The 2007–08 FA Cup (known as the FA Cup sponsored by E.ON for sponsorship reasons) was the 127th season of the world's oldest football knockout competition, the FA Cup. A record 731 clubs' entries were accepted for the competition.
The competition culminated with the final held at Wembley Stadium, London on 17 May 2008. The match was contested by Portsmouth and Cardiff City; Nwankwo Kanu scored the only goal of the game to give Portsmouth the title.
The appearance in the Cup Final by Cardiff City, a Level 2 team, marked the second time in 5 years that a team outside Level 1 of the English football pyramid appeared in the final game.
This was the last FA Cup to be broadcast by the BBC and Sky Sports in the United Kingdom, before coverage was handed over to ITV and Setanta starting in August 2008.
Calendar Round Date Matches Clubs New entries this round Prize money Player of the Round Extra preliminary round 18 August 2007 171 729 → 558 342: 388th–729th £500 none Preliminary round 1 September 2007 166 558 → 392 161: 227th–387th £1,000 none First round qualifying 15 September 2007 116 392 → 276 66: 161st–226th £2,250 Jack Pitcher (Gloucester City) Second round qualifying 29 September 2007 80 276 → 196 44: 117th–160th £3,750 Matt Townley (Team Bath) Third round qualifying 13 October 2007 40 196 → 156 none £5,000 Andy Forbes (Eastleigh) Fourth round qualifying 27 October 2007 32 156 → 124 24: 93rd–116th £10,000 Craig Farrell (York City) First round proper 10 November 2007 40 124 → 84 48: 45th–92nd £16,000 Stuart Beavon (Weymouth) Second round proper 1 December 2007 20 84 → 64 none £24,000 Craig Mackail-Smith (Peterborough United) Third round proper 5 January 2008 32 64 → 32 44: 1st–44th £40,000 Michael Mifsud (Coventry City) Fourth round proper 26 January 2008 16 32 → 16 none £60,000 Alfie Potter (Havant & Waterlooville) Fifth round proper 16 February 2008 8 16 → 8 none £120,000 Luke Steele (Barnsley) Sixth round proper 8 March 2008 4 8 → 4 none £300,000 Kayode Odejayi (Barnsley) Semi-finals 5 April 2008 2 4 → 2 none £900,000 Joe Ledley (Cardiff City) Final 17 May 2008 1 2 → 1 none £1,000,000 Nwankwo Kanu (Portsmouth)
Qualifying rounds All participating clubs that were not members of the Premier League or Football League entered the competition in the qualifying rounds to secure one of 32 places available in the first round proper.
The winners from the fourth qualifying round were Halifax Town, Droylsden, Altrincham, Rushden & Diamonds, Burton Albion, Histon, Cambridge United, Northwich Victoria, Barrow, Gainsborough Trinity, Workington, York City, Kidderminster Harriers, Harrogate Railway Athletic, Chasetown, Weymouth, Team Bath, Maidenhead United, Stevenage Borough, Oxford United, Hampton & Richmond Borough, Torquay United, Aldershot Town, Horsham, Forest Green Rovers, Eastbourne Borough, Ware, Billericay Town, Lewes, Staines Town, Exeter City and Havant & Waterlooville.
For the first time since 1985–86 (and for only the fourth time since the introduction of FA Cup qualifying rounds), all of the 32 successful clubs had appeared in the competition proper before. However, Staines Town had last featured at this stage in 1984-85, Workington had last done so in 1982-83, Droylsden in 1978-79, Ware in 1968-69, and Horsham in 1966-67.
First round proper This round is the first in which Football League teams from League One and League Two compete with non-league teams. Ties were played over the weekend of 10 November and 11 November 2007. Leeds United, now a third-tier side, made their earliest ever entry to the FA Cup and suffered a surprise 1–0 home defeat to Hereford United in the replay that followed a goalless draw. The round featured three sides from Step 8 of English football: Harrogate Railway Athletic from the Northern Premier League First Division North, Chasetown from the Southern League First Division Midlands and Ware from the Isthmian League First Division North.
