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1996–97 FA Cup

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}

{{Infobox football tournament season

| title = FA Cup

| year = 1996–97

| other_titles =

| image =

| image_size =

| caption =

| country = England
Wales

| num_teams =

| defending_champions = Manchester United

| winners = Chelsea

| count = 2

| second = Middlesbrough

| matches =

| goals =

| scoring_leader = Ken Charlery
Duane Darby
Bryan Hughes
Fabrizio Ravanelli
(6 goals)

| award =

| prev_season = 1995–96

| next_season = 1997–98

}}

The 1996–97 FA Cup (known as The FA Cup sponsored by Littlewoods for sponsorship reasons) was the 116th season of the FA Cup. The tournament started in August 1996 for clubs from non-league football and the competition proper started in October 1996 for teams from the Premier League and the Football League.

Premier League side Manchester United were the defending champions, but were eliminated in the fourth round by Wimbledon.

The tournament was won by Chelsea with a 2–0 victory over Middlesbrough in the final at Wembley stadium.

Calendar

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"

! Round !! Initial Matches !! New Entries !! Clubs

Preliminary roundSaturday 31 August 1996340574 → 404
First round qualifyingSaturday 14 September 1996118404 → 260
Second round qualifyingSaturday 28 September 1996none260 → 188
Third round qualifyingSaturday 12 October 1996none188 → 152
Fourth round qualifyingSaturday 26 October 199620152 → 124
First round properSaturday 16 November 199652124 → 84
Second round properSaturday 7 December 1996none84 → 64
Third round properSaturday 4 January 19974464 → 32
Fourth round properSaturday 25 January 1997none32 → 16
Fifth round properSaturday 15 February 1997none16 → 8
Sixth round properSaturday 8 March 1997none8 → 4
Semi-finalsSunday 13 April 1997none4 → 2
FinalSaturday 17 May 1997none2 → 1

Qualifying rounds

Most participating clubs that were not members of the Premier League or 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 Kidderminster Harriers, Consett, Stalybridge Celtic, Boston United, Hednesford Town, Newcastle Town, Runcorn, Colwyn Bay, Whitby Town, Southport, Altrincham, Morecambe, Shepshed Dynamo, Merthyr Tydfil, Wisbech Town, Cheltenham Town, Hendon, Bromley, Ashford Town (Kent), St Albans City, Rushden & Diamonds, Welling United, Boreham Wood, Hayes, Farnborough Town, Stevenage Borough, Dagenham & Redbridge and Sudbury Town.

Newcastle Town and Sudbury Town were appearing in the competition proper for the first time while, of the others, Hendon had not featured at this stage since 1988–89, Whitby Town had not done so since 1986-87, Shepshed Dynamo had not done so since 1982-83, Boreham Wood had not done so since 1977-78, Bromley since 1976-77, Consett since 1958-59 and Hednesford Town since 1919-20.

In Hednesford Town's only previous appearance in the competition proper, they became one of the first two clubs to participate in nine rounds of one Cup tournament. This season, they featured in eight rounds of the competition - after defeating Wednesfield, Evesham United, Tamworth and Telford United in the qualifying rounds, they accounted for Southport, Blackpool and York City in the main draw before going out to Premier League side Middlesbrough in the fourth round in a match played at Riverside Stadium despite Hednesford being the designated "home" team.

{{for|all qualifying round results|1996–97 FA Cup qualifying rounds}}

First round proper

The 48 teams from the Football League Second and Third Division entered in this round along with the 28 non-league qualifiers and Macclesfield Town, Northwich Victoria, Woking and Enfield who were given byes. The draw for this round included four teams from the various competitions at Step 8 of English football: Whitby Town and Consett from the Northern League First Division, Newcastle Town from the North West Counties League First Division and Wisbech Town from the Eastern Counties League Premier Division. This was a rare season in which more clubs from Step 8 than from Step 7 qualified for the first round.

