The Harry the Haddock mascots have been out in power at St Mary’s previous this month as Grimsby beat Southampton to development to the FA Cup quarter-finals. The away lovers held aloft a sea of inflatable fish within the stands as their crew pulled off one of the most greatest shocks lately. Grimsby was the primary facet within the 151 years of the FA Cup to overcome combatants from upper divisions in 5 rounds, having already taken care of 3 League One golf equipment – Plymouth Argyle, Cambridge United and Burton Albion – and Luton Town from the Championship.
Grimsby, who’re sixteenth in League Two and most effective regained their league standing ultimate yr by way of profitable the National League playoffs, have reached the quarter-finals for the primary time since 1939, once they have been a First Division facet and in the end misplaced 5–0 to Wolves within the semi-finals. Their shocking 2–1 victory at Southampton makes them simply the 5th membership from the fourth tier to achieve the quarter-finals because the department was once based within the overdue Fifties.
Oxford United have been the primary to do it, beating Blackburn within the 5th spherical in 1964 when Ron Atkinson was once their captain. “I remember it vividly, it was a wonderful occasion,” he mirrored later. “At the time it was once a report gate and, for such a lot of other people to return and watch, it gave us all a large carry. Blackburn have been proper on the best of Division One and we have been slightly Division Four membership. Only a month or so previous they’d gained 8-2 away to West Ham, and that was once a West Ham crew with Bobby Moore and the entire England World Cup stars in it, so that they have been an excellent facet.”
Seven years later, Colchester United became the second club from the Fourth Division to reach the quarter-finals. They pulled off an almighty shock to reach the last eight, beating a Leeds team that had been FA Cup finalists and First Division runners-up the year before. Colchester were not given much chance before they hosted Leeds at Layer Road in February 1971 – they were dubbed “Dad’s Army” in the buildup due to the age of their team compared to Don Revie’s side – but they won 3–2, with Ray Crawford scoringtwice.
Bradford City followed in Colchester’s footsteps in 1976, when they knocked out top-flight Norwich at Carrow Road before losing to eventual winners Southampton in the quarter-finals. The last fourth-tier side to progress this far were Cambridge United in 1989–90, when they played nine games in the FA Cup – including three replays – before losing to top-flight Crystal Palace in the quarter-finals.
Grimsby are the poster boys of this season’s FA Cup, but they are not the only unlikely quarter-finalists. Three of the other clubs in the last eight are from outside the top flight. Burnley visit Manchester City on Saturday and Sheffield United host Blackburn on Sunday, guaranteeing that at least one Championship club will enjoy a semi-final at Wembley.
There has not been a Championship club in the last four since 2015, when Reading made it to the semi-finals but were beaten by the eventual winners, Arsenal, in extra time. The Royals have a habit of progressing to the latter stages of the competition, racking up an impressive five quarter-final appearances between 2010 and 2019, all the while in the second tier.
Like Reading, Sheffield United and Blackburn have a fair amount of experience of reaching the quarter-finals; This year is the fourth time in just over two decades they have done so. Sheffield United even reached the semi-finals in 2014 while playing in League One.
It is a rarity for half of the quarter-finalists to come from outside the top flight. This has not happened since 2008, when three Championship clubs – West Brom, Barnsley and Cardiff City – went a step further and made it to the semi-finals. All three made a splash along the way 15 years ago. West Brom beat Coventry 5–0 and Bristol Rovers 5–1 on their way to a semi-final against the eventual champions, Portsmouth.
Barnsley’s run was even more impressive as it included a pair of famous scalps. They beat Liverpool at Anfield in the fifth round thanks to a last-minute goal from Brian Howard and then knocked out holders Chelsea at Oakwell in the quarter-finals. Considering Simon Davey’s team only just survived relegation from the Championship, it was quite a double. Cardiff made it all the way to the final, where they were beaten 1–0 by Portsmouth at Wembley. They remain the last side from outside the top flight to reach the Cup final.
Since the Premier League was formed 30 years ago, Cardiff City and Millwall are the only two clubs to have reached the FA Cup final while playing outside the top flight. Millwall did it in 2004, when they beat Sunderland in the semi-finals to set up a final against Manchester United, which they lost 3–0. Cristiano Ronaldo and Ruud van Nistelrooy proved too much for a side that finished 10th in the second tier.
By contrast, in the 20 years before the Premier League was formed, six clubs from outside the top division reached the final, with three of them ending up as winners: Sunderland in 1973, Southampton in 1976 and West Ham in 1980. It has been 43 years since that particular record was updated. Grimsby, Sheffield United, Blackburn and Burnley will be hoping to join the club when Wembley hosts the final on 3 June.