History of The FA Cup
TheFA.com takes a brief look at the rich history of the oldest and best domestic Cup competition in the world…
At a meeting held in the offices of The Sportsman in London on 20th July 1871, a proposal by FA Honorary Secretary Charles Alcock “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” met with favour and was finally approved three months later.
The first FA Cup competition in season 1871-72 had fifteen entries. (This season more than 600 took part.) Wanderers, a team formed by ex-public school and university players, won the first final 1-0 against Royal Engineers at Kennington Oval. A crowd of 2,000 attended the match and they each paid one shilling for the privilege. The first Cup Final goal was scored by Morton Betts, playing under the assumed name of ‘A.H. Chequer’. He was an Old Harrovian who had once played for Harrow Chequers.
The original trophy, much smaller than the present one, was made by Messrs Martin, Hall & Co. and cost £20. In 1895, after Aston Villa had won the competition, the cup was stolen from the window of a firm of football outfitters in Birmingham where it had been placed on display. It was never recovered.
The present trophy, played for since 1992, is the competition’s fourth and an exact replica of the third. Manchester United have won the Cup the most times (ten), followed by Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur (eight). Forty-two different clubs have won it.
In January 1922 the Duke of York, later to become King George VI, cut the first turf to mark the beginning of the building of Wembley Stadium and it was completed in under a year at a cost of £750,000.
The 1923 FA Cup Final between Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United (pictured) was the first football match at the new stadium and it drew an estimated crowd of 200,000, vastly exceeding the official capacity. It was only due to the good nature of the spectators and the efforts of the police, notably PC George Scorey on his white horse ‘Billy’, that the match took place at all.
The Cup Final was played at Wembley in every year, excluding the war years, until 2000. The FA Cup has become established as one of the country’s great sporting institutions. It is now over 130 years old and yet, season by season, it generates tremendous interest not only in the country of its birth but all over the world. The history and tradition of the competition, and the pageantry of the Cup Final, is familiar to millions.
Sir Bobby Robson, a Cup winner as Ipswich Town’s manager in 1978, said: “The FA Cup Final is the greatest single match outside the World Cup Final – and it’s ours”.
Classic Cup Finals
2006 – Liverpool 3-3 West Ham (Liverpool won 3-1 on penalties)
1990 – Manchester United 3-3 Crystal Palace
1988 – Wimbledon 1-0 Liverpool
1987 – Coventry City 3-2 Tottenham Hotspur
1984 – Everton 2-0 Watford
1981 – Tottenham Hotspur 3-2 Manchester City
1976 – Southampton 1-0 Manchester United
1975 – West Ham United 2-0 Fulham
1973 – Sunderland 1-0 Leeds United
1953 – Blackpool 4-3 Bolton Wanderers
1927 – Cardiff City 1-0 Arsenal
1923 – Bolton Wanderers 2-0 West Ham United
1872 – Wanderers 1-0 Royal Engineers
FA Cup Heroes
By David Barber.
Dave Beasant
Massive underdogs Wimbledon beat Liverpool 1-0 to lift The Cup in 1988, just 11 years after being elected into the Football League. Beasant’s penalty save from John Aldridge on the hour was the first in a Wembley final and as Dons’ captain he became the first goalkeeper to receive The Cup – on this occasion from HRH The Princess of Wales.
Tim Buzaglo
Striker Tim’s first claim to fame was playing cricket for Gibraltar. Then, in 1991, he scored a Third Round hat-trick for Isthmian League Woking as they caused a major Cup upset by beating Brian Talbot’s West Bromwich Albion 4-2 at The Hawthorns. Albion were then in the Second Division. In the next round the non-Leaguers lost by the only goal at Everton.
Eric Cantona
Ooh-aah-Cantona! The Frenchman won The Cup twice in three years with Manchester United. In ‘94 he slammed home two spot-kicks inside seven minutes as Chelsea were overwhelmed 4-0. In ‘96 he scored the only goal of the Final with a volley through a crowd of players five minutes from time and then collected The Cup as United’s captain.
