The 1997–98 FA Cup qualifying rounds opened the 117th season of competition in England for 'The Football Association Challenge Cup' (FA Cup), the world's oldest association football single knockout competition. A total of 563 clubs were accepted for the competition, down 11 from the previous season's 574.
The large number of clubs entering the tournament from lower down (Levels 5 through 8) in the English football pyramid meant that the competition started with five rounds of preliminary (1) and qualifying (4) knockouts for these non-League teams. The 28 winning teams from fourth round qualifying progressed to the First round proper, where League teams tiered at Levels 3 and 4 entered the competition.
Calendar Round Start date New entries Clubs Preliminary round Saturday 30 August 1997 318 563 → 404 First round qualifying Saturday 13 September 1997 129 404 → 260 Second round qualifying Saturday 27 September 1997 none 260 → 188 Third round qualifying Saturday 11 October 1997 none 188 → 152 Fourth round qualifying Saturday 25 October 1997 20 152 → 124 First round proper Saturday 15 November 1997 52 124 → 84 Second round proper Saturday 6 December 1997 none 84 → 64 Third round proper Saturday 3 January 1998 44 64 → 32 Fourth round proper Saturday 24 January 1998 none 32 → 16 Fifth round proper Saturday 14 February 1998 none 16 → 8 Sixth round proper Saturday 7 March 1998 none 8 → 4 Semi-finals Saturday 5 April 1998 none 4 → 2 Final Saturday 16 May 1998 none 2 → 1
Preliminary round Ties Tie Home team Score Away team 1 A F C Lymington 6-0 Endsleigh 2 Abingdon Town 1-1 Devizes Town 3 Andover 3-4 Portsmouth Royal Navy 4 Arlesey Town 2-1 March Town United 5 Arnold Town 3-1 Shildon 6 Atherton Collieries 1-2 Maine Road 7 Atherton Laburnum Rovers 0-1 Hucknall Town 8 Banbury United 3-2 Rushall Olympic 9 Barking 3-1 Basildon United 10 Barnstaple Town 1-4 Carterton Town 11 Bashley 9-0 Torrington 12 Bedlington Terriers 6-1 Glapwell 13 Belper Town 2-2 Glossop North End 14 Billingham Synthonia 1-1 Brandon United 15 Billingham Town 3-0 Brodsworth Miners Welfare 16 Blackpool Rovers 1-4 Burscough 17 Blakenall 1-3 Great Yarmouth Town 18 Blidworth Welfare 3-5 Rossendale United 19 Bootle 3-1 Bradford Park Avenue 20 Borrowash Victoria 1-2 Jarrow Roofing Boldon Community Association 21 Boston Town 0-2 Stapenhill 22 Bournemouth F.C. 2-4 Gosport Borough 23 Brackley Town 1-0 Cogenhoe United 24 Bridgwater Town 1-0 Brislington 25 Bridport 1-2 Buckingham Town 26 Brigg Town 1-0 Eastwood Town 27 Buxton 0-1 Ilkeston Town 28 Castleton Gabriels 0-1 Clitheroe 29 Chatham Town 0-7 Banstead Athletic 30 Chester-Le-Street Town 0-2 Ryhope Community Association 31 Chippenham Town 0-0 Eastleigh 32 Cirencester Town 3-4 Tuffley Rovers 33 Clevedon Town 4-0 Bemerton Heath Harlequins 34 Congleton Town 1-1 Darwen 35 Corinthian Casuals 0-2 Aveley 36 Cove 1-3 Brockenhurst 37 Crook Town 0-2 Mossley 38 Croydon 2-1 Mile Oak 39 Croydon Athletic 5-2 Beaconsfield S Y C O B 40 Denaby United 3-1 West Auckland Town 41 Didcot Town 1-5 Taunton Town 42 Diss Town 1-0 Bloxwich Town 43 Droylsden 4-1 Cheadle Town 44 Dudley Town scr-w/o Bridgnorth Town 45 Eccleshill United 1-1 Thackley 46 Egham Town 1-1 Burnham 47 Elmore 4-5 Hungerford Town 48 Epsom & Ewell 0-1 Canterbury City 49 Erith Town 0-3 Harlow Town 50 Evenwood Town 0-3 Durham City 51 Eynesbury Rovers 1-2 Pershore Town 52 Fakenham Town 0-1 Stourbridge 53 Flackwell Heath 5-0 Barkingside 54 Fleet Town 0-0 Thame United 55 Flixton 2-3 Staveley Miners Welfare 56 Folkestone Invicta 3-4 Marlow 57 Ford United 0-4 Great Wakering Rovers 58 Frome Town 0-5 Wokingham Town 59 Glastonbury 0-2 Chard Town 60 Godalming & Guildford 0-6 Tonbridge Angels 61 Grays Athletic 10-0 Langford 62 Great Harwood Town 2-1 Stockton 63 Gretna 4-2 Haslingden 64 Guisborough Town 2-3 Worksop Town 65 Hailsham Town 0-4 Metropolitan Police 66 Halstead Town 0-3 Berkhamsted Town 67 Hanwell Town 3-1 Tring Town 68 Harrogate Railway Athletic 2-3 South Shields 69 Harrogate Town 1-1 Armthorpe Welfare 70 Hassocks 1-2 Barton Rovers 71 Hatfield Main 2-3 Dunston Federation Brewery 72 Heanor Town 1-0 Salford City 73 Hebburn 0-5 Garforth Town 74 