1971–72 FA Cup


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"; 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.
In the first round proper, Ted MacDougall's nine goals for AFC Bournemouth as they beat Margate 11–0 remains the record for goals scored in a match in the FA Cup proper.
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.
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.

Qualifying rounds

Most participating clubs that were not members of the Football League competed in the qualifying rounds to secure one of 28 places available in the first round.
The winners from the fourth qualifying round were South Shields, Blyth Spartans, Scarborough, Bangor City, Ellesmere Port Town, Altrincham, Wigan Athletic, Nuneaton Borough, Rossendale United, Frickley Colliery, Boston United, Hereford United, Redditch United, Kettering Town, Alvechurch, King's Lynn, Maidenhead United, Enfield, Guildford City, Dover, Barnet, Romford, Margate, Basingstoke Town, Witney Town, Bridgwater Town, Crawley Town and Weymouth.
Those appearing in the competition proper for the first time were Ellesmere Port Town, Redditch United, Alvechurch, Basingstoke Town and Witney Town. Rossendale United was appearing at this stage for the first time since predecessor outfit Rossendale FC had entered the competition in 1887-88. Of the others, Frickley Colliery, Maidenhead United and Bridgwater Town had last qualified for the first round in 1963-64 and Dover had last done so in 1960-61.

Results

First round proper

At this stage the 48 clubs from the Football League Third and Fourth Divisions joined the non-league clubs who came through the qualifying rounds. To complete the round, four additional non-league clubs received byes to this stage. Telford United and Hillingdon Borough were the finalists from the previous season's FA Trophy competition, while Skelmersdale United and Dagenham were the finalists from the previous season's FA Amateur Cup.
Matches were scheduled to be played on Saturday, 20 November 1971, although the Aldershot-Alvechurch match was delayed until 24 November because Alvechurch's fourth qualifying round tie against Oxford City had gone to a fifth replay which took place on 22 November, two days after the date set for the first round ties. Also of particular note, Ted MacDougall set a goalscoring record for the FA Cup proper with nine goals for Third Division AFC Bournemouth as they beat Margate of the Southern League 11–0.
Nine drawn matches in this round were settled by a single replay.

Tie noHome teamScoreAway teamDateAttendanceNotes
1Enfield2–0Maidenhead United20 November 1971
2Chester1–1Mansfield Town20 November 1971
ReplayMansfield Town4–3Chester22 November 1971
3Chesterfield3–0Oldham Athletic20 November 197110057
4Hartlepool6–1Scarborough20 November 19713,374
5AFC Bournemouth11–0Margate20 November 1971
6Barrow0–2Darlington20 November 1971
7Rochdale1–3Barnsley20 November 1971
8Walsall4–1Dagenham20 November 1971
9Gillingham3–2Plymouth Argyle20 November 1971
10Notts County6–0Newport County20 November 197111,976
11Blackburn Rovers1–1Port Vale20 November 1971
ReplayPort Vale3–1Blackburn Rovers22 November 19715,717
12Bolton Wanderers3–0Bangor City20 November 1971
13Crewe Alexandra0–1Blyth Spartans20 November 1971
14Lincoln City1–2Bury20 November 1971
15Doncaster Rovers1–2Stockport County20 November 1971
16Wrexham5–1Bradford City20 November 1971
17Bristol Rovers3–0Telford United20 November 1971
18Rossendale United1–0Altrincham23 November 19711,769
19King's Lynn0–0Hereford United20 November 1971
ReplayHereford United1–0King's Lynn24 November 19717,758
20Brighton & Hove Albion7–1Hillingdon Borough20 November 1971
21Skelmersdale United0–4Tranmere Rovers20 November 1971
22Southend United1–0Aston Villa20 November 197116,929
23Frickley Colliery2–2Rotherham United20 November 1971
ReplayRotherham United4–0Frickley Colliery23 November 19719,793
24Southport1–3Workington20 November 1971
25Torquay United1–0Nuneaton Borough20 November 1971
26Ellesmere Port Town0–3Boston United20 November 1971
27York City4–2Grimsby Town20 November 1971
28Witney Town0–3Romford20 November 19712,500
29Kettering Town2–4Barnet20 November 1971
30Aldershot4–2Alvechurch24 November 19714,638
31Guildford City0–0Dover20 November 1971
ReplayDover0–2Guildford City24 November 19712,156
32Wigan Athletic2–1Halifax Town20 November 1971
33South Shields3–3Scunthorpe United20 November 1971
ReplayScunthorpe United2–3South Shields29 November 19715,272
34Colchester United1–4Shrewsbury Town20 November 1971
35Basingstoke Town1–5Northampton Town20 November 1971
36Bridgwater Town0–3Reading20 November 1971
37Cambridge United2–1Weymouth20 November 1971
38Crawley Town0–0Exeter City20 November 1971
ReplayExeter City2–0Crawley Town24 November 19713,967
39Redditch United1–1Peterborough United20 November 19714,500
ReplayPeterborough United6–0Redditch United22 November 19715,108
40Swansea City1–1Brentford20 November 1971
ReplayBrentford2–3Swansea City22 November 197115,000

