The 1974–75 FA Cup was the 94th season of the world's oldest football cup competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup. West Ham United won the competition, defeating Second Division side Fulham 2–0 in the final at Wembley, London.
Matches were scheduled to be played at the stadium of the team named first on the date specified for each round, which was always a Saturday. If scores were level after 90 minutes had been played, a replay would take place at the stadium of the second-named team later the same week. If the replayed match was drawn further replays would be held until a winner was determined. If scores were level after 90 minutes had been played in a replay, a 30-minute period of extra time would be played.
Calendar Round Date Preliminary round Saturday, 31 August 1974 First qualifying round Saturday, 14 September 1974 Second qualifying round Saturday, 5 October 1974 Third qualifying round Saturday, 19 October 1974 Fourth qualifying round Saturday, 2 November 1974 First round proper Saturday, 23 November 1974 Second round proper Saturday, 14 December 1974 Third round proper Saturday, 4 January 1975 Fourth round proper Saturday, 25 January 1975 Fifth round proper Saturday, 15 February 1975 Sixth round proper Saturday, 8 March 1975 Semi-finals Saturday, 5 April 1975 Final Saturday, 3 May 1975
Qualifying rounds Most participating clubs that were not members of the Football League competed in the qualifying rounds to secure one of 28 places available in the first round.
The winners from the fourth qualifying round were Blyth Spartans, Gateshead United, Bishop Auckland, Altrincham, Oswestry Town, Wigan Athletic, Marine, Farsley Celtic, Nuneaton Borough, Matlock Town, Stafford Rangers, Boston United, AP Leamington, Kettering Town, Ashford Town (Kent), Romford, Hitchin Town, Wycombe Wanderers, Chelmsford City, Slough Town, Tooting & Mitcham United, Wimbledon, Maidstone United, Leatherhead, Southwick, Weymouth, Cheltenham Town and Bath City.
Appearing in the competition proper for the first time were Farsley Celtic, AP Leamington, Maidstone United, Leatherhead and Southwick. Of the others, Bishop Auckland, Ashford Town (Kent) and Bath City had last featured at this stage in 1966–67, Tooting & Mitcham United had last done so in 1963-64, Oswestry Town and Matlcok Town had last done so in 1959–60, and Marine in 1947–48.
Gateshead United had relocated from South Shields during the summer of 1974 following the dissolution of Gateshead AFC. Although the club had qualified for the main draw of the Cup in each of the previous six seasons under its former name, this season marked the first time a club from Gateshead would be featuring in the first round since 1965–66.
Results
First round proper At this stage the 48 clubs from the Football League Third and Fourth Division joined the non-league clubs who came through the qualifying rounds. To complete this round, non-league sides Morecambe, Dartford, Bishop's Stortford and Ilford were given byes as the finalists from the previous season's FA Trophy and FA Amateur Cup respectively. During the 1974 close season the Football Association decided to abolish the distinction between amateur and professional clubs, resulting in the permanent cessation of the FA Amateur Cup. The annual finalists from the replacement competition for lower-level clubs, known as the FA Vase, would not receive byes to the first round of the FA Cup in subsequent seasons.
Matches were scheduled to be played on Saturday, 23 November 1974. Twelve matches were drawn, of which one required a second replay.
