FA Cup 3rd Round 5 Greatest Round Shocks
FA Cup third-round weekend is one of the highlights of any football season.
Dreams of Wembley glory are burning at their brightest as the 44 clubs from the top two divisions on the English pyramid enter the fray on the first or second weekend of January each year.
While for those from the lower leagues who have made it this far, the chance to knock a big name off their perch or set up a money-spinning fourth-round tie is more than enough incentive.
Below we have documented five of the biggest third-round upsets in the FA Cup’s long and illustrious history.
1972 – Hereford United 2 Newcastle 1
Few third-round upsets evoke such nostalgia as non-league Hereford United’s success over Newcastle in 1972.
The Bulls, who plied their trade in the Southern Football League, had drawn 2-2 with the First Division Magpies at St James’ Park in their initial FA cup 3rd round tie to set up a replay at Edgar Street.
It was standing room only at Hereford’s home ground for the pair’s second meeting on a pitch that quickly became a mudbath.
It took until the 82nd minute for the game’s first goal as Malcom Macdonald gave Newcastle the lead, but Hereford were level only three minutes later courtesy of Ronnie Radford’s iconic long-range equaliser, sparking a pitch invasion from the home fans.
That sent the game into extra-time and Bulls substitute Ricky George had the final say, firing a low shot past Willie McFaul to send Edgar Street into pandemonium once more.
1989 – Sutton United 2 Coventry 1
FA Cup winners in 1987, Coventry headed to Surrey to take on non-league Sutton United in the third round 18 months later.
The hosts, dismissed as 5,000-1 shots to lift the Cup before the tie, took the lead three minutes before half-time as Tony Rains nodded home a corner in front of an 8,000-strong crowd at Gander Green Lane.
David Phillips restored parity for Coventry soon after the break, but the top-tier Sky Blues again found themselves a goal down on the hour mark thanks to Matt Hanlan’s excellent volley.
Coventry pushed for an equaliser in the final half-hour, forcing two goalline clearances, but they could not find a way through as Sutton held firm to record “one of the greatest FA Cup giant-killing acts of all time”, according to the Times.
1992 – Wrexham 2 Arsenal 1
Arsenal arrived at Wrexham’s Racecourse Ground in 1992 as champions of England, whereas their hosts were a fourth-tier outfit whose team largely consisted of youth graduates.
Alan Smith gave the Gunners the lead just before the break but they were made to pay for some missed opportunities as Wrexham grew into the game after the interval.
Wrexham captain Mickey Thomas, by now a 37-year-old veteran, arrowed a free-kick from 25 yards out past keeper David Seaman and the turnaround was complete only two minutes later as 20-year-old Steve Watkin scored from close range.
2003 – Shrewsbury 2 Everton 1
Everton were a club going places under David Moyes at the start of the millennium but they were bundled out of the cup at the first hurdle in 2003 by a Shrewsbury side 80 places below them on the pyramid.
Toffees stalwart Kevin Ratcliffe was the architect of his former club’s downfall as a double from Nigel Jemson, who headed home an 88th-minute winner for the Shrews at Gay Meadow, sent the Third Division club into the fourth round.
2010 – Manchester United 0 Leeds 1
Leeds had slipped from the Champions League semi-finals to the depths of League One in under nine years when they were pitted against rivals Manchester United in the FA cup 3rd round in 2010.
Few gave the Yorkshiremen much hope at Old Trafford but, backed by a travelling support of around 9,000, Jermaine Beckford’s first-half strike stunned a Red Devils side featuring stars such as Nemanja Vidic, Gary Neville, Dimitar Berbatov and Wayne Rooney.
Please note that the information provided in this article about FA cup 3rd round shockers is for entertainment purposes only. We do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information provided. Any action you take upon the information on this article is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any losses and damages in connection with the use of our article. We do not encourage gambling and remind you to gamble responsibly.
18+ | BeGambleAware.org
Supercharge your bets with kwiff.
