# 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.

## Calendar

| Round | Date |
| Preliminary round | Saturday, 4 September 1971 |
| First qualifying round | Saturday, 18 September 1971 |
| Second qualifying round | Saturday, 9 October 1971 |
| Third qualifying round | Saturday, 23 October 1971 |
| Fourth qualifying round | Saturday, 6 November 1971 |
| First round proper | Saturday, 20 November 1971 |
| Second round proper | Saturday, 11 December 1971 |
| Third round proper | Saturday, 15 January 1972 |
| Fourth round proper | Saturday, 5 February 1972 |
| Fifth round proper | Saturday, 26 February 1972 |
| Sixth round proper | Saturday, 18 March 1972 |
| Semi-finals | Saturday, 15 April 1972 |
| Final | Saturday, 6 May 1972 |

## 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 no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date | Attendance |
| 1 | Enfield | 2–0 | Maidenhead United | 20 November 1971 | |
| 2 | Chester | 1–1 | Mansfield Town | 20 November 1971 | |
| Replay | Mansfield Town | 4–3 | Chester | 22 November 1971 | |
| 3 | Chesterfield | 3–0 | Oldham Athletic | 20 November 1971 | 10057 |
| 4 | Hartlepool | 6–1 | Scarborough | 20 November 1971 | 3,374 |
| 5 | AFC Bournemouth | 11–0 | Margate | 20 November 1971 | |
| 6 | Barrow | 0–2 | Darlington | 20 November 1971 | |
| 7 | Rochdale | 1–3 | Barnsley | 20 November 1971 | |
| 8 | Walsall | 4–1 | Dagenham | 20 November 1971 | |
| 9 | Gillingham | 3–2 | Plymouth Argyle | 20 November 1971 | |
| 10 | Notts County | 6–0 | Newport County | 20 November 1971 | 11,976 |
| 11 | Blackburn Rovers | 1–1 | Port Vale | 20 November 1971 | |
| Replay | Port Vale | 3–1 | Blackburn Rovers | 22 November 1971 | 5,717 |
| 12 | Bolton Wanderers | 3–0 | Bangor City | 20 November 1971 | |
| 13 | Crewe Alexandra | 0–1 | Blyth Spartans | 20 November 1971 | |
| 14 | Lincoln City | 1–2 | Bury | 20 November 1971 | |
| 15 | Doncaster Rovers | 1–2 | Stockport County | 20 November 1971 | |
| 16 | Wrexham | 5–1 | Bradford City | 20 November 1971 | |
| 17 | Bristol Rovers | 3–0 | Telford United | 20 November 1971 | |
| 18 | Rossendale United | 1–0 | Altrincham | 23 November 1971 | 1,769 |
| 19 | King's Lynn | 0–0 | Hereford United | 20 November 1971 | |
| Replay | Hereford United | 1–0 | King's Lynn | 24 November 1971 | 7,758 |
| 20 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 7–1 | Hillingdon Borough | 20 November 1971 | |
| 21 | Skelmersdale United | 0–4 | Tranmere Rovers | 20 November 1971 | |
| 22 | Southend United | 1–0 | Aston Villa | 20 November 1971 | 16,929 |
| 23 | Frickley Colliery | 2–2 | Rotherham United | 20 November 1971 | |
| Replay | Rotherham United | 4–0 | Frickley Colliery | 23 November 1971 | 9,793 |
| 24 | Southport | 1–3 | Workington | 20 November 1971 | |
| 25 | Torquay United | 1–0 | Nuneaton Borough | 20 November 1971 | |
| 26 | Ellesmere Port Town | 0–3 | Boston United | 20 November 1971 | |
| 27 | York City | 4–2 | Grimsby Town | 20 November 1971 | |
| 28 | Witney Town | 0–3 | Romford | 20 November 1971 | 2,500 |
| 29 | Kettering Town | 2–4 | Barnet | 20 November 1971 | |
| 30 | Aldershot | 4–2 | Alvechurch | 24 November 1971 | 4,638 |
| 31 | Guildford City | 0–0 | Dover | 20 November 1971 | |
| Replay | Dover | 0–2 | Guildford City | 24 November 1971 | 2,156 |
| 32 | Wigan Athletic | 2–1 | Halifax Town | 20 November 1971 | |
| 33 | South Shields | 3–3 | Scunthorpe United | 20 November 1971 | |
| Replay | Scunthorpe United | 2–3 | South Shields | 29 November 1971 | 5,272 |
| 34 | Colchester United | 1–4 | Shrewsbury Town | 20 November 1971 | |
| 35 | Basingstoke Town | 1–5 | Northampton Town | 20 November 1971 | |
| 36 | Bridgwater Town | 0–3 | Reading | 20 November 1971 | |
| 37 | Cambridge United | 2–1 | Weymouth | 20 November 1971 | |
| 38 | Crawley Town | 0–0 | Exeter City | 20 November 1971 | |
| Replay | Exeter City | 2–0 | Crawley Town | 24 November 1971 | 3,967 |
| 39 | Redditch United | 1–1 | Peterborough United | 20 November 1971 | 4,500 |
| Replay | Peterborough United | 6–0 | Redditch United | 22 November 1971 | 5,108 |
| 40 | Swansea City | 1–1 | Brentford | 20 November 1971 | |
| Replay | Brentford | 2–3 | Swansea City | 22 November 1971 | 15,000 |

