| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | England Wales |
| Defending champions | Liverpool |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Coventry City (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Tottenham Hotspur |
The1986–87 FA Cup was the 106th season of the world's oldestfootball knockout competition, theFA Cup. The competition was won byCoventry City, who beatTottenham Hotspur 3–2, after extra-time, in the final atWembley Stadium. It was Tottenham's only defeat in eight finals up to that point. The tournament started in August 1986, with non-league teams competing in the qualifying rounds.
Most participating clubs that were not members of theFootball League competed in the qualifying rounds to secure one of 28 places available in the first round.
The winners from the fourth qualifying round wereSouthport,Caernarfon Town,Spennymoor United,Whitby Town,Nuneaton Borough,Chorley,Stafford Rangers,Boston United,Kettering Town,Halesowen Town,Bishop's Stortford,Woodford Town,Bromsgrove Rovers,Chelmsford City,Enfield,Wealdstone,Aylesbury United,Welling United,Slough Town,VS Rugby,Farnborough Town,Bognor Regis Town,Fareham Town,Dartford,Maidstone United,Bath City,Woking andTon Pentre.
Appearing in the competition proper for the first time were Caernarfon Town, Woodford Town, Welling United and Ton Pentre. However, Caernarfon Town's accomplishments brought back memories of predecessor clubCaernarfon Athletic's famous FA Cup run in1929-30 while Woodford Town was the first club from that Essex community to feature in the main draw of the Cup sinceWoodford Bridge in1883-84. Of the others, Southport and Woking had last featured in the first round in1978–79, Spennymoor United had last done so in1977-78 and Bromsgrove Rovers had last done so in1956-57.
In a season where the Football League abolished its annual re-election system and allowed for automatic promotion and relegation between theFootball Conference and the Fourth Division, 13 Conference clubs (out of 22) featured in the main draw of the FA Cup. Ironically, the season's Conference championsScarborough, who would benefit from the new system and be promoted into the Football League in 1987, were eliminated from the Cup in the first qualifying round by unheraldedNorthern Premier League outfitGoole Town.
The 48 teams from theFootball League Third andFourth Divisions entered in this round along with the 28 non-league qualifiers andAltrincham,Runcorn,Frickley Athletic andTelford United who were given byes. The first round of games were played over the weekend 15–16 November 1986, with the exception of the Bristol Rovers–Brentford game. Replays were played in the midweek fixtures on either 17th-18th or on 24th.
Three clubs from Step 8 of the English football pyramid featured in the draw: Whitby Town and Spennymoor United from theNorthern League and Woking from theIsthmian League Second Division South. They were the lowest-ranked teams in the round as theWelsh League (which included Ton Pentre) was the highest-standard football competition in Wales until 1992.
(* Ton Pentre was competing exclusively in theWelsh Football League National Division, outside the English football system.)
The second round matches were played on 5–7 December 1986, with the exception of the Cardiff City-Brentford fixture, which was played on the following Tuesday due to the timing of Brentford's first round replay against Bristol Rovers. Replays were played on 9th–10th. The round included four clubs from Step 6 of the English football system: Caernarfon Town and Chorley from theNorthern Premier League, Chelmsford City from theSouthern League Premier Division and Slough Town from theIsthmian League Premier Division.