Harry Cursham
Henry “Harry” Cusham is hardly a household name today but no player in history has scored more goals in The Cup. In a ten-year period, from 1877 to 1887, he scored 49. He got 48 in the Competition Proper and one in a Fourth Round Qualifying tie against Staveley. His biggest haul was six against Wednesbury Strollers in an 11-1 win.
Sir Alex Ferguson
No one can rival Sir Alex when it comes to winning The Cup as a manager. The first of five triumphs with Manchester United came in 1990 when Crystal Palace were beaten 1-0 in a replay after a 3-3 draw. It was Sir Alex’s first trophy after nearly four years in the hot seat at Old Trafford. United were Cup winners again in 1994, 1996, 1999 and 2004.
Dickie Guy
Wimbledon, then a Southern League club, enjoyed a magnificent Cup run in the 1974-75 season. After surviving six rounds they won 1-0 at First Division Burnley and then achieved an astonishing 0-0 draw at Leeds. Guy was the Dons’ ‘keeper who kept clean sheets at Turf Moor and Elland Road and he even managed to save a Peter Lorimer penalty.
Mark Hughes
“Sparky” Hughes is the only player to have picked up four Cup winners’ medals at Wembley and he did it with two different clubs. With Manchester United he was a winner in 1985, 1990 (scoring twice in the first match against Crystal Palace) and 1994 (scoring once against Chelsea, the club he later joined). He completed the set with the Blues in 1997.
Chris Kelly
Wimbledon weren’t the only non-League side making Cup headlines in 1975. Kelly, the “Leatherhead Lip”, netted the goal that beat Brighton at the Goldstone and took the Isthmian Leaguers through to a Fourth Round tie with First Division Leicester City. It was switched to Filbert Street and Kelly scored to make it 2-0 before the Foxes hit back to win.
The Hon Arthur Kinnaird
Kinnaird, later President of The FA, played for Wanderers and Old Etonians in the 1870s and ’80s and appeared in no fewer than nine FA Cup Finals. No other player, ancient or modern, can match that. He won three times with Wanderers, scoring in the 1873 and 1878 Finals, and twice with Old Etonians. He was undoubtedly football’s first superstar.
Ted MacDougall
The Scottish striker had three years at Bournemouth from 1969 to 1972 before Manchester United came calling and twice made his mark on The Cup with scoring feats in the First Round. He netted six in the Cherries’ 8-1 replay win against Oxford City in 1970 and topped it a year later with nine against hapless Margate, still a record for the Competition Proper.
Sir Stanley Matthews
The incomparable Matthews, the first player to be knighted for services to the game, had finished on the losing side for Blackpool in the 1948 and 1951 Finals and, at 38, must have thought he had missed his chance of a winners’ medal. But the wizard of the dribble reached his third Final in Coronation Year and crossed for Bill Perry to score the late winner against Bolton.
Jim Montgomery
“Monty” had 16 years with Sunderland but is remembered for one remarkable save. The Second Division underdogs were given little chance of beating a Leeds side packed with internationals in the 1973 Final and were holding onto a 1-0 lead as their opponents launched another frenzied attack. Montgomery’s save from a Lorimer piledriver seemed to defy the laws of physics.
Stan Mortensen
After more than half a century “Morty”, Matthews’ friend and team-mate at Blackpool, is still the last player to register a hat-trick in an FA Cup Final. Like Matthews he had been a runner-up in 1948 and 1951. The Seasiders were 3-1 down to Bolton in ‘53, Mortensen having scored, before the England centre-forward bagged two more, including one from a free-kick, to make it 3-3.
George Mutch
Like Montgomery, Mutch is remembered for one incident in an FA Cup Final. In 1938 Preston clashed with Huddersfield, with the whole Final televised live for the first time, and the only goal of the game was a penalty scored in the last minute of extra-time. Mutch was himself upended and, still dazed, blasted his spot-kick against the underside of the bar and over the line.
Ronnie Radford
Radford’s name entered Cup folklore after he scored with a spectacular long-range effort during Southern League Hereford’s Third Round replay with First Division Newcastle in 1972. It took the teams into an extra half-hour, during which Ricky George slid home the winner for the non-Leaguers. Radford’s weaving celebratory run remains one of The Cup’s most enduring images.
