| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | England Wales |
| Defending champions | Coventry City |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Wimbledon(1st title) |
| Runners-up | Liverpool |
The1987–88 FA Cup was the 107th season of the world's oldest knockoutfootball competition,The Football Association Challenge Cup, orFA Cup for short. The competition was won byWimbledon F.C.'sCrazy Gang who defeated league championsLiverpool through a headed goal byLawrie Sanchez, thus denying Liverpool the double. They would be one of three clubs other thanManchester United,Arsenal,Chelsea and Liverpool to win the trophy in the following 20 years (the others beingEverton andTottenham Hotspur) beforePortsmouth's victory in the2008 final. This was Wimbledon's only FA Cup title during its lifetime.
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 wereBishop Auckland,Macclesfield Town,Colwyn Bay,Runcorn,Chorley,Lincoln City,Northwich Victoria,Billingham Synthonia,Atherstone United,Welling United,Chelmsford City,Dagenham,VS Rugby,Barnet,Aylesbury United,Hayes,Worcester City,Halesowen Town,Tamworth,Sutton United,Carshalton Athletic,Bath City,Merthyr Tydfil,Farnborough Town,Bognor Regis Town,Yeovil Town,Maidstone United andCheltenham Town.
Appearing in the competition proper for the first time were Colwyn Bay and Atherstone United. Of the others, Merthyr Tydfil had last featured at this stage in1979–80, Cheltenham Town had last done so in1974-75, Hayes had last done so in1973-74, Tamworth had last done so in1970-71 and Billingham Synthonia had last done so in1957-58.
Macclesfield Town, Sutton United and Yeovil Town each played nine matches across seven rounds of this tournament, progressing from the first qualifying round to the third round proper. Yeovil Town did this from theIsthmian League at Step 6 of English football, while Macclesfield Town and Sutton United were from theFootball Conference at Step 5. Sutton United also managed to pushMiddlesbrough to extra time in a replay (atAyresome Park) before being knocked out of the competition.
The 48 teams from theFootball League Third andFourth Divisions entered in this round along with the 28 non-league clubs from the qualifying rounds andKidderminster Harriers,Burton Albion,Altrincham andTelford United who were given byes. The first round of games were played over the weekend 14–15 November 1987, with the exception of the Welling United–Carshalton Athletic game. Replays were played in the midweek fixtures on 16th-17th. All other replays were played on 28 November.
This round included four clubs from the various competitions at Step 8 of the English football pyramid: Bishop Auckland and Billingham Synthonia from theNorthern League, Colwyn Bay from theNorth West Counties League and Tamworth from theWest Midlands (Regional) League.
The second round of games were played over 5–6 December 1987, with replays being played at various dates afterwards (no replay was played on the same night as another). Step 6 sides Yeovil Town, from theIsthmian League Premier Division, and VS Rugby, from theSouthern League Premier Division, were the lowest-ranked teams in the draw.