Tie noHome teamScoreAway teamDateAttendanceNotes1Ashford Town (Kent)1–3Walsall27 November 19742,700 2Chesterfield3–1Boston United23 November 19746,314 end of season official match programme3Darlington1–0Workington23 November 1974 4Dartford2–3Plymouth Argyle23 November 19744,384 5Hartlepool1–0Bradford City23 November 19743,677 6AFC Bournemouth5–0Southwick23 November 1974 7Bury4–2Southport23 November 1974 8Farsley Celtic0–2Tranmere Rovers23 November 1974 9Rochdale0–0Marine23 November 1974 ReplayMarine1–2Rochdale27 November 19742,540 10Watford0–1Colchester United23 November 1974 11Grimsby Town1–0Huddersfield Town23 November 1974 12Crewe Alexandra2–2Gateshead United23 November 1974 ReplayGateshead United1–0Crewe Alexandra25 November 19746,000 13Swindon Town4–0Reading23 November 197413,365 14Shrewsbury Town1–1Wigan Athletic23 November 1974 ReplayWigan Athletic2–1Shrewsbury Town25 November 197411,860 15Bishop Auckland5–0Morecambe23 November 1974 16Stockport County0–0Stafford Rangers23 November 1974 ReplayStafford Rangers1–0Stockport County26 November 19745,630 17Wycombe Wanderers3–1Cheltenham Town23 November 1974 18Barnsley1–2Halifax Town23 November 1974 19Brighton & Hove Albion3–1Aldershot23 November 1974 20Hitchin Town0–0Cambridge United23 November 1974 ReplayCambridge United3–0Hitchin Town26 November 19742,827 21Wimbledon1–0Bath City23 November 1974 22Exeter City1–2Newport County23 November 1974 23Scunthorpe United1–1Altrincham23 November 1974 ReplayAltrincham3–1Scunthorpe United25 November 1974 24Blyth Spartans1–1Preston North End23 November 19748,500Attendance figure from The Times, via The Times Digital Archive 1785–1985. ReplayPreston North End5–1Blyth Spartans26 November 197410,101 25Mansfield Town3–1Wrexham23 November 1974 26Port Vale2–2Lincoln City23 November 1974 ReplayLincoln City2–0Port Vale27 November 19746,824 27Matlock Town1–4Blackburn Rovers23 November 1974 28Oswestry Town1–3Doncaster Rovers23 November 1974 29Torquay United0–1Northampton Town23 November 1974 30Hereford United1–0Gillingham26 November 19747,362 31Bishop's Stortford0–0Leatherhead23 November 1974 ReplayLeatherhead2–0Bishop's Stortford26 November 19741,775 32Rotherham United1–0Chester23 November 1974 33Romford0–2Ilford23 November 1974 34Tooting & Mitcham United1–2Crystal Palace27 November 197410,000 35Peterborough United0–0Weymouth23 November 19748,984 ReplayWeymouth3–3Peterborough United4 December 19744,009 2nd replayPeterborough United3–0Weymouth9 December 19749,077 36Chelmsford City0–1Charlton Athletic23 November 1974 37Nuneaton Borough2–2Maidstone United23 November 1974 ReplayMaidstone United2–0Nuneaton Borough26 November 19744,101 38Slough Town1–4Brentford23 November 1974 39Swansea City1–1Kettering Town26 November 19743,175 ReplayKettering Town3–1Swansea City2 December 19745,973 40AP Leamington1–2Southend United23 November 19743,000
Second round proper The matches were scheduled for Saturday, 14 December 1974. Five matches were drawn, with replays taking place later the same week.
Tie noHome teamScoreAway teamDateAttendanceNotes1Chesterfield1–0Doncaster Rovers14 December 19745,267 2Hartlepool0–0Lincoln City14 December 19742,838 ReplayLincoln City1–0Hartlepool17 December 19744,985 3Rochdale1–1Tranmere Rovers14 December 1974 ReplayTranmere Rovers1–0Rochdale16 December 19743,244 4Blackburn Rovers1–0Darlington14 December 1974 5Grimsby Town1–1Bury14 December 1974 ReplayBury2–1Grimsby Town17 December 1974 6Stafford Rangers2–1Halifax Town14 December 1974 7Swindon Town3–1Maidstone United14 December 197410,016 8Bishop Auckland0–2Preston North End14 December 1974 9Ilford0–2Southend United14 December 19743,486 10Wycombe Wanderers0–0AFC Bournemouth14 December 1974 ReplayAFC Bournemouth1–2Wycombe Wanderers18 December 19745,407 11Brighton & Hove Albion1–0Brentford14 December 1974 12Plymouth Argyle2–1Crystal Palace14 December 197417,473 13Wimbledon2–0Kettering Town14 December 1974 14Altrincham3–0Gateshead United14 December 1974 15Newport County1–3Walsall14 December 1974 16Rotherham United2–1Northampton Town14 December 1974 17Wigan Athletic1–1Mansfield Town14 December 1974 ReplayMansfield Town3–1Wigan Athletic16 December 197411,249 18Peterborough United3–0Charlton Athletic14 December 19749,642 19Leatherhead1–0Colchester United14 December 1974 20Cambridge United2–0Hereford United14 December 1974
Third round proper The 44 First and Second Division clubs entered the competition at this stage. The matches were scheduled Saturday, 4 January 1975. Eleven matches were drawn, of which two required second replays. Stafford Rangers became the first non-league club to defeat three Football League opponents in one tournament since Peterborough United in 1959–60.
