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1996–97 FA Cup

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1996–97 FA Cup
Tournament details
Country England
 Wales
Defending championsManchester United
Final positions
ChampionsChelsea (2nd title)
Runner-upMiddlesbrough
Tournament statistics
Top goal scorer(s)Ken Charlery
Duane Darby
Bryan Hughes
Fabrizio Ravanelli
(6 goals)

The 1996–97 FA Cup (known as The FA Cup sponsored by Littlewoods for sponsorship reasons) was the 116th season of the FA Cup. The tournament started in August 1996 for clubs from non-league football and the competition proper started in October 1996 for teams from the Premier League and the Football League. The tournament was won by Chelsea with a 2–0 victory over Middlesbrough in the final at Wembley stadium.

Calendar

Round Initial Matches New Entries Clubs
Preliminary Round Saturday 31 August 1996 340 574 → 404
First Round Qualifying Saturday 14 September 1996 118 404 → 260
Second Round Qualifying Saturday 28 September 1996 none 260 → 188
Third Round Qualifying Saturday 12 October 1996 none 188 → 152
Fourth Round Qualifying Saturday 26 October 1996 20 152 → 124
First Round Proper Saturday 16 November 1996 52 124 → 84
Second Round Proper Saturday 7 December 1996 none 84 → 64
Third Round Proper Saturday 4 January 1997 44 64 → 32
Fourth Round Proper Saturday 25 January 1997 none 32 → 16
Fifth Round Proper Saturday 15 February 1997 none 16 → 8
Sixth Round Proper Saturday 8 March 1997 none 8 → 4
Semi-Finals Sunday 13 April 1997 none 4 → 2
Final Saturday 17 May 1997 none 2 → 1

First round proper

The First Round featured those non-league teams who had come through the qualifying rounds and the teams from the third and fourth tiers of the English football league system. The matches were played on 16 November 1996. There were thirteen replays, with two ties requiring a penalty shootout to settle them.

Tie no Home team Score Away team Date
1 Ashford Town 2–2 Dagenham & Redbridge 16 November 1996
Replay Dagenham & Redbridge 1–1 Ashford Town 25 November 1996
Ashford Town won 4–3 on penalties
2 Blackpool 1–0 Wigan Athletic 16 November 1996
3 Chester City 3–0 Stalybridge Celtic 16 November 1996
4 Chesterfield 1–0 Bury 16 November 1996
5 Burnley 2–1 Lincoln City 16 November 1996
6 Preston North End 4–1 Altrincham 16 November 1996
7 Wisbech Town 1–2 St Albans City 16 November 1996
8 Woking 2–2 Millwall 15 November 1996
Replay Millwall 0–1 Woking 26 November 1996
9 Gillingham 1–0 Hereford United 16 November 1996
10 Boreham Wood 1–1 Rushden & Diamonds 16 November 1996
Replay Rushden & Diamonds 2–3 Boreham Wood 26 November 1996
11 Northwich Victoria 2–2 Walsall 16 November 1996
Replay Walsall 3–1 Northwich Victoria 26 November 1996
12 Macclesfield Town 0–2 Rochdale 16 November 1996
13 Crewe Alexandra 4–1 Kidderminster Harriers 16 November 1996
14 Shrewsbury Town 1–1 Scarborough 16 November 1996
Replay Scarborough 1–0 Shrewsbury Town 26 November 1996
15 Wrexham 1–1 Colwyn Bay 16 November 1996
Replay Wrexham 2–0 Colwyn Bay 26 November 1996
16 Hednesford Town 2–1 Southport 16 November 1996
17 Stockport County 2–1 Doncaster Rovers 16 November 1996
18 Brentford 2–0 Bournemouth 16 November 1996
19 Bristol Rovers 1–2 Exeter City 16 November 1996
20 Northampton Town 0–1 Watford 17 November 1996
21 Bromley 1–3 Enfield 16 November 1996
22 Plymouth Argyle 5–0 Fulham 16 November 1996
23 Carlisle United 6–0 Shepshed Dynamo 16 November 1996
24 Scunthorpe United 4–1 Rotherham United 16 November 1996
25 Mansfield Town 4–0 Consett 16 November 1996
26 Cardiff City 2–0 Hendon 16 November 1996
27 Runcorn 1–4 Darlington 16 November 1996
28 Torquay United 0–1 Luton Town 16 November 1996
29 Boston United 3–0 Morecambe 16 November 1996
30 Peterborough United 0–0 Cheltenham Town 16 November 1996
Replay Cheltenham Town 1–3 Peterborough United 27 November 1996
31 Colchester United 1–2 Wycombe Wanderers 16 November 1996
32 Leyton Orient 2–1 Merthyr Tydfil 16 November 1996
33 Sudbury Town 0–0 Brighton & Hove Albion 16 November 1996
Replay Brighton & Hove Albion 1–1 Sudbury Town 26 November 1996
Sudbury Town won 4–3 on penalties
34 Whitby Town 0–0 Hull City 17 November 1996
Replay Hull City 8–4 Whitby Town 26 November 1996
35 Cambridge United 3–0 Welling United 16 November 1996
36 Swansea City 1–1 Bristol City 16 November 1996
Replay Bristol City 1–0 Swansea City 26 November 1996
37 Farnborough Town 2–2 Barnet 16 November 1996
Replay Barnet 1–0 Farnborough Town 26 November 1996
38 Hartlepool United 0–0 York City 16 November 1996
Replay York City 3–0 Hartlepool United 26 November 1996
39 Stevenage Borough 2–2 Hayes 16 November 1996
Replay Hayes 0–2 Stevenage Borough 26 November 1996
40 Newcastle Town 0–2 Notts County 17 November 1996

