Ahead of our latest foray into the world’s oldest and most storied cup competition, we take a look back at our FA Cup history…
Record
We’ve lifted the trophy five times: 1904, 1934, 1956, 1969, 2011.
And we’ve also lost out in the final five times: 1926, 1933, 1955, 1981, 2013.
Those 10 cup final appearances come from having reached 13 semi-finals, meaning we have a favourable record in the last four.
Early days
Playing as Ardwick, City first entered the FA Cup in the 1890-91 season and kicked-off with a resounding 12-0 victory in the first qualifying round at home to Liverpool Stanley.
This game remains the largest winning margin in the Club’s FA Cup history.
After receiving a bye, City entered the first round proper six seasons later, but crashed to 6-0 defeat away at Preston North End.
Our first win in the competition proper came in the 1897-98 instalment, a 1-0 win at home to Wigan County, which sent us through to the second round where we lost to Bolton Wanderers.
First victory
Billy Meredith was the hero as City lifted the FA Cup for the first time. The Welshman scored the only goal of the game at Crystal Palace as the Blues beat Bolton Wanderers in front of 61,374.
We beat Sunderland, Woolwich Arsenal, Middlesbrough and Sheffield Wednesday en route to the final.
First final defeat
Bolton avenged that cup final defeat 22 years later. Playing in front of 91,546 at Wembley Stadium, the Trotters won by the same score line, courtesy of David Jack’s goal.
The Trautmann final
The 1956 final went down in City and FA Cup folklore after the bravery of keeper Bert Trautmann.
The Blues beat Birmingham City 3-1 to lift the trophy for a third time, but it was the former German paratrooper who made the headlines.
A nasty collision with Birmingham striker Peter Murphy rendered Trautmann unconscious, but in the days before substitutes, he recovered and played out the remainder of the game in considerable pain.
Trautmann pulled off a string of fine saves before it was later revealed he had in fact broken his neck.
Recent history
City last lifted the famous old trophy in 2011, after Yaya Toure’s strike downed Stoke to give us a first major trophy for 35 years.
Two years later we suffered an agonising defeat after Ben Watson headed home for Wigan Athletic in the first minute of added time.
One of the standout games in recent memory was the 4-3 victory away at Tottenham Hotspur in the fourth round of the 2004 competition.
City trailed 3-0 at half-time and an unlikely comeback was made more difficult when Joey Barton received his marching orders in the 45th minute.
But City rallied and goals from Sylvain Distin, Paul Bosvelt and Shaun Wright-Phillips levelled the tie, before Jon Macken headed in a late winner.
Records
Appearances – Mike Doyle 44
Goals – Fred Tilson 22
Victory – 12-0 v Liverpool Stanley FA Cup qualifying round, October 4 1890-91
Score line - 11–4 v Crystal Palace, FA Cup fourth round, 20 February 1926
Attendance - 84569 v Stoke City, Maine Road, 3 March 1934
Trivia
City faced Everton in the 1933 FA Cup final, in the first game in which shirt numbers were issued.
The Toffees, who won the game 3-0, wore 1-11, with City wearing 12-22.