Tie noHome teamScoreAway teamAttendance1Darlington (4)1–1Northampton Town (3)2,964replayNorthampton Town (3)2–1Darlington (4)2,8952Hampton & Richmond Borough (6)0–3Dagenham & Redbridge (4)2,2523Torquay United (5)4–1Yeovil Town (3)3,7184Leyton Orient (3)1–1Bristol Rovers (3)3,157replayBristol Rovers (3)3–3Leyton Orient (3)3,742Bristol Rovers won 6–5 on penalties5Bury (4)4–1Workington (6)2,6416Barnet (4)2–1Gillingham (3)2,8437Accrington Stanley (4)2–3Huddersfield Town (3)2,2028Barrow (6)1–1AFC Bournemouth (3)2,203replayAFC Bournemouth (3)3–2Barrow (6)2,9699Forest Green Rovers (5)2–2Rotherham United (4)2,102replayRotherham United (4)0–3Forest Green Rovers (5)2,75410Southend United (3)2–1Rochdale (4)5,18011Team Bath (7)0–2Chasetown (8)2,06712Bradford City (4)1–0Chester City (4)4,06913Morecambe (4)0–2Port Vale (3)2,73014Hereford United (4)0–0Leeds United (3)5,924replayLeeds United (3)0–1Hereford United (4)11,31515Mansfield Town (4)3–0Lewes (6)2,60716Gainsborough Trinity (6)0–6Hartlepool United (3)2,40217Exeter City (5)4–0Stevenage Borough (5)3,51318Oldham Athletic (3)2–2Doncaster Rovers (3)4,280replayDoncaster Rovers (3)1–2Oldham Athletic (3)4,34019Peterborough United (4)4–1Wrexham (4)4,26620Halifax Town (5)0–4Burton Albion (5)1,93621York City (5)0–1Havant & Waterlooville (6)2,00122Harrogate Railway Athletic (8)2–0Droylsden (5)88423Rushden & Diamonds (5)3–1Macclesfield Town (4)1,75924Ware (8)0–2Kidderminster Harriers (5)2,12325Walsall (3)2–0Shrewsbury Town (4)4,97226Horsham (7)4–1Maidenhead United (6)3,37927Altrincham (5)1–2Millwall (3)2,45728Cheltenham Town (3)1–1Brighton & Hove Albion (3)2,984replayBrighton & Hove Albion (3)2–1Cheltenham Town (3)3,71129Stockport County (4)1–1Staines Town (7)3,460replayStaines Town (7)1–1Stockport County (4)2,860Staines Town won 4–3 on penalties30Crewe Alexandra (3)2–1Milton Keynes Dons (4)3,04931Lincoln City (4)1–1Nottingham Forest (3)7,361replayNottingham Forest (3)3–1Lincoln City (4)6,78332Cambridge United (5)2–1Aldershot Town (5)2,64133Notts County (4)3–0Histon (5)4,34434Oxford United (5)3–1Northwich Victoria (5)2,97235Billericay Town (7)1–2Swansea City (3)2,33436Carlisle United (3)1–1Grimsby Town (4)5,128replayGrimsby Town (4)1–0Carlisle United (3)2,00837Eastbourne Borough (6)0–4Weymouth (5)2,71138Chesterfield (4)1–2Tranmere Rovers (3)4,29639Wycombe Wanderers (4)1–2Swindon Town (3)3,33240Luton Town (3)1–1Brentford (4)4,167replayBrentford (4)0–2Luton Town (3)2,643
Second round proper The draw was made on 11 November 2007. Ties were played over the weekend of 1 December 2007. Chasetown and Harrogate Railway Athletic were again the lowest-ranked teams in the round. Tie noHome teamScoreAway teamAttendance1Oxford United (5)0–0Southend United (3) 5,163replaySouthend United (3)3–0Oxford United (5)2,7402Swindon Town (3)3–2Forest Green Rovers (5)7,5883Oldham Athletic (3)1–0Crewe Alexandra (3)3,9004Northampton Town (3)1–1Walsall (3)3,887replayWalsall (3)1–0Northampton Town (3)3,0665Cambridge United (5)1–0Weymouth (5)4,5526Millwall (3)2–1AFC Bournemouth (3)4,4957Staines Town (7)0–5Peterborough United (4)2,4608Bradford City (4)0–3Tranmere Rovers (3)6,3799Torquay United (5)0–2Brighton & Hove Albion (3)4,01010Notts County (4)0–1Havant & Waterlooville (6)3,81011Dagenham & Redbridge (4)3–1Kidderminster Harriers (5)1,49312Port Vale (3)1–1Chasetown (8)5,875replayChasetown (8)1–0Port Vale (3)1,98613Bristol Rovers (3)5–1Rushden & Diamonds (5)4,81614Huddersfield Town (3)3–0Grimsby Town (4)6,72915Burton Albion (5)1–1Barnet (4)2,769replayBarnet (4)1–0Burton Albion (5)1,37916Bury (4)1–0Exeter City (5)2,72517Luton Town (3)1–0Nottingham Forest (3)5,75818Horsham (7)1–1Swansea City (3)2,731replaySwansea City (3)6–2Horsham (7)5,91119Hereford United (4)2–0Hartlepool United (3)3,80120Harrogate Railway Athletic (8)2–3Mansfield Town (4)1,486
Third round proper This round marks the first time Championship and Premier League (top-flight) teams play. Matches were played on the weekend of Saturday, 5 January 2008. The draw was made on 2 December 2007 at 15:15 GMT by Kevin Beattie and Sammy Nelson, adjudicated by Sir Trevor Brooking.