Tie noHome teamScoreAway teamDateAttendanceNotes1Burnley0–1Wimbledon4 January 197519,683 2Bury2–2Millwall4 January 1975 ReplayMillwall1–1Bury7 January 197510,274 2nd replayBury2–0Millwall13 January 19754,000 3Liverpool2–0Stoke City4 January 197548,723 4Preston North End0–1Carlisle United4 January 1975 5Southampton1–2West Ham United4 January 197524,615 6Leicester City3–1Oxford United4 January 1975 7Notts County3–1Portsmouth3 January 197514,723 8Nottingham Forest1–1Tottenham Hotspur4 January 197523,355 ReplayTottenham Hotspur0–1Nottingham Forest8 January 197527,996 9Blackburn Rovers1–2Bristol Rovers4 January 1975 10Bolton Wanderers0–0West Bromwich Albion4 January 1975 ReplayWest Bromwich Albion4–0Bolton Wanderers8 January 197521,210 11Wolverhampton Wanderers1–2Ipswich Town4 January 197528,542 12Sunderland2–0Chesterfield4 January 197534,268 13Stafford Rangers0–0Rotherham United4 January 19758,000 ReplayRotherham United0–2Stafford Rangers7 January 197511,262 14Luton Town0–1Birmingham City4 January 197517,543 15Everton1–1Altrincham4 January 197534,519 ReplayAltrincham0–2Everton7 January 197535,530 16Swindon Town2–0Lincoln City4 January 197511,971 17Sheffield United2–0Bristol City4 January 1975 18Wycombe Wanderers0–0Middlesbrough4 January 197512,000 ReplayMiddlesbrough1–0Wycombe Wanderers7 January 197530,128 19Manchester City0–2Newcastle United4 January 197537,625 20Fulham1–1Hull City4 January 19758,897 ReplayHull City2–2Fulham7 January 197511,850 2nd replayFulham1–0Hull City13 January 19754,929 21Coventry City2–0Norwich City4 January 1975 22Brighton & Hove Albion0–1Leatherhead4 January 1975 23Manchester United0–0Walsall4 January 197543,353 ReplayWalsall3–2Manchester United7 January 197518,105 24Plymouth Argyle2–0Blackpool4 January 197523,143 25Oldham Athletic0–3Aston Villa4 January 1975 26Chelsea3–2Sheffield Wednesday4 January 197524,679 27Southend United2–2Queens Park Rangers4 January 197518,100 ReplayQueens Park Rangers2–0Southend United7 January 197521,484 28Mansfield Town1–0Cambridge United4 January 1975 29Arsenal1–1York City4 January 1975 ReplayYork City1–3Arsenal7 January 197515,362 30Leeds United4–1Cardiff City4 January 197531,572 31Peterborough United1–0Tranmere Rovers4 January 19759,942 32Orient2–2Derby County4 January 197512,490ReplayDerby County2–1Orient8 January 197526,501
Fourth round proper The matches were scheduled for Saturday, 25 January 1975. Four matches were drawn, of which one, the tie between Fulham and Nottingham Forest, required three replays. Holders Liverpool were eliminated by Ipswich Town. Wimbledon, Stafford Rangers and Leatherhead were the last non-league clubs left in the competition.