2009–10 FA Cup
The 2009–10 FA Cup was the 129th season of the world's oldest football knockout competition; the FA Cup. As in the previous year, 762 clubs were accepted for the competition. One club, Newcastle Blue Star, folded before the fixtures were released. As they were scheduled to enter the competition in the first round qualifying, their opponents in this round received a walkover.
The competition commenced on 15 August 2009 with the Extra preliminary round and concluded on 15 May 2010 with the Final, held at Wembley Stadium. The final was contested by 2009 winners Chelsea and 2008 winners Portsmouth. Originally, the winners were to qualify for the play-off round of the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League. However, as Chelsea won the 2009–10 Premier League, and Portsmouth failed to apply for a UEFA licence for the 2010–11 season in time, the berth was given to Liverpool, the seventh-placed team in the Premier League. Chelsea won 1–0 in the final to retain the trophy.
Calendar
The calendar for the 2009–10 FA Cup, as announced by The Football Association:| Round | Main date | Number of fixtures | Clubs | New entries this round | Prize money | Player of the Round |
| Extra preliminary round | 15 August 2009 | 203 | 762 → 559 | 406: 357th–762nd | £750 | |
| Preliminary round | 29 August 2009 | 167 | 559 → 392 | 131: 226th–356th | £1,500 | |
| First round qualifying | 12 September 2009 | 116 | 392 → 276 | 65: 161st–225th | £3,000 | Bobby Traynor |
| Second round qualifying | 26 September 2009 | 80 | 276 → 196 | 44: 117th–160th | £4,500 | Mark Danks |
| Third round qualifying | 10 October 2009 | 40 | 196 → 156 | none | £7,500 | Adam Webster |
| Fourth round qualifying | 24 October 2009 | 32 | 156 → 124 | 24: 93rd–116th | £12,500 | Danny Kedwell |
| First round proper | 7 November 2009 | 40 | 124 → 84 | 48: 45th–92nd | £18,000 | Richard Brodie |
| Second round proper | 28 November 2009 | 20 | 84 → 64 | none | £27,000 | Leon Legge |
| Third round proper | 2 January 2010 | 32 | 64 → 32 | 44: 1st–44th | £67,500 | Jermaine Beckford |
| Fourth round proper | 23 January 2010 | 16 | 32 → 16 | none | £90,000 | Jermaine Beckford |
| Fifth round proper | 13 February 2010 | 8 | 16 → 8 | none | £180,000 | Gareth Bale |
| Sixth round proper | 6 March 2010 | 4 | 8 → 4 | none | £360,000 | Frédéric Piquionne |
| Semi-finals | 10–11 April 2010 | 2 | 4 → 2 | none | Winners: £900,000 Losers: £450,000 | Didier Drogba |
| Final | 15 May 2010 | 1 | 2 → 1 | none | Winner: £1,800,000 Loser: £900,000 |
Qualifying rounds
All teams that entered the competition, but were not members of the Premier League or The Football League, had to compete in the qualifying rounds to secure one of 32 places available in the first round proper.The winners from the fourth qualifying round were Hinckley United, Nuneaton Town, Wrexham, Gateshead, Rushden & Diamonds, Mansfield Town, Stourbridge, AFC Telford United, Ilkeston Town, Cambridge United, Kettering Town, Northwich Victoria, Barrow, Fleetwood Town, York City, Woking, Lowestoft Town, Salisbury City, AFC Wimbledon, Forest Green Rovers, Oxford City, Bromley, Stevenage Borough, Wealdstone, Eastleigh, Staines Town, Luton Town, Oxford United, Bath City, Paulton Rovers, Tooting & Mitcham United and Sutton United.
Stourbridge, Eastleigh and Paulton Rovers were appearing in the competition proper for the first time. Of the others, Gateshead and Ilkeston Town had last featured at this stage in 2000–01, Oxford City had last done so in 1999-2000, Wealdstone had last done so in 1986-87 and Lowestoft Town and Tooting & Mitcham United had last done so in 1977-78.
