1976-77_FA_Cup
1976–77 FA Cup
Football tournament season
The 1976–77 FA Cup was the 96th staging of the world's oldest football knockout competition, The Football Association Challenge Cup, or FA Cup. The final saw Manchester United beat Liverpool 2–1.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country |  England Wales |
| Defending champions | Southampton |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Manchester United (4th title) |
| Runner-up | Liverpool |
Teams from the Football League Third and Fourth Division entered in this round plus Scarborough, Stafford Rangers, Wigan Athletic and Wimbledon were given byes. The first round of games were played on 20 November 1976. Replays were played mainly on 22–24, with some on 29 November, and 2 and 6 December.
The second round of games were mainly played on 11 December 1976, with some taking place midweek over 14–15 December and one on 20th. Replays took place on 14th or 21st. Northwich Victoria's initial match against Peterborough United on 11 December was abandoned after 20 minutes due to heavy fog with Peterborough leading 1–0.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chesterfield | 1–1 | Walsall | 11 December 1976 |
| Replay | Walsall | 0–0 | Chesterfield | 14 December 1976 |
| Replay | Chesterfield | 0–1 | Walsall | 21 December 1976 |
| 2 | Darlington | 1–0 | Sheffield Wednesday | 15 December 1976 |
| 3 | Bury | 0–0 | Shrewsbury Town | 14 December 1976 |
| Replay | Shrewsbury Town | 2–1 | Bury | 21 December 1976 |
| 4 | Grimsby Town | 0–1 | Chester | 11 December 1976 |
| 5 | Northwich Victoria | 4–0 | Peterborough United | 14 December 1976 |
| 6 | Lincoln City | 6–0 | Nuneaton Borough | 11 December 1976 |
| 7 | Wrexham | 1–1 | Goole Town | 11 December 1976 |
| Replay | Goole Town | 0–1 | Wrexham | 14 December 1976 |
| 8 | Wycombe Wanderers | 1–2 | Reading | 11 December 1976 |
| 9 | Portsmouth | 2–1 | Minehead | 11 December 1976 |
| 10 | Crystal Palace | 4–0 | Enfield | 11 December 1976 |
| 11 | Hitchin Town | 1–1 | Swindon Town | 11 December 1976 |
| Replay | Swindon Town | 3–1 | Hitchin Town | 21 December 1976 |
| 12 | Southend United | 3–0 | Newport County | 11 December 1976 |
| 13 | Mansfield Town | 2–5 | Matlock Town | 15 December 1976 |
| 14 | Port Vale | 3–0 | Barnsley | 11 December 1976 |
| 15 | Halifax Town | 1–0 | Preston North End | 14 December 1976 |
| 16 | Kettering Town | 1–0 | Tooting & Mitcham United | 11 December 1976 |
| 17 | Rotherham United | 0–0 | York City | 11 December 1976 |
| Replay | York City | 1–1 | Rotherham United | 14 December 1976 |
| Replay | Rotherham United | 2–1 | York City | 21 December 1976 |
| 18 | Colchester United | 3–2 | Brentford | 20 December 1976 |
| 19 | Leatherhead | 1–3 | Wimbledon | 14 December 1976 |
| 20 | Hillingdon Borough | 2–3 | Watford | 11 December 1976 |
Teams from the Football League First and Second Division entered in this round. The third round of games in the FA Cup were played on 8 January 1977. Replays were mainly played midweek over 10–12 January or the week after but one occurred on 24th instead.