Second Round Proper

The second round of the competition featured the winners of the first round ties. The matches were played on 7 December 1996, with four replays and one penalty shootout required.

Tie no Home team Score Away team Date
1 Enfield 1–1 Peterborough United 7 December 1996
Replay Peterborough United 4–1 Enfield 17 December 1996
2 Blackpool 0–1 Hednesford Town 7 December 1996
3 Chester City 1–0 Boston United 7 December 1996
4 Chesterfield 2–0 Scarborough 7 December 1996
5 Barnet 3–3 Wycombe Wanderers 7 December 1996
Replay Wycombe Wanderers 3–2 Barnet 17 December 1996
6 Bristol City 9–2 St Albans City 7 December 1996
7 Preston North End 2–3 York City 7 December 1996
8 Watford 5–0 Ashford Town 7 December 1996
9 Walsall 1–1 Burnley 7 December 1996
Replay Burnley 1–1 Walsall 23 December 1996
Burnley won 4–2 on penalties
10 Notts County 3–1 Rochdale 7 December 1996
11 Luton Town 2–1 Boreham Wood 7 December 1996
12 Wrexham 2–2 Scunthorpe United 7 December 1996
Replay Scunthorpe United 2–3 Wrexham 17 December 1996
13 Plymouth Argyle 4–1 Exeter City 6 December 1996
14 Hull City 1–5 Crewe Alexandra 7 December 1996
15 Carlisle United 1–0 Darlington 7 December 1996
16 Mansfield Town 0–3 Stockport County 7 December 1996
17 Cardiff City 0–2 Gillingham 7 December 1996
18 Leyton Orient 1–2 Stevenage Borough 7 December 1996
19 Sudbury Town 1–3 Brentford 7 December 1996
20 Cambridge United 0–2 Woking 7 December 1996

Third round proper

The third round of the season's FA Cup was scheduled for Saturday, 4 January 1997, although fourteen matches were postponed until later dates. This round marked the point at which the teams in the two highest divisions in the English league system, the Premier League and the Football League First Division (now known as the Football League Championship). There were nine replays, with none of these games requiring a penalty shootout to settle it.

