 Chelsea parading their sixth FA Cup title | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | England Wales |
| Teams | 762 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Chelsea F.C.(6th title) |
| Runners-up | Portsmouth |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Top goal scorer | John Carew (6 goals) |
The2009–10 FA Cup (known asThe FA Cup sponsored byE.ON for sponsorship reasons) was the 129th season of the world's oldestfootball knockout competition; theFA Cup. As in the previous year, 762 clubs were accepted for the competition.[1] One club,Newcastle Blue Star, folded before the fixtures were released. As they were scheduled to enter the competition in the first round qualifying, their opponents in this round received a walkover.
The competition commenced on 15 August 2009 with theExtra preliminary round and concluded on 15 May 2010 with theFinal, held atWembley Stadium. The final was contested by2009 winnersChelsea and2008 winnersPortsmouth. Originally, the winners were to qualify for theplay-off round of the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League. However, as Chelsea won the2009–10 Premier League (and did not need the FA Cup winners' berth), and Portsmouth failed to apply for a UEFA licence for the 2010–11 season in time (making them ineligible to compete in UEFA competitions), the berth was given toLiverpool, the seventh-placed team in the Premier League. Chelsea won 1–0 in the final to retain the trophy.
The calendar for the 2009–10 FA Cup, as announced byThe Football Association:[2]
| Round | Main date | Number of fixtures | Clubs | New entries this round | Prize money[3] | Player of the Round |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extra preliminary round | 15 August 2009 | 203 | 762 → 559 | 406: 357th–762nd | £750 | |
| Preliminary round | 29 August 2009 | 167 | 559 → 392 | 131: 226th–356th | £1,500 | |
| First round qualifying | 12 September 2009 | 116 | 392 → 276 | 65: 161st–225th | £3,000 | Bobby Traynor (Kingstonian)[4] |
| Second round qualifying | 26 September 2009 | 80 | 276 → 196 | 44: 117th–160th | £4,500 | Mark Danks (Northwich Victoria)[5] |
| Third round qualifying | 10 October 2009 | 40 | 196 → 156 | none | £7,500 | Adam Webster (Hinckley United)[6] |
| Fourth round qualifying | 24 October 2009 | 32 | 156 → 124 | 24: 93rd–116th | £12,500 | Danny Kedwell (AFC Wimbledon)[7] |
| First round proper | 7 November 2009 | 40 | 124 → 84 | 48: 45th–92nd | £18,000 | Richard Brodie (York City)[8] |
| Second round proper | 28 November 2009 | 20 | 84 → 64 | none | £27,000 | |
| Third round proper | 2 January 2010 | 32 | 64 → 32 | 44: 1st–44th | £67,500 | Jermaine Beckford (Leeds United)[10] |
| Fourth round proper | 23 January 2010 | 16 | 32 → 16 | none | £90,000 | Jermaine Beckford (Leeds United)[11] |
| Fifth round proper | 13 February 2010 | 8 | 16 → 8 | none | £180,000 | Gareth Bale (Tottenham Hotspur)[12] |
| Sixth round proper | 6 March 2010 | 4 | 8 → 4 | none | £360,000 | Frédéric Piquionne (Portsmouth)[13] |
| Semi-finals | 10–11 April 2010 | 2 | 4 → 2 | none | Winners: £900,000 Losers: £450,000 | Didier Drogba (Chelsea)[14] |
| Final | 15 May 2010 | 1 | 2 → 1 | none | Winner: £1,800,000 Loser: £900,000 |
All teams that entered the competition, but were not members of thePremier League orThe Football League, had to compete in the qualifying rounds to secure one of 32 places available in the first round proper.