Jimmy Ross
Preston North End’s Scottish striker scored 19 FA Cup goals in one season (1887-88) and it remains a record for the competition. The 26-0 win against Hyde in the First Round is still The Cup’s biggest and Ross weighed in with eight goals. He also grabbed six as they saw off Bolton 9-1 in the Fourth Round but didn’t score in the Final at Kennington Oval, which Preston lost to West Brom.
Ian Rush
Liverpool’s legendary marksman has scored more FA Cup Final goals than any other player. He notched a brace as they beat Everton 3-1 in the first all-Merseyside Final in 1986 and returned from a short spell in Italy to score twice against the same opposition three years later. His fifth Cup Final goal was the Reds’ second against Sunderland in 1992.
Bert Trautmann
The former German POW earned hero status after playing for the last fifteen minutes of Manchester City’s 1956 Final against Birmingham City with what turned out to be a broken neck. With City 3-1 up (the final score) he made a typically brave save at Peter Murphy’s feet and was clearly in great pain. Later examination in hospital showed the extent of the injury.
Ricky Villa
The bearded Villa, a World Cup winner with Argentina in 1978, experienced two contrasting FA Cup Final matches for Tottenham against Manchester City in 1981. He was substituted in the first after failing to make an impact but was outstanding in the replay five days later, scoring twice as Spurs won 3-2. His second, sliding the ball in after a mazy dribble, is still talked about.
Norman Whiteside
A year after becoming the youngest player in a World Cup, the precocious Irishman made his mark on The FA Cup, becoming its youngest scorer in a Final. He was 18 years and 19 days old when he contributed Manchester United’s second goal to their 4-0 replay victory over Brighton in 1983. Two years later his extra-time curler beat Everton and won The Cup again.
Cup Final Statistics
Find out the result of every each and every Cup Final, as well as venue records, most wins and most appearances…
Past FA Cup Finals
| Year | Winners | Runners Up | Result |
|
| 1872 | Wanderers | Royal Engineers | 1-0 |
|
| 1873 | Wanderers | Oxford University | 2-0 |
|
| 1874 | Oxford University | Royal Engineers | 2-0 |
|
| 1875 | Royal Engineers | Old Etonians | 1-1 aet |
|
| replay | Royal Engineers | Old Etonians | 2-0 |
|
| 1876 | Wanderers | Old Etonians | 1-1 aet |
|
| replay | Wanderers | Old Etonians | 3-0 |
|
| 1877 | Wanderers | Oxford University | 2-1 aet |
|
| 1878 | Wanderers | Royal Engineers | 3-1* |
|
| 1879 | Old Etonians | Clapham Rovers | 1-0 |
|
| 1880 | Clapham Rovers | Oxford University | 1-0 |
|
| 1881 | Old Carthusians | Old Etonians | 3-0 |
|
| 1882 | Old Etonians | Blackburn Rovers | 1-0 |
|
| 1883 | Blackburn Olympic | Old Etonians | 2-1 aet |
|
| 1884 | Blackburn Rovers | Queens Park, Glasgow | 2-1 |
|
| 1885 | Blackburn Rovers | Queens Park, Glasgow | 2-0 |
|
| 1886 | Blackburn Rovers | West Bromwich Albion | 0-0 |
|
| replay | Blackburn Rovers | West Bromwich Albion | 2-0# |
|
| 1887 | Aston Villa | West Bromwich Albion | 2-0 |
|
| 1888 | West Bromwich Albion | Preston North End | 2-1 |
|
| 1889 | Preston North End | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 3-0 |
|
| 1890 | Blackburn Rovers | Sheffield Wednesday | 6-1 |