The matches were played on 16 November 1996. There were thirteen replays, with two ties requiring a penalty shootout to settle them. Sudbury Town's shock penalty shootout win over Brighton & Hove Albion capped off the last FA Cup match ever played at the Goldstone Ground.

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
Tie no

!Home team

!Score

!Away team

!Date

1Ashford Town (Kent) (6)2–2Dagenham & Redbridge (6)16 November 1996
ReplayDagenham & Redbridge1–1Ashford Town (Kent)25 November 1996
colspan=5|Ashford Town (Kent) won 4–3 on penalties
2Blackpool1–0Wigan Athletic16 November 1996
3Chester City3–0Stalybridge Celtic (5)16 November 1996
4Chesterfield1–0Bury16 November 1996
5Burnley2–1Lincoln City16 November 1996
6Preston North End4–1Altrincham (5)16 November 1996
7Wisbech Town (8)1–2St Albans City (6)16 November 1996
8Woking2–2Millwall15 November 1996
ReplayMillwall0–1Woking (5)26 November 1996
9Gillingham1–0Hereford United16 November 1996
10Boreham Wood (6)1–1Rushden & Diamonds (5)16 November 1996
ReplayRushden & Diamonds2–3Boreham Wood26 November 1996
11Northwich Victoria (5)2–2Walsall16 November 1996
ReplayWalsall3–1Northwich Victoria26 November 1996
12Macclesfield Town (5)0–2Rochdale16 November 1996
13Crewe Alexandra4–1Kidderminster Harriers (5)16 November 1996
14Shrewsbury Town1–1Scarborough16 November 1996
ReplayScarborough1–0Shrewsbury Town26 November 1996
15Wrexham1–1Colwyn Bay (6)16 November 1996
ReplayWrexham2–0Colwyn Bay26 November 1996
16Hednesford Town (5)2–1Southport (5)16 November 1996
17Stockport County2–1Doncaster Rovers16 November 1996
18Brentford2–0AFC Bournemouth16 November 1996
19Bristol Rovers1–2Exeter City16 November 1996
20Northampton Town0–1Watford17 November 1996
21Bromley (6)1–3Enfield (6)16 November 1996
22Plymouth Argyle5–0Fulham16 November 1996
23Carlisle United6–0Shepshed Dynamo (7)16 November 1996
24Scunthorpe United4–1Rotherham United16 November 1996
25Mansfield Town4–0Consett (8)16 November 1996
26Cardiff City2–0Hendon (6)16 November 1996
27Runcorn (6)1–4Darlington16 November 1996
28Torquay United0–1Luton Town16 November 1996
29Boston United (6)3–0Morecambe (5)16 November 1996
30Peterborough United0–0Cheltenham Town (6)16 November 1996
ReplayCheltenham Town1–3Peterborough United27 November 1996
31Colchester United1–2Wycombe Wanderers16 November 1996
32Leyton Orient2–1Merthyr Tydfil (6)16 November 1996
33Sudbury Town (6)0–0Brighton & Hove Albion16 November 1996
ReplayBrighton & Hove Albion1–1Sudbury Town26 November 1996
colspan=5|Sudbury Town won 4–3 on penalties
34Whitby Town (8)0–0Hull City17 November 1996
ReplayHull City8–4Whitby Town26 November 1996
35Cambridge United3–0Welling United (5)16 November 1996
36Swansea City1–1Bristol City16 November 1996
ReplayBristol City1–0Swansea City26 November 1996
37Farnborough Town (5)2–2Barnet16 November 1996
ReplayBarnet1–0Farnborough Town26 November 1996
38Hartlepool United0–0York City16 November 1996
ReplayYork City3–0Hartlepool United26 November 1996
39Stevenage Borough (5)2–2Hayes (5)16 November 1996
ReplayHayes0–2Stevenage Borough26 November 1996
40Newcastle Town (8)0–2Notts County17 November 1996

Second round proper

The second round of the competition featured the winners of the first round ties. The matches were played on 7 December 1996, with four replays and one penalty shootout required. The round included six clubs from Step 6 of the football pyramid: Enfield, St Albans City and Boreham Wood from the Isthmian League Premier Division, Ashford Town (Kent) and Sudbury Town from the Southern League Premier Division and Boston United from the Northern Premier League Premier Division. Similarly to the first round, this was a rare instance in which more teams from Step 6 than from Step 5 qualified for this stage (although all of the Step 5 teams and none of the Step 6 teams progressed through to the next round).