Teams from theFootball League First andSecond Divisions entered in this round. The third round of games in the FA Cup were played over the weekend 9–11 January 1988, with the first set of replays being played on 12–13 January. Three games went to second replays and one of these to a third replay. Yeovil Town was again the lowest-ranked team in the draw, while Macclesfield Town, Maidstone United, Sutton United, Bath City and Yeovil were the last non-league clubs left in the competition.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sutton United (5) | 1–1 | Middlesbrough (2) | 9 January 1988 |
| Replay | Middlesbrough | 1–0 | Sutton United | 12 January 1988 |
| 2 | Watford (1) | 1–1 | Hull City (2) | 9 January 1988 |
| Replay | Hull City | 2–2 | Watford | 12 January 1988 |
| Replay | Watford | 1–0 | Hull City | 18 January 1988 |
| 3 | Yeovil Town (6) | 0–3 | Queens Park Rangers (1) | 9 January 1988 |
| 4 | Reading (2) | 0–1 | Southampton (1) | 9 January 1988 |
| 5 | Gillingham (3) | 0–3 | Birmingham City (2) | 9 January 1988 |
| 6 | Blackburn Rovers (2) | 1–2 | Portsmouth (1) | 9 January 1988 |
| 7 | Sheffield Wednesday (1) | 1–1 | Everton (1) | 9 January 1988 |
| Replay | Everton | 1–1 | Sheffield Wednesday | 13 January 1988 |
| Replay | Everton | 1–1 | Sheffield Wednesday | 25 January 1988 |
| Replay | Sheffield Wednesday | 0–5 | Everton | 27 January 1988 |
| 8 | Derby County (1) | 1–3 | Chelsea (1) | 9 January 1988 |
| 9 | Swindon Town (2) | 0–0 | Norwich City (1) | 9 January 1988 |
| Replay | Norwich City | 0–2 | Swindon Town | 13 January 1988 |
| 10 | Shrewsbury Town (2) | 2–1 | Bristol Rovers (3) | 9 January 1988 |
| 11 | Sheffield United (2) | 1–0 | Maidstone United (5) | 9 January 1988 |
| 12 | Ipswich Town (2) | 1–2 | Manchester United (1) | 10 January 1988 |
| 13 | Stockport County (4) | 1–2 | Leyton Orient (4) | 9 January 1988 |
| 14 | Newcastle United (1) | 1–0 | Crystal Palace (2) | 9 January 1988 |
| 15 | Barnsley (2) | 3–1 | Bolton Wanderers (4) | 9 January 1988 |
| 16 | Coventry City (1) | 2–0 | Torquay United (4) | 9 January 1988 |
| 17 | West Ham United (1) | 2–0 | Charlton Athletic (1) | 9 January 1988 |
| 18 | Brighton & Hove Albion (3) | 2–0 | AFC Bournemouth (2) | 9 January 1988 |
| 19 | Plymouth Argyle (2) | 2–0 | Colchester United (4) | 11 January 1988 |
| 20 | Bradford City (2) | 2–1 | Wolverhampton Wanderers (4) | 9 January 1988 |
| 21 | Oldham Athletic (2) | 2–4 | Tottenham Hotspur (1) | 9 January 1988 |
| 22 | Wimbledon (1) | 4–1 | West Bromwich Albion (2) | 9 January 1988 |
| 23 | Scunthorpe United (4) | 0–0 | Blackpool (3) | 9 January 1988 |
| Replay | Blackpool | 1–0 | Scunthorpe United | 12 January 1988 |
| 24 | Huddersfield Town (2) | 2–2 | Manchester City (2) | 9 January 1988 |
| Replay | Manchester City | 0–0 | Huddersfield Town | 12 January 1988 |
| Replay | Huddersfield Town | 0–3 | Manchester City | 25 January 1988 |
| 25 | Mansfield Town (3) | 4–0 | Bath City (5) | 9 January 1988 |
| 26 | Port Vale (3) | 1–0 | Macclesfield Town (5) | 10 January 1988 |
| 27 | Halifax Town (4) | 0–4 | Nottingham Forest (1) | 9 January 1988 |
| 28 | Arsenal (1) | 2–0 | Millwall (2) | 9 January 1988 |
| 29 | Leeds United (2) | 1–2 | Aston Villa (2) | 9 January 1988 |
| 30 | Stoke City (2) | 0–0 | Liverpool (1) | 9 January 1988 |
| Replay | Liverpool | 1–0 | Stoke City | 12 January 1988 |
| 31 | Oxford United (1) | 2–0 | Leicester City (2) | 9 January 1988 |
| 32 | Hartlepool United (4) | 1–2 | Luton Town (1) | 9 January 1988 |
