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Revision as of 19:24, 7 November 2002 by Rbrwr (talk | contribs) (results for 1960-1976)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is the main "knockout" cup competition in English football, run by and named for The Football Association. It is the oldest football competition in the world. As it involves clubs of all standards playing against each other, there is great scope for "giant-killers" from the lower divisions to eliminate top clubs from the tournament.
Format
The competition is a knockout (single elimination) tournament with ties drawn completely at random - there are no seeds. The draw also determines which team will play at home. If a match is drawn, there is a replay at the ground of the other team. Drawn replays are now settled with extra time and penalty competitions, though in the past further replays were possible. The semi-finals are contested at neutral venues, and the final is normally played at Wembley Stadium in London. During the redevelopment of Wembley, finals have been played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.
The competitions begins with preliminary rounds contested by non-league clubs in the early autumn, which any F.A. affiliated club meeting a basic standard of ability and ground facilities may enter. Clubs from the Second and Third Divisions of the Football League enter into the draw for the first round proper in November. First Division and Premier League teams are given a bye into the third round, traditionally held in the first weekend in January. The final is played at the end of the season in May.
Giant-Killers
The FA Cup has a long tradition of lower-division and non-league teams becoming "giant-killers" by defeating highly-ranked opponents. Yeovil Town F.C. reached the fifth round in 1948-49 while in the Southern League, and have beaten League opposition many times since then. In 1956-57 Bournemouth beat Wolves and Spurs before a controversial quarter-final defeat by Manchester United. Non-league Hereford United F.C. famously beat Newcastle in 1971. A fifth-round tie in 1977-78 pitched two giant-killers together: Third Division Wrexham, who had beaten Bristol City and Newcastle, and non-league Blyth Spartans A.F.C. who had beaten Stoke. Wrexham won the replay in front of a huge crowd at St. James' Park in Newcastle.
Past Winners of the FA Cup
Manchester United have won the cup the most times - ten in all. Two clubs have won the cup on three consecutive occasions - Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers.