# 1961–62 Football League Cup

The 1961–62 Football League Cup was the second season of the Football League Cup, a knockout competition for England's top 92 football clubs; only 82 of them took part. The competition began on 11 September 1961, and ended with the two-legged final on 26 April and 1 May 1962.
Aston Villa unsuccessfully defended its 1962 title on 21-11-1961 at the Third Round Ties against Ipswich Town, 2–3.
Norwich City beat Rochdale 4–0 on aggregate over two legs. Norwich won the first leg 3–0 away at Spotland, thanks to goals from Derrick Lythgoe (2) and Punton. In the second leg at Carrow Road, Jimmy Hill scored to give Norwich a 1–0 win on the night and a 4–0 aggregate victory.
Match dates and results were initially drawn from Soccerbase, and they were later checked against Rothmans Football Yearbook 1970–71.

## Calendar

Semi-finals and final were played over two legs.
| Round | Dates | Fixtures | Fixtures | Fixtures | Clubs | New entries this round |
| Round | Dates | Original | Replays | Byes | Clubs | New entries this round |
| First Round | 11–14 September 1961 | 40 | 8 | — | 82 → 42 | 80 |
| Second Round | 2–16 October 1961 | 21 | 7 | 0 | 42 → 21 | 2 (teams competing in the 1961–62 European Cup Winners' Cup) |
| Third Round | 13–21 November 1961 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 21 → 11 | none |
| Fourth Round | 11–13 December 1961 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 11 → 8 | none |
| Fifth Round | 6–7 February 1962 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 8 → 4 | none |
| Semi-finals | 19 March – 16 April 1962 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 → 2 | none |
| Final | 26 April – 1 May 1962 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 → 1 | none |

## First round
### Ties

| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date |
| Barnsley (3) | 3–2 | Southport (4) | 13-09-1961 |
| Barrow (4) | 0–2 | Portsmouth (3) | 13-09-1961 |
| Birmingham City (1) | 1–1 | Swindon Town (3) | 13-09-1961 |
| Blackpool (1) | 2–1 | Port Vale (3) | 13-09-1961 |
| Bolton Wanderers (1) | 1–1 | Sunderland (2) | 13-09-1961 |
| Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic (3) | 2–2 | Torquay United (3) | 13-09-1961 |
| Bradford City (4) | 3–4 | Aston Villa (1) | 13-09-1961 |
| Bristol Rovers (2) | 2–1 | Hartlepools United (4) | 11-09-1961 |
| Bury (2) | 5–1 | Brighton & Hove Albion (2) | 12-09-1961 |
| Cardiff City (1) | 2–0 | Wrexham (4) | 13-09-1961 |
| Carlisle United (4) | 1–1 | Huddersfield Town (2) | 12-09-1961 |
| Chesterfield (4) | 2–3 | Norwich City (2) | 13-09-1961 |
| Colchester United (4) | 1–2 | Crewe Alexandra (4) | 13-09-1961 |
| Darlington (4) | 0–1 | Rotherham United (2) | 11-09-1961 |
| Doncaster Rovers (4) | 3–2 | Grimsby Town (3) | 13-09-1961 |
| Fulham (1) | 1–1 | Sheffield United (1) | 13-09-1961 |
| Hull City (3) | 4–2 | Bradford Park Avenue (3) | 11-09-1961 |
| Ipswich Town (1) | 4–2 | Manchester City (1) | 11-09-1961 |
| Leeds United (2) | 4–1 | Brentford (3) | 13-09-1961 |
| Lincoln City (3) | 1–0 | Accrington Stanley (4) | 13-09-1961 |
| Luton Town (2) | 2–1 | Northampton Town (3) | 13-09-1961 |
| Mansfield Town (4) | 5–2 | Exeter City (4) | 11-09-1961 |
| Millwall (4) | 1–2 | Walsall (2) | 13-09-1961 |
| Newcastle United (2) | 2–0 | Scunthorpe United (2) | 13-09-1961 |
| Newport County (3) | 0–0 | Shrewsbury Town (3) | 11-09-1961 |
| Nottingham Forest (1) | 4–1 | Gillingham (4) | 11-09-1961 |
| Notts County (3) | 2–2 | Derby County (2) | 14-09-1961 |
| Oldham Athletic (4) | 1–4 | Charlton Athletic (2) | 12-09-1961 |
| Peterborough United (3) | 1–3 | Blackburn Rovers (1) | 11-09-1961 |
| Preston North End (2) | 3–1 | Aldershot (4) | 13-09-1961 |
| Queens Park Rangers (3) | 5–2 | Crystal Palace (3) | 13-09-1961 |
| Reading (3) | 4–2 | Chester (4) | 13-09-1961 |
| Southampton (2) | 0–0 | Rochdale (4) | 13-09-1961 |
| Southend United (3) | 0–1 | Stoke City (2) | 13-09-1961 |
| Stockport County (4) | 0–1 | Leyton Orient (2) | 11-09-1961 |
| Tranmere Rovers (4) | 3–6 | Middlesbrough (2) | 13-09-1961 |
| Watford (3) | 3–0 | Halifax Town (3) | 11-09-1961 |
| West Ham United (1) | 3–2 | Plymouth Argyle (2) | 11-09-1961 |
| Workington (4) | 3–0 | Coventry City (3) | 13-09-1961 |
| York City (4) | 3–0 | Bristol City (3) | 13-09-1961 |