The winners from the fourth qualifying round wereHinckley United,Nuneaton Town,Wrexham,Gateshead,Rushden & Diamonds,Mansfield Town,Stourbridge,AFC Telford United,Ilkeston Town,Cambridge United,Kettering Town,Northwich Victoria,Barrow,Fleetwood Town,York City,Woking,Lowestoft Town,Salisbury City,AFC Wimbledon,Forest Green Rovers,Oxford City,Bromley,Stevenage Borough,Wealdstone,Eastleigh,Staines Town,Luton Town,Oxford United,Bath City,Paulton Rovers,Tooting & Mitcham United andSutton United.
Stourbridge, Eastleigh and Paulton Rovers were appearing in the competition proper for the first time. Of the others, Gateshead and Ilkeston Town had last featured at this stage in2000–01, Oxford City had last done so in1999-2000, Wealdstone had last done so in1986-87 and Lowestoft Town and Tooting & Mitcham United had last done so in1977-78.
Teams from LeaguesOne andTwo entered at this stage, along with the 32 non-league clubs from the qualifying rounds. The draw was made on 25 October 2009 with ties played in the week beginning 6 November 2009.
Lowestoft Town andPaulton Rovers of theeighth tier were the lowest ranked teams left in the competition at this stage, but both failed to make it through to the second round.
The matches took place on 28 and 29 November 2009 and involved the 40 winning teams from the previous round.
Bath City andStaines Town from theConference South, andNorthwich Victoria from theConference North (6th tier) were the lowest ranked teams left at this stage, but none made it through to the third round.
|
|
† – Afterextra time
The draw was held on Sunday 29 November 2009 at Wembley Stadium.Premier League andFootball League Championship teams entered at this stage, joining the winners from the previous round and completing the entrants. The majority of fixtures took place on 2 and 3 January 2010, withsnow postponing several matches until mid-January.
Barrow,Forest Green Rovers,Luton Town andYork City from theConference National (5th tier) were the only non-league teams left at this stage, but none made it through to the fourth round.
Manchester United were knocked out in the third round for the first time since they lost toAFC Bournemouth in1984, when they lost to third-tierrivalsLeeds United. It was also Manchester United's first defeat to a lower league side since defeat at Bournemouth. They were joined byrivals and fellow 'Big Four' clubLiverpool, who lost athome to second-flightReading in a replay.
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
† – Afterextra time
The draw was held on Sunday 3 January 2010 at Wembley Stadium. Fixtures took place over the weekend of 23 and 24 January 2010.[15]
Accrington Stanley andNotts County fromLeague Two (4th tier) were the lowest ranked teams left at this stage; Accrington Stanley did not proceed further, whilst Notts County defeatedWigan Athletic in a replay at theDW Stadium.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southampton (3) | 2–1 | Ipswich Town (2) | 20,446 |
| 2 | Reading (2) | 1–0 | Burnley (1) | 12,910 |
| 3 | Derby County (2) | 1–0 | Doncaster Rovers (2) | 11,316 |
| 4 | Cardiff City (2) | 4–2 | Leicester City (2) | 10,961 |
| 5 | Stoke City (1) | 3–1 | Arsenal (1) | 19,735 |
| 6 | Notts County (4) | 2–2 | Wigan Athletic (1) | 9,073 |
| replay | Wigan Athletic (1) | 0–2 | Notts County (4) | 5,519 |
| 7 | Scunthorpe United (2) | 2–4 | Manchester City (1) | 8,861 |
| 8 | West Bromwich Albion (2) | 4–2 | Newcastle United (2) | 16,102 |
| 9 | Everton (1) | 1–2 | Birmingham City (1) | 30,875 |
| 10 | Accrington Stanley (4) | 1–3 | Fulham (1) | 3,712 |
| 11 | Bolton Wanderers (1) | 2–0 | Sheffield United (2) | 14,572 |
| 12 | Portsmouth (1) | 2–1 | Sunderland (1) | 10,315 |
| 13 | Preston North End (2) | 0–2 | Chelsea (1) | 23,119 |
| 14 | Aston Villa (1) | 3–2 | Brighton & Hove Albion (3) | 39,725 |
| 15 | Wolverhampton Wanderers (1) | 2–2 | Crystal Palace (2) | 14,449 |