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
Tie no

!Home team

!Score

!Away team

!Date

1Enfield (6)1–1Peterborough United7 December 1996
ReplayPeterborough United4–1Enfield17 December 1996
2Blackpool0–1Hednesford Town (5)7 December 1996
3Chester City1–0Boston United (6)7 December 1996
4Chesterfield2–0Scarborough7 December 1996
5Barnet3–3Wycombe Wanderers7 December 1996
ReplayWycombe Wanderers3–2Barnet17 December 1996
6Bristol City9–2St Albans City (6)7 December 1996
7Preston North End2–3York City7 December 1996
8Watford5–0Ashford Town (Kent) (6)7 December 1996
9Walsall1–1Burnley7 December 1996
ReplayBurnley1–1Walsall23 December 1996
colspan=5|Burnley won 4–2 on penalties
10Notts County3–1Rochdale7 December 1996
11Luton Town2–1Boreham Wood (6)7 December 1996
12Wrexham2–2Scunthorpe United7 December 1996
ReplayScunthorpe United2–3Wrexham17 December 1996
13Plymouth Argyle4–1Exeter City6 December 1996
14Hull City1–5Crewe Alexandra7 December 1996
15Carlisle United1–0Darlington7 December 1996
16Mansfield Town0–3Stockport County7 December 1996
17Cardiff City0–2Gillingham7 December 1996
18Leyton Orient1–2Stevenage Borough (5)7 December 1996
19Sudbury Town (6)1–3Brentford7 December 1996
20Cambridge United0–2Woking (5)7 December 1996

Third round proper

The 44 teams from the Premier League and the Football League First Division entered the competition at this stage. Due to adverse weather conditions, the initial matches were played on various dates between 4-21 January 1997. There were nine replays, with no penalty shootouts required. Hednesford Town, Stevenage Borough and Woking from the Football Conference (Step 5) were the lowest-ranked teams in the draw.

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
Tie no

!Home team

!Score

!Away team

!Date

1Chesterfield (3)2–0Bristol City (3)14 January 1997
2Liverpool (1)1–0Burnley (3)4 January 1997
3Watford (3)2–0Oxford United (2)21 January 1997
4Reading (2)3–1Southampton (1)4 January 1997
5Gillingham (3)0–2Derby County (1)21 January 1997
6Leicester City (1)2–0Southend United (2)15 January 1997
7Notts County (3)0–0Aston Villa (1)14 January 1997
ReplayAston Villa3–0Notts County22 January 1997
8Nottingham Forest (1)3–0Ipswich Town (2)4 January 1997
9Blackburn Rovers (1)1–0Port Vale (2)4 January 1997
10Sheffield Wednesday (1)7–1Grimsby Town (2)4 January 1997
11Wolverhampton Wanderers (2)1–2Portsmouth (2)4 January 1997
12Crewe Alexandra (3)1–1Wimbledon (1)14 January 1997
ReplayWimbledon2–0Crewe Alexandra21 January 1997
13Middlesbrough (1)6–0Chester City (4)4 January 1997
14Luton Town (3)1–1Bolton Wanderers (2)21 January 1997
ReplayBolton Wanderers6–2Luton Town25 January 1997
15Everton (1)3–0Swindon Town (2)5 January 1997
16Wrexham (3)1–1West Ham United (1)4 January 1997
ReplayWest Ham United0–1Wrexham25 January 1997
17Hednesford Town (5)1–0York City (3)13 January 1997
18Wycombe Wanderers (3)0–2Bradford City (2)5 January 1997
19Queens Park Rangers (2)1–1Huddersfield Town (2)4 January 1997
ReplayHuddersfield Town1–2Queens Park Rangers14 January 1997
20Barnsley (2)2–0Oldham Athletic (2)14 January 1997
21Brentford (3)0–1Manchester City (2)25 January 1997
22Coventry City (1)1–1Woking (5)25 January 1997
ReplayWoking1–2Coventry City4 February 1997
23Manchester United (1)2–0Tottenham Hotspur (1)5 January 1997
24Norwich City (2)1–0Sheffield United (2)4 January 1997
25Plymouth Argyle (3)0–1Peterborough United (3)4 January 1997
26Carlisle United (4)1–0Tranmere Rovers (2)14 January 1997
27Crystal Palace (2)2–2Leeds United (1)14 January 1997
ReplayLeeds United1–0Crystal Palace25 January 1997
28Chelsea (1)3–0West Bromwich Albion (2)4 January 1997
29Charlton Athletic (2)1–1Newcastle United (1)5 January 1997
ReplayNewcastle United2–1Charlton Athletic15 January 1997
30Arsenal (1)1–1Sunderland (1)4 January 1997
ReplaySunderland0–2Arsenal15 January 1997
31Stoke City (2)0–2Stockport County (3)15 January 1997
32Birmingham City (2)2–0Stevenage Borough (5)4 January 1997