### Second round proper

The matches were scheduled for Saturday, 11 December 1971. Six matches were drawn, one of which required a second replay.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date | Attendance |
| 1 | AFC Bournemouth | 2–0 | Southend United | 11 December 1971 | 14,643 |
| 2 | Barnet | 1–4 | Torquay United | 11 December 1971 | |
| 3 | Reading | 1–0 | Aldershot | 11 December 1971 | |
| 4 | Shrewsbury Town | 2–1 | Guildford City | 11 December 1971 | |
| 5 | Wrexham | 4–0 | Wigan Athletic | 11 December 1971 | |
| 6 | Barnsley | 0–0 | Chesterfield | 11 December 1971 | |
| Replay | Chesterfield | 1–0 | Barnsley | 15 December 1971 | 14,500 |
| 7 | Bristol Rovers | 3–0 | Cambridge United | 11 December 1971 | |
| 8 | Rossendale United | 1–4 | Bolton Wanderers | 11 December 1971 | ’’12,000’’ |
| 9 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 1–1 | Walsall | 11 December 1971 | |
| Replay | Walsall | 2–1 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 14 December 1971 | 8,014 |
| 10 | Blyth Spartans | 1–0 | Stockport County | 11 December 1971 | |
| 11 | Mansfield Town | 2–2 | Tranmere Rovers | 11 December 1971 | |
| Replay | Tranmere Rovers | 4–2 | Mansfield Town | 15 December 1971 | 5,703 |
| 12 | Port Vale | 1–0 | Darlington | 11 December 1971 | |
| 13 | Workington | 1–3 | Bury | 11 December 1971 | |
| 14 | Hereford United | 0–0 | Northampton Town | 11 December 1971 | |
| Replay | Northampton Town | 2–2 | Hereford United | 14 December 1971 | 9,099 |
| 2nd replay | Hereford United | 2–1 | Northampton Town | 20 December 1971 | 8,331 |
| 15 | Rotherham United | 1–1 | York City | 11 December 1971 | |
| Replay | York City | 2–3 | Rotherham United | 13 December 1971 | 10,010 |
| 16 | Romford | 0–1 | Gillingham | 11 December 1971 | 8,405 |
| 17 | Boston United | 2–1 | Hartlepool | 11 December 1971 | 4,400 |
| 18 | Peterborough United | 4–0 | Enfield | 11 December 1971 | 7,702 |
| 19 | South Shields | 1–3 | Notts County | 11 December 1971 | 8,144 |
| 20 | Swansea City | 0–0 | Exeter City | 11 December 1971 | |
| Replay | Exeter City | 0–1 | Swansea City | 15 December 1971 | 6,858 |

