1925–26 FA Cup


The 1925–26 FA Cup was the 51st staging of the world's oldest football cup competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup. Bolton Wanderers won the competition for the second time, beating Manchester City 1–0 in the final at Wembley.
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. Some matches, however, might be rescheduled for other days if there were clashes with games for other competitions or the weather was inclement. 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. This was the first edition of the tournament with the modern numbering conventions whereby the fifth and sixth qualifying rounds became the first and second rounds proper. What had previously been known as the first round proper became the third round proper.

Calendar

Qualifying rounds

From this season on, Football League clubs were exempted to the first or third rounds proper. Most teams entering the competition that were not members of the Football League had to compete in the qualifying rounds.
The upside for non-league football, however, was that 25 clubs per season would qualify for the competition's main draw. This season, the 25 winners from the fourth qualifying round were Stockton, Blyth Spartans, South Bank, Chilton Colliery Recreation, Horden Athletic, Carlisle United, Lytham, Mold Town, Wath Athletic, Mansfield Town, Worksop Town, Boston Town, Worcester City, Kettering Town, Wellington Town, Windsor & Eton, Barnet, Leyton, Ilford, Sittingbourne, Folkestone, Chatham, Farnham United Breweries, Torquay United and Weymouth.
Chilton Colliery Recreation, Horden Athletic, Lytham, Mold Town, Wath Athletic, Mansfield Town, Wellington Town, Windsor & Eton, Ilford, Sittingbourne, Farnham United Breweries, Torquay United and Weymouth were making the most of the new format by featuring in the competition proper for the first time. Additionally, Worcester was appearing at this stage for the first time since 1905-06, and Boston and South Bank for the first time since 1887-88.
Horden Athletic and Wath Athletic were also the first clubs to progress from the extra preliminary round to the main draw since Hednesford Town and Thornycrofts in 1919-20. Horden defeated Thornley Albion, Craghead United, White-le-Head Rangers, Wingate Albion Comrades, Shildon and Scarborough along the way, while Wath Athletic overcame Brodsworth Main Colliery, Cudworth Village, Denaby United, Mexborough Athletic, York City and Rushden Town. Neither club progressed past the first round proper.

First round proper

At this stage 40 clubs from the Football League Third Division North and South joined the 25 non-league clubs who came through the qualifying rounds. Millwall, Bristol City, Crystal Palace and Plymouth Argyle were given byes to the third round, while four Second Division sides, Barnsley, Darlington, Oldham Athletic and Swansea Town were entered at this stage. To bring the number of teams up to 76, seven non-league sides were given byes to this round. These were:
  • Clapton
  • St Albans City
  • London Caledonians
  • West Stanley
  • Northfleet United
  • Dulwich Hamlet
  • Southall
Clapton and Southall were the champion and finalist from the previous season's FA Amateur Cup competition. In receiving byes to the first round proper of this season's Cup tournament, the clubs were reviving a convention last implemented by the Football Association in 1905-06 with Oxford City.
38 matches were scheduled to be played on Saturday, 28 November 1925. Seven matches were drawn and went to replays in the following midweek fixture, of which four went to another replay, and one of these went to a third.
Tie noHome teamScoreAway teamDate
1Clapton3–1Norwich City28 November 1925
2Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic3–0Merthyr Town28 November 1925
3Rochdale4–0West Stanley1 December 1925
4South Bank1–4Stockton3 December 1925
5Weymouth0–1Newport County28 November 1925
6Walsall0–1Grimsby Town28 November 1925
7Gillingham6–0Southall28 November 1925
8Leyton1–0St Albans City28 November 1925
9Chatham0–3Sittingbourne28 November 1925
10Luton Town3–0Folkestone28 November 1925
11London Caledonians1–2Ilford28 November 1925
12Boston Town5–2Mansfield Town28 November 1925
13Doncaster Rovers2–0Wellington Town28 November 1925
14Tranmere Rovers0–0Crewe Alexandra28 November 1925
ReplayCrewe Alexandra2–1Tranmere Rovers2 December 1925
15Worksop Town1–0Coventry City28 November 1925
16Accrington Stanley4–0Wrexham28 November 1925
17Brentford3–1Barnet28 November 1925
18Northampton Town3–1Barnsley28 November 1925
19Wath Athletic0–5Chesterfield28 November 1925
20Brighton & Hove Albion1–1Watford28 November 1925
ReplayWatford2–0Brighton & Hove Albion2 December 1925
21Northfleet United2–2Queens Park Rangers28 November 1925
ReplayQueens Park Rangers2–0Northfleet United2 December 1925
22Carlisle United0–2Chilton Colliery Recreation28 November 1925
23Oldham Athletic10–1Lytham28 November 1925
24Worcester City0–0Kettering Town28 November 1925
ReplayKettering Town0–0Worcester City3 December 1925
ReplayKettering Town2–0Worcester City7 December 1925
25Southend United5–1Dulwich Hamlet28 November 1925
26Bradford Park Avenue2–2Lincoln City28 November 1925
ReplayLincoln City1–1Bradford Park Avenue2 December 1925
ReplayBradford Park Avenue2–1Lincoln City7 December 1925
27Exeter City1–3Swansea Town28 November 1925
28Horden Athletic2–3Darlington28 November 1925
29Blyth Spartans2–2Hartlepools United28 November 1925
ReplayHartlepools United1–1Blyth Spartans2 December 1925
ReplayHartlepools United1–1Blyth Spartans7 December 1925
ReplayHartlepools United1–2Blyth Spartans9 December 1925
30Halifax Town0–3Rotherham United28 November 1925
31Charlton Athletic4–2Windsor & Eton28 November 1925
32Durham City4–1Ashington2 December 1925
33Southport1–0Mold Town28 November 1925
34Aberdare Athletic4–1Bristol Rovers28 November 1925
35New Brighton2–0Barrow28 November 1925
36Torquay United1–1Reading28 November 1925
ReplayReading1–1Torquay United2 December 1925
ReplayReading2–0Torquay United7 December 1925
37Farnham United Breweries1–10Swindon Town28 November 1925
38Wigan Borough3–0Nelson2 December 1925

Second round proper

The matches were played on Saturday, 12 December 1925. Four matches were drawn, with replays taking place in the following midweek fixture.
Tie noHome teamScoreAway teamDate
1Clapton1–0Ilford12 December 1925
2Reading6–0Leyton12 December 1925
3Crewe Alexandra2–2Wigan Borough12 December 1925
ReplayWigan Borough2–1Crewe Alexandra16 December 1925
4Swindon Town7–0Sittingbourne12 December 1925
5Boston Town1–0Bradford Park Avenue12 December 1925
6Stockton4–6Oldham Athletic12 December 1925
7Doncaster Rovers0–2Rotherham United12 December 1925
8Worksop Town1–2Chesterfield12 December 1925
9Queens Park Rangers1–1Charlton Athletic12 December 1925
ReplayCharlton Athletic1–0Queens Park Rangers17 December 1925
10Accrington Stanley5–0Blyth Spartans12 December 1925
11Brentford1–2Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic12 December 1925
12Northampton Town3–1Newport County12 December 1925
13Southend United1–0Gillingham12 December 1925
14Swansea Town3–2Watford12 December 1925
15Durham City0–3Southport12 December 1925
16Aberdare Athletic1–0Luton Town12 December 1925
17New Brighton2–0Darlington12 December 1925
18Chilton Colliery Recreation1–1Rochdale12 December 1925
ReplayRochdale1–2Chilton Colliery Recreation17 December 1925
19Kettering Town1–1Grimsby Town12 December 1925
ReplayGrimsby Town3–1Kettering Town15 December 1925