Teams from theFootball League First andSecond Divisions entered in this round. Most of the third round of games in the FA Cup were played over the weekend 10–11 January 1987, however various matches and replays were played as late as 31 January. Holders Liverpool were eliminated by Luton Town. Caernarfon Town was again the lowest-ranked team in the round, while Caernarfon, Maidstone United and Telford United were the last non-league clubs left in the competition.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bristol City (3) | 1–1 | Plymouth Argyle (2) | 10 January 1987 |
| Replay | Plymouth Argyle | 3–1 | Bristol City | 19 January 1987 |
| 2 | Watford (1) | 3–1 | Maidstone United (5) | 10 January 1987 |
| 3 | Reading (2) | 1–3 | Arsenal (1) | 10 January 1987 |
| 4 | Aston Villa (1) | 2–2 | Chelsea (1) | 10 January 1987 |
| Replay | Chelsea | 2–1 | Aston Villa | 21 January 1987 |
| 5 | Sheffield Wednesday (1) | 1–0 | Derby County (2) | 26 January 1987 |
| 6 | Grimsby Town (2) | 1–1 | Stoke City (2) | 10 January 1987 |
| Replay | Stoke City | 1–1 | Grimsby Town | 26 January 1987 |
| Replay | Stoke City | 6–0 | Grimsby Town | 28 January 1987 |
| 7 | Middlesbrough (3) | 0–1 | Preston North End (4) | 10 January 1987 |
| 8 | Luton Town (1) | 0–0 | Liverpool (1) | 11 January 1987 |
| Replay | Liverpool | 0–0 | Luton Town | 26 January 1987 |
| Replay | Luton Town | 3–0 | Liverpool | 28 January 1987 |
| 9 | Everton (1) | 2–1 | Southampton (1) | 10 January 1987 |
| 10 | Shrewsbury Town (2) | 1–2 | Hull City (2) | 31 January 1987 |
| 11 | Wrexham (4) | 1–2 | Chester City (3) | 10 January 1987 |
| 12 | Sheffield United (2) | 0–0 | Brighton & Hove Albion (2) | 10 January 1987 |
| Replay | Brighton & Hove Albion | 1–2 | Sheffield United | 21 January 1987 |
| 13 | Ipswich Town (2) | 0–1 | Birmingham City (2) | 10 January 1987 |
| 14 | Newcastle United (1) | 2–1 | Northampton Town (4) | 21 January 1987 |
| 15 | Tottenham Hotspur (1) | 3–2 | Scunthorpe United (4) | 10 January 1987 |
| 16 | Queens Park Rangers (1) | 5–2 | Leicester City (1) | 10 January 1987 |
| 17 | Fulham (3) | 0–1 | Swindon Town (3) | 10 January 1987 |
| 18 | Coventry City (1) | 3–0 | Bolton Wanderers (3) | 10 January 1987 |
| 19 | Portsmouth (2) | 2–0 | Blackburn Rovers (2) | 10 January 1987 |
| 20 | Manchester United (1) | 1–0 | Manchester City (1) | 10 January 1987 |
| 21 | Norwich City (1) | 1–1 | Huddersfield Town (2) | 10 January 1987 |
| Replay | Huddersfield Town | 2–4 | Norwich City | 21 January 1987 |
| 22 | Millwall (2) | 0–0 | Cardiff City (4) | 10 January 1987 |
| Replay | Cardiff City | 2–2 | Millwall | 20 January 1987 |
| Replay | Cardiff City | 1–0 | Millwall | 26 January 1987 |
| 23 | Oldham Athletic (2) | 1–1 | Bradford City (2) | 10 January 1987 |
| Replay | Bradford City | 5–1 | Oldham Athletic | 19 January 1987 |
| 24 | Crystal Palace (2) | 1–0 | Nottingham Forest (1) | 11 January 1987 |
| 25 | Wimbledon (1) | 2–1 | Sunderland (2) | 10 January 1987 |
| 26 | Charlton Athletic (1) | 1–2 | Walsall (3) | 10 January 1987 |
| 27 | Aldershot (4) | 3–0 | Oxford United (1) | 10 January 1987 |
| 28 | Wigan Athletic (3) | 2–1 | Gillingham (3) | 19 January 1987 |
| 29 | Orient (4) | 1–1 | West Ham United (1) | 10 January 1987 |
| Replay | West Ham United | 4–1 | Orient | 31 January 1987 |
| 30 | Telford United (5) | 1–2 | Leeds United (2) | 11 January 1987 |
| 31 | Swansea City (4) | 3–2 | West Bromwich Albion (2) | 10 January 1987 |
| 32 | Caernarfon Town (6) | 0–0 | Barnsley (2) | 10 January 1987 |
| Replay | Barnsley | 1–0 | Caernarfon Town | 26 January 1987 |
The fourth round of games were played mainly over the weekend 31 January – 1 February 1987. All other ties took place on 3–4 February. Four teams from the Fourth Division remained in the draw: Preston North End, Cardiff City, Aldershot and Swansea City.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chester City | 1–1 | Sheffield Wednesday | 31 January 1987 |
| Replay | Sheffield Wednesday | 3–1 | Chester City | 4 February 1987 |
| 2 | Watford | 1–0 | Chelsea | 1 February 1987 |
