The 1945–46 FA Cup was the 65th season of the world's oldest football cup competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup, generally known as the FA Cup, and the first to be held after the Second World War. Derby County were the winners, beating Charlton Athletic 4–1 after extra time in the final at Wembley, London. The tournament witnessed a disaster in the sixth round when, during the second leg of the Bolton–Stoke City tie, 33 people were crushed to death in the Burnden Park disaster.
For the only time in the history of the competition, all matches from the first round proper up to and including the sixth round proper were played over two legs, the first leg being played at the stadium of the team named first on the date specified for each round, which was always a Saturday. In the first and second rounds proper, the second leg was played on the following Saturday; from the third round onwards, it was played during the week following the first leg. If aggregate scores were level after 90 minutes of the second leg had been played, a replay would take place at a neutral venue. (Semi-finals and finals were played as single games at neutral venues; a drawn semi-final after 90 minutes was replayed, with a drawn semi-final going to extra time and possible subsequent replays; a drawn final went to extra time, and then subsequent replays if needed.) These changes were made in order to give clubs additional revenue, as the Football League would not resume normal play until the autumn of 1946.
Calendar Round Date Extra preliminary round Saturday 1 September 1945 Preliminary round Saturday 8 September 1945 First round qualifying Saturday 22 September 1945 Second round qualifying Saturday 6 October 1945 Third round qualifying Saturday 20 October 1945 Fourth round qualifying Saturday 3 November 1945 First round proper Saturday 17 November 1945Saturday 24 November 1945 Second round proper Saturday 8 December 1945Saturday 15 December 1945 Third round proper Saturday 5 January 1946w/c Monday 7 January 1946 Fourth round proper Saturday 26 January 1946w/c Monday 28 January 1946 Fifth round proper Saturday 9 February 1946w/c Monday 11 February 1946 Sixth round proper Saturday 2 March 1946w/c Monday 4 March 1946 Semi-finals Saturday 23 March 1946 Final Saturday 27 April 1946 w/c = week commencing
Qualifying rounds As with the 1919–20 tournament, participant numbers were down this season after many clubs from the lower echelons of the English football system did not resume after the Second World War. Local leagues across the UK were reeling after seven seasons of competitive hiatus, while other stronger clubs such as Burton Town were unable to survive the loss of regular income streams during wartime.
Most of the clubs from outside the Football League who did enter the tournament still competed in the qualifying rounds to secure one of 25 places available in the first round proper.
The 25 winners from the fourth qualifying round were Stockton, Willington, North Shields, Netherfield, Chorley, Marine, Stalybridge Celtic, Yorkshire Amateur, Shrewsbury Town, Gainsborough Trinity, Wellington Town, Kettering Town, Grantham, Wisbech Town, Chelmsford City, Romford, Barnet, Slough United, Walthamstow Avenue, Sutton United, Bromley, Trowbridge Town, Newport (IOW), Cheltenham Town and Lovell's Athletic.
Advancing to the competition proper for the first time were Willington, Netherfield, Wisbech Town, Slough United, Sutton United, Trowbridge Town and Lovell's Athletic, while Shrewsbury Town had not done so since 1909–10. Slough United's appearance in the first round was also the first by a team from that town since Swifts had been knocked out by The Wednesday in 1889-90.
This season's extra preliminary round contained only eight teams (four from Oxfordshire and two each from Buckinghamshire and Middlesex). None of those progressed past the second qualifying round. Barnet, Slough United and Sutton United were the only clubs to progress to the first round proper from the preliminary round.
Results
First round proper At this stage 38 Third Division North and Third Division South clubs, and Newport County from the Second Division, joined the 25 non-league clubs who had advanced from the qualifying rounds. Chester, Cardiff City, Crystal Palace and Norwich City received byes to the third round while Hull City and New Brighton did not enter the competition. To make the number of matches up, non-league sides Bath City, Yeovil Town, Bishop Auckland and South Liverpool received byes to this stage, with Bishop Auckland being the champions from the 1938-39 FA Amateur Cup.
The first leg matches were played on Saturday, 17 November 1945 and the second legs on the following Saturday, 24 November 1945. No replays were necessary.