Hillingdon Borough 4-2 Stotfold 75 Hinckley United 2-0 Wednesfield 76 Histon 2-0 Oldbury United 77 Hornchurch 2-2 Arundel 78 Horsham 3-1 Northwood 79 Horsham Y M C A 2-4 Dartford 80 Hythe United 3-2 Chalfont St Peter 81 Kidsgrove Athletic 1-1 Whitley Bay 82 Kingsbury Town 1-2 Portfield 83 Langney Sports 2-1 Southall 84 Leatherhead 2-0 Wealdstone 85 Leighton Town 2-1 Ashford Town (Middx) 86 Lewes 0-1 Tilbury 87 Littlehampton Town 6-2 Southend Manor 88 Liversedge 3-0 Willington 89 London Colney 0-2 Fisher Athletic London 90 Long Buckby 2-4 Boldmere St Michaels 91 Louth United 1-0 Glasshoughton Welfare 92 Lye Town 2-1 Evesham United 93 Maldon Town 0-3 Ruislip Manor 94 Maltby Main 0-1 Shotton Comrades 95 Matlock Town 3-1 Curzon Ashton 96 Melksham Town 2-1 Yate Town 97 Milton Keynes 1-1 Viking Sports 98 Minehead 0-1 Mangotsfield United 99 Morpeth Town 5-0 Horden Colliery Welfare 100 Netherfield 1-1 Chadderton 101 Newmarket Town 4-4 Stamford 102 Newport A F C 2-1 Maidenhead United 103 Northampton Spencer 0-0 Warboys Town 104 Oakwood 2-1 Potters Bar Town 105 Odd Down 3-1 Backwell United 106 Oldham Town 4-2 Northallerton 107 Pagham 1-3 Camberley Town 108 Parkgate 2-0 Nantwich Town 109 Paulton Rovers 5-0 Fareham Town 110 Peacehaven & Telscombe 0-3 Potton United 111 Pelsall Villa 2-3 Barwell 112 Penrith 3-0 Trafford 113 Peterlee Newtown 1-3 Warrington Town 114 Pontefract Collieries 2-2 Ossett Albion 115 Racing Club Warwick 3-1 St Neots Town 116 Raunds Town 6-0 Shifnal Town 117 Redditch United 4-0 Wellingborough Town 118 Redhill 1-1 Ware 119 Ringmer 0-1 Wick Rocester 1-1 West Midlands Police 121 Romford 2-0 Hertford Town 122 Royston Town 0-0 Shoreham 123 Sandwell Borough 0-4 Spalding United 124 Seaham Red Star 1-1 Ossett Town 125 Selby Town 1-3 Lincoln United 126 Selsey 0-3 Wembley 127 Sheppey United 2-3 Windsor & Eton 128 Skelmersdale United 3-2 Pickering Town 129 Slade Green 1-1 Erith & Belvedere 130 St Blazey 1-0 Trowbridge Town 131 St Helens Town 3-1 Sheffield 132 Stafford Rangers 1-1 Ely City 133 Stewart & Lloyds Corby 1-1 Soham Town Rangers 134 Stourport Swifts 1-5 Woodbridge Town 135 Stratford Town 1-3 Desborough Town 136 Sutton Coldfield Town 1-3 Stowmarket Town 137 Tadcaster Albion 0-3 Stocksbridge Park Steels 138 Thamesmead Town 3-3 Saltdean United 139 Three Bridges 1-2 Whitehawk 140 Tiptree United 1-4 Clapton 141 Tiverton Town 2-0 Weymouth 142 Tow Law Town 1-2 R T M Newcastle 143 Tunbridge Wells 4-4 Chichester City 144 V S Rugby 1-0 Chasetown 145 Waterlooville 2-0 Reading Town 146 Watton United scr-w/o Lowestoft Town 147 Welton Rovers 1-5 Calne Town 148 Welwyn Garden City 2-3 East Thurrock United 149 Westfields 2-1 Westbury United 150 Whitstable Town 1-1 Dorking 151 Willenhall Town 4-1 Gorleston 152 Wimborne Town 3-2 Falmouth Town 153 Wingate & Finchley 1-1 Corinthian 154 Witham Town 1-1 Deal Town 155 Wivenhoe Town 4-0 Chipstead 156 Wootton Blue Cross 3-2 Hemel Hempstead 157 Worthing 8-1 Eastbourne Town 158 Wroxham 3-1 Paget Rangers 159 Yorkshire Amateur 1-4 Easington Colliery
Replays Tie Home team Score Away team 2 Devizes Town 0-3 Abingdon Town 13 Glossop North End 1-2 Belper Town 14 Brandon United 2-5 Billingham Synthonia 31 Eastleigh 0-1 Chippenham Town 34 Darwen 4-3 Congleton Town 45 Thackley 0-2 Eccleshill United 46 Burnham 1-1 Egham Town(Burnham won 5-4 on penalties) 54 Thame United 1-3 Fleet Town 69 Armthorpe Welfare 1-3 Harrogate Town 77 Arundel 4-3 Hornchurch 81 Whitley Bay 3-3 Kidsgrove Athletic(Whitley Bay won 5-3 on penalties) 97 Viking Sports 1-0 Milton Keynes 100 Chadderton 1-2 Netherfield 101 Stamford 1-4 Newmarket Town 103 Warboys Town 2-3 Northampton Spencer 114 Ossett Albion 0-3 Pontefract Collieries 118 Ware 4-1 Redhill 120 West Midlands Police 0-3 Rocester 122 Shoreham 2-1 Royston Town 124 Ossett Town 1-0 Seaham Red Star 129 Erith & Belvedere 5-3 Slade Green 132 Ely City 1-3 Stafford Rangers 133 Soham Town Rangers 1-3 Stewart & Lloyds Corby 138 Saltdean United 4-0 Thamesmead Town 143 Chichester City 4-1 Tunbridge Wells 150 Dorking 3-3 Whitstable Town(Dorking won 3-1 on penalties) 153 Corinthian 0-2 Wingate & Finchley 154 Deal Town 3-0 Witham Town
1st qualifying round Ties