Fourth round proper

The fourth round ties featured the thirty-two winners from the previous round. The matches were originally scheduled for Saturday, 25 January 1997, although six matches were played on later dates. There was only one replay. Hednesford Town was again the lowest-ranked team in the draw and was, by this stage, the last non-league club left in the competition.

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
Tie no

!Home team

!Score

!Away team

!Date

1Leicester City2–1Norwich City25 January 1997
2Blackburn Rovers1–2Coventry City15 February 1997
3Bolton Wanderers2–3Chesterfield4 February 1997
4Hednesford Town (5)2–3Middlesbrough25 January 1997
5Derby County3–1Aston Villa25 January 1997
6Everton2–3Bradford City25 January 1997
7Newcastle United1–2Nottingham Forest26 January 1997
8Manchester City3–1Watford5 February 1997
9Queens Park Rangers3–2Barnsley25 January 1997
10Portsmouth3–0Reading25 January 1997
11Manchester United1–1Wimbledon25 January 1997
ReplayWimbledon1–0Manchester United4 February 1997
12Carlisle United0–2Sheffield Wednesday25 January 1997
13Chelsea4–2Liverpool26 January 1997
14Arsenal0–1Leeds United4 February 1997
15Peterborough United2–4Wrexham4 February 1997
16Birmingham City3–1Stockport County25 January 1997

Fifth round proper

The fifth-round matches were scheduled for Saturday, 15 February 1997. There was, again, only one replay. Chesterfield and Wrexham, from the Second Division, were the lowest-ranked teams in the draw.

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
Tie no

!Home team

!Score

!Away team

!Date

1Chesterfield1–0Nottingham Forest15 February 1997
2Leicester City2–2Chelsea16 February 1997
ReplayChelsea1–0Leicester City26 February 1997
3Derby County3–2Coventry City26 February 1997
4Manchester City0–1Middlesbrough15 February 1997
5Bradford City0–1Sheffield Wednesday16 February 1997
6Wimbledon2–1Queens Park Rangers15 February 1997
7Leeds United2–3Portsmouth15 February 1997
8Birmingham City1–3Wrexham15 February 1997

Sixth round proper

The sixth round ties were scheduled for the weekend of 8–9 March. No replays were required.

Chesterfield defeated Wrexham 1–0 in a rare "all-Third Tier" quarter-final clash, while Middlesbrough's 2–0 win at Derby County moved them a step closer to their first-ever FA Cup final.

