ALL HAIL THE LAST SIXTEEN HEROES
MAIDSTONE UNITED are the lowest ranked side for 46 years to make the last 16 of the FA Cup and only the 11th Non-League club ever to make it this far since the current structure was adopted for the 1925-26 season.
This was implemented to reflect changes in Football League membership soon after World War I where, arguably, the better 40 or so Non-League clubs were amalgamated into it as Divisions Three North and South.
As a consequence, the appearance of Non-League clubs in latter stages of the FA Cup pretty much ceased overnight. It would be more than 20 years after the new structure was adopted one would venture as far as the last 16.
Less than 10 years after their formation, Colchester United posted an historic run.
The U’s 1947-48 campaign began with a fourth qualifying round victory over Chelmsford City, followed by a 2-1 win against Banbury Spencer. They then defeated Football League opponents for the first time, winning 1-0 against Wrexham of Division Three North.
Bob Curry then scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory over Huddersfield Town of Division One – the first time a top-flight club had been defeated by a Non-League side since the 1925-26 season.
Colchester defeated second tier Bradford (Park Avenue) 3-1 in the fourth round, their historic run ended with a 5-0 defeat at Blackpool FC in the last 16.
Remarkably, after waiting more than 20 years for a Non-League club to reach the last 16, history repeated itself just one season later.
Fellow Southern League side Yeovil Town won 3-2 at Lovell’s Athletic in the fourth qualifying round before defeating both Romford
FC and Weymouth FC 4-0 in first and second rounds.
The Glovers beat Second Division side Bury 3-1, leading to a home tie against First Division Sunderland FC, known as the ‘Bank of England’ club. The result of that match is regarded by many football historians as the greatest FA Cup shock of them all. Eric Bryant scored the extra time goal that produced the Glovers’ famous 2-1 victory, one that sent shockwaves across the football world.
An 8-0 defeat by Manchester United came in the fifth round but Yeovil Town’s run would forever be remembered, not least because it would be almost 30 years before their exploits were repeated.
Northern League club Blyth Spartans started their 1977-78 campaign in the first qualifying round winning 3-0 against fellow Northern League side Shildon. Three more Northern League opponents would also be vanquished – Crook Town, Consett FC and Bishop Auckland – to take the Spartans into the first round.
Three successive 1-0 home victories followed as the Spartans set the club’s best ever FA Cup run to the fourth round. This included defeating Isthmian League side Enfield in one of only five third round ties ever to be contested by two Non-League clubs.
Spartans achieved a remarkable 3-2 victory at Stoke City in their oft postponed fourth round tie meaning they became the lowest ranked club ever to reach the last 16 in the FA Cup.
A 1-1 draw at third division Wrexham earned a ‘home’ replay at Newcastle United’s packed St James’ Park. To this day, Spartans fans bemoan the unfairness of the 2-1 defeat.
By going from first qualifying round to fifth round ‘proper’, Blyth Spartans also became one of only a handful of clubs that participated in nine FA Cup ties in the same season.
History
Seven years later, Telford United made FA Cup history when reaching the last 16, becoming first NonLeague team to defeat four Football League sides in the same run. They beat Lincoln City, former Cup winners Preston North End and Bradford City, and then Darlington, before facing current FA
Cup holders, Everton. A 3-0 defeat at the Toffees was no disgrace.
Kidderminster Harriers did match Telford’s run to the last 16 nine years later, though. The Harriers began their 1993-94 FA Cup campaign winning 4-1 at Chesham United in fourth qualifying round.
They defeated Kettering Town and Woking to reach the third round for the first time ever where they won 2-1 away at second tier strugglers Birmingham City.
A 1-0 win over Preston North End in the fourth round brought Premier League West Ham to Aggborough in the last 16, which the
Hammers won 1-0. There would be a 17-year gap before another Noned League club posted a similar run.
The owners of Crawley Town were determined to take the club into the Football League and achieved it at end of 2010-11 seaalso son, when they also became the sixth Non-League club to reach the last 16.
They beat New in fourth qualify Guiseley 5-0 away
Third-tier Swindon Town were defeated 3-2 in a second round replay, then Championship side Derby County 2-1 to take Crawley
Town into the fourth round for the first ever time.
Torquay United were beaten 1-0 to set up a clash of the Red Devils as Crawley took on Premier League Manchester United at Old Trafford. United won by a solitary Wes Brown goal but Crawley subsequently got promoted and promptly reached the last 16 of the FA Cup again the following year.
Giant-killing
In 2012-13, former top-flight club and former FA Cup finalists, Luton Town, charged to the last 16.
They beat Cambridge United 2-0 before winning 2-0 at Nuneaton Town in the first round.
A 2-1 home victory over lower level Dorchester Town brought Championship side Wolverhampton Wanderers to Kenilworth Road in third round. The Hatters produced a 1-0 giant-killing victory, to set up an away trip at Premier League Norwich City.
A Non-League club had yet to win at top-flight opponents since the Premier League began in 1992, but a late Scott Rendell strike put an end to that particular stat. The Hatters lost 3-0 at home to Millwall in round four.
Four years later, records went tumbling, as two Non-League clubs battled their way through to last 16. National League sides Lincoln City and Sutton United undertook a two-pronged attack that took the FA Cup by storm.
Both clubs saw off fellow National League sides in the fourth qualifying round of the 2016-17 competition, and both defeated lower level opponents in the first round. Football League opposition were beaten by both clubs in second and third rounds.
The fourth round was where FA Cup history was made with both clubs defeating Championship opponents to take two Non-League clubs into the last 16 of the FA Cup in the same season for the first time ever.
Both would become unstuck by Arsenal. Sutton United lost 2-0 in the fifth round whilst Lincoln created more records by winning 1-0 at Premier League side Burnley.
The Imps were the first NonLeague club to appear in FA Cup quarter finals since Queens Park Rangers 103 years previously.
Danny Cowley’s side succumbed to a 5-0 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, but are still the only
Non-League club to date to have reached the last eight of the competition since the current structure was put in place.
Boreham Wood became the tenth to reach the last 16 in 2021-22, and they did it by creating another FA Cup record.
They beat Barnet FC 1-0 in fourth qualifying round, Eastleigh 2-0 in the first round, St Albans City 4-0 in round two, Football League outfit AFC Wimbledon 2-0 in round three and AFC Bournemouth 1-0 away in the fourth to became the first Non-League club to reach last 16 of the FA Cup without conceding a goal en route to doing so.
Their run ended at Goodison Park with a 2-0 defeat by Everton.
The following season, Luke Garrard’s men would become only the fourth Non-League side to reach the FA Cup third round in three successive seasons.
And so to Maidstone United who this season became only the second Non-League side to reach last 16 of the FA Cup having started their campaign earlier than the fourth qualifying round.
Starting with Steyning Town, seven wins have been achieved already including at Championship promotion chasers Ipswich Town in the fourth round.
And who knows, with a trip to another Championship side in Coventry City in the fifth round tomorrow night, the National League South Stones have a chance to become the lowest ranked club ever to reach the quarter finals of the FA Cup!