FA Cup

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 other two top honours that an English club can win are the League Championship and the European Cup. Winning the FA Cup and the League Championship is known as a double. Manchester United is the only team to win all three, known as the treble.

Notable events in the FA Cup

• 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.
• 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.
• The record score in an FA Cup tie was set in 1887 when Preston North End defeated Hyde United 26-0.
• In 1903 Bury defeated Derby County 6-0, in what is still the highest score in an FA Cup final.
• The first final to be played at Wembley, in 1923, drew an over-capacity crowd of more than 200,000. Spectators spilled onto the field, but were moved back by mounted policemen, and the game (which came to be known as the "White Horse Final") was played with spectators lining the edge of the pitch.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• In 1973, Sunderland A.F.C. created the biggest ever upset in a final when they beat holders Leeds United 1-0. At that time, Leeds were one of Europe's best club sides, whereas Sunderland, although a massive club, had been struggling in the Second Division. The goal was scored by Ian Porterfield, but the incredible double save by Sunderland goalkeeper Jimmy Montgomery is probably even better remembered.
• The 1973-74 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 1979-80 compitition 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 the 3rd rounds went to a replay.
• 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. Three clubs - Queens Park Rangers in 1982, Sunderland in 1992 and Millwall in 2004 - have since been to the final, though all three lost.
• 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 and Hove Albion. As of 2004 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 (on a replay), Barking, Newport County (on a replay), West Bromwich Albion and Derby County (on a replay).
• In 1985, Kevin Moran of Manchester United became the first player to be sent off in an FA Cup Final.
• In 1988 underdogs Wimbledon beat Liverpool 1-0 to cause one of the most famous upsets in FA Cup history, Lawrie Sanchez scoring a 37th minute header for the Dons from a Dennis Wise free kick. Wimbledon goalkeeper Dave Beasant saved a 61st minute John Aldridge penalty in the second half, becoming the first goalkeeper to do so in an FA Cup final. He was also the first goalkeeper to captain a team to FA Cup success.
• 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.
• In 1990, the Final went to a replay, between Crystal Palace and Manchester United F.C., after the first match ended 3-3 after extra time, with a brace from Palace substitute Ian Wright, and United won the replay 1-0, with a goal from Lee Martin.
• In 1997 Division Two (or level three) side Chesterfield narrowly and controversially missed out on becoming the first side from outside the top two divisions from reaching an FA Cup final, having led 2-0 against 10-men Middlesbrough. At the score 2-1, a shot hit the bar and clearly went over the line which should have given the Spireites a 3-1 lead. Instead referee David Elleray waved play on and the goal wasn't given; the Spireites instead were pegged back to 2-2. Extra time ended 3-3 but Middlesbrough won the replay convincingly to meet Chelsea in the final at Wembley.
• The first FA Cup final played outside of England was in the final of the 2000/2001 season at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. Liverpool came from behind (against the balance of play) 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 2002/2003 season, held on May 17, 2003 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, with Arsenal F.C. and Southampton F.C. benefitting from cover from the rain (Arsenal were the 1 - 0 winners).
• 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 2003 Tony Roberts became the first goalkeeper to score in a FA Cup fixture.
• 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 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.
• In 2004, Yeading from the Isthmian Premiership were drawn at home against FA Premiership side Newcastle United. This marked the first time two teams six divisions apart had faced each other in the cup. Newcastle won the match 2-0.
• 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.
• During the 2005 final, José Antonio Reyes became the second man to ever be sent off in an FA Cup Final, when he was dismissed for a second yellow card at the end of extra time. Roy Keane extended his own record by appearing in his seventh final.
• The first match at the new Wembley Stadium is scheduled be the FA Cup Final to be held on May 13, 2006.