The fourth round of games were played over the weekend 30 January – 1 February 1988, with replays being played on 3 February. A second replay was then played on 9 February. Holders Coventry City were eliminated by Watford. Fourth Division side Leyton Orient was the lowest-ranked team in the draw.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blackpool | 1–1 | Manchester City | 30 January 1988 |
| Replay | Manchester City | 2–1 | Blackpool | 3 February 1988 |
| 2 | Aston Villa | 0–2 | Liverpool | 31 January 1988 |
| 3 | Luton Town | 2–1 | Southampton | 30 January 1988 |
| 4 | Everton | 1–1 | Middlesbrough | 30 January 1988 |
| Replay | Middlesbrough | 2–2 | Everton | 3 February 1988 |
| Replay | Everton | 2–1 | Middlesbrough | 9 February 1988 |
| 5 | Newcastle United | 5–0 | Swindon Town | 30 January 1988 |
| 6 | Queens Park Rangers | 3–1 | West Ham United | 30 January 1988 |
| 7 | Barnsley | 0–2 | Birmingham City | 30 January 1988 |
| 8 | Coventry City | 0–2 | Watford | 30 January 1988 |
| 9 | Portsmouth | 2–1 | Sheffield United | 1 February 1988 |
| 10 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 1–2 | Arsenal | 30 January 1988 |
| 11 | Manchester United | 2–0 | Chelsea | 30 January 1988 |
| 12 | Plymouth Argyle | 1–0 | Shrewsbury Town | 30 January 1988 |
| 13 | Bradford City | 4–2 | Oxford United | 30 January 1988 |
| 14 | Mansfield Town | 1–2 | Wimbledon | 30 January 1988 |
| 15 | Port Vale | 2–1 | Tottenham Hotspur | 30 January 1988 |
| 16 | Leyton Orient | 1–2 | Nottingham Forest | 30 January 1988 |
The fifth set of games was played over the weekend 20–21 February 1988, with replays on 23–24 February. Port Vale, from the Third Division, was the lowest-ranked team in the draw and the last team from the First Round left in the competition.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Everton | 0–1 | Liverpool | 21 February 1988 |
| 2 | Newcastle United | 1–3 | Wimbledon | 20 February 1988 |
| 3 | Manchester City | 3–1 | Plymouth Argyle | 20 February 1988 |
| 4 | Queens Park Rangers | 1–1 | Luton Town | 20 February 1988 |
| Replay | Luton Town | 1–0 | Queens Park Rangers | 24 February 1988 |
| 5 | Portsmouth | 3–0 | Bradford City | 20 February 1988 |
| 6 | Port Vale | 0–0 | Watford | 20 February 1988 |
| Replay | Watford | 2–0 | Port Vale | 23 February 1988 |
| 7 | Arsenal | 2–1 | Manchester United | 20 February 1988 |
| 8 | Birmingham City | 0–1 | Nottingham Forest | 20 February 1988 |
The sixth round of FA Cup games were played over the weekend 12–13 March 1988. There were no replays.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luton Town | 3–1 | Portsmouth | 12 March 1988 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 0–4 | Liverpool | 13 March 1988 |
| 3 | Wimbledon | 2–1 | Watford | 12 March 1988 |
| 4 | Arsenal | 1–2 | Nottingham Forest | 12 March 1988 |
Luton Town's fine season in the cup competitions culminated in a semi-final clash with Wimbledon at White Hart Lane. Wimbledon emerged as 2-1 winners to reach the FA Cup final, in only their second season in the First Division and their 11th in theFootball League.
On the same day, First Division leaders Liverpool took on a resurgent Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough. Top scorer John Aldridge found the net twice in a 2–1 win.
Referee:- Keith Hackett (Sheffield)
| Liverpool | 2 – 1 | Nottingham Forest |
|---|---|---|
Aldridge 14' (pen.),51' | Clough 67' |
Referee:- George Courtney (Spennymoor)
       Wimbledon |      Liverpool |
The right to show FA Cup games was, as withFootball League matches, shared between theBBC andITV. The stations would alternate between showing a live game and a highlights programme. No games from Rounds 1 or 2 were shown. Occasional highlights of replays would be shown on either the BBC or ITV.[1][2]
These matches were.
1Footage available onYouTube