1969 FA Cup

Lore & Background

Matches were scheduled to be played at the stadium of the team named first on the date specified for each round, which was always a Saturday. Some matches, however, might be rescheduled for other days if there were clashes with games for other competitions or the weather was inclement. 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 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.

In Their Own Story

The floodlights at Wembley hummed with a low, electric buzz as the two teams lined up in the May evening. Newcastle's black-and-white stripes stood out against the green, and Bobby Robson's voice was barely audible above the roar of the crowd as he reminded his lads, "We've earned this. Now finish it." The first half was a war of inches — boots cracking into turf, shoulders driving into shoulders, the ball flicking off the crossbar and bouncing back into the arms of the keeper. When the scoreline read 1-1 and the referee's whistle sent them into extra time, the air in the stadium turned thick, almost liquid. Then came the penalties. Each step up was a small eternity. The thud of the boot, the swish of the net, the collective gasp of forty thousand people. And when the final kick sailed past the keeper and into the top corner, the roar that followed shook the stands. A player in black and white was lifted onto shoulders, the FA Cup gleaming in the floodlight, and somewhere in the crowd a man in a flat cap wept openly, smiling, as if he'd been waiting fifteen years for exactly this moment. He had.

Reader's Guide

The competition began with qualifying rounds for non-league clubs. The first round proper included 48 Football League Third and Fourth Division clubs and 30 non-league qualifiers, plus two byes for North Shields and Sutton United. The second round proper was scheduled for 6 December 1969. The third round proper saw the entry of 44 First and Second Division clubs. The fourth round proper was scheduled for 24 January 1970. The fifth round proper was scheduled for 7 February 1970. The sixth round proper (quarter-finals) was played on 21 February 1970. The semi-finals were played on 14 March 1970. The final was played on 11 April 1970 at Wembley, with a replay on 29 April 1970 at Old Trafford.

Did You Know?

• Chelsea won the FA Cup for the first time in 1969–70.
• The final replay was held at Old Trafford, Manchester.
• George Best scored 6 goals for Manchester United in their 8–2 win against Northampton Town in the fifth round.
• The semi-final between Manchester United and Leeds United needed two replays and 219 minutes to produce a goal.
• Between 1970 and 1974, a third place playoff between the two losing semi-finalists was held.