FA Cup
History
The FA Cup, or the English Cup as it was customarily called well into the 1930s, was set up in 1871, the same year that Reading were founded. Along with Darwen and Notts County, Reading were the first of the English League clubs, or former clubs, to enter the FA Cup (in 1877), although the Scottish team, Queen's Park, had entered the first competition. Reading might even claim priority because Reading Hornets had entered the previous season before merging with Reading. Their best performances are reaching the semi-finals in 1926-27 and 2014-15, and the quarter-finals in 1900-01, 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2015-16.
FA Cup Rounds
The current scheme of FA Cup rounds consisting of four qualifying rounds, six rounds, a semi-final and a final, was only introduced in the 1925-26 season. The previous schemes (excluding preliminary and extra preliminary rounds) are summarised in the following table:
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | SF | F | |
| 1871-72 | R1 | R2 | R3 | SF | F | |||||||
| 1872-73 | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | SF | F | ||||||
| 1873-76 | R1 | R2 | R3 | SF | F | |||||||
| 1876-79 | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | SF | F | ||||||
| 1879-84 | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | SF | F | |||||
| 1884-88 | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | SF | F | ||||
| 1888-96 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | R1 | R2 | R3 | SF | F | |||
| 1896-00 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Q5 | R1 | R2 | R3 | SF | F | ||
| 1900-04 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Q5 | IR | R1 | R2 | R3 | SF | F | |
| 1904-05 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Q5 | Q6 | IR | R1 | R2 | R3 | SF | F |
| 1905-06 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | SF | F | ||
| 1906-14 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Q5 | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | SF | F | |
| 1914-25 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Q5 | Q6 | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | SF | F |
Finals
The full details of the finals are given on a separate page. A summary of the winners is as follows: Arsenal (14), Manchester United (13), Chelsea (8), Liverpool (8), Tottenham Hotspur (8), Aston Villa (7), Manchester City (7), Blackburn Rovers (6), Newcastle United (6), Everton (5), Wanderers (5), West Bromwich A (5), Bolton Wanderers (4), Sheffield United (4), Wolverhampton W (4), Sheffield Wednesday (3), West Ham United (3), Bury (2), Nottingham Forest (2), Old Etonians (2), Portsmouth (2), Preston North End (2), Sunderland (2), Barnsley (1), Blackburn Olympic (1), Blackpool (1), Bradford City (1), Burnley (1), Cardiff City (1), Charlton Athletic (1), Clapham Rovers (1), Coventry City (1), Crystal Palace (1), Derby County (1), Huddersfield Town (1), Ipswich Town (1), Leeds United (1), Leicester City (1), Notts County (1), Old Carthusians (1), Oxford University (1), Royal Engineers (1), Southampton (1), Wigan Athletic (1), Wimbledon (1).
Summary of Results
| PL | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | P3/PL | |
| TOTAL | 396 | 163 | 97 | 136 | 661 | 598 | +63 | 1.480 |
| HOME | 205 | 107 | 49 | 49 | 424 | 249 | +175 | 1.805 |
| AWAY | 180 | 51 | 47 | 82 | 225 | 336 | −111 | 1.111 |
| NEUTRAL | 11 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 12 | 13 | −1 | 1.455 |
Results by Opponent
| PL | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | P3 | ||
| 1 | Aldershot Town1 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 24 | 19 | +5 | 20 |
| 2 | Gillingham | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 7 | +6 | 14 |
| 3 | Bristol Rovers | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 5 | +4 | 14 |
| 4 | West Bromwich A | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 10 | +3 | 14 |
| 5 | Colchester United | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 8 | +9 | 13 |
| 6 | Brentford | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 3 | +9 | 13 |
| 7 | Newport County | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 20 | 15 | +5 | 12 |
| 8 | Huddersfield Town | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 5 | +5 | 11 |
| 9 | Cheltenham Town | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 10 |
| 10 | Watford | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 10 |
| 11 | Burnley | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| 12 | Cardiff City | 8 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 13 | −3 | 10 |
| 13 | Torquay United | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 9 |
| 14 | Welling United | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 9 |
| 15 | Walsall | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 8 |
| 16 | Southport2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 8 |
| 17 | Tottenham Hotspur | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 10 | −2 | 8 |
| 18 | Manchester United | 16 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 14 | 35 | −21 | 8 |
| 19 | Warmley | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 1 | +9 | 7 |
| 20 | Slough Town | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 7 |
| 21 | Millwall | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 7 |
| 22 | Stevenage | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 7 |
| 23 | Birmingham City | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 7 |
| 24 | Swansea City3 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 9 | −3 | 7 |
| 25 | Swindon Town | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 13 | −5 | 7 |
| 26 | Wycombe Wanderers | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | +9 | 6 |
| 27 | Hendon FC | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | +6 | 6 |
| 28 | Kettering Town | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 6 |
| 29 | Clifton4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 12 | +3 | 6 |
| 30 | Hendon | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 6 |
| 31 | Hereford United | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 6 |
| 32 | Newbury | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 6 |
| 33 | Wealdstone | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 6 |
| 34 | Norwich City | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| 35 | Southend United | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 6 |
| 36 | Portsmouth | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 6 |
| 37 | Southampton5 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 22 | −14 | 6 |
| 38 | Grimsby Town | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 8 | +1 | 5 |
| 39 | Coventry City | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 5 |
| 40 | Bristol City | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| 41 | Weymouth | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 4 | +5 | 4 |
| 42 | Blyth Spartans | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 3 | +5 | 4 |
| 43 | South Reading | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 4 |
| 44 | Bromley | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 4 |
| = | Chester City6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 4 |
| 46 | Enfield | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 4 |
| 47 | Stoke City7 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 4 |
| = | Wrexham | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 4 |
| 49 | Blackpool | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 4 |
| 50 | Bradford City | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 4 |
| = | Liverpool | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 4 |
| = | Maidstone United | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 4 |
| = | Shrewsbury Town | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 4 |