First round proper
Teams from Leagues One and Two entered at this stage, along with the 32 non-league clubs from the qualifying rounds. The draw was made on 25 October 2009 with ties played in the week beginning 6 November 2009.Lowestoft Town and Paulton Rovers of the eighth tier were the lowest ranked teams left in the competition at this stage, but both failed to make it through to the second round.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance |
| 1 | Gillingham | Southend United | 4,605 | |
| 2 | Grimsby Town | Bath City | 2,103 | |
| 3 | Gateshead | Brentford | 1,150 | |
| replay | Brentford | Gateshead | 1,960 | |
| 4 | Chesterfield | AFC Bournemouth | 3,277 | |
| 5 | AFC Telford United | Lincoln City | 2,809 | |
| 6 | Stockport County | Tooting & Mitcham United | 3,076 | |
| 7 | Burton Albion | Oxford City | 2,207 | |
| 8 | Barrow | Eastleigh | 1,655 | |
| 9 | Oldham Athletic | Leeds United | 5,552 | |
| 10 | Cambridge United | Ilkeston Town | 2,395 | |
| 11 | York City | Crewe Alexandra | 3,070 | |
| 12 | Wycombe Wanderers | Brighton & Hove Albion | 2,749 | |
| replay | Brighton & Hove Albion | Wycombe Wanderers | 3,383 | |
| 13 | Hereford United | Sutton United | 1,713 | |
| 14 | Nuneaton Town | Exeter City | 2,452 | |
| 15 | Bristol Rovers | Southampton | 6,646 | |
| 16 | Carlisle United | Morecambe | 4,181 | |
| replay | Morecambe | Carlisle United | 3,307 | |
| 17 | Forest Green Rovers | Mansfield Town | 1,149 | |
| replay | Mansfield Town | Forest Green Rovers | 2,496 | |
| 18 | Oxford United | Yeovil Town | 6,144 | |
| 19 | Paulton Rovers | Norwich City | 2,070 | |
| 20 | Swindon Town | Woking | 4,805 |
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance |
| 21 | Port Vale | Stevenage Borough | 3,999 | |
| replay | Stevenage Borough | Port Vale | 2,894 | |
| 22 | Luton Town | Rochdale | 3,167 | |
| replay | Rochdale | Luton Town | 1,982 | |
| 23 | Bromley | Colchester United | 4,242 | |
| 24 | Accrington Stanley | Salisbury City | 1,379 | |
| 25 | Millwall | AFC Wimbledon | 9,453 | |
| 26 | Stourbridge | Walsall | 2,014 | |
| 27 | Shrewsbury Town | Staines Town | 3,359 | |
| 28 | Wealdstone | Rotherham United | 1,638 | |
| 29 | Torquay United | Cheltenham Town | 2,370 | |
| 30 | Barnet | Darlington | 1,654 | |
| 31 | Notts County | Bradford City | 4,213 | |
| 32 | Huddersfield Town | Dagenham & Redbridge | 5,858 | |
| 33 | Milton Keynes Dons | Macclesfield Town | 4,868 | |
| 34 | Rushden & Diamonds | Hinckley United | 1,540 | |
| 35 | Northwich Victoria | Charlton Athletic | 2,153 | |
| 36 | Aldershot Town | Bury | 2,519 | |
| 37 | Wrexham | Lowestoft Town | 2,402 | |
| 38 | Hartlepool United | Kettering Town | 2,645 | |
| 39 | Tranmere Rovers | Leyton Orient | 3,180 | |
| replay | Leyton Orient | Tranmere Rovers | 1,518 | |
| 40 | Northampton Town | Fleetwood Town | 3,077 |
Second round proper
The matches took place on 28 and 29 November 2009 and involved the 40 winning teams from the previous round.Bath City and Staines Town from the Conference South, and Northwich Victoria from the Conference North were the lowest ranked teams left at this stage, but none made it through to the third round.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance |
| 1 | Northwich Victoria | Lincoln City | 3,544 | |
| 2 | Northampton Town | Southampton | 4,858 | |
| 3 | Hereford United | Colchester United | 2,225 | |
| 4 | Tranmere Rovers | Aldershot Town | 3,742 | |
| replay | Aldershot Town | Tranmere Rovers | 4,060 | |
| 5 | Kettering Town | Leeds United | 4,837 | |
| replay | Leeds United | † | Kettering Town | 10,670 |
| 6 | Gillingham | Burton Albion | 4,996 | |
| 7 | Wrexham | Swindon Town | 3,011 | |
| 8 | Brighton & Hove Albion | Rushden & Diamonds | 3,638 | |
| 9 | Rotherham United | Luton Town | 3,210 | |
| replay | Luton Town | Rotherham United | 2,518 | |
| 10 | Milton Keynes Dons | Exeter City | 4,867 |
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance |
| 11 | Brentford | Walsall | 2,611 | |
| 12 | Carlisle United | Norwich City | 3,946 | |
| 13 | Accrington Stanley | Barnet | 1,501 | |
| replay | Barnet | Accrington Stanley | 1,288 | |
| 14 | Oxford United | Barrow | 6,082 | |
| replay | Barrow | Oxford United | 2,754 | |
| 15 | AFC Bournemouth | Notts County | 6,082 | |
| 16 | Stockport County | Torquay United | 1,690 | |
| 17 | Cambridge United | York City | 3,505 | |
| 18 | Bath City | Forest Green Rovers | 3,325 | |
| 19 | Port Vale | Huddersfield Town | 5,311 | |
| 20 | Staines Town | Millwall | 2,753 | |
| replay | Millwall | Staines Town | 3,452 |
† – After extra time
Third round proper
The draw was held on Sunday 29 November 2009 at Wembley Stadium. Premier League and Football League Championship teams entered at this stage, joining the winners from the previous round and completing the entrants. The majority of fixtures took place on 2 and 3 January 2010, with snow postponing several matches until mid-January.Barrow, Forest Green Rovers, Luton Town and York City from the Conference National were the only non-league teams left at this stage, but none made it through to the fourth round.
