| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | England Wales |
| Defending champions | Aston Villa |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Bolton Wanderers (4th title) |
| Runners-up | Manchester United |
The1957–58 FA Cup was the 77th staging of the world's oldestfootballcup competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as theFA Cup.Bolton Wanderers won the competition for the fourth time, beatingManchester United 2–0 inthe final atWembley. The competition is notable for the exploits of Manchester United following the loss of much of their team in theMunich air disaster on 6 February 1958. They came through three rounds following the accident, before being beaten by Bolton in the final.
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 ofextra time would be played.
| Round | Date |
|---|---|
| Preliminary round | Saturday 7 September 1957 |
| First qualifying round | Saturday 21 September 1957 |
| Second qualifying round | Saturday 5 October 1957 |
| Third qualifying round | Saturday 19 October 1957 |
| Fourth qualifying round | Saturday 2 November 1957 |
| First round proper | Saturday 16 November 1957 |
| Second round | Saturday 7 December 1957 |
| Third round | Saturday 4 January 1958 |
| Fourth round | Saturday 25 January 1958 |
| Fifth round | Saturday 15 February 1958 |
| Sixth round | Saturday 1 March 1958 |
| Semi finals | Saturday 22 March 1958 |
| Final | Saturday 3 May 1958 |
Most participating clubs that were not members of theFootball League competed in the qualifying rounds to secure one of 30 places available in the first round.
The winners from the fourth qualifying round wereSouth Shields,Crook Town,Durham City,Billingham Synthonia,Scarborough,Rhyl,Prescot Cables,Wigan Athletic,Oswestry Town,Hereford United,Worcester City,Boston United,Witton Albion,Goole Town,Frickley Colliery,Spalding United,Peterborough United,Wisbech Town,Gorleston,Clapton,Guildford City,Walthamstow Avenue,Margate,Redhill,Walton & Hersham,Newport (IOW),Trowbridge Town,Bath City,Dorchester Town andYeovil Town.
Those appearing in the competition proper for the first time were Prescot Cables, Spalding United, Redhill and Walton & Hersham. Of the others, Clapton and Oswestry Town had last featured at this stage in1926-27, Frickley Colliery in1936–37, Wisbech Town in1945-46 and Trowbridge Town in1947-48.
Wisbech Town also participated in seven rounds of this season's tournament, progressing from the preliminary round to the second round proper. They defeatedNewmarket Town,Chatteris Town,King's Lynn,March Town United,Hounslow Town andColchester United before going out toReading atElm Park.
At this stage the 48 clubs from theFootball League Third Division North andSouth joined the 30non-league clubs who came through the qualifying rounds. To complete this round,Bishop Auckland andWycombe Wanderers were given byes as the champions and runners-up from the previous season'sFA Amateur Cup.
Matches were scheduled to be played on Saturday, 16 November 1957. Five were drawn and went to replays, with one of these going to a second replay.
The matches were scheduled for Saturday, 7 December 1957. Seven matches were drawn, with replays taking place later the same week.
The 44First andSecond Division clubs entered the competition at this stage. The matches were scheduled for Saturday, 4 January 1958, although the York City–Birmingham City match was postponed until the following midweek fixture. Six matches were drawn and went to replays, with one of these requiring a second replay.
Leeds United andCardiff City were meeting in this round atElland Road for the third consecutive year, with the Welsh club winning each of the matches by the same 2-1 scoreline.Hereford United andYeovil Town were the last non-League sides left in the competition.
The matches were scheduled for Saturday, 25 January 1958, with two matches taking place on later dates. Five matches were drawn and went to replays, which were all played in the following midweek match.
The matches were scheduled for Saturday, 15 February 1958. Two matches went to replays in the following mid-week. This round is notable as containing Manchester United's first game following theMunich air disaster on 6 February 1958, and, with United struggling to put a team together to play, this match was postponed by four days. In a highly emotional game for both the players and the fans, United beatSheffield Wednesday 3–0 to go through to the next round.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bristol City | 3–4 | Bristol Rovers | 15 February 1958 | 40,000 | |
| 2 | Bolton Wanderers | 3–1 | Stoke City | 15 February 1958 | 56,667 | |
| 3 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 6–1 | Darlington | 15 February 1958 | 55,778 | |
| 4 | Sheffield United | 1–1 | West Bromwich Albion | 15 February 1958 | 55,847 | |
| Replay | West Bromwich Albion | 4–1 | Sheffield United | 19 February 1958 | 57,503 | |
| 5 | West Ham United | 2–3 | Fulham | 15 February 1958 | ||
| 6 | Manchester United | 3–0 | Sheffield Wednesday | 19 February 1958 | 59,848 | |
| 7 | Scunthorpe & Lindsey United | 0–1 | Liverpool | 15 February 1958 | 23,000 | |
| 8 | Cardiff City | 0–0 | Blackburn Rovers | 15 February 1958 | ||
| Replay | Blackburn Rovers | 2–1 | Cardiff City | 20 February 1958 |
The four quarter-final ties were scheduled to be played on Saturday, 1 March 1958. The West Bromwich Albion–Manchester United game went to a replay before United went through.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blackburn Rovers | 2–1 | Liverpool | 1 March 1958 | 51,000 | |
| 2 | Bolton Wanderers | 2–1 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1 March 1958 | 56,283 | |
| 3 | West Bromwich Albion | 2–2 | Manchester United | 1 March 1958 | 58,574 | |
| Replay | Manchester United | 1–0 | West Bromwich Albion | 5 March 1958 | 66,000 | |
| 4 | Fulham | 3–1 | Bristol Rovers | 1 March 1958 |
The semi-final matches were played on Saturday, 22 March 1958, with the Manchester United–Fulham match replaying on the 26th. Bolton Wanderers and Manchester United won their ties to meet in the final at Wembley.
| Bolton Wanderers | 2–1 | Blackburn Rovers |
|---|---|---|
| Manchester United | 2–2 | Fulham |
|---|---|---|
The FA Cup final took place on 3 May 1958 atWembley Stadium and was won by Bolton Wanderers, beating Manchester United 2–0. United had been devastated by the Munich air disaster, but still won through three rounds of the cup following the incident, before meeting Bolton in the final.
| Bolton Wanderers | 2–0 | Manchester United |
|---|---|---|
| Lofthouse | Report |
![]() Bolton Wanderers | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Manchester United |