### 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 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 no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date | Attendance |
| 1 | Blackpool | 0–1 | Chelsea | 15 January 1972 | |
| 2 | Burnley | 0–1 | Huddersfield Town | 15 January 1972 | |
| 3 | Bury | 1–1 | Rotherham United | 15 January 1972 | |
| Replay | Rotherham United | 2–1 | Bury | 24 January 1972 | 14,625 |
| 4 | Preston North End | 4–2 | Bristol City | 15 January 1972 | |
| 5 | Southampton | 1–1 | Manchester United | 15 January 1972 | 30,190 |
| Replay | Manchester United | 4–1 | Southampton | 19 January 1972 | 50,960 |
| 6 | Watford | 1–4 | Notts County | 15 January 1972 | 13,488 |
| 7 | Walsall | 1–0 | AFC Bournemouth | 15 January 1972 | |
| 8 | Bolton Wanderers | 2–1 | Torquay United | 15 January 1972 | |
| 9 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1–1 | Leicester City | 15 January 1972 | |
| Replay | Leicester City | 2–0 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 19 January 1972 | 32,060 |
| 10 | West Bromwich Albion | 1–2 | Coventry City | 15 January 1972 | |
| 11 | Sunderland | 3–0 | Sheffield Wednesday | 15 January 1972 | 25,310 |
| 12 | Derby County | 2–0 | Shrewsbury Town | 15 January 1972 | 33,463 |
| 13 | Swindon Town | 0–2 | Arsenal | 15 January 1972 | 31,668 |
| 14 | Sheffield United | 1–3 | Cardiff City | 15 January 1972 | |
| 15 | Newcastle United | 2–2 | Hereford United | 24 January 1972 | 39,381 |
| Replay | Hereford United | 2–1 | Newcastle United | 5 February 1972 | 14,313 |
| 16 | Tottenham Hotspur | 1–1 | Carlisle United | 15 January 1972 | 33,702 |
| Replay | Carlisle United | 1–3 | Tottenham Hotspur | 18 January 1972 | 21,560 |
| 17 | Manchester City | 1–1 | Middlesbrough | 15 January 1972 | 42,620 |
| Replay | Middlesbrough | 1–0 | Manchester City | 18 January 1972 | 37,917 |
| 18 | Queens Park Rangers | 1–1 | Fulham | 15 January 1972 | |
| Replay | Fulham | 2–1 | Queens Park Rangers | 18 January 1972 | 24,181 |
| 19 | West Ham United | 2–1 | Luton Town | 15 January 1972 | 32,099 |
| 20 | Norwich City | 0–3 | Hull City | 15 January 1972 | |
| 21 | Millwall | 3–1 | Nottingham Forest | 15 January 1972 | |
| 22 | Crystal Palace | 2–2 | Everton | 15 January 1972 | 32,331 |
| Replay | Everton | 3–2 | Crystal Palace | 18 January 1972 | 45,408 |
| 23 | Blyth Spartans | 2–2 | Reading | 15 January 1972 | |
| Replay | Reading | 6–1 | Blyth Spartans | 19 January 1972 | 10,550 |
| 24 | Charlton Athletic | 0–0 | Tranmere Rovers | 15 January 1972 | |
| Replay | Tranmere Rovers | 4–2 | Charlton Athletic | 17 January 1972 | 12,512 |
| 25 | Leeds United | 4–1 | Bristol Rovers | 15 January 1972 | 33,565 |
| 26 | Stoke City | 2–1 | Chesterfield | 15 January 1972 | 26,559 |
| 27 | Boston United | 0–1 | Portsmouth | 15 January 1972 | 11,000 |
| 28 | Peterborough United | 0–2 | Ipswich Town | 15 January 1972 | 16,973 |
| 29 | Birmingham City | 3–0 | Port Vale | 15 January 1972 | 32,937 |
| 30 | Oxford United | 0–3 | Liverpool | 15 January 1972 | 18,000 |
| 31 | Orient | 3–0 | Wrexham | 15 January 1972 | |
| 32 | Swansea City | 1–0 | Gillingham | 15 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 (and the subsequent replay early the following 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 no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date | Attendance |
| 1 | Liverpool | 0–0 | Leeds United | 5 February 1972 | 56,300 |
| Replay | Leeds United | 2–0 | Liverpool | 9 February 1972 | 45,821 |
| 2 | Preston North End | 0–2 | Manchester United | 5 February 1972 | 27,025 |
| 3 | Reading | 1–2 | Arsenal | 5 February 1972 | |
| 4 | Leicester City | 0–2 | Orient | 5 February 1972 | |
| 5 | Derby County | 6–0 | Notts County | 5 February 1972 | 39,450 |
| 6 | Everton | 2–1 | Walsall | 5 February 1972 | 45,462 |
| 7 | Tranmere Rovers | 2–2 | Stoke City | 5 February 1972 | |
| Replay | Stoke City | 2–0 | Tranmere Rovers | 9 February 1972 | 25,000 |
| 8 | Tottenham Hotspur | 2–0 | Rotherham United | 5 February 1972 | 36,903 |
| 9 | Coventry City | 0–1 | Hull City | 5 February 1972 | |
| 10 | Portsmouth | 2–0 | Swansea City | 5 February 1972 | 19,782 |
| 11 | Millwall | 2–2 | Middlesbrough | 5 February 1972 | |
| Replay | Middlesbrough | 2–1 | Millwall | 8 February 1972 | 36,489 |
| 12 | Chelsea | 3–0 | Bolton Wanderers | 5 February 1972 | |
| 13 | Huddersfield Town | 3–0 | Fulham | 5 February 1972 | |
| 14 | Cardiff City | 1–1 | Sunderland | 5 February 1972 | 27,000 |
| Replay | Sunderland | 1–1 | Cardiff City | 9 February 1972 | 39,348 |
| 2nd replay | Cardiff City | 3–1 | Sunderland | 14 February 1972 | 8,868 |
| 15 | Hereford United | 0–0 | West Ham United | 9 February 1972 | 15,000 |
| Replay | West Ham United | 3–1 | Hereford United | 14 February 1972 | 42,271 |
| 16 | Birmingham City | 1–0 | Ipswich Town | 5 February 1972 | 40,709 |