{{football box

|date=9 March 1997

|time=11:30 GMT

|team1=Chesterfield

|score=1–0

|report=[https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/beaumont-puts-spireites-in-sight-of-twin-towers-football-1272028.html Report]

|team2=Wrexham

|goals1=Beaumont {{goal|58}}

|goals2=

|stadium=Saltergate, Chesterfield

|attendance=8,735

|referee=Mike Riley}}

----

{{football box

|date=9 March 1997

|time=13:30 GMT

|team1=Portsmouth

|score=1–4

|report=[https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/pompey-fall-to-premier-quality-football-1272025.html Report]

|team2=Chelsea

|goals1=Burton {{goal|82}}

|goals2=M. Hughes {{goal|25}}
Wise {{goal|43}} {{goal|86}}
Zola {{goal|56}}

|stadium=Fratton Park, Portsmouth

|attendance=15,071

|referee=Jeff Winter }}

----

{{football box

|date=9 March 1997

|time=16:10 GMT

|team1=Sheffield Wednesday

|score=0–2

|report=[https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/earle-rewards-wimbledons-bold-approach-football-1272029.html Report]

|team2=Wimbledon

|goals1=

|goals2=Earle {{goal|74}}
Holdsworth {{goal|90+1}}

|stadium=Hillsborough, Sheffield

|attendance=25,032

|referee=Roger Dilkes }}

----

{{football box

|date=8 March 1997

|time=15:00 GMT

|team1=Derby County

|score=0–2

|report=[https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/juninho-shows-derby-the-door-football-1271990.html Report]

|team2=Middlesbrough

|goals1=

|goals2=Juninho {{goal|39}}
Ravanelli {{goal|90}}

|stadium=Baseball Ground, Derby

|attendance=17,567

|referee=Graham Poll }}

Semi-finals

The semi-final ties were played at neutral venues on 13 April 1997. Middlesbrough and Chelsea came through their ties (with Middlesbrough requiring a replay against Second Division side Chesterfield) to reach the final.

Wimbledon, playing the semi-finals for the first time since they were FA Cup winners nine years earlier, had their hopes of FA Cup glory ended by a semi-final defeat at the hands of Chelsea. This came just weeks after Wimbledon had been eliminated from the League Cup semi-finals.

Middlesbrough, on the other hand, reached the FA Cup final for the first time in their history, but only after a 3–0 replay win over a Chesterfield side that had given them a serious run for their money in the first match. Chesterfield narrowly missed out on becoming the first third-tier side to reach the FA Cup final after an exciting match ended in a 3–3 draw. The Spireites took a 2–0 lead in the second half and had a goal controversially ruled out despite the ball appearing to cross the line (video evidence is inconclusive), which would have seen them go 3–1 up.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/52173868|publisher=BBC Sport|title=FA Cup: Chesterfield 3-3 Middlesbrough - when Spireites almost made history|first=Shamoon|last=Hafez|date=13 April 2020|access-date=28 January 2023}}

{{football box

|date=13 April 1997

|time=12:00 BST

|team1=Chelsea

|score=3–0

|team2=Wimbledon

|report=[https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-zola-sorcery-dazzles-dons-1267074.html Report]

|goals1=Hughes {{goal|43}} {{goal|90}}
Zola {{goal|64}}

|goals2=

|stadium=Highbury, London

|attendance=32,674

|referee=Gerald Ashby }}

----

{{football box

|date=13 April 1997

|time=15:00 BST

|team1=Middlesbrough

|score=3–3

|team2=Chesterfield

|report=[https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-hewitt-keeps-the-chesterfield-dream-alive-1267030.html Report]

|goals1=Ravanelli {{goal|64}}
Hignett {{goal|70|pen.}}
Festa {{goal|100}}

|goals2=Morris {{goal|54}}
Dyche {{goal|60|pen.}}
Hewitt {{goal|119}}

|stadium=Old Trafford, Manchester

|attendance=49,640

|referee=David Elleray }}

;Replay

{{football box

|date=22 April 1997

|time=19:45 BST

|team1=Chesterfield

|score=0–3

|team2=Middlesbrough

|report=[https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/foreign-legion-go-back-to-wembley-1268859.html Report]