|
| 1891 | Blackburn Rovers | Notts County | 3-1 |
|
| 1892 | West Bromwich Albion | Aston Villa | 3-0 |
|
| 1893 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Everton | 1-0 |
|
| 1894 | Notts County | Bolton Wanderers | 4-1 |
|
| 1895 | Aston Villa | West Bromwich Albion | 1-0 |
|
| 1896 | Sheffield Wednesday | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2-1 |
|
| 1897 | Aston Villa | Everton | 3-2 |
|
| 1898 | Nottingham Forest | Derby County | 3-1 |
|
| 1899 | Sheffield United | Derby County | 4-1 |
|
| 1900 | Bury | Southampton | 4-0 |
|
| 1901 | Tottenham Hotspur | Sheffield United | 2-2 |
|
| replay | Tottenham Hotspur | Sheffield United | 3-1 |
|
| 1902 | Sheffield United | Southampton | 1-1 |
|
| replay | Sheffield United | Southampton | 2-1 |
|
| 1903 | Bury | Derby County | 6-0 |
|
| 1904 | Manchester City | Bolton Wanderers | 1-0 |
|
| 1905 | Aston Villa | Newcastle United | 2-0 |
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| 1906 | Everton | Newcastle United | 1-0 |
|
| 1907 | Sheffield Wednesday | Everton | 2-1 |
|
| 1908 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Newcastle United | 3-1 |
|
| 1909 | Manchester United | Bristol City | 1-0 |
|
| 1910 | Newcastle United | Barnsley | 1-1 |
|
| replay | Newcastle United | Barnsley | 2-0 |
|
| 1911 | Bradford City | Newcastle United | 0-0 |
|
| replay | Bradford City | Newcastle United | 1-0 |
|
| 1912 | Barnsley | West Bromwich Albion | 0-0 |
|
| replay | Barnsley | West Bromwich Albion | 1-0 |
|
| 1913 | Aston Villa | Sunderland | 1-0 |
|
| 1914 | Burnley | Liverpool | 1-0 |
|
| 1915 | Sheffield United | Chelsea | 3-0 |
|
| 1920 | Aston Villa | Huddersfield Town | 1-0 aet |
|
| 1921 | Tottenham Hotspur | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1-0 |
|
| 1922 | Huddersfield Town | Preston North End | 1-0 |
|
| 1923 | Bolton Wanderers | West Ham United | 2-0 |
|
| 1924 | Newcastle United | Aston Villa | 2-0 |
|
| 1925 | Sheffield United | Cardiff City | 1-0 |
|
| 1926 | Bolton Wanderers | Manchester City | 1-0 |
|
| 1927 | Cardiff City | Arsenal | 1-0 |
|
| 1928 | Blackburn Rovers | Huddersfield Town | 3-1 |
|
| 1929 | Bolton Wanderers | Portsmouth | 2-0 |
|
| 1930 | Arsenal | Huddersfield Town | 2-0 |
|
| 1931 | West Bromwich Albion | Birmingham City | 2-1 |
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| 1932 | Newcastle United | Arsenal | 2-1 |
|
| 1933 | Everton | Manchester City | 3-0 |
|
| 1934 | Manchester City | Portsmouth | 2-1 |
|
| 1935 | Sheffield Wednesday | West Bromwich Albion | 4-2 |
|
| 1936 | Arsenal | Sheffield United | 1-0 |
|
| 1937 | Sunderland | Preston North End | 3-1 |
|
| 1938 | Preston North End | Huddersfield Town | 1-0 aet |
|
| 1939 | Portsmouth | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 4-1 |
|
| 1946 | Derby County | Charlton Athletic | 4-1 aet |
|
| 1947 | Charlton Athletic | Burnley | 1-0 aet |
|
| 1948 | Manchester United | Blackpool | 4-2 |
|
| 1949 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Leicester City | 3-1 |
|
| 1950 | Arsenal | Liverpool | 2-0 |
|
| 1951 | Newcastle United | Blackpool | 2-0 |
|
| 1952 | Newcastle United | Arsenal | 1-0 |
|
| 1953 | Blackpool | Bolton Wanderers | 4-3 |
|
| 1954 | West Bromwich Albion | Preston North End | 3-2 |
