2 February, 2021 - 11:22

The Best FA Cup Runs By Non-League Clubs

When Chorley FC of the National League North fell 1-0 at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers, seventh in the the Premier League, in their fourth-round match, it ended the FA Cup hopes of non-league sides for another year.

Chorley got that far with wins over Wigan Athletic (first round 3-2 a.e.t.) and Peterborough United (second round 2-1) and an impressive 2-0 result over Derby County of the EFL Championship in the third round.

FA Cup action will continue right up until the May 15th Cup final at Wembley. Punters can get action on the FA Cup at online betting sites like Bovada through every round of the competition.

Chorley were seeking to be the first non-league side in five years to reach the fifth round of the FA Cup and just the 10th club to have ever done so.

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“The FA Cup” by Wikimedia is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

2016-17 Lincoln City (National League)

The ultimate heroes of non-league football, Lincoln City went all the way to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. Along their path, Lincoln ousted Ipswich Town and Brighton & Hove Albion of the EFL Championship. The former were 1977-78 FA Cup winners and the latter 1982-83 finalists.

As big as those results were, posting a shock 1-0 fifth-round away victory at Premier League Burnley on an 89th-minute header from Sean Raggett put Lincoln through to a quarter-final match at the Emirates Stadium facing mighty Arsenal.

Cinderella’s time struck midnight right there. Lincoln City crashed out 5-0 to the eventual FA Cup winners.

2016-17 Sutton United (National League)

One round prior to crushing Lincoln City’s dream, Arsenal also dealt a death knell to Sutton United’s Cup hopes, winning 2-0 at home in the fifth round.

The luck of the draw saw Sutton United put on a run all the way to the fifth round without facing a single Premier League club. Their biggest win was a 1-0 verdict over Leeds United of the Championship in the fourth round.

2012-13 Luton Town (Conference National)

As a First Division side in 1983-84. Luton Town roared all the way to the FA Cup semi-finals. They did so again as a Second Division club in 1993-94. However, at the end of the 2009-10 season, Luton Town was relegated out of league football.

The club’s 2012-13 FA Cup run included a 1-0 fourth-round win at Premier League Norwich. It was the first victory by a non-league club over a top-flight side since 1989.

In the fifth round, Luton Town fell 3-0 to Millwall. The club earned its way back into the league in 2015.

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“Luton Town” by Wikimedia is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

2010-11 Crawley Town (Conference National)

A glamorous fifth-round tie at Old Trafford against eventual champions Manchester United was the prize for Crawley Town in 2011. It ended in a 1-0 loss on a Wes Brown goal.
Good fortune through the draw also played into Crawley Town’s favor. During their four-round run of success, the club met only one club above League One - a third-round 2-1 win over Derby County of the Championship.

1993-94 Kidderminster Harriers (Football Conference)

The British House of Commons passed a motion acknowledging the accomplishments of Kidderminster reaching the final 16 of the FA Cup. A 1-0 loss to Premier League West Ham United ended their run.

Kidderminster’s most notable victory was a 2-1 away verdict over First Division Birmingham City in the third round.

1984-85 Telford United (Alliance Premier League)

Telford United required replays wins over Lincoln City (first round) and Darlington (fourth round) to get to a fifth-round tie at Cup holders Everton of the Premier League.
Everton posted a 3-0 victory at Goodison Park.

1977-78 Blyth Spartans (Northern League)

The first non-league club to get the FA Cup’s fifth round in 29 years, Blyth were media darlings during their incredible run. They survived a replay with Crook Town in the second qualifying round just to get into the tournament proper.

Their fourth-round tie at Second Division Stoke City was postponed twice before the Spartans won 3-2. Wrexham finally ousted Blyth 2-1 in a fifth-round replay.

1948-49 Yeovil Town (Southern League)

Yeovil won its first three matches by a combined tally of 11-1, earning a fourth-round home tie with First Division Sunderland. The non-leaguers, with second-choice ‘keeper Dickie Dykes between the posts, won 2-1.

That earned them a trip to Old Trafford and a right thrashing. Manchester United whipped Yeovil Town 8-0 in the fifth round.

1947-48 Colchester United (Southern League)

In the third round, Colchester United toppled First Division Huddersfield Town 1-0. A fourth-round 3-2 win over Second Division Bradford Park Avenue followed, leading to a fifth-round match away to Blackpool.

The dynamic duo of England internationals Stanley Matthews and Stan Mortenson led Blackpool to a 5-0 win en route to an appearance in the Cup final.

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Author: chabi

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