Facts & Feats from 150th Anniversary Season of the FA Cup

Even though this famous knock-out competition is celebrating its 150^th anniversary, this season’s FA Cup has still produced club records, competition firsts and many unusual facts and feats.

In the Extra Preliminary Round Jersey Bulls won 10-1 against Horsham YMCA in their first ever FA Cup game, a debut game margin of victory bettered only 10 times in FA Cup history. Jersey Bulls would go on to be this season’s top scorers with 24 goals and would become the first Channel Island club to reach as far as the 3^rd Qualifying Round.

Four clubs achieved unwanted FA Cup records in the Extra Preliminary Round, too. Holyport have now exited at this stage in all eight of their FA Cup campaigns, now just three away from equalling the record of 11 out of eleven set by Headingly in the 1930s.

Keynsham Town posted a record equalling 11^th consecutive Extra Preliminary Round exit, although the club does have 27 campaigns in total.

Wolverhampton Casuals were knocked out in this round for a record 24^th time, whilst Staines Town exited the FA Cup at the earliest stage for the first time in their 58^th campaign.

By exiting in the Preliminary Round Melksham Town equalled the record for most FA Cup campaigns without ever appearing in the ‘Proper’ Rounds. It was their 97^th campaign.

Adam Boyes netted five times for Marske United in their 7-0 victory over Pickering Town on his way to being this season’s overall top FA Cup goal-scorer.

Worthing exited the FA Cup in the 1^st Qualifying Round for a competition record 44^th time.

Redhill equalled the FA Cup’s best ever comeback result winning 4-3 at Sevenoaks Town after being 3-0 down at half time.

Shaftesbury reached the 2^nd Qualifying Round for only their second time, 112 years after first doing so.

Kettering Town became the first club to score more than 900 FA Cup goals during their 2-0 win over Leamington in the 3^rd Qualifying Round. The club would eventually score a total of 904 goals, a record 787 of which have been scored in the Qualifying Rounds.

Bath City set a new unwanted FA Cup record by exiting in the 4^th Qualifying Round for the 31^st time.

Hayes and Yeading United became the first team to reach the 1^st Round ‘Proper’ in three successive seasons as a Level Seven club in the Football Pyramid.

Yeovil Town set a new competition record by reaching the FA Cup 1^st Round ‘Proper’ for the 52^nd time as a non-league club. In the 1^st Round they met Yate Town, the first time in more than 73,000 FA Cup games that two clubs beginning with the letter ‘Y’ played each other in the competition. Yeovil Town would go on to set a new FA Cup record in the 2^nd Round when Stevenage became the Glovers’ 21^st Football League scalp whilst participating as a non-league club.

Stratford Town reached the 1^st Round ‘Proper’ for the first ever time in what was the club’s 41^st FA Cup campaign.

Stockport County beat Bolton Wanderers 5-3 in their 1^st Round Replay to record the third highest number of goals scored by a non-league side over Football League opposition. Bolton hadn’t lost to a non-league side in the FA Cup for 110 years (versus Chesterfield 0-2).

FC Halifax Town beat Maidenhead United 7-4 in the 1^st Round, only the second time such a score-line has been recorded in the ‘Proper’ Rounds, and the highest aggregate score between two non-league sides in the ‘Proper’ Rounds for 64 years (Gillingham 10-1 Gorleston).

Harrogate Town reached the FA Cup 3^rd Round for the first ever time in their 49^th campaign.

Barrow extended their record of most FA Cup 3^rd Round appearances without ever yet going further in the competition to 13 times.

Kidderminster Harriers defeated second tier Championship side Reading to equal the largest league gap for a level six non-league side to knock out Football League opponents.

Chelsea extended their own record by reaching the FA Cup 4^th Round for the 24^th consecutive season. Chelsea would go on to become the first club to reach five FA Cup Finals across just six seasons, and only the second club to appear in three consecutive FA Cup Finals after losing the previous two.

Boreham Wood reached both the FA Cup 4^th and 5^th Rounds for the first time ever in the club’s 51^st campaign, becoming just the tenth non-league club to make the 5^th Round (in current structure). The Wood also became the first ever non-league side to reach the 5^th Round without conceding a goal en route.

Hartlepool United exited the FA Cup in the 4^th Round for the 7^th time, now just one behind the record for those clubs never yet to have appeared in the 5^th Round.

Manchester United now have an 11 to 2 win ratio against Aston Villa in the FA Cup, the second most one-sided match-up in FA Cup history.

Tottenham Hotspur became the highest scorers in FA Cup history during their 3-1 victory over Brighton and Hove Albion in the 4^th Round with a grand total of 906 goals. And with 850 of those goals being scored in the ‘Proper’ Rounds, Spurs also surpassed Aston Villa to become the highest goal-scoring club in just the ‘Proper’ Rounds, too.

Wolverhampton Wanderers exited the FA Cup in the 4^th Round for a competition record 31^st time.

The previous time Championship side Luton Town reached the 5^th Round they were a non-league club (just nine years ago).

Everton reached the FA Cup Quarter Finals for a competition record 47^th time. Unfortunately, the Toffees also exited in the Quarter Finals for a competition record 21^st time.

For a record seventh successive season all four FA Cup semi-finalists were top-flight clubs.

Whichever of Chelsea or Liverpool lose in this season’s FA Cup Final they will join Manchester United and Everton as being joint record eight times FA Cup runners-up.

This 141^st FA Cup Final is occurring on 14^th May, a record equalling sixth time a Final has been played on the same date.