The fourth round of games were played on 29 January 1977. Four games required a replay, played midweek on 1–2 February.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chester | 1–0 | Luton Town | 29 January 1977 |
| 2 | Liverpool | 3–0 | Carlisle United | 29 January 1977 |
| 3 | Nottingham Forest | 3–3 | Southampton | 29 January 1977 |
| Replay | Southampton | 2–1 | Nottingham Forest | 1 February 1977 |
| 4 | Blackburn Rovers | 3–0 | Orient | 29 January 1977 |
| 5 | Aston Villa | 3–0 | West Ham United | 29 January 1977 |
| 6 | Northwich Victoria | 1–3 | Oldham Athletic | 29 January 1977 |
| 7 | Middlesbrough | 4–0 | Hereford United | 29 January 1977 |
| 8 | Swindon Town | 2–2 | Everton | 29 January 1977 |
| Replay | Everton | 2–1 | Swindon Town | 1 February 1977 |
| 9 | Ipswich Town | 2–2 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 29 January 1977 |
| Replay | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1–0 | Ipswich Town | 2 February 1977 |
| 10 | Newcastle United | 1–3 | Manchester City | 29 January 1977 |
| 11 | Manchester United | 1–0 | Queens Park Rangers | 29 January 1977 |
| 12 | Cardiff City | 3–2 | Wrexham | 29 January 1977 |
| 13 | Port Vale | 2–1 | Burnley | 29 January 1977 |
| 14 | Arsenal | 3–1 | Coventry City | 29 January 1977 |
| 15 | Colchester United | 1–1 | Derby County | 29 January 1977 |
| Replay | Derby County | 1–0 | Colchester United | 2 February 1977 |
| 16 | Birmingham City | 1–2 | Leeds United | 29 January 1977 |
The fifth set of games took place on 26 February 1977. One game went to a replay which was played on 8 March. Holders Southampton were eliminated by Manchester United in a rematch of the previous final.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 3–1 | Oldham Athletic | 26 February 1977 |
| 2 | Southampton | 2–2 | Manchester United | 26 February 1977 |
| Replay | Manchester United | 2–1 | Southampton | 8 March 1977 |
| 3 | Aston Villa | 3–0 | Port Vale | 26 February 1977 |
| 4 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1–0 | Chester | 26 February 1977 |
| 5 | Middlesbrough | 4–1 | Arsenal | 26 February 1977 |
| 6 | Derby County | 3–1 | Blackburn Rovers | 26 February 1977 |
| 7 | Cardiff City | 1–2 | Everton | 26 February 1977 |
| 8 | Leeds United | 1–0 | Manchester City | 26 February 1977 |
The sixth round of FA Cup games were played on 19 March 1977. There were no replays.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 2–0 | Middlesbrough | 19 March 1977 |
| 2 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0–1 | Leeds United | 19 March 1977 |
| 3 | Everton | 2–0 | Derby County | 19 March 1977 |
| 4 | Manchester United | 2–1 | Aston Villa | 19 March 1977 |
Semi-final 1
Replay
Semi-final 2
| Manchester United | 2–1 | Leeds United |
|---|---|---|
J. Greenhoff  7' Coppell 15' |
Report | Clarke 70' (pen) |
| Manchester United | 2–1 | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| Pearson 51' J. Greenhoff 55' |
Case 53' |
      Manchester United
|
   Liverpool
|
 |
The right to show FA Cup games were, as with Football League matches, shared between the BBC and ITV network. All games were shown in a highlights format, except the Final, which was shown live both on BBC1 and ITV. The BBC football highlights programme Match of the Day would show up to three games and the various ITV regional network stations would cover up to one game and show highlights from other games covered elsewhere on the ITV network. No games from Rounds 1 or 2 were shown. Highlights of replays would be shown on either the BBC or ITV. The BBC were only able to cover one of the three planned Fifth round ties due to a cameraman strike.
Third round BBC: Southampton v Chelsea, Cardiff City v Tottenham Hotspur, Blackpool v Derby County, Derby County v Blackpool (Midweek replay) ITV: Leeds United v Norwich City (Yorkshire & Anglia), Wimbledon v Middlesbrough (LWT & Tyne-Tees), Everton v Stoke City (Granada), Leicester v Aston Villa (ATV), Chelsea v Southampton (Midweek replay All regions)
Fourth round BBC: Colchester United v Derby County, Cardiff City v Wrexham, Manchester United v Queens Park Rangers, Derby County v Colchester United (Midweek Replay) ITV: Swindon Town v Everton (HTV & Granada), Arsenal v Coventry City (LWT), Ipswich Town v Wolverhampton Wanderers (Anglia), Birmingham City v Leeds United (ATV & Yorkshire)
Fifth round BBC: Leeds United v Manchester City, Manchester United v Southampton (Midweek Replay) ITV: Southampton v Manchester United (Southern & LWT), Middlesbrough v Arsenal (Tyne-Tees & Yorkshire), Liverpool v Oldham Athletic (Granada), Aston Villa v Port Vale (ATV)
Sixth round BBC: Manchester United v Aston Villa, Everton v Derby County ITV: Liverpool v Middlesbrough (Granada & Tyne-Tees), Wolverhampton Wanderers v Leeds United (ATV & Yorkshire) All ITV regions showed these two games
Semi-finals BBC: Everton v Liverpool, Everton v Liverpool (Midweek replay) ITV: Leeds United v Manchester United Shown in all ITV regions
Final Liverpool v Manchester United Shown live by both BBC & ITV