1996–97_FA_Cup
1996–97 FA Cup
Football tournament season
The 1996–97 FA Cup (known as The FA Cup sponsored by Littlewoods for sponsorship reasons) was the 116th season of the FA Cup. The tournament started in August 1996 for clubs from non-league football and the competition proper started in October 1996 for teams from the Premier League and the Football League.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country |  England Wales |
| Defending champions | Manchester United |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Chelsea (2nd title) |
| Runner-up | Middlesbrough |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Top goal scorer(s) | Ken Charlery Duane Darby Bryan Hughes Fabrizio Ravanelli (6 goals) |
Premier League side Manchester United were the defending champions, but were eliminated in the fourth round by Wimbledon.
The tournament was won by Chelsea with a 2–0 victory over Middlesbrough in the final at Wembley stadium.
| Round | Initial Matches | New Entries | Clubs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary round | Saturday 31 August 1996 | 340 | 574 → 404 |
| First round qualifying | Saturday 14 September 1996 | 118 | 404 → 260 |
| Second round qualifying | Saturday 28 September 1996 | none | 260 → 188 |
| Third round qualifying | Saturday 12 October 1996 | none | 188 → 152 |
| Fourth round qualifying | Saturday 26 October 1996 | 20 | 152 → 124 |
| First round proper | Saturday 16 November 1996 | 52 | 124 → 84 |
| Second round proper | Saturday 7 December 1996 | none | 84 → 64 |
| Third round proper | Saturday 4 January 1997 | 44 | 64 → 32 |
| Fourth round proper | Saturday 25 January 1997 | none | 32 → 16 |
| Fifth round proper | Saturday 15 February 1997 | none | 16 → 8 |
| Sixth round proper | Saturday 8 March 1997 | none | 8 → 4 |
| Semi-finals | Sunday 13 April 1997 | none | 4 → 2 |
| Final | Saturday 17 May 1997 | none | 2 → 1 |
Teams from the Football League Second and Third Division entered in this round plus four non-league teams were given byes to this round: Macclesfield Town, Northwich Victoria, Woking and Enfield. The matches were played on 16 November 1996. There were thirteen replays, with two ties requiring a penalty shootout to settle them.
The second round of the competition featured the winners of the first round ties. The matches were played on 7 December 1996, with four replays and one penalty shootout required.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Enfield | 1–1 | Peterborough United | 7 December 1996 |
| Replay | Peterborough United | 4–1 | Enfield | 17 December 1996 |
| 2 | Blackpool | 0–1 | Hednesford Town | 7 December 1996 |
| 3 | Chester City | 1–0 | Boston United | 7 December 1996 |
| 4 | Chesterfield | 2–0 | Scarborough | 7 December 1996 |
| 5 | Barnet | 3–3 | Wycombe Wanderers | 7 December 1996 |
| Replay | Wycombe Wanderers | 3–2 | Barnet | 17 December 1996 |
| 6 | Bristol City | 9–2 | St Albans City | 7 December 1996 |
| 7 | Preston North End | 2–3 | York City | 7 December 1996 |
| 8 | Watford | 5–0 | Ashford Town | 7 December 1996 |
| 9 | Walsall | 1–1 | Burnley | 7 December 1996 |
| Replay | Burnley | 1–1 | Walsall | 23 December 1996 |
| Burnley won 4–2 on penalties | ||||
| 10 | Notts County | 3–1 | Rochdale | 7 December 1996 |
| 11 | Luton Town | 2–1 | Boreham Wood | 7 December 1996 |
| 12 | Wrexham | 2–2 | Scunthorpe United | 7 December 1996 |
| Replay | Scunthorpe United | 2–3 | Wrexham | 17 December 1996 |
| 13 | Plymouth Argyle | 4–1 | Exeter City | 6 December 1996 |
| 14 | Hull City | 1–5 | Crewe Alexandra | 7 December 1996 |
| 15 | Carlisle United | 1–0 | Darlington | 7 December 1996 |
| 16 | Mansfield Town | 0–3 | Stockport County | 7 December 1996 |
| 17 | Cardiff City | 0–2 | Gillingham | 7 December 1996 |
| 18 | Leyton Orient | 1–2 | Stevenage Borough | 7 December 1996 |
| 19 | Sudbury Town | 1–3 | Brentford | 7 December 1996 |
| 20 | Cambridge United | 0–2 | Woking | 7 December 1996 |
The third round of the season's FA Cup was scheduled for Saturday, 4 January 1997, although fourteen matches were postponed until later dates. This round marked the point at which the teams in the two highest divisions in the English league system, the Premier League and the Football League First Division (now known as the Football League Championship). There were nine replays, with none of these games requiring a penalty shootout to settle it.