| 3 | Walsall | 1–0 | Birmingham City | 31 January 1987 |
| 4 | Luton Town | 1–1 | Queens Park Rangers | 31 January 1987 |
| Replay | Queens Park Rangers | 2–1 | Luton Town | 4 February 1987 |
| 5 | Swindon Town | 1–2 | Leeds United | 3 February 1987 |
| 6 | Newcastle United | 2–0 | Preston North End | 31 January 1987 |
| 7 | Tottenham Hotspur | 4–0 | Crystal Palace | 31 January 1987 |
| 8 | West Ham United | 4–0 | Sheffield United | 9 February 1987 |
| 9 | Manchester United | 0–1 | Coventry City | 31 January 1987 |
| 10 | Bradford City | 0–1 | Everton | 31 January 1987 |
| 11 | Wimbledon | 4–0 | Portsmouth | 31 January 1987 |
| 12 | Arsenal | 6–1 | Plymouth Argyle | 31 January 1987 |
| 13 | Stoke City | 2–1 | Cardiff City | 31 January 1987 |
| 14 | Aldershot | 1–1 | Barnsley | 31 January 1987 |
| Replay | Barnsley | 3–0 | Aldershot | 3 February 1987 |
| 15 | Wigan Athletic | 1–0 | Norwich City | 31 January 1987 |
| 16 | Swansea City | 0–1 | Hull City | 3 February 1987 |
The fifth set of games was played over the weekend 21–22 February 1987, with the first set of replays on 24th-25th. Walsall and Wigan Athletic, from the Third Division, were the lowest-ranked teams in the round.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walsall | 1–1 | Watford | 21 February 1987 |
| Replay | Watford | 4–4 | Walsall | 24 February 1987 |
| Replay | Walsall | 0–1 | Watford | 2 March 1987 |
| 2 | Sheffield Wednesday | 1–1 | West Ham United | 21 February 1987 |
| Replay | West Ham United | 0–2 | Sheffield Wednesday | 25 February 1987 |
| 3 | Tottenham Hotspur | 1–0 | Newcastle United | 21 February 1987 |
| 4 | Wimbledon | 3–1 | Everton | 22 February 1987 |
| 5 | Arsenal | 2–0 | Barnsley | 21 February 1987 |
| 6 | Leeds United | 2–1 | Queens Park Rangers | 21 February 1987 |
| 7 | Stoke City | 0–1 | Coventry City | 21 February 1987 |
| 8 | Wigan Athletic | 3–0 | Hull City | 21 February 1987 |
The sixth round of FA Cup games were played over the weekend 14–15 March 1987. There were no replays; each game was won by the away team. Wigan Athletic was the last team from the first round left in the competition.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sheffield Wednesday | 1–3 | Coventry City | 14 March 1987 |
| 2 | Wimbledon | 0–2 | Tottenham Hotspur | 15 March 1987 |
| 3 | Arsenal | 1–3 | Watford | 14 March 1987 |
| 4 | Wigan Athletic | 0–2 | Leeds United | 15 March 1987 |
Seven time winners Tottenham Hotspur were drawn with 1984 finalists Watford for the Villa Park semi-final, which saw theNorth Londoners win 4-1 and reach their eighth final, having won all of their previous FA Cup finals.
Hillsborough was the venue for the other semi-final. Leeds United, managed by their former captainBilly Bremner, were pushing for promotion in the Second Division and making their first serious challenge for a major trophy in over 10 years. Their opponents were Coventry City, who had never reached an FA Cup semi-final before. In a closely fought game, Coventry won 3–2.
| Coventry City | 3–2 (a.e.t.) | Leeds United |
|---|---|---|
Gynn 68'Houchen 78'Bennett 99' | Report | Rennie 14' Edwards 83' |
| Coventry City | 3–2 (aet) | Tottenham Hotspur |
|---|---|---|
| Bennett 9' Houchen 64'Mabbutt (o.g.) 96' | C. Allen 2' Mabbutt 40' |
         Coventry | Tottenham |
After two minutes,Clive Allen scored his 49th goal of the season, heading past keeperSteve Ogrizovic at the near-post from aChris Waddle cross. Within seven minutes though, Coventry were level throughDave Bennett, a Cup Final loser in 1981 forManchester City at the hands of Spurs. Tottenham were back in front five minutes before the break through past defenderGary Mabbutt.
Midway through the second half Coventry were level again – Bennett's cross from the right was met by strikerKeith Houchen with a diving header. The scores stayed level until full-time and the game went into extra time. Six minutes in, Mabbutt scored anown goal afterLloyd McGrath centred the ball and it took a deflection off of the Spurs defender's knee and over keeperRay Clemence.