Preliminary Round of the FA Cup

[Wullie]

Is the Preliminary Round of the FA Cup the first games played or are there any games before this, a Preliminary, Preliminary Round ? I have a programme 1972/73 Frome v Bridgport. No date given, it states the game is a FA cup game, but I can't find it on any lists. I noticed on my list , the number of games in the Preliminary round are far less than the number of games in the first qualifying round. Is this the norm ? As you can see, I am no non league expert.

[sharrowblade]

Fa cup 1st qualifying round

Frome town 4-2 bridport
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A Sheffield United Programme guide

[The SFC Chris]

I have no idea about 1972/3, however this season - and for I believe quite a few years beforehand - there was an Extra Preliminary Round, prior to the Preliminary Round.

Not sure if that helps, but that's all I can add.

[Jake]

As SFC Chris said, it kicks off with the extra preliminary round. Then you have the preliminary round followed by the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th qualifying rounds before the 1st round proper.

[martino]

Jake wrote:

As SFC Chris said, it kicks off with the extra preliminary round. Then you have the preliminary round followed by the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th qualifying rounds before the 1st round proper.

So that means a team playing all the way from the Extra Preliminary Round to the Final would play 12(?) matches (assuming no replays).

As a bit of trivia (and I do not know the answers):

1. What is the most number of matches a team has played in one season's F A Cup? Obviously in the "old days", when players did not mind turning out a few times a week, ties went to three or four replays so a team only going a few rounds could play more games than a team getting to the Final.

2. What is the longest F A Cup tie i.e. original match plus replays?

Martin

[Maidonian]

The answer to 2. is Oxford City v Alvechurch in 1971.

http://www.thepursuitofvictory.....-city.html

[martino]

Maidonian wrote:

The answer to 2. is Oxford City v Alvechurch in 1971. http://www.thepursuitofvictory.....-city.html

Thanks for that - and only nine goals in the six matches (with four of those in the first match).

[Jake]

martino wrote:

So that means a team playing all the way from the Extra Preliminary Round to the Final would play 12(?) matches (assuming no replays).

Indeed, 6 rounds to be played just to reach the 1st round proper! As you said, throw replays into it and the road to Wembley's a fair distance.

Non-league teams also have the FA Trophy or FA Vase to compete for as well...

[Maidonian]

In recent years, non-league clubs enter the qualifying rounds at different stages. This season there were 598 teams competing in the first three rounds of the competition -

400 start in the Extra Preliminary Round (EP)
132 are exempted to the Preliminary Round (PR)
66 are exempted to the 1st Qualifying Round (Q1)

They were divided into 10 geographical zones which can loosely be labelled -

1. North-East, 2. North-West, 3. East Midlands, 4. West Midlands, 5. East, 6. Greater London, 7. Bucks/Berks/Oxon, 8. South-East, 9. South, 10. West.

Step 3 clubs enter at the 1st qualifying round
Step 2 clubs (Conference North & South) enter at the 2nd qualifying round
Step 1 clubs (Conference Premier) enter at the 4th qualifying round.

32 non-league clubs will reach the 1st round proper.

[Goonerak]

[quote="martino"]

Jake wrote:

1. What is the most number of matches a team has played in one season's F A Cup? Obviously in the "old days", when players did not mind turning out a few times a week, ties went to three or four replays so a team only going a few rounds could play more games than a team getting to the Final. Martin

I'll start the ball rolling with 11.

Arsenal played 11 games in the 1978-79 competition (thanks to 5 games v Sheffield Wednesday) and in the 1979-80 competition (4 games in the semi-final v Liverpool).

22 games in 2 seasons!

[Posh1959]

http://www.thefa.com/TheFACup/More/PastResults


use the drop down bar for past seasons

[Wullie]

sharrowblade wrote:

Fa cup 1st qualifying round Frome town 4-2 Bridport

Brilliant. I must have looked 3 or 4 times but couldn't see it. Should have gone to Specsavers. The forum at it's best. There are a hell of a lot of programmes to be collected. I doubt I'll never see half of them.

[derby1884]

Derby played 11 matches to win the Cup in 1946 (2 of those going to extra time) - but, of course, that was the only season each round was played over two legs.
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[GreatBarrWolf]

Move that on 1 to 12 - Stafford Rangers in 1974-75
1st Qual v Belper Town (A) D 0-0 - rep (H) W 4-0
2nd Qual v Macclesfield Town (H) W 3-0
3rd Qual v Burton Albion (A) D 0-0 - rep (H) W 2-0
4th Qual v Kings Lynn (A) W 3-1
1st Rd v Stockport County (A) D 0-0 - rep (H) W 1-0
2nd Rd v Halifax Town (H) W 2-1
3rd Rd v Rotherham United (H) D 0-0 - rep (A) W 2-0
4th Rd v Peterborough Utd (H) L 1-2

Anyone better that?

martino wrote:

Jake wrote: 1. What is the most number of matches a team has played in one season's F A Cup? Obviously in the "old days", when players did not mind turning out a few times a week, ties went to three or four replays so a team only going a few rounds could play more games than a team getting to the Final. Martin I'll start the ball rolling with 11. Arsenal played 11 games in the 1978-79 competition (thanks to 5 games v Sheffield Wednesday) and in the 1979-80 competition (4 games in the semi-final v Liverpool). 22 games in 2 seasons!

[DonQuixote]

73-4 Bideford played 13 games before being knocked out in the first round proper against Bristol Rovers.

On a similar theme.....

80-1 Bishop's Stortford played 13 matches - FA Trophy winners
67-8 Chesham played 17 matches - FA Amateur Cup runners-up

Also in 80-1, the FA Trophy 2nd Qualifying round tie between
Bridlington Trinity and Netherfield went to seven matches -
the most in any FA competition methinks.

I wonder if they issued for every game??