The FA Cup

The Trophy

Fined £25 by the FA in 1895 to pay for a replacement trophy, after the original was stolen (from a shop window) while in their possession		Aston Villa
1909 winners who had a replica made, making the FA aware that they didn't have a copyright on the design and leading to a new trophy being commissioned		Manchester United
1910 winners – first to receive the trophy that coincidentally was made in their home city		Bradford City

1872: the First Final

Scorer of the only goal in the first final (played under the pseudonym A. H. Chequer – because he was cup–tied; he had been registered to play for Harrow Chequers, although they withdrew without playing a game)

Early Years: Grounds

Venue of the first FA Cup Final (16 March 1872) and every one from 1874 to 1892	20	Kennington Oval
1873 – London, near Stamford Bridge	1	Lillie Bridge
1893	1	Fallowfield (Manchester)
1894	1	Goodison Park
1895 to 1914	20	Crystal Palace
1915	1	Old Trafford
1912 replay	1	Bramall Lane, Sheffield
1920, 1921, 1922	3	Stamford Bridge

Replays

1886		Racecourse Ground, Derby
1901		Burnden Park, Bolton
1910		Goodison Park, Liverpool
1911		Old Trafford, Manchester
1912		Bramall Lane, Sheffield
1970		Old Trafford, Manchester

There were also replays in 1875, 1876 and 1902; these were played at the same venue as the original ties (The Oval on the first two occasions, Crystal Palace on the third).

The first replay to be played at Wembley was in 1981, when Tottenham Hotspur beat Manchester City 3–2. Other replays were played at Wembley in 1982, 1983, 1990 and 1993. The first final to be decided on penalties was in 2005, at the Millennium Stadium (Cardiff), when Arsenal beat Manchester United 5–4. The 2006 final (also at the Millennium Stadium) also went to penalties; on this occasion Liverpool beat West Ham United 3–1.

Bramall Lane is the only ground, apart from The Oval, to have hosted football internationals (five games, prior to 1930), a cricket test match (in 1902, against Australia) and an FA Cup Final (the 1912 replay). It also regularly hosted FA Cup semi–finals, and semi–final replays, between 1889 and 1938.

Early Years: Finals

1872	Wanderers	1	0	Royal Engineers
1873	Wanderers	2	0	Oxford University
1874	Oxford University	2	0	Royal Engineers
1875**	Royal Engineers	2	0	Old Etonians
1876**	Wanderers	3	0	Old Etonians
1877*	Wanderers	2	1	Oxford University
1878	Wanderers	3	1	Royal Engineers
1879	Old Etonians	1	0	Clapham Rovers
1880	Clapham Rovers	1	0	Oxford University
1881	Old Carthusians	3	0	Old Etonians
1882	Old Etonians	1	0	Blackburn Rovers
1883*	Blackburn Olympic	2	1	Old Etonians
1884	Blackburn Rovers	2	1	Queen's Park
1885	Blackburn Rovers	2	0	Queen's Park
1886**	Blackburn Rovers	2	0	West Bromwich Albion
1887	Aston Villa	2	0	West Bromwich Albion
1888	West Bromwich Albion	2	1	Preston North End

The FA Cup was originally conceived as a 'challenge' competition, in which teams would compete on a knockout basis each season for the right to challenge the holders in the final tie. But this arrangement lasted for only one season after the inaugural competition, when Oxford University won the right to challenge the Wanderers – winners of the first competition. Wanderers retained the cup on this occasion (1872–3), but in the following season (1873–4) they were obliged to compete in the knockout rounds like everyone else. They won by walkovers in the first two rounds, but lost to Oxford University, after a replay, in the third (the semi–final).

In 1874–5, Wanderers beat Farningham 16–0 in the first round and Barnes 5–0 in the second, but in the third round Oxford University proved to be their nemesis once more – winning 2–1. On this occasion the third round was the quarter–finals.

As the above table shows, Wanderers reached the final in each of the next three seasons, winning all three. In the second of these (1876–7) they gained some revenge over Oxford University.

The Wanderers teams were comprised mainly of former pupils from the leading English public schools, and by 1878 most of these schools had their own Old Boys' teams. This led to a rapid decline in the Wanderers' fortunes. In the 1878–9 season they were knocked out of the FA Cup in the first round, ironically by Old Etonians, whose team included several former Wanderers. In 1881 they were unable to raise a team for their FA Cup first round match and were forced to withdraw. From then on they were reduced to playing only one game per year, against Harrow School each Christmas. After a final match against Harrow in 1887 (which the school won 3–1), the Wanderers club folded.