| replay | Crystal Palace (2) | 3–1 | Wolverhampton Wanderers (1) | 10,282 |
| 16 | Tottenham Hotspur (1) | 2–2 | Leeds United (3) | 35,750 |
| replay | Leeds United (3) | 1–3 | Tottenham Hotspur (1) | 37,704 |
The draw was conducted byGeoff Thomas and Stephanie MooreMBE on Sunday 24 January 2010 at Wembley Stadium. Fixtures took place over the weekend of 13 and 14 February 2010.[16]Notts County from theFootball League Two (4th tier) were the lowest-ranked team left at this stage, but they went out 4–0 to Premier League side Fulham.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crystal Palace (2) | 2–2 | Aston Villa (1) | 20,486 |
| replay | Aston Villa (1) | 3–1 | Crystal Palace (2) | 31,874 |
| 2 | Manchester City (1) | 1–1 | Stoke City (1) | 28,019 |
| replay | Stoke City (1) | 3–1† | Manchester City (1) | 21,813 |
| 3 | Derby County (2) | 1–2 | Birmingham City (1) | 21,043 |
| 4 | Bolton Wanderers (1) | 1–1 | Tottenham Hotspur (1) | 13,596 |
| replay | Tottenham Hotspur (1) | 4–0 | Bolton Wanderers (1) | 31,436 |
| 5 | Chelsea (1) | 4–1 | Cardiff City (2) | 40,827 |
| 6 | Fulham (1) | 4–0 | Notts County (4) | 16,132 |
| 7 | Reading (2) | 2–2 | West Bromwich Albion (2) | 18,008 |
| replay | West Bromwich Albion (2) | 2–3† | Reading (2) | 13,985 |
| 8 | Southampton (3) | 1–4 | Portsmouth (1) | 31,385 |
† – Afterextra time
The draw was conducted by former England strikerLuther Blissett and TV presenterTim Lovejoy on 14 February 2010 at Football Association headquarters at Wembley Stadium. Fixtures took place over the weekend of 6 and 7 March 2010.[17]Reading from theChampionship (2nd tier) were the lowest ranked team left at this stage.
| 7 March 2010 | Chelsea (1) | 2–0 | Stoke City (1) | Stamford Bridge,London |
| 16:00 | Lampard 35'Terry 67' | Report | Attendance: 41,322 Referee:Martin Atkinson (West Yorkshire) |
| 6 March 2010 | Fulham (1) | 0–0 | Tottenham Hotspur (1) | Craven Cottage,London |
| 17:20 | Report | Attendance: 24,533 Referee:Mark Clattenburg (County Durham) |
| 24 March 2010Replay | Tottenham Hotspur (1) | 3–1 | Fulham (1) | White Hart Lane,London |
| 19:45 | Bentley 47' Pavlyuchenko 60'Guðjohnsen 66' | Report | Zamora 17' | Attendance: 35,432 Referee:Martin Atkinson (West Yorkshire) |
| 7 March 2010 | Reading (2) | 2–4 | Aston Villa (1) | Madejski Stadium,Reading |
| 13:45 | Long 27',42' | Report | A. Young 47' Carew 51',57',90+3' (pen.) | Attendance: 23,175 Referee:Mike Dean (Cheshire) |
| 6 March 2010 | Portsmouth (1) | 2–0 | Birmingham City (1) | Fratton Park,Portsmouth |
| 12:30 | Piquionne 67',70' | Report | Attendance: 20,456 Referee:Steve Bennett (Kent) |
The draw was conducted byDavid Ginola andJason Cundy at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, 7 March 2010.[18] Both matches took place at Wembley Stadium over the weekend of 10 and 11 April.[19]
| 10 April 2010 | Aston Villa (1) | 0–3 | Chelsea (1) | Wembley Stadium,London |
| 17:00 | Report | Attendance: 81,869 Referee:Howard Webb (South Yorkshire) |
| 11 April 2010 | Tottenham Hotspur (1) | 0–2 (a.e.t.) | Portsmouth (1) | Wembley Stadium,London |
| 16:00 | Report | Attendance: 84,602 Referee:Alan Wiley (Staffordshire) |
The final was played on 15 May 2010 atWembley Stadium,London
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  John Carew | Aston Villa | 6 |
| 2 |  Jermaine Beckford | Leeds United | 5 |
| Jermain Defoe | Tottenham Hotspur | ||
| 4 |  Ricardo Fuller | Stoke City | 4 |
 Chris Martin | Norwich City | ||
 Roman Pavlyuchenko | Tottenham Hotspur | ||
| Daniel Sturridge | Chelsea |
In the United Kingdom,ITV were the sole network broadcasters for the season as subscription broadcastersSetanta Sports enteredadministration and ceased operations before the start of the season.S4C broadcast in Wales,The Football Association streamed select games live on its website for free.