Second round proper

The matches were scheduled for Saturday, 11 December 1971. Six matches were drawn, one of which required a second replay.

Tie noHome teamScoreAway teamDateAttendanceNotes
1AFC Bournemouth2–0Southend United11 December 197114,643
2Barnet1–4Torquay United11 December 1971
3Reading1–0Aldershot11 December 1971
4Shrewsbury Town2–1Guildford City11 December 1971
5Wrexham4–0Wigan Athletic11 December 1971
6Barnsley0–0Chesterfield11 December 1971
ReplayChesterfield1–0Barnsley15 December 197114,500
7Bristol Rovers3–0Cambridge United11 December 1971
8Rossendale United1–4Bolton Wanderers11 December 1971’’12,000’’
9Brighton & Hove Albion1–1Walsall11 December 1971
ReplayWalsall2–1Brighton & Hove Albion14 December 19718,014
10Blyth Spartans1–0Stockport County11 December 1971
11Mansfield Town2–2Tranmere Rovers11 December 1971
ReplayTranmere Rovers4–2Mansfield Town15 December 19715,703
12Port Vale1–0Darlington11 December 1971
13Workington1–3Bury11 December 1971
14Hereford United0–0Northampton Town11 December 1971
ReplayNorthampton Town2–2Hereford United14 December 19719,099
2nd replayHereford United2–1Northampton Town20 December 19718,331
15Rotherham United1–1York City11 December 1971
ReplayYork City2–3Rotherham United13 December 197110,010
16Romford0–1Gillingham11 December 19718,405
17Boston United2–1Hartlepool11 December 19714,400
18Peterborough United4–0Enfield11 December 19717,702
19South Shields1–3Notts County11 December 19718,144
20Swansea City0–0Exeter City11 December 1971
ReplayExeter City0–1Swansea City15 December 19716,858

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. Ten matches were drawn, each of which was settled by a single replay. The [Hereford United v Newcastle United F.C.|Newcastle United 1972|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. It was the first time a First Division club had been eliminated from the competition by non-league opponents since Sunderland's shock loss to Yeovil Town in 1948–49.
Tie noHome teamScoreAway teamDateAttendanceNotes
1Blackpool0–1Chelsea15 January 1972
2Burnley0–1Huddersfield Town15 January 1972
3Bury1–1Rotherham United15 January 1972
ReplayRotherham United2–1Bury24 January 197214,625
4Preston North End4–2Bristol City15 January 1972
5Southampton1–1Manchester United15 January 197230,190
ReplayManchester United4–1Southampton19 January 197250,960
6Watford1–4Notts County15 January 197213,488
7Walsall1–0AFC Bournemouth15 January 1972
8Bolton Wanderers2–1Torquay United15 January 1972
9Wolverhampton Wanderers1–1Leicester City15 January 1972
ReplayLeicester City2–0Wolverhampton Wanderers19 January 197232,060
10West Bromwich Albion1–2Coventry City15 January 1972
11Sunderland3–0Sheffield Wednesday15 January 197225,310
12Derby County2–0Shrewsbury Town15 January 197233,463
13Swindon Town0–2Arsenal15 January 197231,668
14Sheffield United1–3Cardiff City15 January 1972
15Newcastle United2–2Hereford United24 January 197239,381
ReplayHereford United[Hereford United 2–1 Newcastle upon Tyne|Newcastle United|2–1]Newcastle United5 February 197214,313
16Tottenham Hotspur1–1Carlisle United15 January 197233,702
ReplayCarlisle United1–3Tottenham Hotspur18 January 197221,560
17Manchester City1–1Middlesbrough15 January 197242,620
ReplayMiddlesbrough1–0Manchester City18 January 197237,917
18Queens Park Rangers1–1Fulham15 January 1972
ReplayFulham2–1Queens Park Rangers18 January 197224,181
19West Ham United2–1Luton Town15 January 197232,099
20Norwich City0–3Hull City15 January 1972
21Millwall3–1Nottingham Forest15 January 1972
22Crystal Palace2–2Everton15 January 197232,331
ReplayEverton3–2Crystal Palace18 January 197245,408
23Blyth Spartans2–2Reading15 January 1972
ReplayReading6–1Blyth Spartans19 January 197210,550
24Charlton Athletic0–0Tranmere Rovers15 January 1972
ReplayTranmere Rovers4–2Charlton Athletic17 January 197212,512
25Leeds United4–1Bristol Rovers15 January 197233,565
26Stoke City2–1Chesterfield15 January 197226,559
27Boston United0–1Portsmouth15 January 197211,000
28Peterborough United0–2Ipswich Town15 January 197216,973
29Birmingham City3–0Port Vale15 January 197232,937
30Oxford United0–3Liverpool15 January 197218,000
31[Leyton Leyton Orient F.C.|Orient F.C.|Orient]3–0Wrexham15 January 1972
32Swansea City1–0Gillingham15 January 1972