In 2009 a new club was formed under the Wanderers name, reportedly with the approval of descendants of those involved with the original club, to play occasional matches for charity. In 2011 they joined the Surrey South Eastern Combination league, whose eight divisions are at levels 12 to 19 in the English football pyramid.

The finals of 1875, 1876 and 1886 (**) went to replays. Those of 1877 and 1883 (*) were settled in extra time of the first match.

The 1875 and 1876 replays were at The Oval; the 1886 replay was at the Racecourse Ground, Derby (a.k.a. the County Cricket Ground, or just the County Ground) – home of Derbyshire CCC since 1871.

Early Years: Clubs

Appeared in five of the first seven finals, including the first two, and won them all		Wanderers
First professional club to reach the final (1882 – lost to Old Etonians); also the first winners (1884) that would later play in the Football League; also won in 1885, 1886, 1890, 1891		Blackburn Rovers
First professional club to win the tournament (1883 – beat Old Etonians)		Blackburn Olympic
1887 winners; also won in 1895, and in 1897 completed the second 'double' (and the last until Spurs did it in 1961)		Aston Villa
1888 winners (and holders at the time of the foundation of the Football League) – having lost the previous two finals; first to win with an all–English side		West Bromwich Albion
Winners in 1889, thus completing the FA Cup and Football League 'double' in the first year of the League competition (lost the 1888 final)		Preston North End
Scottish club, appeared in the 1884 and 1885 finals – lost both, to Blackburn Rovers		Queen's Park

Later History

First FA Cup Final at Wembley (the 'White Horse' final)		1923
Name of the white horse		Billy
Result of the first Wembley FA Cup Final		Bolton 2 West Ham 0
The first all–ticket final		1924
Abide with me first sung at the final		1927
1970: venue of the first replay since 1912 (Chelsea 2 Leeds 1)		Old Trafford
The 100th FA Cup final, and the first replay to be held at Wembley (Tottenham 3 Man City 2)		1981
The first all–Merseyside final		1985
The first semi–final played at Wembley (Arsenal v. Tottenham)		1991
Both semi–finals played at Wembley for the first time; also the last semi–final replay		1993
Last final at the old Wembley Stadium (Chelsea 1 Villa 0)		2000
Finals held at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff		2001–6
First final to go to penalties (Arsenal beat Man U 5–4 – 0–0 aet)		2005
First final at the new Wembley Stadium (Chelsea 1 Man U 0 aet)		2007

Clubs

Won the first final to go to penalties (at Cardiff, in 2005); drew level with Man U in 2014 with 11 wins, and won for a record 12th time the following year (2015)		Arsenal
First club to surpass Wanderers' record of five wins (1920); losers of the last final to be played at the old Wembley Stadium (2000 – 1–0 to Chelsea)		Aston Villa
Winners of the first Wembley final (1923); beat Manchester United in the post–Munich final (1958)		Bolton Wanderers
Expelled from the 2006–7 competition for fielding an ineligible player		Bury
The only non–English club to win the FA Cup (1927)		Cardiff City
Winners of the last final to be played at the old Wembley Stadium (2000), and of the first at the new one (2007) – v. Aston Villa and Manchester United respectively, won 1–0 on both occasions		Chelsea
Drawn (from the 20 Second Round losers) as the 'lucky losers' in the 1999–2000 FA Cup, when Manchester United didn't compete as they preferred to play in the FIFA Club World Championship; lost to Aston Villa (away) in the Third Round		Darlington
Appeared in four finals (1949, 1961, 1963, 1969) but lost them all (a record)		Leicester City
Won the first final at Cardiff (2001 – came from behind to beat Arsenal 2–1)		Liverpool
Lost the first final to go to penalties (Cardiff, 2005); also lost the first final at the new Wembley, in extra time (2007 – 1–0 to Chelsea)		Manchester United
Reached the final in 2004, when they also won promotion from League One; lost 3–0 to Manchester United, but played in the UEFA Cup as United had qualified for the Champions League		Millwall
First to win the Cup in successive years, in the 20th century		Newcastle United (1951–2)
Last non–league club to reach the final (1902 – lost to Sheffield United in a replay); previously lost the 1900 final (4–0, to Bury); won in 1976, when they beat Manchester United to become the second 2nd–Division club to win in 3 years; also lost the 2003 final (1–0 to the Arsenal)		Southampton
First 2nd Division club to win since WBA in 1931 (1973)		Sunderland
Last non–league club to win the tournament (1901); won the 100th final (1981)		Tottenham Hotspur
Losing team at the first Wembley final (1923); last to win with an all–English team (1975); last winners from outside the top flight (1980)		West Ham
The last club to win the tournament for the first time (2013); also the only club to win the Cup and be relegated		Wigan Athletic
Previously (1988)		Wimbledon