### Replays

| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date |
| Derby County (2) | 3–2 | Notts County (3) | 27-09-1961 |
| Huddersfield Town (2) | 3–0 | Carlisle United (4) | 25-09-1961 |
| Rochdale (4) | 2–1 | Southampton (2) | 27-09-1961 |
| Sheffield United (1) | 4–0 | Fulham (1) | 25-09-1961 |
| Shrewsbury Town (3) | 3–1 | Newport County (3) | 28-09-1961 |
| Sunderland (2) | 1–0 | Bolton Wanderers (1) | 25-09-1961 |
| Swindon Town (3) | 2–0 | Birmingham City (1) | 25-09-1961 |
| Torquay United (3) | 0–1 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic (3) | 25-09-1961 |

### Byes

These two teams received byes as they were competing in the 1961–62 European Cup Winners' Cup.
* Team
* Leicester City (1)
* Swansea Town (2)

## Second round
### Ties

| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date |
| Barnsley (3) | 1–3 | Workington (4) | 09-10-1961 |
| Bristol Rovers (2) | 1–1 | Blackburn Rovers (1) | 02-10-1961 |
| Bury (2) | 3–4 | Hull City (3) | 03-10-1961 |
| Charlton Athletic (2) | 4–1 | Stoke City (2) | 04-10-1961 |
| Leeds United (2) | 3–2 | Huddersfield Town (2) | 04-10-1961 |
| Leyton Orient (2) | 1–1 | Blackpool (1) | 04-10-1961 |
| Luton Town (2) | 0–0 | Rotherham United (2) | 04-10-1961 |
| Mansfield Town (4) | 1–1 | Cardiff City (1) | 05-10-1961 |
| Middlesbrough (2) | 3–1 | Crewe Alexandra (4) | 04-10-1961 |
| Norwich City (2) | 3–2 | Lincoln City (3) | 04-10-1961 |
| Portsmouth (3) | 1–1 | Derby County (2) | 04-10-1961 |
| Preston North End (2) | 3–1 | Swindon Town (3) | 09-10-1961 |
| Queens Park Rangers (3) | 1–2 | Nottingham Forest (1) | 11-10-1961 |
| Rochdale (4) | 4–0 | Doncaster Rovers (4) | 04-10-1961 |
| Sheffield United (1) | 2–2 | Newcastle United (2) | 02-10-1961 |
| Shrewsbury Town (3) | 1–3 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic (3) | 09-10-1961 |
| Sunderland (2) | 5–2 | Walsall (2) | 04-10-1961 |
| Swansea Town (2) | 3–3 | Ipswich Town (1) | 03-10-1961 |
| Watford (3) | 3–1 | Reading (3) | 16-10-1961 |
| West Ham United (1) | 1–3 | Aston Villa (1) | 09-10-1961 |
| York City (4) | 2–1 | Leicester City (1) | 09-10-1961 |