|
| 1955 | Newcastle United | Manchester City | 3-1 |
|
| 1956 | Manchester City | Birmingham City | 3-1 |
|
| 1957 | Aston Villa | Manchester United | 2-1 |
|
| 1958 | Bolton Wanderers | Manchester United | 2-0 |
|
| 1959 | Nottingham Forest | Luton Town | 2-1 |
|
| 1960 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Blackburn Rovers | 3-0 |
|
| 1961 | Tottenham Hotspur | Leicester City | 2-0 |
|
| 1962 | Tottenham Hotspur | Burnley | 3-1 |
|
| 1963 | Manchester United | Leicester City | 3-1 |
|
| 1964 | West Ham United | Preston North End | 3-2 |
|
| 1965 | Liverpool | Leeds United | 2-1 aet |
|
| 1966 | Everton | Sheffield Wednesday | 3-2 |
|
| 1967 | Tottenham Hotspur | Chelsea | 2-1 |
|
| 1968 | West Bromwich Albion | Everton | 1-0 aet |
|
| 1969 | Manchester City | Leicester City | 1-0 |
|
| 1970 | Chelsea | Leeds United | 2-2 aet |
|
| replay | Chelsea | Leeds United | 2-1 |
|
| 1971 | Arsenal | Liverpool | 2-1 aet |
|
| 1972 | Leeds United | Arsenal | 1-0 |
|
| 1973 | Sunderland | Leeds United | 1-0 |
|
| 1974 | Liverpool | Newcastle United | 3-0 |
|
| 1975 | West Ham United | Fulham | 2-0 |
|
| 1976 | Southampton | Manchester United | 1-0 |
|
| 1977 | Manchester United | Liverpool | 2-1 |
|
| 1978 | Ipswich Town | Arsenal | 1-0 |
|
| 1979 | Arsenal | Manchester United | 3-2 |
|
| 1980 | West Ham United | Arsenal | 1-0 |
|
| 1981 | Tottenham Hotspur | Manchester City | 1-1 aet |
|
| replay | Tottenham Hotspur | Manchester City | 3-2 |
|
| 1982 | Tottenham Hotspur | Queens Park Rangers | 1-1 aet |
|
| replay | Tottenham Hotspur | Queens Park Rangers | 1-0 |
|
| 1983 | Manchester United | Brighton and Hove Albion | 2-2 aet |
|
| replay | Manchester United | Brighton and Hove Albion | 4-0 |
|
| 1984 | Everton | Watford | 2-0 |
|
| 1985 | Manchester United | Everton | 1-0 aet |
|
| 1986 | Liverpool | Everton | 3-1 |
|
| 1987 | Coventry City | Tottenham Hotspur | 3-2 aet |
|
| 1988 | Wimbledon | Liverpool | 1-0 |
|
| 1989 | Liverpool | Everton | 3-2 aet |
|
| 1990 | Manchester United | Crystal Palace | 3-3 aet |
|
| replay | Manchester United | Crystal Palace | 1-0 |
|
| 1991 | Tottenham Hotspur | Nottingham Forest | 2-1 aet |
|
| 1992 | Liverpool | Sunderland | 2-0 |
|
| 1993 | Arsenal | Sheffield Wednesday | 1-1 aet |
|
| replay | Arsenal | Sheffield Wednesday | 2-1 aet |
|
| 1994 | Manchester United | Chelsea | 4-0 |
|
| 1995 | Everton | Manchester United | 1-0 |
|
| 1996 | Manchester United | Liverpool | 1-0 |
|
| 1997 | Chelsea | Middlesbrough | 2-0 |
|
| 1998 | Arsenal | Newcastle United | 2-0 |
|
| 1999 | Manchester United | Newcastle United | 2-0 |
|
| 2000 | Chelsea | Aston Villa | 1-0 |
|
| 2001 | Liverpool | Arsenal | 2-1 |
|
| 2002 | Arsenal | Chelsea | 2-0 |
|
| 2003 | Arsenal | Southampton | 1-0 |
|
| 2004 | Manchester United | Millwall | 3-0 |
|
| 2005 | Arsenal | Manchester United | 0-0 aet |
|
|
|
Arsenal win 5-4 on penalties |
|
|
|
| 2006 | Liverpool | West Ham United | 3-3 aet |
|
|
|
Liverpool win 3-1 on penalties |
|
|
|
| 2007 | Chelsea | Manchester United | 1-0 |
* Cup won outright but restored to The Association
# A special trophy was awarded for the third consecutive win
| Venues: |
|
|
| 1872 Kennington Oval |
|
|
| 1873 Lillie Bridge, London |
|
|
| 1874-1892 Kennington Oval |
|
|
