Tournament details | |
---|---|
Country | England Wales |
Defending champions | Arsenal |
Final positions | |
Champions | Leeds United (1st title) |
Runner-up | Arsenal |
Third place | Birmingham City |
Fourth place | Stoke City |
The 1971–72 FA Cup was the 91st season of the world's oldest football cup competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup. Leeds United won the competition for the first time, beating holders Arsenal 1–0 in the final at Wembley, London.
Several records were set during this FA Cup season. This was the third year in which the losing semi-finalists were required to compete in a "match for third place";[1] following a goalless 90 minutes, Birmingham City beat Stoke City in a penalty shootout, the first time this method had been used to determine the result of an FA Cup match.[2]
In the first round proper, Ted MacDougall's nine goals for A.F.C. Bournemouth as they beat Margate 11–0 remains the record for goals scored in a match in the FA Cup proper.[3] The fourth qualifying round tie between Alvechurch and Oxford City became the longest FA Cup tie ever, lasting a total of eleven hours before Alvechurch won the fifth replay 1–0.[2]
Matches were scheduled to be played at the stadium of the team named first on the date specified for each round, which was always a Saturday. If scores were level after 90 minutes had been played, a replay would take place at the stadium of the second-named team later the same week. If the replayed match was drawn further replays would be held until a winner was determined. If scores were level after 90 minutes had been played in a replay, a 30-minute period of extra time would be played.
Calendar
Round | Date |
---|---|
Preliminary round | Saturday, 4 September 1971 |
First qualifying round | Saturday, 18 September 1971 |
Second qualifying round | Saturday, 9 October 1971 |
Third qualifying round | Saturday, 23 October 1971 |
Fourth qualifying round | Saturday, 6 November 1971 |
First round proper | Saturday, 20 November 1971 |
Second round proper | Saturday, 11 December 1971 |
Third round proper | Saturday, 15 January 1972 |
Fourth round proper | Saturday, 5 February 1972 |
Fifth round proper | Saturday, 26 February 1972 |
Sixth round proper | Saturday, 18 March 1972 |
Semi-finals | Saturday, 15 April 1972 |
Final | Saturday, 6 May 1972 |
Results
First round proper
At this stage clubs from the Football League Third and Fourth Divisions joined 28 non-league clubs having come through the qualifying rounds. To complete this round Telford United, Hillingdon Borough, Skelmersdale United and Dagenham were given byes as finalists of FA Trophy and FA Amateur Cup of the last season. Matches were scheduled to be played on Saturday, 20 November 1971, although Aldershot's tie with Alvechurch was delayed until 24 November because non-league clubs Alvechurch and Oxford City were taking part in the longest FA Cup tie on record, the fifth and decisive replay taking place on 22 November, two days after the date set for the first round ties.[2] Nine drawn matches were settled by a single replay. Ted MacDougall set a goalscoring record for the FA Cup proper with nine goals for Third Division A.F.C. Bournemouth as they beat Margate of the Southern League 11–0.[3]
Second round proper
The matches were scheduled for Saturday, 11 December 1971. Six matches were drawn, one of which required a second replay.
Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date | Attendance | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | A.F.C. Bournemouth | 2–0 | Southend United | 11 December 1971 | 14,643 | [7] |
2 | Barnet | 1–4 | Torquay United | 11 December 1971 | ||
3 | Reading | 1–0 | Aldershot | 11 December 1971 | ||
4 | Shrewsbury Town | 2–1 | Guildford City | 11 December 1971 | ||
5 | Wrexham | 4–0 | Wigan Athletic | 11 December 1971 | ||
6 | Barnsley | 0–0 | Chesterfield | 11 December 1971 | ||
Replay | Chesterfield | 1–0 | Barnsley | 15 December 1971 | 14,500 | [6] |
7 | Bristol Rovers | 3–0 | Cambridge United | 11 December 1971 | ||
8 | Rossendale United | 1–4 | Bolton Wanderers | 11 December 1971 | ’’12,000’’ | [A] |
9 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 1–1 | Walsall | 11 December 1971 | ||
Replay | Walsall | 2–1 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 14 December 1971 | 8,014 | [6] |
10 | Blyth Spartans | 1–0 | Stockport County | 11 December 1971 | ||
11 | Mansfield Town | 2–2 | Tranmere Rovers | 11 December 1971 | ||
Replay | Tranmere Rovers | 4–2 | Mansfield Town | 15 December 1971 | 5,703 | [6] |
12 | Port Vale | 1–0 | Darlington | 11 December 1971 | ||
13 | Workington | 1–3 | Bury | 11 December 1971 | ||
14 | Hereford United | 0–0 | Northampton Town | 11 December 1971 | ||
Replay | Northampton Town | 2–2 | Hereford United | 14 December 1971 | 9,099 | [6] |
2nd replay | Hereford United | 2–1 | Northampton Town | 20 December 1971 | 8,331 | [B][6] |
15 | Rotherham United | 1–1 | York City | 11 December 1971 | ||
Replay | York City | 2–3 | Rotherham United | 13 December 1971 | 10,010 | [6] |
16 | Romford | 0–1 | Gillingham | 11 December 1971 | 8,405 | |
17 | Boston United | 2–1 | Hartlepool | 11 December 1971 | 4,400 | [4] |
18 | Peterborough United | 4–0 | Enfield | 11 December 1971 | 7,702 | [8] |
19 | South Shields | 1–3 | Notts County | 11 December 1971 | 8,144 | [5] |
20 | Swansea City | 0–0 | Exeter City | 11 December 1971 | ||
Replay | Exeter City | 0–1 | Swansea City | 15 December 1971 | 6,858 | [6] |
Third round proper
The 44 First and Second Division clubs entered the competition at this stage. The matches were scheduled for Saturday, 15 January 1972; the tie between Newcastle United and Hereford United at Newcastle was twice postponed because of a waterlogged pitch on which snow had fallen.[9] Ten matches were drawn, each of which was settled by a single replay. The replay between Hereford and Newcastle, also the subject of several postponements and eventually played on the day scheduled for the fourth round ties, was voted "best FA Cup tie ever" in a 2007 poll hosted in The Observer newspaper.[9]
Fourth round proper
The matches were scheduled for Saturday, 5 February 1972; Hereford United, unable to play their third-round replay until this date, played their match later that week. Five matches were drawn, of which one required a second replay.
Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date | Attendance | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Liverpool | 0–0 | Leeds United | 5 February 1972 | 56,300 | [19] |
Replay | Leeds United | 2–0 | Liverpool | 9 February 1972 | 45,821 | [19] |
2 | Preston North End | 0–2 | Manchester United | 5 February 1972 | 27,025 | [10] |
3 | Reading | 1–2 | Arsenal | 5 February 1972 | ||
4 | Leicester City | 0–2 | Orient | 5 February 1972 | ||
5 | Derby County | 6–0 | Notts County | 5 February 1972 | 39,450 | [23] |
6 | Everton | 2–1 | Walsall | 5 February 1972 | 45,462 | [18] |
7 | Tranmere Rovers | 2–2 | Stoke City | 5 February 1972 | ||
Replay | Stoke City | 2–0 | Tranmere Rovers | 9 February 1972 | 25,000 | [6] |
8 | Tottenham Hotspur | 2–0 | Rotherham United | 5 February 1972 | 36,903 | [15] |
9 | Coventry City | 0–1 | Hull City | 5 February 1972 | ||
10 | Portsmouth | 2–0 | Swansea City | 5 February 1972 | 19,782 | |
11 | Millwall | 2–2 | Middlesbrough | 5 February 1972 | ||
Replay | Middlesbrough | 2–1 | Millwall | 8 February 1972 | 36,489 | [6] |
12 | Chelsea | 3–0 | Bolton Wanderers | 5 February 1972 | ||
13 | Huddersfield Town | 3–0 | Fulham | 5 February 1972 | ||
14 | Cardiff City | 1–1 | Sunderland | 5 February 1972 | 27,000 | [11] |
Replay | Sunderland | 1–1 | Cardiff City | 9 February 1972 | 39,348 | [11] |
2nd replay | Cardiff City | 3–1 | Sunderland | 14 February 1972 | 8,868 | [C][11] |
15 | Hereford United | 0–0 | West Ham United | 9 February 1972 | 15,000 | [17] |
Replay | West Ham United | 3–1 | Hereford United | 14 February 1972 | 42,271 | [17] |
16 | Birmingham City | 1–0 | Ipswich Town | 5 February 1972 | 40,709 | [21] |
Fifth round proper
The matches were played on Saturday, 26 February 1972. Two matches were drawn, of which one required a second replay.
Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date | Attendance | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Derby County | 2–2 | Arsenal | 26 February 1972 | 39,622 | [24] |
Replay | Arsenal | 0–0 | Derby County | 29 February 1972 | 63,077 | [25] |
2nd replay | Derby County | 0–1 | Arsenal | 13 March 1972 | 40,000 | [D][26] |
2 | Everton | 0–2 | Tottenham Hotspur | 26 February 1972 | 50,511 | [15] |
3 | Manchester United | 0–0 | Middlesbrough | 26 February 1972 | 53,850 | [10] |
Replay | Middlesbrough | 0–3 | Manchester United | 29 February 1972 | 39,683 | [10] |
4 | Huddersfield Town | 4–2 | West Ham United | 26 February 1972 | 27,080 | [17] |
5 | Cardiff City | 0–2 | Leeds United | 26 February 1972 | 50,000 | [19] |
6 | Stoke City | 4–1 | Hull City | 26 February 1972 | ||
7 | Birmingham City | 3–1 | Portsmouth | 26 February 1972 | 43,886 | [21] |
8 | Orient | 3–2 | Chelsea | 26 February 1972 |
Sixth round proper
Manchester United | 1–1 | Stoke City |
---|---|---|
Best 85' | Greenhoff 61' |
- Replay
Stoke City | 2–1 aet | Manchester United |
---|---|---|
Smith 72' Conroy 102' |
Best 70' |
Semi-finals
Arsenal | 1–1 | Stoke City |
---|---|---|
Armstrong 47' | Simpson 65' (og) |
- Replay
Match for third place
For the third time in what turned out to be a five-year experiment, the losing semifinalists were obliged to play off for third and fourth place.[1] The match was held over until immediately before the 1972–73 season. After a goalless 90 minutes, the result was determined by a penalty shootout, the first time this method was used to settle a match in the FA Cup.[2]
Birmingham City | 0–0 4–3 (pens.) | Stoke City |
---|---|---|
Final
The final took place on Saturday, 6 May 1972 at Wembley and ended in a victory for Leeds United over Arsenal by 1–0. The goal was scored by Allan Clarke. The attendance was 100,000.
Leeds United
|
Arsenal
|
TV coverage
The rights to show FA Cup games were, as with Football League matches, shared between the BBC and ITV network. All games were shown in a highlights format, except the Final, which was shown live both on BBC1 & ITV. The BBC football highlights programme Match Of The Day would show up to three games and the various ITV regional network stations would cover up to one game and show highlights from other games covered elsewhere on the ITV network. No games from Rounds 1 or 2 were shown. Highlights of replays would be shown on either the BBC or ITV. Third round BBC Swindon Town v Arsenal, Wolverhampton Wanderers v Leicester City, Blackpool v Chelsea, Manchester United v Southampton (Midweek-replay), Hereford United v Newcastle United (Saturday-replay) ITV Southampton v Manchester United (Southern & Granada), West Ham United v Luton Town (LWT), Leeds United v Bristol Rovers (Yorkshire), Peterborough United v Ipswich Town (Anglia), Derby County v Shrewsbury (ATV), Sunderland v Sheffield Wednesday (Tyne-Tees). Fourth round BBC Liverpool v Leeds United, Preston North End v Manchester United ITV Reading v Arsenal (Southern & LWT), Birmingham City v Ipswich Town (ATV), Huddersfield Town v Fulham (Yorkshire), Everton v Walsall (Granada), Coventry City v Hull City (Anglia-covered game out of region), Leeds United v Liverpool (Midweek replay-All regions). Fifth round BBC Orient v Chelsea, Cardiff City v Leeds United, Manchester United v Middlesbrough, Middlesbrough v Manchester United (Midweek-replay) ITV Everton v Tottenham Hotspur (Granada & LWT), Birmingham City v Portsmouth (ATV), Huddersfield Town v West Ham United, Stoke City v Hull City (Anglia-covered game out of region). Sixth round BBC Leeds United v Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United v Stoke City ITV Orient v Arsenal (LWT), Birmingham City v Huddersfield Town (ATV & Yorkshire) All regions covered those two games. Semi-final BBC Birmingham City v Leeds United ITV Arsenal v Stoke City All regions covered this game Arsenal v Stoke City (Midweek Replay All Regions) Final Arsenal v Leeds United Shown Live on both BBC & all ITV regions
Notes
- A. ^ : Match played at Gigg Lane, Bury.