Manchester United were knocked out in the third round for the first time since they lost to AFC Bournemouth in 1984, when they lost to third-tier rivals Leeds United. It was also Manchester United's first defeat to a lower league side since defeat at Bournemouth. They were joined by rivals and fellow 'Big Four' club Liverpool, who lost at home to second-flight Reading in a replay.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance |
| 1 | Tottenham Hotspur | Peterborough United | 35,862 | |
| 2 | Brentford | Doncaster Rovers | 2,883 | |
| 3 | Middlesbrough | Manchester City | 12,474 | |
| 4 | Stoke City | York City | 15,586 | |
| 5 | Notts County | Forest Green Rovers | 4,389 | |
| 6 | Huddersfield Town | West Bromwich Albion | 13,472 | |
| 7 | Sheffield United | Queens Park Rangers | 11,461 | |
| replay | Queens Park Rangers | Sheffield United | 5,780 | |
| 8 | Milton Keynes Dons | Burnley | 11,816 | |
| 9 | Chelsea | Watford | 40,912 | |
| 10 | Nottingham Forest | Birmingham City | 20,975 | |
| replay | Birmingham City | Nottingham Forest | 9,399 | |
| 11 | Preston North End | Colchester United | 7,621 | |
| 12 | West Ham United | Arsenal | 25,549 | |
| 13 | Aston Villa | Blackburn Rovers | 25,453 | |
| 14 | Portsmouth | Coventry City | 11,214 | |
| replay | Coventry City | † | Portsmouth | 7,097 |
| 15 | Sunderland | Barrow | 25,190 | |
| 16 | Wigan Athletic | Hull City | 5,335 | |
| 17 | Everton | Carlisle United | 31,196 |
† – After extra time
Fourth round proper
The draw was held on Sunday 3 January 2010 at Wembley Stadium. Fixtures took place over the weekend of 23 and 24 January 2010.Accrington Stanley and Notts County from League Two were the lowest ranked teams left at this stage; Accrington Stanley did not proceed further, whilst Notts County defeated Wigan Athletic in a replay at the DW Stadium.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance |
| 1 | Southampton | Ipswich Town | 20,446 | |
| 2 | Reading | Burnley | 12,910 | |
| 3 | Derby County | Doncaster Rovers | 11,316 | |
| 4 | Cardiff City | Leicester City | 10,961 | |
| 5 | Stoke City | Arsenal | 19,735 | |
| 6 | Notts County | Wigan Athletic | 9,073 | |
| replay | Wigan Athletic | Notts County | 5,519 | |
| 7 | Scunthorpe United | Manchester City | 8,861 | |
| 8 | West Bromwich Albion | Newcastle United | 16,102 | |
| 9 | Everton | Birmingham City | 30,875 | |
| 10 | Accrington Stanley | Fulham | 3,712 | |
| 11 | Bolton Wanderers | Sheffield United | 14,572 | |
| 12 | Portsmouth | Sunderland | 10,315 | |
| 13 | Preston North End | Chelsea | 23,119 | |
| 14 | Aston Villa | Brighton & Hove Albion | 39,725 | |
| 15 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Crystal Palace | 14,449 | |
| replay | Crystal Palace | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 10,282 | |
| 16 | Tottenham Hotspur | Leeds United | 35,750 | |
| replay | Leeds United | Tottenham Hotspur | 37,704 |
Fifth round proper
The draw was conducted by Geoff Thomas and Stephanie Moore MBE on Sunday 24 January 2010 at Wembley Stadium. Fixtures took place over the weekend of 13 and 14 February 2010. Notts County from the Football League Two were the lowest-ranked team left at this stage, but they went out 4–0 to Premier League side Fulham.| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance |
| 1 | Crystal Palace | Aston Villa | 20,486 | |
| replay | Aston Villa | Crystal Palace | 31,874 | |
| 2 | Manchester City | Stoke City | 28,019 | |
| replay | Stoke City | † | Manchester City | 21,813 |
| 3 | Derby County | Birmingham City | 21,043 | |
| 4 | Bolton Wanderers | Tottenham Hotspur | 13,596 | |
| replay | Tottenham Hotspur | Bolton Wanderers | 31,436 | |
| 5 | Chelsea | Cardiff City | 40,827 | |
| 6 | Fulham | Notts County | 16,132 | |
| 7 | Reading | West Bromwich Albion | 18,008 | |
| replay | West Bromwich Albion | † | Reading | 13,985 |
| 8 | Southampton | Portsmouth | 31,385 |
† – After extra time