Tie noTeam drawn firstScoreTeam drawn secondAttendanceNotes1Darlington2–0Stockton Stockton1–4Darlington Darlington6–1Stockton2Barnet2–6Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers2–1Barnet Barnet3–8Queens Park Rangers3Barrow1–0Netherfield Netherfield2–2Barrow Barrow3–2Netherfield4Bath City3–2Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town0–2Bath City Bath City5–2Cheltenham Town5Sutton United1–4Walthamstow Avenue Walthamstow Avenue7–2Sutton United Sutton United3–11Walthamstow Avenue6Watford1–1Southend United Southend United0–3Watford Watford4–1Southend United7Marine4–0Stalybridge Celtic Stalybridge Celtic3–3Marine Marine7–3Stalybridge Celtic8Reading3–0Aldershot Aldershot7–3Reading Reading6–7Aldershot9Wisbech Town0–3Ipswich Town4,356 Ipswich Town5–0Wisbech Town9,598 Wisbech Town0–8Ipswich Town10Notts County2–2Bradford City Bradford City1–2Notts County Notts County4–3Bradford City11Crewe Alexandra4–2Wrexham Wrexham3–0Crewe Alexandra Crewe Alexandra4–5Wrexham12Swindon Town1–0Bristol Rovers Bristol Rovers4–1Swindon Town Swindon Town2–4Bristol Rovers13Shrewsbury Town5–0Walsall Walsall4–1Shrewsbury Town Shrewsbury Town6–4Walsall14Doncaster Rovers0–1Rotherham United Rotherham United2–1Doncaster Rovers Doncaster Rovers1–3Rotherham United15Stockport County1–2Rochdale Rochdale1–1Stockport County Stockport County2–3Rochdale16Chorley2–1Accrington Stanley Accrington Stanley2–0Chorley Chorley2–3Accrington Stanley17Trowbridge Town1–3Exeter City Exeter City7–2Trowbridge Town Trowbridge Town3–10Exeter City18Northampton Town5–1Chelmsford City Chelmsford City0–5Northampton Town Northampton Town10–1Chelmsford City19Bromley6–1Slough United Slough United1–0Bromley Bromley6–2Slough United20South Liverpool1–1Tranmere Rovers Tranmere Rovers6–1South Liverpool South Liverpool2–7Tranmere Rovers21Brighton & Hove Albion3–1Romford Romford1–1Brighton & Hove Albion Brighton & Hove Albion4–2Romford22Carlisle United5–1North Shields North Shields2–3Carlisle United Carlisle United8–3North Shields23Mansfield Town3–0Gainsborough Trinity Gainsborough Trinity4–2Mansfield Town Mansfield Town5–4Gainsborough Trinity24Willington0–5Bishop Auckland Bishop Auckland0–2Willington Willington2–5Bishop Auckland25Port Vale4–0Wellington Town Wellington Town0–2Port Vale Port Vale6–0Wellington Town26Halifax Town1–0York City York City4–2Halifax Town Halifax Town3–4York City27Southport1–2Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic3–1Southport Southport2–5Oldham Athletic28Yeovil Town2–2Bristol City Bristol City3–0Yeovil Town Yeovil Town2–5Bristol City29Torquay United0–1Newport County4,000 Newport County1–1Torquay United7,178 Torquay United1–2Newport County30Lovells Athletic4–1Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic3–2Lovells Athletic Lovells Athletic6–4Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic31Yorkshire Amateur1–0Lincoln City Lincoln City5–1Yorkshire Amateur Yorkshire Amateur2–5Lincoln City32Kettering Town1–5Grantham Grantham2–2Kettering Town Kettering Town3–7Grantham33Gateshead6–2Hartlepools United Hartlepools United1–2Gateshead Gateshead8–3Hartlepools United34Leyton Orient2–1Newport (IoW) Newport (IoW)2–0Leyton Orient Leyton Orient2–3Newport (IoW)
Second round proper The first leg matches were played on Saturday, 8 December 1945 and the second legs on the following Saturday, 15 December 1945. No replays were necessary.
Tie noHome teamScoreAway teamAttendanceNotes1Barrow4–2Carlisle United Carlisle United3–4Barrow Barrow8–5Carlisle United2Bristol City4–2Bristol Rovers Bristol Rovers0–2Bristol City Bristol City6–2Bristol Rovers3Grantham1–2Mansfield Town Mansfield Town2–1Grantham Grantham2–4Mansfield Town4Shrewsbury Town0–1Wrexham Wrexham1–1Shrewsbury Town Shrewsbury Town1–2Wrexham5Bishop Auckland1–2York City York City3–0Bishop Auckland Bishop Auckland1–5York City6Tranmere Rovers3–1Rochdale Rochdale3–0Tranmere Rovers Tranmere Rovers3–4Rochdale7Queens Park Rangers4–0Ipswich Town Ipswich Town0–2Queens Park Rangers10,571 Queens Park Rangers6–0Ipswich Town8Northampton Town3–1Notts County Notts County3–2Northampton Town Northampton Town5–4Notts County9Bromley1–3Watford Watford1–1Bromley Bromley2–4Watford10Oldham Athletic2–1Accrington Stanley Accrington Stanley3–1Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic3–4Accrington Stanley11Port Vale3–1Marine Marine1–1Port Vale Port Vale4–2Marine12Newport County5–1Exeter City5,606 Exeter City1–3Newport County9,000 Newport County8–2Exeter City13Lovells Athletic2–1Bath City Bath City2–5Lovells Athletic Lovells Athletic7–3Bath City14Walthamstow Avenue1–1Brighton & Hove Albion Brighton & Hove Albion4–2Walthamstow Avenue Walthamstow Avenue3–5Brighton & Hove Albion15Rotherham United2–1Lincoln City Lincoln City1–1Rotherham United Rotherham United3–2Lincoln City16Aldershot7–0Newport (IoW) Newport (IoW)0–5Aldershot Aldershot12–0Newport (IoW)17Gateshead1–2Darlington Darlington2–4Gateshead Gateshead5–4Darlington
Third round proper At this stage 43 Football League First and Second Division clubs entered the competition along with Chester, Cardiff City, Crystal Palace and Norwich City.
The first leg matches were played on Saturday, 5 January 1946 and the second legs in the following week commencing Monday, 7 January 1946. Two replays were necessary, both of which were played on Wednesday, 16 January 1946. Lovell's Athletic was the last non-league club left in the competition.