Famous FA Cup Third Round ties (and a couple that aren’t!)
In around an hour’s time, former England internationals Tony Adams and Micah Richards will both be drawing the 64 balls out of the hat for the Third Round draw of the FA Cup.
It is at this stage of the competition where the ‘big boys’ join the draw. All of the teams from the top two divisions of the English league join the winners of the Second Round.
I have listed below a few famous and historic Third Round ties. Some of them may not be immediately apparent as to why I have included them until you read on!
Worcester City 2 – 1 Liverpool 15th January 1959
Worcester City of the Southern League drew Liverpool of the Second Division in the FA Cup Third Round in 1959. Liverpool were not the big name that they were to become, Bill Shankly started the revolution at Anfield in December of 1959. Grainy footage of the game can be seen above
Hereford United 2 – 1 Newcastle United (Replay) 5th February 1972
This Third Round Replay was given extra coverage on Match of the Day and became synonymous of Cup upsets of the 1970’s. Malcolm MacDonald scored the opening goal of the game for the red-hot favourites from the First Division. MacDonald had told the press in the lead up to the game that he would score ten times against Hereford!
Ronnie Radford scored a screamer to equalise for the Southern League outfit and Ricky George scored the winner in extra-time to win the game for Hereford. Both Hereford goals were followed by a mass pitch invasion and Ronnie Radford’s goal was shown again and again over the years that followed.
Sutton United 2 – 1 Coventry City 7th January 1989
Coventry won the Cup two years prior to this Cup shock which made it all the more of a giantkilling. Goals from Sutton’s captain Tony Rains and Matthew Hanlon sent the Surrey side into the Fourth Round. They drew another First Division side in the Fourth Round in Norwich City but were resoundingly beaten 8-0 at City’s Carrow Road home.
Nottingham Forest 0 – 1 Manchester United 7th January 1990
There is nothing really famous about this tie but the consequences of United’s win at the City Ground were of greater importance. Mark Robins scored United’s winner and it has been said since that if Manchester United had lost the Third Round tie, Alex Ferguson would probably have lost his job. The whole of modern football as we know it would never have happened.
Wrexham 2 – 1 Arsenal 4th January 1992
The team who finished bottom of the Fourth Division against the team who finished top of the First. Surely nailed-on win for Arsenal? It wasn’t to be, despite Alan Smith giving Arsenal a 1-0 lead, the hosts came back with goals from veteran Mickey Thomas and Steve Watkin in the last ten minutes.
Liverpool 0 – 1 Bristol City (Replay) 25th January 1994
Bristol City won a memorable FA Cup Third Rpouind replay in 1994 with the winner from Brian Tinnion. City were wearing a rather ugly kit made up of a purple shirt and lime green shorts that night and in recent years they brought out a modern version of it as a nod to the night in 1994.
Graeme Sounness was in charge of Liverpool that night but was shown the door a few [days] later.
Aston Villa 2-1 Darlington 11th December 1999
Darlington made history by being reaching the Third Round of the FA Cup in 1999/2000 as they were drawn as a ‘lucky loser’.
Darlington lost to Gillingham in the Second Round but a separate draw was made of all the teams who lost in the Second Round with the team to be drawn replacing Manchester United in the Third Round.
Manchester United controversially dropped out of the FA Cup so that they could travel to Brazil to compete in the Club World Championships.
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