Players

First player to have a penalty saved in a final (Liverpool v. Wimbledon, 1988; see Dave Beasant)		John Aldridge
First goalkeeper to save a penalty in the final (Wimbledon v. Liverpool, 1988; see John Aldridge)		Dave Beasant
Scored two penalties in the 1994 final – the only player to do so. First overseas player to lift the FA Cup as captain (1996 – Steve Bruce was unfit)		Eric Cantona
First substitute to appear in a final (WBA v. Everton, 1968)		Dennis Clarke
Won a record seven winner's medals: 2002, 2003 and 2005 with Arsenal, 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2012 with Chelsea		Ashley Cole
Second goalkeeper to save a penalty in the final (Forest v. Tottenham, 1991; see Dave Beasant, Gary Lineker)		Mark Crossley
Fastest FA Cup Final goal of the 20th century (42 secs, Chelsea v. Boro, 1997)		Roberto di Matteo
Played in the 2015 FA Cup Final – a record 17 years after his first appearance		Shay Given
The first overseas manager to win the tournament (Chelsea, 1997)		Ruud Gullitt
First US citizen to win an FA Cup winner's medal (2004)		Tim Howard
Won four winners' medals – 3 with Man U, 1 with Chelsea (1997)		Mark Hughes
Scorer of the first goal at Wembley Stadium, in the 1923 final (after 2 minutes)		David Jack
First player since the 19th century to play in six finals – eventually appeared in seven (a record that Ryan Giggs later equalled)		Roy Keane
Youngest ever Wembley finalist, before Curtis Weston (Preston NE, 1964 – 17 years 346 days) – but see James Prinsep		Howard Kendall
Second player to have a penalty saved in a final (Tottenham v. Forest, 1991; see John Aldridge, Mark Crossley)		Gary Lineker
Tottenham player: scored for both sides, including the winning goal for Coventry City, in the 1987 final		Gary Mabbutt
Substitute who scored 2 goals (Everton, 1989: 89th minute equaliser and one in extra time; Everton lost 3–2 to Liverpool after extra time)		Stuart McCall
First player to be sent off in an FA Cup final (Man U v Everton, 1985)		Kevin Moran
Scored a hat trick in the "Matthews Final" (1953) – the only FA Cup Final hat trick in the 20th century		Stanley Mortensen
Won winner's medals in 1979 (aged 21) and 1993 (aged 35)		David O'Leary
Youngest ever finalist, before Curtis Weston – Clapham Rovers, 1897 (17 years 245 days); also became the youngest ever England international, one week later – a record broken by Wayne Rooney in 2003		James Prinsep
Scorer of the spectacular equaliser that forced Hereford United's 1972 3rd round replay against Newcastle United into extra time (Hereford won 2–1)		Ronnie Radford
Second player to be sent off in an FA Cup final (Arsenal v. Man U, 2005; see Kevin Moran)		Jose Antonio Reyes
Played in five finals for Arsenal (1971, 1972, 1978, 1979, 1980)		Pat Rice
Chilean player, won two winners' medals with Newcastle in the 1950s – scored the only goal of the 1952 final		Jorge 'George' Robledo
Most goals in finals (5, 1986–92)		Ian Rush
Scorer of the fastest ever FA Cup final goal (25 seconds – Everton v. Chelsea, 2009)		Louis Saha
Scored Arsenal's last–minute winning goal in the 1999 final, after United had pulled back a 2–goal deficit		Alan Sunderland
Only player to win FA Cup finals in two consecutive years, with different clubs (Ipswich 1978, Arsenal 1979)		Brian Talbot
Man City goalkeeper, played the last 17 minutes of the 1956 final with a broken neck		Bert Trautmann
Youngest ever FA Cup finalist (Millwall, 2004 – 17 years 119 days)		Curtis Weston
Youngest player to score in a final (18 years 18 days, Man Utd, 1983 – replay); also scored the only goal of the 1985 final (in extra time)		Norman Whiteside

Other (Weird and Wonderful)

Happened in the 1946 and 1947 finals, but never before or since then		The ball burst
'The man in the white suit' who led the community singing in the build–up to the Final, from 1947 to 1962		Arthur Caiger

First sponsors of the FA Cup (1995–8)		Littlewoods
1999–2002		AXA
2003–5 (Carlsberg, McDonald's, Nationwide, Pepsi, Umbro)		"The FA Partners"
2006–11 (German energy conglomerate)		e.on
2012–14		Budweiser
2015 to date		Emirates

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