goal against England in 1986 the week previous, that "Owen's in 1998 was better and Maradonna's was the best", while Rory McGrath on an episode of the now defunct BBC TV show They Think It's All Over described Giggs as "Welsh footballer, scored what has to be the most overrated goal of the season". Manchester United went on to beat Newcastle United 2-0, and later completed The Treble by also winning the FA Premier League and the UEFA Champions League.
• Later 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 Club World Championship played in Brazil, in which United experienced a reality check after last season's success and performed poorly failing to make a significant impact, while crashing out of the group stage. To decide who took their place, a "lucky losers" draw was held containing the 20 teams knocked out in the second round; Darlington were selected.

21st Century

2000s

• 2000 was the last final to be played at the old Wembley Stadium. Chelsea beat Aston Villa 1-0 thanks to a goal from Roberto Di Matteo. The FA decided that from 2000 onwards any semi-finals and finals would go first to extra time then penalties, rather than be replayed.
• The first FA Cup final played outside 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, after beating Wycombe Wanderers at Villa Park in the previous round. Liverpool also won the League Cup and the UEFA Cup that season.
• In 2001, a record was made in the FA CUP, Dagenham And Redbridge FC goalkeeper Tony Roberts became and still is the only ever goalkeeper in the history of the tournament to score a goal, this kappened in a Fourth Round Qualifying game against Basingstoke Town.
• In 2002, Arsenal matched Manchester United's record of three doubles as they defeated Chelsea 2-0 at the Millennium Stadium and clinched the league title four days later.
• 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 in Cardiff, with Arsenal and Southampton benefiting from cover from the rain. Arsenal were 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 Curtis Weston 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 Prinsep of Clapham Rovers set as long back as the 1879 final.
• The 2005 FA Cup Final between Arsenal and Manchester United was the first final ever to have to go to penalties as the score was still 0-0 after extra time. Arsenal won the shootout – and thus the Cup – 5-4. It was the first 0-0 draw in an FA Cup final since 1912. Roy Keane of Manchester United became the first player to play in seven finals since the 19th century. He played in the 1991 (lost), 1994 (won), 1995 (lost), 1996 (won), 1999 (won), 2004 (won) finals. In the same game, Jose Antonio Reyes became the second player to be sent off in an FA Cup final, 20 years after Kevin Moran was the first.
• In 2005, Kettering Town broke the record for most goals in FA Cup history having scored 820 goals between 1888 and 2007, with Ollie Burgess scoring the 800th goal against St Albans City on 11 October 2005 when scoring a hat-trick.
• The 2007 FA Cup Final saw a return to England with the first final ever to be played in the new Wembley Stadium. This final was won by Chelsea 1-0 against Manchester United following a goal in extra time by Didier Drogba. Manchester United's Ryan Giggs equalled Roy Keane's post-war record of appearances in an FA Cup Final, having previously played in the 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2004 and 2005 Finals.
• 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 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.
• On 22 January 2008, Swindon Town became the first club in the FA Cup to miss all four of their penalties in a penalty shootout, against Barnet in a third round replay.
• In the 2008 FA Cup, Portsmouth were the only top-flight club to reach the semi-finals – the first time it had happened since 1908. Barnsley, West Bromwich Albion and Cardiff City were the other sides to reach the semi-finals. Portsmouth went on to beat Cardiff 1-0 in the final.
• On 30 May 2009, Louis Saha scored the fastest ever goal in an FA Cup Final (after 25 seconds) for Everton, who lost 2-1 to eventual winners Chelsea.
• The record for most FA Cup wins by a player is five, jointly held by Charles Wollaston (Wanderers), Arthur Kinnaird (Wanderers & Old Etonians), Jimmy Forrest (Blackburn Rovers) and Ashley Cole (Arsenal F.C. & Chelsea F.C.). Cole was the last player to achieve this feat, in 2009.
• A record 762 clubs have entered the 2009-10 beating the previous record of 761 clubs in the 2008-09 season.

Jimmy Kebe of (Reading F.C.) scores the fastest goal in a FA cup proper with 9 seconds on the clock.