- B. ^ : Match played at The Hawthorns, West Bromwich.
- C. ^ : Match played at Maine Road, Manchester.
- D. ^ : Match played at Filbert Street, Leicester.
References
- General
- The FA Cup Archive at TheFA.com
- English FA Cup 1971/72 at Soccerbase
- F.A. Cup 1971/72 Results at Footballsite
- MOTD listings
- ITV regional listings & Midweek games for both BBC & ITV
- Specific
- 1 2 "Semi-Final Factfile". The Football Association. 13 April 2005. Archived from the original on 15 April 2005.
- 1 2 3 4 "FA Cup Trivia". The Football Association. 16 May 2003. Archived from the original on 6 January 2004.
- 1 2 3 Barber, David (13 January 2006). "FA Cup Heroes". The Football Association. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 6 September 2009.
- 1 2 "1971–72 Season". POOLstats. Archived from the original on 2010-03-27. Retrieved 2012-10-18.
- 1 2 3 "1971/72". Up The Maggies. Retrieved 2008-05-23.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Attendance figure sourced from The Times via The Times Digital Archive 1785-1985.
- 1 2 "Season 1971-72". Southend United database. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2008-05-26.
- 1 2 3 "1971/72". UpThePosh! The Peterborough United Database. Archived from the original on 9 May 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-24.
- 1 2 3 "The winner of the FA Cup poll: Hereford v Newcastle". The Observer. Guardian Media Group. 2007-01-28. Archived from the original on 12 May 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-24.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Season 1971-1972". stretfordend.co.uk. Retrieved 2008-05-23.
- 1 2 3 4 "Season details 1971-72". TheStatCat. Archived from the original on 2008-05-17. Retrieved 2008-05-23.
- ↑ Edwards, George. "Derby County 2 v 0 Shrewsbury Town FA Cup". Derby Evening Telegraph. Northcliffe Media. Retrieved 2008-12-31.
- ↑ "Season 1971-1972". Swindon-Town-FC.co.uk. Archived from the original on 15 April 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-23.
- 1 2 "Games in the FA Cup". Toon1892. K. H. Scott. Retrieved 2012-10-18.
- 1 2 3 4 "Season 1971-1972". Topspurs. Jim Duggan. Archived from the original on 2008-05-01. Retrieved 2008-05-23.
- 1 2 "Season 1971-72". MCFC Stats. Archived from the original on 13 May 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-23.
- 1 2 3 4 "1st Division 1971-72". westhamstats.info. Retrieved 2008-05-23.
- 1 2 3 "Everton Season Stats 1971-1972". Everton F.C. Retrieved 2008-05-23.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Leeds United: Season 1971 - 1972: Division One". leeds-fans.org.uk. Retrieved 2008-05-23.
- ↑ "Season: 1971-72 Division 1". Pride of Anglia. Retrieved 2008-05-23.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Matthews, Tony (1995). Birmingham City: A Complete Record. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 207. ISBN 978-1-85983-010-9.
- ↑ "Season Archive Oxford United 0 - 3 Liverpool". lfchistory.net. Archived from the original on 2007-02-26. Retrieved 2008-05-23.
- ↑ Mortimer, Gerald. "Derby County 6 v 0 Notts County FA Cup". Derby Evening Telegraph. Northcliffe Media. Retrieved 2008-12-31.
- ↑ Mortimer, Gerald. "Derby County 2 v 2 Arsenal FA Cup". Derby Evening Telegraph. Northcliffe Media. Retrieved 2008-12-31.
- ↑ Mortimer, Gerald. "Arsenal 0 v 0 Derby County FA Cup". Derby Evening Telegraph. Northcliffe Media. Retrieved 2008-12-31.
- ↑ Edwards, George. "Derby County 0 v 1 Arsenal FA Cup". Derby Evening Telegraph. Northcliffe Media. Retrieved 2008-12-31.
- ↑ "FA Cup Final 1972". fa-cupfinals.co.uk. Archived from the original on 8 June 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-22.