| = | Tranmere Rovers | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 4 |
| 55 | Dagenham | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 4 |
| = | Halifax Town | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 4 |
| = | West End | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 4 |
| 58 | Hayes | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 4 |
| = | Peterborough United | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 4 |
| 60 | Hull City | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 61 | Sunderland | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 4 |
| 62 | Bolton Wanderers | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 4 |
| 63 | Plymouth Argyle | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 4 |
| 64 | Aston Villa | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 13 | −7 | 4 |
| 65 | Chesham Generals | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | +11 | 3 |
| 66 | Chesham Town | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | +6 | 3 |
| = | Southall | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | +6 | 3 |
| 68 | Leyton | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | +6 | 3 |
| 69 | Corinthians | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 3 | +5 | 3 |
| 70 | Bristol St George | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | +5 | 3 |
| 71 | Bedminster | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | +5 | 3 |
| 72 | Bishop's Stortford | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 3 |
| 73 | Bognor Regis Town | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 3 |
| 74 | Hotspur | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | +4 | 3 |
| 75 | Dartford | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 | 3 |
| = | Grays Athletic | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 | 3 |
| = | Oxford City | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 | 3 |
| 78 | Bridgwater Town | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 3 |
| 79 | Harborough Town | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 3 |
| = | Sheffield United | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 3 |
| 81 | Ilford | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 3 |
| = | King's Lynn | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 3 |
| = | Yeovil Town | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 3 |
| 84 | Barking | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 3 |
| = | Crawley Town | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 3 |
| = | Leyton Orient | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 3 |
| = | Merthyr Tydfil | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 3 |
| 88 | Erith & Belvedere | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 3 |
| = | Fleetwood Town | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 3 |
| = | Richmond Association | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 3 |
| = | South Norwood | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 3 |
| 92 | Doncaster Rovers | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 3 |
| 93 | Milton Keynes Dons | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 3 |
| = | Uxbridge | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 3 |
| 95 | Barry Town | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 3 |
| = | Castleford Town | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 3 |
| = | Chesterfield | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 3 |
| = | Derby County | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 3 |
| = | Eastleigh LSWR | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 3 |
| = | Marlow | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 3 |
| = | Sutton Town | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 3 |
| = | Wisbech Town | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 3 |
| 103 | Bedford Town | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 3 |
| = | Everton | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 3 |
| = | Gainsborough Trinity | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 3 |
| 106 | Notts County | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 3 |
| 107 | Sheffield Wednesday8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 3 |
| 108 | AFC Bournemouth9 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 3 |
| 109 | Rochester | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 3 |
| 110 | Crystal Palace | 7 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 11 | −7 | 3 |
| 111 | Chelsea | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 2 |
| 112 | Fulham | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 2 |
| 113 | Manchester City | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 13 | −12 | 2 |
| 114 | Cambridge United | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 1 |
| = | Exeter City | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 1 |
| 116 | Barnsley | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 8 | −3 | 1 |
| 117 | Bury | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 1 |
| = | Oxford United | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 1 |
| 119 | Nottingham Forest | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | −4 | 1 |
| = | York City | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | −4 | 1 |
| 121 | Newcastle United | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 13 | −8 | 1 |
| 122 | Preston North End | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 23 | −19 | 1 |
| 123 | Old St Paul's | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 0 |
| 124 | Blackburn Rovers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 0 |
| = | Eastleigh | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 0 |
| = | Kidderminster Harriers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 0 |
| = | Old Carthusians | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 0 |
| 128 | Aberdare Athletic | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 0 |
| = | Brentwood Town | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 0 |
| = | Brighton & Hove A | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 0 |
| = | Darlington | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 0 |
| = | Guildford City | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 0 |
| = | Old Etonians | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 0 |
| = | Queens Park Rangers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 0 |
| = | Swifts | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 0 |
| 136 | Leicester City | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 0 |
| 137 | Dulwich | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | −2 | 0 |
| 138 | Oldham Athletic | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 0 |
| 139 | Northampton Town | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | −3 | 0 |
| 140 | Bradford Park Avenue | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 0 |
| 141 | Arsenal | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 8 | −5 | 0 |
| 142 | Ipswich Town | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | −5 | 0 |
| 143 | Luton Town | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 7 | −6 | 0 |
| 144 | Wolverhampton W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | −6 | 0 |
| 145 | Upton Park | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 10 | −8 | 0 |
| 146 | Royal Engineers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | −8 | 0 |
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1 includes Aldershot 2 includes Southport Central 3 includes Swansea Town 4 includes Clifton Association 5 includes Southampton St Mary 6 includes Chester 7 includes Stoke 8 includes The Wednesday 9 includes Bournemouth & BA |
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