1930–31_FA_Cup
1930–31 FA Cup
Football tournament season
The 1930–31 FA Cup was the 56th staging of the world's oldest football cup competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup. West Bromwich Albion of the Football League Second Division won the competition, beating First Division team Birmingham 2–1 in the final at Wembley, London. In doing so Albion became the first and to date only club to both win the cup and gain promotion in the same year.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | England Wales |
| Defending champions | Arsenal |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | West Bromwich Albion (3rd title) |
| Runner-up | Birmingham |
Matches were 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 at neutral venues 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.
| Round | Date |
|---|---|
| Extra preliminary round | Saturday 6 September 1930 |
| Preliminary round | Saturday 20 September 1930 |
| First qualifying round | Saturday 4 October 1930 |
| Second qualifying round | Saturday 18 October 1930 |
| Third qualifying round | Saturday 1 November 1930 |
| Fourth qualifying round | Saturday 15 November 1930 |
| First round proper | Saturday 29 November 1930 |
| Second round | Saturday 13 December 1930 |
| Third round | Saturday 10 January 1931 |
| Fourth round | Saturday 24 January 1931 |
| Fifth round | Saturday 14 February 1931 |
| Sixth round | Saturday 28 February 1931 |
| Semifinals | Saturday 14 March 1931 |
| Final | Saturday 25 April 1931 |
First round proper
At this stage clubs from the Football League Third Division North and South (except Hull City and Brighton & Hove Albion, byes to third round) joined those non-league clubs having come through the qualifying rounds. Matches were played on Saturday, 29 November 1930. Six matches were drawn, with replays taking place later the same week.
Second round proper
The matches were played on Saturday, 13 December 1930. Two matches were drawn, with replays taking place on Thursday, 18 December 1930.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date | Attendance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nelson | 1–1 | York City | 13 December 1930 | ||
| Replay | York City | 3–2 | Nelson | 18 December 1930 | ||
| 2 | Watford | 3–1 | Luton Town | 13 December 1930 | ||
| 3 | Walsall | 4–0 | Newport County | 13 December 1930 | ||
| 4 | Gillingham | 1–3 | Aldershot | 13 December 1930 | ||
| 5 | Crewe Alexandra | 2–4 | Queens Park Rangers | 13 December 1930 | ||
| 6 | Gainsborough Trinity | 0–4 | Southport | 13 December 1930 | ||
| 7 | Scarborough | 6–4 | Lincoln City | 13 December 1930 | ||
| 8 | Doncaster Rovers | 0–1 | Notts County | 13 December 1930 | ||
| 9 | Wellington Town | 2–4 | Wrexham | 13 December 1930 | ||
| 10 | Fulham | 4–0 | Halifax Town | 13 December 1930 | ||
| 11 | Accrington Stanley | 0–1 | Torquay United | 13 December 1930 | ||
| 12 | Brentford | 1–0 | Norwich City | 13 December 1930 | ||
| 13 | Bristol Rovers | 4–2 | Stockport County | 13 December 1930 | ||
| 14 | Carlisle United | 4–2 | Tunbridge Wells Rangers | 13 December 1930 | ||
| 15 | Crystal Palace | 6–0 | Newark | 13 December 1930 | ||
| 16 | Exeter City | 1–1 | Coventry City | 13 December 1930 | ||
| Replay | Coventry City | 1–2 | Exeter City | 18 December 1930 | ||
| 17 | Gateshead | 3–2 | Folkestone | 13 December 1930 |
Third round proper
The 44 First and Second Division club plus Third Division clubs Hull City and Brighton & Hove Albion and amateur club Corinthian entered the competition at this stage. The matches were scheduled to be played on Saturday, 10 January 1931, though one was postponed until later the same week. Nine matches were drawn, with replays taking place later the same week. Three matches required a second replay; these were all played on Monday, 19 January 1931.
Fourth round proper
The matches were played on Saturday, 24 January 1931. Two matches were drawn, the replays being played on Wednesday, 28 January 1931.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date | Attendance | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Birmingham City | 2–0 | Port Vale | 24 January 1931 | 39,885 | [1] |
| 2 | Bury | 1–2 | Exeter City | 24 January 1931 | ||
| 3 | Watford | 2–0 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 24 January 1931 | ||
| 4 | Blackburn Rovers | 5–1 | Bristol Rovers | 24 January 1931 | ||
| 5 | Bolton Wanderers | 1–1 | Sunderland | 24 January 1931 | 36,602 | |
| Replay | Sunderland | 3–1 | Bolton Wanderers | 28 January 1931 | 46,914 | |
| 6 | Grimsby Town | 1–0 | Manchester United | 24 January 1931 | ||
| 7 | West Bromwich Albion | 1–0 | Tottenham Hotspur | 24 January 1931 | 46,850 | |
| 8 | Sheffield United | 4–1 | Notts County | 24 January 1931 | ||
| 9 | Barnsley | 2–1 | Sheffield Wednesday | 24 January 1931 | ||
| 10 | Brentford | 0–1 | Portsmouth | 24 January 1931 | ||
| 11 | Bradford City | 0–0 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 24 January 1931 | ||
| Replay | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 4–2 | Bradford City | 28 January 1931 | ||
| 12 | Crystal Palace | 0–6 | Everton | 24 January 1931 | 38,000 | |
| 13 | Chelsea | 2–1 | Arsenal | 24 January 1931 | 62,945 | |
| 14 | Bradford Park Avenue | 2–0 | Burnley | 24 January 1931 | ||
| 15 | Southport | 2–1 | Blackpool | 24 January 1931 | ||
| 16 | Leeds United | 4–1 | Newcastle United | 24 January 1931 |
Fifth round proper
The matches were played on Saturday, 14 February 1931. No replays were necessary.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date | Attendance | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Birmingham City | 3–0 | Watford | 14 February 1931 | 49,729 | [1] |
| 2 | Sunderland | 2–1 | Sheffield United | 14 February 1931 | 63,016 | |
| 3 | Everton | 5–3 | Grimsby Town | 14 February 1931 | 65,534 | |
| 4 | Barnsley | 1–3 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 14 February 1931 | ||
| 5 | Portsmouth | 0–1 | West Bromwich Albion | 14 February 1931 | 30,981 | |
| 6 | Chelsea | 3–0 | Blackburn Rovers | 14 February 1931 | 61,170 | |
| 7 | Exeter City | 3–1 | Leeds United | 14 February 1931 | ||
| 8 | Southport | 1–0 | Bradford Park Avenue | 14 February 1931 |
Sixth round proper
Replays
Semifinals
Final
The final took place on Saturday, 25 April 1931 at Wembley and ended in a victory for West Bromwich Albion by 2–1, with goals scored by "Ginger" Richardson for West Bromwich Albion and Joe Bradford for Birmingham. The attendance was 92,406.
| West Bromwich Albion | 2 – 1 | Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
W. G. Richardson  25' 58' |
[5] | Bradford 57' |
      West Bromwich Albion
|
 Birmingham City
|
- Attendances at Birmingham matches from Matthews, Tony (1995). Birmingham City: A Complete Record. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 173. ISBN 978-1-85983-010-9.
- Match played at Villa Park, Birmingham.
- Match played at Stamford Bridge, London.
- "FA Cup Final 1931". fa-cupfinals.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2008-05-21. Retrieved 2008-05-16.
- The FA Cup Archive at TheFA.com
- English FA Cup 1930–31 at Soccerbase