# 1888–89 FA Cup qualifying rounds

The FA Cup, from this season onwards, began to incorporate a series of qualifying rounds in order to determine qualifiers for the actual Cup competition itself. The qualifying rounds were made up of amateur teams, semi-professional teams, and professional sides not yet associated with the Football League. The only game to be played on Christmas Day took place, Linfield Athletic beating Cliftonville 7–0. Everton became the first Football League team to withdraw from the Cup after drawing Ulster in the first qualifying round.
See 1888–89 FA Cup for details of the rounds from the First Round onwards.

## First qualifying round

| Home team (tier) | Score | Away team (tier) |
| Saturday 6 October 1888 |||
| Ashington | 0–4 | Elswick Rangers |
| Chester City | 2–2 | Macclesfield Town – Home team Disqualified |
| Dulwich | 0–13 | London Caledonians |
| Kettering | 3–4 | Newark |
| Stoke | 1–2 | Warwick County |
| Maidenhead | 4–0 | Old Etonians |
| Rochester | 2–4 | Old Harrovians |
| Old Wykehamists | 1–2 | Chatham |
| Notts County | 4–1 | Eckington Works |
| Old Foresters | 2–0 | Schorne College |
| Blackburn Olympic | W-W | Fleetwood Rangers – Walkover Home |
| Heeley | 6–1 | Redcar |
| Sheffield | 3–2 | South Bank - match declared void |
| Grimsby Town | 1–1 | Lincoln City |
| Clitheroe | 3–2 | Blackburn Park Road |
| Irwell Springs | 4–5 | Southport Central |
| Hurst | 0–0 | Bolton Wanderers |
| Middlesbrough | 0–1 | Ecclesfield |
| Hartford St John's | 1–7 | Nantwich |
| Old Brightonians | W-W | Hendon – Walkover Home |
| Rawtenstall | 3–4 | Rossendale |
| Casuals | W-W | Hitchin – Walkover Home |
| Burton Swifts | 1–3 | Leek |
| Home team (tier) | Score | Away team (tier) |
| Burton Wanderers | 3–0 | Wednesbury Old Athletic |
| Lancing Old Boys | 4–0 | Millwall Rovers |
| Horncastle | 2–1 | Grantham |
| Chesham | 4–2 | Lyndhurst |
| Luton Town | 4–0 | Reading |
| Basford Rovers | 3–1 | Belper Town |
| Crusaders | 5–1 | Royal Engineers |
| Wellington St George's | 1–1 | Shrewsbury Town |
| Newcastle West End | 7–2 | Bishop Auckland Church Institute |
| Morpeth Harriers | 5–0 | Whitburn |
| Over Wanderers | 1–5 | Chester St Oswalds – Home team Disqualified |
| Great Bridge Unity | 0–1 | Aston Shakespeare |
| Scarborough | 2–0 | Whitby |
| Newcastle East End | 3–1 | Port Clarence |
| Park Grange | 1–0 | Rotherham Swifts |
| Liverpool Stanley | 3–0 | Workington |
| Heywood Central | 2–3 | Astley Bridge |
| Birtley | 2–0 | Darlington |
| Sunderland Albion | 8–2 | Shankhouse |
| Ulster | W-W | Everton – Walkover Home |
| Gorton Villa | 2–6 | West Manchester |
| Beeston St John's | 2–0 | Notts Olympic |
| Doncaster Rovers | 1–9 | Rotherham Town |
| Wrexham | 3–0 | Davenham |
| Home team (tier) | Score | Away team (tier) |
| Replay: Saturday 12 October 1889 |||
| Bolton Wanderers | W-W | Hurst – Walkover Home |
| Lincoln City | 1–1 | Grimsby Town |
| Shrewsbury Town | 2–1 | Wellington St George's |
| Replay: Saturday 20 October 1889 |||
| South Bank | 4–0 | Sheffield |
| 2nd replay: Wednesday 24 October 1889 |||
| Grimsby Town | 3–1 | Lincoln City |

