Sheffield Wednesday team members with the FA Cup | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | England Wales |
| Defending champions | Aston Villa |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | The Wednesday(1st title) |
| Runners-up | Wolverhampton Wanderers |
The1895–96 FA Cup was the 25th season of the world's oldestassociation football competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup (more usually known as theFA Cup). The cup was won byThe Wednesday, who defeatedWolverhampton Wanderers 2–1 in thefinal of the competition, played atCrystal Palace inLondon. This was Wednesday's first victory in the FA Cup.
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. 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 at neutral venues 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.
The format of the FA Cup for the season had a preliminary round, four qualifying rounds, three proper rounds, and the semi-finals and final.
| Round | Start date |
|---|---|
| Preliminary round | Saturday 5 October 1895 |
| First round qualifying | Saturday 12 October 1895 |
| Second round qualifying | Saturday 2 November 1895 |
| Third round qualifying | Saturday 23 November 1895 |
| Fourth round qualifying | Saturday 14 December 1895 |
| First round proper | Saturday 1 February 1896 |
| Second round proper | Saturday 15 February 1896 |
| Third round proper | Saturday 29 February 1896 |
| Semi-finals | Saturday 21 March 1896 |
| Final | Saturday 18 April 1896 |
The 16First Division sides were given byes to the first round, as wereNotts County,Darwen,Burton Wanderers,Liverpool,Newton Heath andWoolwich Arsenal from theSecond Division. The other Second Division sides were entered into the first qualifying round. Of those sides, onlyGrimsby Town,Newcastle United,Crewe Alexandra andBurton Swifts qualified for the competition proper. Non-league sidesBlackpool,Chesterfield,Kettering,Tottenham Hotspur,Millwall Athletic andSouthampton St Mary's also qualified, with Tottenham Hotspur and Kettering appearing at this stage for the first time.
The First Round Proper contained sixteen ties between 32 teams. The matches were played on Saturday, 1 February 1896. Two matches were drawn, with the replays taking place in the following midweek.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blackpool | 4–1 | Burton Swifts | 1 February 1896 |
| 2 | Chesterfield | 0–4 | Newcastle United | 1 February 1896 |
| 3 | Darwen | 0–2 | Grimsby Town | 1 February 1896 |
| 4 | Burnley | 6–1 | Woolwich Arsenal | 1 February 1896 |
| 5 | Liverpool | 4–1 | Millwall Athletic | 1 February 1896 |
| 6 | Stoke | 5–0 | Tottenham Hotspur | 1 February 1896 |
| 7 | Nottingham Forest | 0–2 | Everton | 1 February 1896 |
| 8 | Blackburn Rovers | 1–2 | West Bromwich Albion | 1 February 1896 |
| 9 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2–2 | Notts County | 1 February 1896 |
| Replay | Notts County | 3–4 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 5 February 1896 |
| 10 | Crewe Alexandra | 0–4 | Bolton Wanderers | 1 February 1896 |
| 11 | Sunderland | 4–1 | Preston North End | 1 February 1896 |
| 12 | Derby County | 4–2 | Aston Villa | 1 February 1896 |
| 13 | Burton Wanderers | 1–1 | Sheffield United | 1 February 1896 |
| Replay | Sheffield United | 1–0 | Burton Wanderers | 6 February 1896 |
| 14 | Newton Heath | 2–1 | Kettering | 1 February 1896 |
| 15 | Small Heath | 1–4 | Bury | 1 February 1896 |
| 16 | Southampton St Mary's | 2–3 | The Wednesday | 1 February 1896 |
The eight Second Round matches were scheduled for Saturday, 15 February 1896. There were three replays, played in the following midweek.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blackpool | 0–2 | Bolton Wanderers | 15 February 1896 |
| 2 | Burnley | 1–1 | Stoke | 15 February 1896 |
| Replay | Stoke | 7–1 | Burnley | 20 February 1896 |
| 3 | The Wednesday | 2–1 | Sunderland | 15 February 1896 |
| 4 | Grimsby Town | 1–1 | West Bromwich Albion | 15 February 1896 |
| Replay | West Bromwich Albion | 3–0 | Grimsby Town | 20 February 1896 |
| 5 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2–0 | Liverpool | 15 February 1896 |
| 6 | Everton | 3–0 | Sheffield United | 15 February 1896 |
| 7 | Newton Heath | 1–1 | Derby County | 15 February 1896 |
| Replay | Derby County | 5–1 | Newton Heath | 19 February 1896 |
| 8 | Newcastle United | 1–3 | Bury | 15 February 1896 |
The four Third Round matches were scheduled for Saturday, 29 February 1896. There were no replays needed.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Wednesday | 4–0 | Everton | 29 February 1896 |
| 2 | Bolton Wanderers | 2–0 | Bury | 29 February 1896 |
| 3 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 3–0 | Stoke | 29 February 1896 |
| 4 | Derby County | 1–0 | West Bromwich Albion | 29 February 1896 |
The semi-final matches were both played on Saturday, 21 March 1896. The Wednesday and Wolverhampton Wanderers went on to meet in the final atCrystal Palace.
The final took place on Saturday, 18 April 1896 atCrystal Palace. Less than 50,000 supporters attended the match. The match finished 2–1 to The Wednesday, through two early goals fromFred Spiksley. Between the two goals,David Black had equalised for Wolves.
| The Wednesday | 2–1 | Wolverhampton Wanderers |
|---|---|---|
| Spiksley | Black |
![]() ![]() ![]() The Wednesday | ![]() ![]() ![]() Wolverhampton Wanderers[1] |