The 2008–09 FA Cup (known as The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON for sponsorship reasons) was the 128th season of the world's oldest football knockout competition; the FA Cup. A record 762 clubs were accepted for the competition; one club, South Normanton Athletic, folded before the fixtures were released, leaving 761 clubs to appear in the draw.[1] Two more clubs, Brierley Hill & Withymoor and Stapenhill, folded after the draws for the early rounds were made, giving their opponents a walkover.
Premier League side Portsmouth were the defending champions, but were elimated in the fourth round by Swansea City.
This season's competition saw the beginning of a new television contract for the tournament, with ITV and Setanta Sports taking over the domestic rights from the BBC and Sky Sports, however this would prove to be the only season in which Setanta broadcast the competition, as it went into administration and closed down a few weeks after the final.
All of the teams that entered the competition, but were not members of the Premier League or The Football League, had to compete in the qualifying rounds.
First round proper
All of the 24 League One and 24 League Two teams entered at this round, along with the winners of the previous round, the fourth qualifying round. These 32 winners came from the following levels:
The draw was conducted by Lawrie Sanchez and Ray Parlour.[15] Matches in the second round proper were played over the weekend of 29 November 2008, with the exception of the match between Crewe Alexandra and Carlisle United, which was played on 3 December, due to the abandonment of the first-round game between Carlisle United and Grays Athletic.
‡ – Droylsden's first visit to Chesterfield was abandoned at half time due to fog.[17] The first replay, two weeks later, was then abandoned after 70 minutes due to floodlight failure.[18]
The draw was held on 30 November 2008. The draw was carried out by Sir Trevor Brooking and Ray Clemence at Soho Square. The 20 Premier League and 24 Championship teams enter at this stage, along with the 20 winners from the previous round. These 20 teams came from the following levels:
Torquay United were the only team to beat a team from three levels higher, while Hartlepool United were the only team to beat a team from two levels higher.
Fourth round proper
The draw was held on 4 January 2009. It comprised teams from the following levels:
A technical error during ITV's broadcast of the Everton–Liverpool replay meant that millions of viewers missed Dan Gosling's winner for Everton late in extra time. Coverage of the match was temporarily interrupted by advertisements, only for viewers to see Everton's players celebrating upon the restoration of the feed. ITV received thousands of complaints about the mistake, with many viewers questioning ITV's ability to broadcast live football, especially given their £275 million contract with The Football Association. ITV has subsequently apologised for the error.[24][25][26][27]
The draw was held on 25 January 2009. It comprised ten teams from the Premier League and six from the Championship, and was conducted by Gary Mabbutt and Gary Pallister.[28] The fifth-round matches were played on the weekend of 14 February 2009, with the exception of the tie between Arsenal and Burnley, after Arsenal's fourth round replay with Cardiff City was postponed due to snow. The match was played on 8 March 2009.[29]
The draw was held on 15 February 2009. It comprised seven teams from the Premier League and Coventry City from the Championship. It was conducted by Frank McLintock and Graeme Souness. The matches were played on the weekend of 7 March 2009,[30] with the exception of the tie between Arsenal and Hull City, which was played on 17 March.[31]
The draw was held on 8 March 2009, and was conducted by Bob Wilson and Joe Royle. The semi-final matches were played at Wembley Stadium, on the weekend of 18 April 2009.[32] Unlike the previous rounds, replays were not held if a match ended as a draw; if necessary, extra time was added and a penalty shoot-out was held immediately after the match.
In the United Kingdom, ITV regained the free to air broadcasting rights from the BBC who held on to it after seven seasons while Setanta Sports took over the subscription broadcasting rights from Sky Sports who held on to it for 20 seasons.
^"Ibrahim takes the vote". TheFA.com. The Football Association. 22 September 2008. Archived from the original on 24 September 2008. Retrieved 24 September 2008.
^"Lodge tops poll". TheFA.com. The Football Association. 6 October 2008. Archived from the original on 8 October 2008. Retrieved 12 October 2008.
^"Davis takes the vote". TheFA.com. The Football Association. 20 October 2008. Archived from the original on 28 October 2008. Retrieved 26 October 2008.
^"Hotshot Hatton". TheFA.com. The Football Association. 3 November 2008. Archived from the original on 11 December 2008. Retrieved 4 November 2008.
^"Adams tops poll". TheFA.com. The Football Association. 18 November 2008. Retrieved 18 November 2008.
^"Lindon tops poll". TheFA.com. The Football Association. 8 December 2008. Archived from the original on 10 December 2008. Retrieved 9 December 2008.
^"Tyson in poll knockout". TheFA.com. The Football Association. 22 January 2009. Retrieved 25 January 2009.
^"Parker's poll position". TheFA.com. The Football Association. 3 February 2009. Retrieved 9 February 2009.
^"Arteta scoops award". TheFA.com. The Football Association. 25 February 2009. Archived from the original on 1 March 2009. Retrieved 25 February 2009.
^"Draw for the FA Cup first round". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 26 October 2008. Archived from the original on 29 October 2008. Retrieved 26 October 2008.
^"Grays A-A Carlisle". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 18 November 2008. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
^"Second round Draw". TheFA.com. The Football Association. 9 November 2008. Retrieved 12 November 2008.
^"Droylsden hit by FA Cup expulsion". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 29 December 2008. Archived from the original on 28 December 2008. Retrieved 29 December 2008.
^"Chesterfield A-A Droylsden". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 29 November 2008. Archived from the original on 20 December 2008. Retrieved 23 December 2008.
^"Droylsden A-A Chesterfield". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 16 December 2008. Archived from the original on 19 December 2008. Retrieved 23 December 2008.
^"Fifth round draw details". TheFA.com. The Football Association. 24 January 2009. Retrieved 25 January 2009.
^"FA Cup Fixtures". TheFA.com. The Football Association. Archived from the original on 21 February 2009. Retrieved 17 February 2009.
^"Sixth round proper Draw". TheFA.com. The Football Association. 15 February 2009. Archived from the original on 13 March 2009. Retrieved 15 February 2009.
^"The Semi-final Draw". TheFA.com. The Football Association. 8 March 2009. Archived from the original on 13 March 2009. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
^ ab"FA Cup Officials". TheFA.com. The Football Association. 7 April 2009. Archived from the original on 18 April 2009. Retrieved 14 April 2009.
^Mawhinney, Stuart (21 April 2009). "Webb appointed for The Final". TheFA.com. The Football Association. Archived from the original on 22 January 2010. Retrieved 22 April 2009.