## Second qualifying round

| Home Club | Score | Away Club | Date |
| Chester | 5–1 | Over Wanderers | 27 October 1888 |
| Maidenhead | 1–2 | Old Brightonians | 27 October 1888 |
| Old Harrovians | 0–1 | Crusaders | 27 October 1888 |
| Notts County | 4–2 | Beeston St John's | 27 October 1888 |
| Blackburn Olympic | 1–3 | Oswaldtwistle Rovers | 27 October 1888 |
| Staveley | 4–0 | Matlock | 27 October 1888 |
| Heeley | 2–1 | South Bank | 27 October 1888 |
| Chatham | 4–0 | London Caledonians | 27 October 1888 |
| Clitheroe | 0–7 | Higher Walton | 27 October 1888 |
| South Shore | 7–1 | Southport Central | 27 October 1888 |
| Rossendale | 4–3 | Darwen | 27 October 1888 |
| Derby Midland | 2–1 | Derby St Luke's | 27 October 1888 |
| Leek | 4–0 | Oldbury Town | 27 October 1888 |
| Newark | 4–4 | Grimsby Town | 27 October 1888 |
| Sunderland | 5–3 | Elswick Rangers | 27 October 1888 |
| Casuals | 1–3 | Clapton | 27 October 1888 |
| Chirk | 12–0 | Nantwich | 27 October 1888 |
| Burton Wanderers | 4–0 | Shrewsbury Town | 27 October 1888 |
| Horncastle | 0–1 | Boston | 27 October 1888 |
| Chesham | 3–3 | Luton Town | 27 October 1888 |
| Basford Rovers | 0–1 | Mellors | 27 October 1888 |
| Watford Rovers | 6–0 | Old Foresters | 27 October 1888 |
| Cleethorpes Town | Walkover | Netherfield | |
| Newcastle West End | 1–2 | Sunderland Albion | 27 October 1888 |
| Swindon Town | 2–5 | Marlow | 27 October 1888 |
| Old St Mark's | 3–1 | Lancing Old Boys | 27 October 1888 |
| Morpeth Harriers | 3–1 Match void | Birtley | 27 October 1888 |
| Owlerton | 3–2 | Rotherham Town | 27 October 1888 |
| Scarborough | 2–4 | Ecclesfield | 27 October 1888 |
| Newcastle East End | 2–1 | Stockton | 27 October 1888 |
| Warwick County | 4–2 | Aston Shakespeare | 27 October 1888 |
| West Manchester | 1–0 Match void | Bolton Wanderers | 27 October 1888 |
| Jardines | 0–4 | Gainsborough Trinity | 27 October 1888 |
| Park Grange | 2–1 Match void | Attercliffe | 27 October 1888 |
| Vale of Llangollen | 6–3 | Oswestry | 27 October 1888 |
| Liverpool Stanley | 3–0 | Astley Bridge | 27 October 1888 |
| YMCA | 0–5 | Cliftonville | 27 October 1888 |
| Ulster | 1–7 | Linfield Athletic | 27 October 1888 |
| Small Heath | 3–2 | Burslem Port Vale | 27 October 1888 |
| Wrexham | 3–2 | Northwich Victoria | 27 October 1888 |

### Replays

| Home Club | Score | Away Club | Date |
| Grimsby Town | 9–0 | Newark | 3 November 1888 |
| Luton Town | 10–2 | Chesham | 3 November 1888 |
| Birtley | 1–0 | Morpeth Harriers | 3 November 1888 |
| Bolton Wanderers | 9–0 | West Manchester | 3 November 1888 |
| Park Grange | 4–1 | Attercliffe | 3 November 1888 |

## Third qualifying round

| Home Club | Score | Away Club | Date |
| Chester | 5–1 | Vale of Llangollen | 17 November 1888 |
| Clapton | 0–1 | Chatham | 17 November 1888 |
| Notts County | 2–1 | Derby Midland | 17 November 1888 |
| Staveley | 5–0 | Mellors | 17 November 1888 |
| Sheffield Heeley | 3–1 | Park Grange | 17 November 1888 |
| Grimsby Town | 5–0 | Cleethorpes Town | 17 November 1888 |
| South Shore | 4–0 | Oswaldtwistle Rovers | 17 November 1888 |
| Rossendale | 2–3 | Higher Walton | 17 November 1888 |
| Sunderland | 2–0 | Newcastle East End | 10 November 1888 |
| Old Brightonians | 3–1 | Luton Town | 17 November 1888 |
| Burton Wanderers | 5–1 | Warwick County | 17 November 1888 |
| Gainsborough Trinity | 5–3 | Boston | 17 November 1888 |
| Crusaders | 1–0 | Old St Mark's | 17 November 1888 |
| Watford Rovers | 0–2 | Marlow | 17 November 1888 |
| Cliftonville | Walkover | Liverpool Stanley | |
| Owlerton | 3–2 | Ecclesfield | 17 November 1888 |
| Birtley | 2–5 | Sunderland Albion | 17 November 1888 |
| Small Heath | 4–0 | Leek | 17 November 1888 |
| Linfield Athletic | 4–0 | Bolton Wanderers | 17 November 1888 |
| Wrexham | 2–1 | Chirk | 17 November 1888 |

## Fourth qualifying round

| Home Club | Score | Away Club | Date |
| Chester | 2–3 | Wrexham | 8 December 1888 |
| Staveley | 1–3 | Notts County | 8 December 1888 |
| Sheffield Heeley | 5–1 | Owlerton | 8 December 1888 |
| Chatham | 0–0 | Crusaders | 8 December 1888 |
| Grimsby Town | Walkover | Gainsborough Trinity | |
| South Shore | 5–0 | Higher Walton | 8 December 1888 |
| Old Brightonians | 5–2 | Marlow | 8 December 1888 |
| Cliftonville | 3–3 | Linfield Athletic | 8 December 1888 |
| Sunderland Albion | Walkover | Sunderland | |
| Small Heath | 9–0 | Burton Wanderers | 8 December 1888 |

### Replays

| Home Club | Score | Away Club | Date |
| Crusaders | 2–3 | Chatham | 15 December 1888 |
| Linfield Athletic | 3–3 | Cliftonville | 15 December 1888 |

### Second replay

| Home Club | Score | Away Club | Date |
| Linfield Athletic | 7–0 | Cliftonville | 25 December 1888 |