A fun little quiz on the anniversary of one of the biggest matches in our club’s storied and unique history, the meeting earlier 2001 FA Cup semi-final versus Liverpool.
Since the inception of the Football League Third Division in 1920, which clubs have appeared in an FA Cup semi-final in the same season that they have completed a season in the third tier?
By my reckoning there are nine including Wycombe Wanderers, none of which achieved this feat more than once. Can you name the other eight?
Not many I’m afraid.
Most will remember Chesterfield
I remember Plymouth because I was there
Port Vale was mentioned before their QF the other day (I think they would have been level three then)
Pretty sure there was one of the biggish clubs slumming it in tier 3 for a year or two who did it recently but cant remember which one.
Otherwise no clue.
Pretty sure Palace were 3rd tier when they played Southampton in 1976 and have a feeling York made it that far once.
Sheffield Utd were the big team but also past winners
Two still to get. So far we have (in reverse chronological order):
Sheffield United
Wycombe Wanderers
Chesterfield
Plymouth Argyle
Crystal Palace
???
York City
Port Vale
???
Millwall 1936/37
Norwich City 1958/59
Well worth a read
And rounds out the final two! I probably should have checked how googleable this was before starting, fair play to everyone who resisted the urge to just look it up.
@Readingmarginalista I think you should give a bonus point to the person who can name exactly how many players were fielded by WWFC in our semi-final run. I don’t know the answer, I’d be guessing at 32. Winner(s) gets a discounted crème egg.
(It’s entirely possible this is BWK). No looking it up!
Is it also the case that we are the only club, whilst being in the third tier to have reached the semi-final of both the FA Cup and league cup?
I made the same mistake once . The answer to your question is no.
We were in the fourth tier when reaching the lg cup semi.
Harry Hotspur is of course the only club to have won the Cup as a non league club. Disgracefully not championed as they change Latin into English and slip down the League
That’s not true. The number of clubs who have won the cup while not in the league is well into double figures.
A club cannot be non league whilst a league does not exist?
A good banner idea that will disrupt and inspire revolution in the North American continent in July.
Thank you for unintentionally inspiring @DevC
possibly a new motto for WWFC..what’s the Latin translation? We need Ian Clarke
My suggestion would be “Victores Berks et Bucks, numquam id cantabitis.”
An old one from the original Gasroom was something along the lines of “Ambitionem minue, frustrationem vita”.
This post was brought to you by Google Translate, and definitely not the time wasted in Year 8 Latin at the RGS
Thank you for that so to rephrase are we the only club whilst playing in one of the two lower divisions of EFL to have reached the semi-final of both tournaments?
Afraid that’s a no too - one of three. Probably the “smallest” club of the three though.
I believe we are the only club to have played in the semi-finals for the F.A. Amateur Cup, F.A. Trophy, F.A. Cup and Football League Cup.