### Replays

| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date |
| Blackburn Rovers (1) | 4–0 | Bristol Rovers (2) | 16-10-1961 |
| Blackpool (1) | 5–1 | Leyton Orient (2) | 30-10-1961 |
| Cardiff City (1) | 2–1 | Mansfield Town (4) | 23-10-1961 |
| Derby County (2) | 2–4 | Portsmouth (3) | 01-11-1961 |
| Ipswich Town (1) | 3–2 | Swansea Town (2) | 24-10-1961 |
| Newcastle United (2) | 0–2 | Sheffield United (1) | 11-10-1961 |
| Rotherham United (2) | 2–0 | Luton Town (2) | 10-10-1961 |

## Third round
### Ties

| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date |
| Aston Villa (1) | 2–3 | Ipswich Town (1) | 21-11-1961 |
| Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic (3) | 3–0 | Cardiff City (1) | 15-11-1961 |
| Norwich City (2) | 3–2 | Middlesbrough (2) | 15-11-1961 |
| Nottingham Forest (1) | 1–2 | Blackburn Rovers (1) | 14-11-1961 |
| Preston North End (2) | 0–0 | Rotherham United (2) | 14-11-1961 |
| Rochdale (4) | 1–0 | Charlton Athletic (2) | 14-11-1961 |
| Sheffield United (1) | 1–0 | Portsmouth (3) | 13-11-1961 |
| Sunderland (2) | 2–1 | Hull City (3) | 15-11-1961 |
| Workington (4) | 0–1 | Blackpool (1) | 15-11-1961 |
| York City (4) | 1–1 | Watford (3) | 15-11-1961 |

### Replays

| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date |
| Rotherham United (2) | 3–0 | Preston North End (2) | 28-11-1961 |
| Watford (3) | 2–2 | York City (4) | 21-11-1961 |

### 2nd Replay

| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date |
| York City (4) | 3–2 | Watford (3) | 04-12-1961 |

### Bye

* Team
* Leeds United (2)

## Fourth round
### Ties

| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date |
| Blackburn Rovers (1) | 4–1 | Ipswich Town (1) | 11-12-1961 |
| Rotherham United (2) | 1–1 | Leeds United (2) | 12-12-1961 |
| York City (4) | 1–0 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic (3) | 13-12-1961 |

### Replay

| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date |
| Leeds United (1) | 1–2 | Rotherham United (2) | 15-01-1962 |

### Byes

* Team
* Blackpool (1)
* Norwich City (2)
* Rochdale (4)
* Sheffield United (1)
* Sunderland (2)

## Fifth round
### Ties

| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date |
| Blackpool (1) | 0–0 | Sheffield United (1) | 06-02-1962 |
| Rochdale (4) | 2–1 | York City (4) | 07-02-1962 |
| Rotherham United (2) | 0–1 | Blackburn Rovers (1) | 06-02-1962 |
| Sunderland (2) | 1–4 | Norwich City (2) | 07-02-1962 |

### Replay

| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date |
| Sheffield United (1) | 0–2 | Blackpool (1) | 27-03-1962 |

## Semi-finals
### First leg

| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date |
| Rochdale (4) | 3–1 | Blackburn Rovers (1) | 19-03-1962 |
| Norwich City (2) | 4–1 | Blackpool (1) | 11-04-1962 |

### Second leg

| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Date | Agg |
| Blackburn Rovers (1) | 2–1 | Rochdale (4) | 04-04-1962 | 3–4 |
| Blackpool (1) | 2–0 | Norwich City (2) | 16-04-1962 | 3–4 |

## Final

The final was played over two legs. The first leg was held at Spotland, Rochdale on 26 April 1962, and the second leg was held at Carrow Road, Norwich, on 1 May 1962.
Rochdale: Burgin — Milburn, Winton, Bodell, Aspden, James Thompson, Wragg, Hepton, Bimpson, Cairns, Whitaker.
Norwich City: Kennon — McCrohan, Ashman, Burton, Barry Butler, Mullett, Mannion, Lythgoe, Scott, James Hill, Punton.
Norwich City: Kennon — McCrohan, Ashman, Burton, Barry Butler, Mullett, Mannion, Lythgoe, Scott, James Hill, Punton.
Rochdale: Burgin — Milburn, Winton, Bodell, Aspden, James Thompson, Whyke, Joe Richardson, Bimpson, Cairns, Whitaker.
Norwich City won the League Cup final 4–0 on aggregate.