The fourth round ties were played with the thirty-two winners of the previous round. The matches were originally scheduled for Saturday, 25 January 1997, although six matches were not played that weekend. There was only one replay.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leicester City | 2–1 | Norwich City | 25 January 1997 |
| 2 | Blackburn Rovers | 1–2 | Coventry City | 15 February 1997 |
| 3 | Bolton Wanderers | 2–3 | Chesterfield | 4 February 1997 |
| 4 | Hednesford Town | 2–3 | Middlesbrough | 25 January 1997 |
| 5 | Derby County | 3–1 | Aston Villa | 25 January 1997 |
| 6 | Everton | 2–3 | Bradford City | 25 January 1997 |
| 7 | Newcastle United | 1–2 | Nottingham Forest | 26 January 1997 |
| 8 | Manchester City | 3–1 | Watford | 5 February 1997 |
| 9 | Queens Park Rangers | 3–2 | Barnsley | 25 January 1997 |
| 10 | Portsmouth | 3–0 | Reading | 25 January 1997 |
| 11 | Manchester United | 1–1 | Wimbledon | 25 January 1997 |
| Replay | Wimbledon | 1–0 | Manchester United | 4 February 1997 |
| 12 | Carlisle United | 0–2 | Sheffield Wednesday | 25 January 1997 |
| 13 | Chelsea | 4–2 | Liverpool | 26 January 1997 |
| 14 | Arsenal | 0–1 | Leeds United | 4 February 1997 |
| 15 | Peterborough United | 2–4 | Wrexham | 4 February 1997 |
| 16 | Birmingham City | 3–1 | Stockport County | 25 January 1997 |
The fifth-round matches were scheduled for Saturday, 15 February 1997. There was, again, only one replay.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chesterfield | 1–0 | Nottingham Forest | 15 February 1997 |
| 2 | Leicester City | 2–2 | Chelsea | 16 February 1997 |
| Replay | Chelsea | 1–0 | Leicester City | 26 February 1997 |
| 3 | Derby County | 3–2 | Coventry City | 26 February 1997 |
| 4 | Manchester City | 0–1 | Middlesbrough | 15 February 1997 |
| 5 | Bradford City | 0–1 | Sheffield Wednesday | 16 February 1997 |
| 6 | Wimbledon | 2–1 | Queens Park Rangers | 15 February 1997 |
| 7 | Leeds United | 2–3 | Portsmouth | 15 February 1997 |
| 8 | Birmingham City | 1–3 | Wrexham | 15 February 1997 |
The sixth round ties were scheduled for the weekend of 8–9 March. No replays were required.
Chesterfield defeated Wrexham 1–0 in a rare "all third-tier" quarter-final clash, while Middlesbrough's 2–0 win at Derby County moved them a step closer to their first-ever FA Cup final.
| Sheffield Wednesday | 0–2 | Wimbledon |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Earle  74' Holdsworth 90+1' |
| Derby County | 0–2 | Middlesbrough |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Juninho 39' Ravanelli 90' |
The semi-final ties were played at neutral venues on 13 April 1997. Middlesbrough and Chelsea came through their ties (with Middlesbrough requiring a replay against second division side Chesterfield) to reach the final.