### Fifth round proper

The matches were played on Saturday, 26 February 1972. Two matches were drawn, of which one required a second replay.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date | Attendance |
| 1 | Derby County | 2–2 | Arsenal | 26 February 1972 | 39,622 |
| Replay | Arsenal | 0–0 | Derby County | 29 February 1972 | 63,077 |
| 2nd replay | Derby County | 0–1 | Arsenal | 13 March 1972 | 40,000 |
| 2 | Everton | 0–2 | Tottenham Hotspur | 26 February 1972 | 50,511 |
| 3 | Manchester United | 0–0 | Middlesbrough | 26 February 1972 | 53,850 |
| Replay | Middlesbrough | 0–3 | Manchester United | 29 February 1972 | 39,683 |
| 4 | Huddersfield Town | 4–2 | West Ham United | 26 February 1972 | 27,080 |
| 5 | Cardiff City | 0–2 | Leeds United | 26 February 1972 | 50,000 |
| 6 | Stoke City | 4–1 | Hull City | 26 February 1972 | |
| 7 | Birmingham City | 3–1 | Portsmouth | 26 February 1972 | 43,886 |
| 8 | Orient | 3–2 | Chelsea | 26 February 1972 | |

### 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.
| Leeds United | Arsenal |

## 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 (Midweek-replay), Hereford United v Newcastle United (Saturday-replay) ITV Southampton v Manchester United (Southern & Granada), West Ham United v Luton Town (LWT), Leeds United v Bristol Rovers (Yorkshire), Peterborough United v Ipswich Town (Anglia), Derby County v Shrewsbury (ATV), Sunderland v Sheffield Wednesday (Tyne-Tees). Fourth round BBC Liverpool v Leeds United, Preston North End v Manchester United ITV Reading v Arsenal (Southern & LWT), Birmingham City v Ipswich Town (ATV), Huddersfield Town v Fulham (Yorkshire), Everton v Walsall (Granada), Coventry City v Hull City (Anglia-covered game out of region), Leeds United v Liverpool (Midweek replay-All regions). Fifth round BBC Orient v Chelsea, Cardiff City v Leeds United, Manchester United v Middlesbrough, Middlesbrough v Manchester United (Midweek-replay) ITV Everton v Tottenham Hotspur (Granada & LWT), Birmingham City v Portsmouth (ATV), Huddersfield Town v West Ham United, Stoke City v Hull City (Anglia-covered game out of region). Sixth round BBC Leeds United v Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United v Stoke City ITV Orient v Arsenal (LWT), Birmingham City v Huddersfield Town (ATV & Yorkshire) 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 (Midweek Replay All Regions) Final Arsenal v Leeds United Shown Live on both BBC & all ITV regions