The matches shown live onITV were:
•Paulton Rovers 0–7Norwich City (R1)
•Northwich Victoria 1–0Charlton Athletic (R1)
•Rochdale 0–2Luton Town (R1 Replay)
•Northwich Victoria 1–3Lincoln City (R2)
•Kettering Town 1–1Leeds United (R2)
•Leeds United 5–1Kettering Town (R2 Replay)
•Manchester United 0–1Leeds United (R3)
•West Ham United 1–2Arsenal (R3)
•Coventry City 1–2Portsmouth (R3 Replay)
•Liverpool 1–2Reading (R3 Replay)
•Preston North End 0–2Chelsea (R4)
•Tottenham Hotspur 2–2Leeds United (R4)
•Stoke City 3–1Arsenal (R4)
•Scunthorpe United 2–4Manchester City (R4)
•Crystal Palace 3–1Wolverhampton Wanderers (R4 Replay)
•Leeds United 1–3Tottenham Hotspur (R4 Replay)
•Southampton 1–4Portsmouth (R5)
•Manchester City 1–1Stoke City (R5)
•Bolton Wanderers 1–1Tottenham Hotspur (R5)
•Crystal Palace 2–2Aston Villa (R5)
•Stoke City 3–1Manchester City (R5 Replay)
•Portsmouth 2–0Birmingham City (QF)
•Fulham 0–0Tottenham Hotspur (QF)
•Reading 2–4Aston Villa (QF)
•Chelsea 2–0Stoke City (QF)
•Tottenham Hotspur 3–1Fulham (QF Replay)
•Aston Villa 0–3Chelsea (SF)
•Tottenham Hotspur 0–2Portsmouth (SF)
•Chelsea 1–0Portsmouth (Final)
The matches shown live onS4C were:
•Bristol City 1–1Cardiff City (R3)
•Cardiff City 1–0Bristol City (R3 Replay)
•Chelsea 4–1Cardiff City (R5)
The matches shown live on the website ofThe Football Association were:
•Oldham Athletic 0–2Leeds United (R1)
•Millwall 4–1AFC Wimbledon (R1)
•Stevenage 0–1Port Vale (R1 Replay)
•Carlisle United 3–1Norwich City (R2)
•Millwall 4–0Staines Town (R2 Replay)
•Tranmere Rovers 0–1Wolverhampton Wanderers (R3)
•Bristol City 1–1Cardiff City (R3)
•Chelsea 4–1Cardiff City (R5)
•Tottenham Hotspur 4–0Bolton Wanderers (R5 Replay)
International broadcasters
| Country | Broadcaster |
|---|---|
 Albania | Tring Sport |
 Belgium | Prime |
 Canada | Setanta Sports |
 France | France Télévisions |
 Italy | SKY Italia |