Fourth round proper

The matches were scheduled for Saturday, 5 February 1972; Hereford United, unable to complete their third-round replay until this date, played their match later that week. Five matches were drawn, of which one required a second replay. After their heroics in the previous round, Hereford was the last non-league club left in the competition.
Tie noHome teamScoreAway teamDateAttendanceNotes
1Liverpool0–0Leeds United5 February 197256,300
ReplayLeeds United2–0Liverpool9 February 197245,821
2Preston North End0–2Manchester United5 February 197227,025
3Reading1–2Arsenal5 February 1972
4Leicester City0–2Orient5 February 1972
5Derby County6–0Notts County5 February 197239,450
6Everton2–1Walsall5 February 197245,462
7Tranmere Rovers2–2Stoke City5 February 1972
ReplayStoke City2–0Tranmere Rovers9 February 197225,000
8Tottenham Hotspur2–0Rotherham United5 February 197236,903
9Coventry City0–1Hull City5 February 1972
10Portsmouth2–0Swansea City5 February 197219,782
11Millwall2–2Middlesbrough5 February 1972
ReplayMiddlesbrough2–1Millwall8 February 197236,489
12Chelsea3–0Bolton Wanderers5 February 1972
13Huddersfield Town3–0Fulham5 February 1972
14Cardiff City1–1Sunderland5 February 197227,000
ReplaySunderland1–1Cardiff City9 February 197239,348
2nd replayCardiff City3–1Sunderland14 February 19728,868
15Hereford United0–0West Ham United9 February 197215,000
ReplayWest Ham United3–1Hereford United14 February 197242,271
16Birmingham City1–0Ipswich Town5 February 197240,709

Fifth round proper

The matches were played on Saturday, 26 February 1972. Two matches were drawn, of which one required a second replay.
Tie noHome teamScoreAway teamDateAttendanceNotes
1Derby County2–2Arsenal26 February 197239,622
ReplayArsenal0–0Derby County29 February 197263,077
2nd replayDerby County0–1Arsenal13 March 197240,000
2Everton0–2Tottenham Hotspur26 February 197250,511
3Manchester United0–0Middlesbrough26 February 197253,850
ReplayMiddlesbrough0–3Manchester United29 February 197239,683
4Huddersfield Town4–2West Ham United26 February 197227,080
5Cardiff City0–2Leeds United26 February 197250,000
6Stoke City4–1Hull City26 February 1972
7Birmingham City3–1Portsmouth26 February 197243,886
8Orient3–2Chelsea26 February 1972

Sixth round proper

;Replay

Semi-finals

;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. 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.

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.

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, Hereford United v Newcastle United ITV Southampton v Manchester United, West Ham United v Luton Town, Leeds United v Bristol Rovers, Peterborough United v Ipswich Town, Derby County v Shrewsbury, Sunderland v Sheffield Wednesday. Fourth round BBC Liverpool v Leeds United, Preston North End v Manchester United ITV Reading v Arsenal, Birmingham City v Ipswich Town, Huddersfield Town v Fulham, Everton v Walsall, Coventry City v Hull City, Leeds United v Liverpool. Fifth round BBC Orient v Chelsea, Cardiff City v Leeds United, Manchester United v Middlesbrough, Middlesbrough v Manchester United ITV Everton v Tottenham Hotspur, Birmingham City v Portsmouth, Huddersfield Town v West Ham United, Stoke City v Hull City. Sixth round BBC Leeds United v Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United v Stoke City ITV Orient v Arsenal, Birmingham City v Huddersfield Town 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 Final Arsenal v Leeds United Shown Live on both BBC & all ITV regions