Tie no Home team Score Away team Date
1 Chesterfield 2–0 Bristol City 14 January 1997
2 Liverpool 1–0 Burnley
3 Watford 2–0 Oxford United 21 January 1997
4 Reading 3–1 Southampton 4 January 1997
5 Gillingham 0–2 Derby County 21 January 1997
6 Leicester City 2–0 Southend United 15 January 1997
7 Notts County 0–0 Aston Villa 14 January 1997
Replay Aston Villa 3–0 Notts County 22 January 1997
8 Nottingham Forest 3–0 Ipswich Town 4 January 1997
9 Blackburn Rovers 1–0 Port Vale 4 January 1997
10 Sheffield Wednesday 7–1 Grimsby Town 4 January 1997
11 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1–2 Portsmouth 4 January 1997
12 Crewe Alexandra 1–1 Wimbledon 14 January 1997
Replay Wimbledon 2–0 Crewe Alexandra 21 January 1997
13 Middlesbrough 6–0 Chester City 4 January 1997
14 Luton Town 1–1 Bolton Wanderers 21 January 1997
Replay Bolton Wanderers 6–2 Luton Town 25 January 1997
15 Everton 3–0 Swindon Town 5 January 1997
16 Wrexham 1–1 West Ham United 4 January 1997
Replay West Ham United 0–1 Wrexham 25 January 1997
17 Hednesford Town 1–0 York City 13 January 1997
18 Wycombe Wanderers 0–2 Bradford City 5 January 1997
19 Queens Park Rangers 1–1 Huddersfield Town 4 January 1997
Replay Huddersfield Town 1–2 Queens Park Rangers 14 January 1997
20 Barnsley 2–0 Oldham Athletic 14 January 1997
21 Brentford 0–1 Manchester City 25 January 1997
22 Coventry City 1–1 Woking 25 January 1997
Replay Woking 1–2 Coventry City 4 February 1997
23 Manchester United 2–0 Tottenham Hotspur 5 January 1997
24 Norwich City 1–0 Sheffield United 4 January 1997
25 Plymouth Argyle 0–1 Peterborough United 4 January 1997
26 Carlisle United 1–0 Tranmere Rovers 14 January 1997
27 Crystal Palace 2–2 Leeds United 14 January 1997
Replay Leeds United 1–0 Crystal Palace 25 January 1997
28 Chelsea 3–0 West Bromwich Albion 4 January 1997
29 Charlton Athletic 1–1 Newcastle United 5 January 1997
Replay Newcastle United 2–1 Charlton Athletic 15 January 1997
30 Arsenal 1–1 Sunderland 4 January 1997
Replay Sunderland 0–2 Arsenal 15 January 1997
31 Stoke City 0–2 Stockport County 15 January 1997
32 Birmingham City 2–0 Stevenage Borough 4 January 1997

Fourth Round Proper

The Fourth Round ties were played with the thirty-two winners of the previous round. The matches were originally scheduled for Saturday, 25 January 1997, although six matches were not played that weekend. There was only one replay.

Tie no Home team Score Away team Date
1 Leicester City 2–1 Norwich City 25 January 1997
2 Blackburn Rovers 1–2 Coventry City 15 February 1997
3 Bolton Wanderers 2–3 Chesterfield 4 February 1997
4 Hednesford Town 2–3 Middlesbrough 25 January 1997
5 Derby County 3–1 Aston Villa 25 January 1997
6 Everton 2–3 Bradford City 25 January 1997
7 Newcastle United 1–2 Nottingham Forest 26 January 1997
8 Manchester City 3–1 Watford 5 February 1997
9 Queens Park Rangers 3–2 Barnsley 25 January 1997
10 Portsmouth 3–0 Reading 25 January 1997
11 Manchester United 1–1 Wimbledon 25 January 1997
Replay Wimbledon 1–0 Manchester United 4 February 1997
12 Carlisle United 0–2 Sheffield Wednesday 25 January 1997
13 Chelsea 4–2 Liverpool 26 January 1997
14 Arsenal 0–1 Leeds United 4 February 1997
15 Peterborough United 2–4 Wrexham 4 February 1997
16 Birmingham City 3–1 Stockport County 25 January 1997

Fifth Round Proper

The Fifth Round matches were scheduled for Saturday, 15 February 1997. There was, again, only one replay.

Tie no Home team Score Away team Date
1 Chesterfield 1–0 Nottingham Forest 15 February 1997
2 Leicester City 2–2 Chelsea 16 February 1997
Replay Chelsea 1–0 Leicester City 26 February 1997
3 Derby County 3–2 Coventry City 26 February 1997
4 Manchester City 0–1 Middlesbrough 15 February 1997
5 Bradford City 0–1 Sheffield Wednesday 16 February 1997
6 Wimbledon 2–1 Queens Park Rangers 15 February 1997
7 Leeds United 2–3 Portsmouth 15 February 1997
8 Birmingham City 1–3 Wrexham 15 February 1997

Sixth Round Proper

The sixth round ties were scheduled for the weekend of 8–9 March. No replays were required.