Involved in the third round draw for the first time ever were Havant & Waterlooville and Chasetown. Chasetown was the first eighth-tier team ever to reach this stage of the FA Cup. The draw itself produced few major ties, with the exception of Chelsea drawing their West London rivals, Queens Park Rangers, and Aston Villa drawing Manchester United as their third round opponents for the fourth time in seven seasons, and the second time in successive years.
Tie noHome teamScoreAway teamAttendance1Preston North End (2)1–0Scunthorpe United (2)4,6162Chasetown (8)1–3Cardiff City (2)2,4203Colchester United (2)1–3Peterborough United (4)4,0034Bolton Wanderers (1)0–1Sheffield United (2)15,2865Blackburn Rovers (1)1–4Coventry City (2)14,4216Brighton & Hove Albion (3)1–2Mansfield Town (4)5,8577Walsall (3)0–0Millwall (3)4,358replayMillwall (3)2–1Walsall (3)4,6458Charlton Athletic (2)1–1West Bromwich Albion (2)12,682replayWest Bromwich Albion (2)2–2Charlton Athletic (2)12,691West Bromwich Albion won 4–3 on penalties9Watford (2)2–0Crystal Palace (2)10,48010Luton Town (3)1–1Liverpool (1)10,226replayLiverpool (1)5–0Luton Town (3)41,44611Plymouth Argyle (2)3–2Hull City (2)12,41912Aston Villa (1)0–2Manchester United (1)33,63013Tranmere Rovers (3)2–2Hereford United (4)6,909replayHereford United (4)1–0Tranmere Rovers (3)6,47114Tottenham Hotspur (1)2–2Reading (1)35,243replayReading (1)0–1Tottenham Hotspur (1)22,13015Burnley (2)0–2Arsenal (1)16,70916Bristol City (2)1–2Middlesbrough (1)15,89517Fulham (1)2–2Bristol Rovers (3)13,634replayBristol Rovers (3)0–0Fulham (1)11,882Bristol Rovers won 5–3 on penalties18Huddersfield Town (3)2–1Birmingham City (1)13,41019Swansea City (3)1–1Havant & Waterlooville (6)8,761replayHavant & Waterlooville (6)4–2Swansea City (3)4,40020Sunderland (1)0–3Wigan Athletic (1)20,82121Southend United (3)5–2Dagenham & Redbridge (4)6,39322Everton (1)0–1Oldham Athletic (3)33,08623Derby County (1)2–2Sheffield Wednesday (2)20,612replaySheffield Wednesday (2)1–1Derby County (1)18,020Derby County won 4–2 on penalties24Southampton (2)2–0Leicester City (2)20,09425West Ham United (1)0–0Manchester City (1)33,806replayManchester City (1)1–0West Ham United (1)27,80926Ipswich Town (2)0–1Portsmouth (1)23,44627Wolverhampton Wanderers (2)2–1Cambridge United (5)15,34028Barnsley (2)2–1Blackpool (2)8,27629Chelsea (1)1–0Queens Park Rangers (2)41,28930Stoke City (2)0–0Newcastle United (1)22,861replayNewcastle United (1)4–1Stoke City (2)35,10831Swindon Town (3)1–1Barnet (4)5,944replayBarnet (4)1–1Swindon Town (3)2,810Barnet won 2–0 on penalties32Norwich City (2)1–1Bury (4)19,815replayBury (4)2–1Norwich City (2)4,146
Fourth round proper The draw was held at 13:30 GMT on Monday, 7 January 2008. The event was hosted by Sir Trevor Brooking, with Alan Cork and John Aldridge making the draw. Fourth-round matches were played on the weekend of 26 January 2008. For the first time since 1957, there were no replays for the fourth round as all ties were settled at the first game.
This was Havant & Waterlooville's first fourth-round appearance. They lost 5–2 to Liverpool at Anfield. After Havant's elimination, Bristol Rovers and Huddersfield Town became the lowest ranked teams left in the Cup. They competed in League One this season.
The BBC's Match of the Day broadcast live matches from two stadia that it had never broadcast live matches before; from Field Mill, Mansfield for Mansfield Town's match with Middlesbrough and from the JJB Stadium, Wigan for Wigan Athletic's match with defending champions Chelsea.