|goals1=

|goals2=Beck {{goal|12}}
Ravanelli {{goal|57}}
Emerson {{goal|89}}

|stadium=Hillsborough, Sheffield

|attendance=30,339

|referee=David Elleray }}

Final

{{main|1997 FA Cup Final}}

The 1997 FA Cup Final took place on 17 May 1997 at Wembley Stadium. Chelsea were attempting to win the FA Cup for the first time in 27 years, while Middlesbrough were contesting their first ever FA Cup final, having only just competed in their first ever League Cup final one month earlier.{{cite web|url=https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/week-middlesbrough-history-wembley-leicester-20319402|publisher=Teesside Live|title=This Week in Middlesbrough history: Wembley, Leicester, Pontus Kamark - so, so close|first=David|last=Broome|date=4 April 2021|access-date=28 January 2023}} Chelsea took to the field on the back of something of a renaissance under Dutch manager Ruud Gullit, having recorded their best league finish for a decade. Middlesbrough, on the other hand, began the final having been relegated from the Premier League and had also been losing finalists in the League Cup.

Chelsea beat Middlesbrough 2–0, with Roberto Di Matteo scoring the fastest goal in FA Cup Final history, 43 seconds after kick-off. This beat Jackie Milburn's record from the 1955 FA Cup Final, who scored after 45 seconds. Di Matteo's record was then beaten in 2009 (coincidentally against Chelsea) by Everton's Louis Saha (27.9 seconds). Eddie Newton scored the Blues' second goal in the 83rd minute to clinch the match and give Chelsea their first major trophy in 26 years.

{{football box

|date=17 May 1997

|time=15:00 BST

|team1=Chelsea

|score=2–0

|team2=Middlesbrough

|report=[https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/chelsea-cruelly-expose-boro-fault-lines-1262302.html Report]

|goals1=Di Matteo {{goal|1}}
Newton {{goal|83}}

|goals2=

|stadium=Wembley, London

|attendance=79,160

|referee=Stephen Lodge (South Yorkshire)

}}

Media coverage

For the ninth consecutive season in the United Kingdom, the BBC were the free to air broadcasters which was their last before ITV took over while Sky Sports were the subscription broadcasters.{{citation needed|date=May 2015}}

The matches shown live on the BBC were:

• Manchester United 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur (R3)

• Chelsea 4-2 Liverpool (R4)

• Leicester City 2-2 Chelsea (R5)

• Sheffield Wednesday 0-2 Wimbledon (QF)

• Chelsea 3-0 Wimbledon (SF)

• Chelsea 2-0 Middlesbrough (Final)

The matches shown live on Sky Sports were:

• Woking 2-2 Millwall (R1)

• Northampton Town 0-1 Watford (R1)

• Millwall 0-1 Woking (R1 Replay)

• Plymouth Argyle 4-1 Exeter City (R2)

• Cardiff City 0-2 Gillingham (R2)

• Wycombe Wanderers 3-2 Barnet (R2 Replay)

• Charlton Athletic 1-1 Newcastle United (R3)

• Sunderland 0-2 Arsenal (R3 Replay)

• Newcastle United 1-2 Nottingham Forest (R4)

• Wimbledon 1-0 Manchester United (R4 Replay)

• Bradford City 0-1 Sheffield Wednesday (R5)

• Chelsea 1-0 Leicester City (R5 Replay)

• Portsmouth 1-4 Chelsea (QF)

• Middlesbrough 3-3 Chesterfield (SF)

• Chesterfield 0-3 Middlesbrough (SF Replay)

References

{{Reflist}}

  • [http://www.thefa.com/templates/generic/Common/FACompetitionsHistory.aspx?NRMODE=Published&NRNODEGUID={B32A2F3A-361E-4746-893C-DB8CD833C471}&NRORIGINALURL=%2fTheFACup%2fTheFACup%2fArchive%2f&NRCACHEHINT=Guest FA Cup Results 1996-97]

{{FA Cup seasons}}

{{1996–97 in English football}}

{{1996–97 in European football (UEFA)}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:1996-97 FA Cup}}

Category:FA Cup seasons

FA Cup