Chesterfield defeated Wrexham 1–0 in a rare "all third-tier" quarter-final clash, while Middlesbrough's 2–0 win at Derby County moved them a step closer to their first-ever FA Cup final.

Chesterfield1–0Wrexham
Beaumont 58' Report
Attendance: 8,735
Referee: Mike Riley

Portsmouth1–4Chelsea
Burton 82' Report M. Hughes 25'
Wise 43' 86'
Zola 56'
Attendance: 15,071
Referee: Jeff Winter

Sheffield Wednesday0–2Wimbledon
Report Earle 74'
Holdsworth 90+1'
Attendance: 25,032
Referee: Roger Dilkes

Derby County0–2Middlesbrough
Report Juninho 39'
Ravanelli 90'
Attendance: 17,567
Referee: Graham Poll

Semi-Finals

The semi-final ties were played at neutral venues on 13 April 1997. Middlesbrough and Chelsea came through their ties (with Middlesbrough requiring a replay against second division side Chesterfield) to reach the final.

Wimbledon, playing the semi-finals for the first time since they were FA Cup winners nine years earlier, had their hopes of FA Cup glory ended by a semi-final defeat at the hands of Chelsea, who had not played in an FA Cup final for 3 years. This came just weeks after Wimbledon had been eliminated from the League Cup semi-finals.

Middlesbrough, on the other hand, reached the FA Cup final for the first time in their history, but only after a 3-0 replay win over a Chesterfield side that had given them a serious run for their money in the first match with a 3–3 draw after taking a 2–0 lead and having a goal ruled out despite the ball crossing the line, therefore narrowly missing out on being the first "third tier" side to reach an FA Cup final.

Chelsea3–0Wimbledon
Hughes 43' 90'
Zola 64'
Report
Attendance: 32,674
Referee: Gerald Ashby

Middlesbrough3–3Chesterfield
Ravanelli 64'
Hignett 70' (pen.)
Festa 100'
Report Morris 54'
Dyche 60' (pen.)
Hewitt 119'
Attendance: 49,640
Referee: David Elleray
Replay
Middlesbrough3–0Chesterfield
Beck 12'
Ravanelli 57'
Emerson 89'
Report
Attendance: 30,339
Referee: David Elleray

Final

The 1997 FA Cup Final took place on 17 May 1997 at Wembley Stadium and was won by Chelsea with a 2–0 victory over Middlesbrough. Di Matteo scored the fastest ever goal in FA Cup Final history 43 seconds after kick-off, beating Jackie Milburn's record from the 1954–1955 final of 45 seconds, which was only beaten in 2009 by Everton's Louis Saha (27.9 seconds). Chelsea were attempting to win their first FA Cup final for 27 years, while Middlesbrough were contesting their first ever final. Chelsea took to the field on the back of something of a renaissance under Dutch manager Ruud Gullit, having recorded their best league finish for a decade. Middlesbrough, on the other hand, began the final having been relegated from the Premiership and also been losing finalists in the League Cup.

It was Chelsea's first major trophy for 26 years, while Middlesbrough had never played in an FA Cup final or won a major trophy before.

Match details

Chelsea2–0Middlesbrough
Di Matteo 1'
Newton 83'
Report
Attendance: 79,160
Chelsea
Middlesbrough

Media coverage

For the ninth consecutive season in the United Kingdom, the BBC were the free to air broadcasters which was their last before ITV took over while Sky Sports were the subscription broadcasters.[citation needed]

The matches shown live on the BBC were: Manchester United 2–0 Tottenham Hotspur (R3); Chelsea 4–2 Liverpool (R4); Leicester City 2–2 Chelsea (R5); Sheffield Wednesday 0–2 Wimbledon (QF); Chelsea 3–0 Wimbledon (SF) and Chelsea 2–0 Middlesbrough (Final)

References