Wimbledon, playing the semi-finals for the first time since they were FA Cup winners nine years earlier, had their hopes of FA Cup glory ended by a semi-final defeat at the hands of Chelsea. This came just weeks after Wimbledon had been eliminated from the League Cup semi-finals.
Middlesbrough, on the other hand, reached the FA Cup final for the first time in their history, but only after a 3–0 replay win over a Chesterfield side that had given them a serious run for their money in the first match. Chesterfield narrowly missed out on becoming the first third-tier side to reach the FA Cup final after an exciting match ended in a 3–3 draw. The Spireites took a 2–0 lead in the second half and had a goal controversially ruled out despite the ball appearing to cross the line (video evidence is inconclusive), which would have seen them go 3–1 up.[1]
| Middlesbrough | 3–3 | Chesterfield |
|---|---|---|
| Ravanelli 64' Hignett 70' (pen.)Festa 100' |
Report | Morris 54' Dyche 60' (pen.)Hewitt 119' |
- Replay
| Chesterfield | 0–3 | Middlesbrough |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Beck 12' Ravanelli 57'Emerson 89' |
The 1997 FA Cup Final took place on 17 May 1997 at Wembley Stadium. Chelsea were attempting to win the FA Cup for the first time in 27 years, while Middlesbrough were contesting their first ever FA Cup final, having only just competed in their first ever League Cup final one month earlier.[2] Chelsea took to the field on the back of something of a renaissance under Dutch manager Ruud Gullit, having recorded their best league finish for a decade. Middlesbrough, on the other hand, began the final having been relegated from the Premier League and had also been losing finalists in the League Cup.
Chelsea beat Middlesbrough 2–0, with Roberto Di Matteo scoring the fastest goal in FA Cup Final history, 43 seconds after kick-off. This beat Jackie Milburn's record from the 1955 FA Cup Final, who scored after 45 seconds. Di Matteo's record was then beaten in 2009 (coincidentally against Chelsea) by Everton's Louis Saha (27.9 seconds). Eddie Newton scored the Blues' second goal in the 83rd minute to clinch the match and give Chelsea their first major trophy in 26 years.
For the ninth consecutive season in the United Kingdom, the BBC were the free to air broadcasters which was their last before ITV took over while Sky Sports were the subscription broadcasters.[citation needed]
The matches shown live on the BBC were:
• Manchester United 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur (R3)
• Leicester City 2-2 Chelsea (R5)
• Sheffield Wednesday 0-2 Wimbledon (QF)
• Chelsea 2-0 Middlesbrough (Final)
The matches shown live on Sky Sports were:
• Northampton Town 0-1 Watford (R1)
• Millwall 0-1 Woking (R1 Replay)
• Plymouth Argyle 4-1 Exeter City (R2)
• Cardiff City 0-2 Gillingham (R2)
• Wycombe Wanderers 3-2 Barnet (R2 Replay)
• Charlton Athletic 1-1 Newcastle United (R3)
• Sunderland 0-2 Arsenal (R3 Replay)
• Newcastle United 1-2 Nottingham Forest (R4)
• Wimbledon 1-0 Manchester United (R4 Replay)
• Bradford City 0-1 Sheffield Wednesday (R5)
• Chelsea 1-0 Leicester City (R5 Replay)
• Portsmouth 1-4 Chelsea (QF)
• Middlesbrough 3-3 Chesterfield (SF)
• Chesterfield 0-3 Middlesbrough (SF Replay)
- Hafez, Shamoon (13 April 2020). "FA Cup: Chesterfield 3-3 Middlesbrough - when Spireites almost made history". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
- Broome, David (4 April 2021). "This Week in Middlesbrough history: Wembley, Leicester, Pontus Kamark - so, so close". Teesside Live. Retrieved 28 January 2023.