| 1893 Fallowfield, Manchester |
|
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| 1894 Goodison Park |
|
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| 1895-1914 Crystal Palace |
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| 1915 Old Trafford |
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| 1920-22 Stamford Bridge |
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| 1923-2000 Wembley Stadium |
|
|
| 2001-2006 Millennium Stadium, Cardiff 2007- New Wembley Stadium |
|
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|
|
|
|
| FA Cup Wins |
|
Appearances in FA Cup Finals |
| Manchester United 11 |
|
Manchester United 18 |
| Arsenal 10 |
|
Arsenal 17 |
| Tottenham Hotspur 8 |
|
Newcastle United 13 |
| Aston Villa 7 |
|
Liverpool 13 |
| Liverpool 7 |
|
Everton 12 |
| Blackburn Rovers 6 |
|
Aston Villa 10 |
| Newcastle United 6 |
|
West Bromwich Albion 10 |
| Everton 5 |
|
Tottenham Hotspur 9 |
| The Wanderers 5 |
|
Blackburn Rovers 8 |
| West Bromwich Albion 5 |
|
Manchester City 8 |
| Bolton Wanderers 4 |
|
Wolverhampton Wanderers 8 |
| Manchester City 4 |
|
Bolton Wanderers 7 |
| Sheffield United 4 |
|
Chelsea 8 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers 4 |
|
Preston North End 7 |
| Chelsea 4 |
|
Old Etonians 6 |
| Sheffield Wednesday 3 |
|
Sheffield United 6 |
| West Ham United 3 |
|
Sheffield Wednesday 6 |
| Bury 2 |
|
Huddersfield Town 5 |
| Nottingham Forest 2 |
|
The Wanderers 5 |
| Old Etonians 2 |
|
West Ham United 5 |
| Preston North End 2 |
|
Leeds United 4 |
| Sunderland 2 |
|
Leicester City 4 |
| Barnsley 1 |
|
Oxford University 4 |
| Blackburn Olympic 1 |
|
Royal Engineers 4 |
| Blackpool 1 |
|
Sunderland 4 |
| Bradford City 1 |
|
Derby County 4 |
| Burnley 1 |
|
Southampton 4 |
| Cardiff City 1 |
|
Burnley 3 |
| Charlton Athletic 1 |
|
Nottingham Forest 3 |
| Clapham Rovers 1 |
|
Portsmouth 3 |
| Coventry City 1 |
|
Blackpool 3 |
| Derby County 1 |
|
Barnsley 2 |
| Huddersfield Town 1 |
|
Birmingham City 2 |
| Ipswich Town 1 |
|
Bury 2 |
| Leeds United 1 |
|
Cardiff City 2 |
| Notts County 1 |
|
Charlton Athletic 2 |
| Old Carthusians 1 |
|
Clapham Rovers 2 |
| Oxford University 1 |
|
Notts County 2 |
| Portsmouth 1 |
|
Queen’s Park (Glasgow) 2 |
| Royal Engineers 1 |
|
Blackburn Olympic 1 |
| Southampton 1 |
|
Bradford City 1 |
| Wimbledon 1 |
|
Brighton & HA 1 |
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|
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Bristol City 1 |
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Coventry City 1 |
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Crystal Palace 1 |
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Fulham 1 |
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Ipswich Town 1 |
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Luton Town 1 |
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|
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Middlesbrough 1 |
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|
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Millwall 1 |
|
|
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Old Carthusians 1 |
|
|
|
Queen’s Park Rangers 1 |
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Watford 1 |
|
|
|
Wimbledon 1 |
Last updated 19 May 2007
